It is about time I leave my comfort zone. I have been missing run anfter run because I don't have a club on camping. So if I was to go on one of the campiong runs with teh wife and 3 kids what would I need to bring. The question sounds stupid but I really have no idea. If someone could just give me a good list I am going to go get evertyhing and try this camping and wheeling thing you all do.

 

a good tent - nothing too big as it will only be a burden to setup, won't hold up in the wind, hard to find a good spot to set it up and will not do a good job of keeping you warm.

a good camp bed - i like the REI 3.5 camp bed as it's super comfortable, compact, durable, self-inflating and insulates you from the cold ground. don't waste your money on an air mattress as you will regret it.

a good sleeping bag - a compact one is always optimal as it'll take less space. if your wife gets cold easily, get one that has a lower temp rating - zero degrees is always a good one!

a good cooler - if you can't afford something like an arb fridge freeze (highly recommended), i would try to get a medium/large cooler that has at 5 day or greater rating. if you can get one without a drain spout, all the better as they tend to leak.

a camp stove - you'll need something to cook with and most anything will do. a stove stand is nice to have as well.

a collapsible table - nice for setting up a kitchen and cooking on if needed.

collapsible chairs - not needed but always nice to have.

small action packer bin - great for keeping things together. if possible, i recommend that you try and get kitchen stuff that will fit in one. if you can't, you probably have too much stuff or stuff that's too big.

lantern - always nice to have at night.

water container - you can use standard 1 gal jugs from the grocery store but, something more durable will take the abuse of the trail better.

good flashlight - you should have one anyway


these are just a few things in a nutshell - i'm sure there's more i'm forgetting and will add to the list as i think of it

 

Heres my camping checklist
Tent
Air Matress and Pump (also a power converter that hooks up to your cig lighter/batt)
Blankets
Propane stove
Cooler for drinks and food
Wood and firestarter
Cooking utinsels (tongs, forks.ect)
Flashlights
Chairs

 

You will have fun. Bring as much stuff as you can cram in your jeep, that you wish for comfort. As a backkpacker, I like the jeep camping...yes! I can bring an air mattress and comforts I don't usually have on the trail. You'll want water and a way to heat it for washing up, sleeping pads, pillows, tent, appropriate weight bags for the temps, camp table, chairs, lantern, food, stove, ice chest or fridge freeze.

Hammocks are nice if there are trees. Bring something to haul all your trash out. Maybe a rake, too. The list is infinite... camping is fun!

 

Here is what I would do. Go to REI, become a member (Lifetime $20 I think). You will receive discounts and special sale items all year long, plus cash back at the end of the year based on how much you spend. Pays for itself.

Then rent the gear from them the first time. At least the big items, tent sleeping bags etc. Sleeping in a tent is my favorite place to sleep in the world, but I have been doing it since I was 7. It would suck to find out you (or your wife or kids) don't have the bug and then you have hundreds of dollars worth of gear sitting in your garage.

Once you figure out if you and the family love it, spend the money and don't skimp. That $75 tent from costco with multiple rooms is great on the pocketbook, but might not keep you dry in the rain or stay up on a windy night. Sleeping bags are the same way. You get what you pay for. That being said, the most expensive gear is usually reserved for backpackers due to weight savings. Car camping is a bit more economical.

Tent- think 3 season. get one with a full rainfly and vestibule. BIG tents don't stay warm. It is you and your tent mates that create a lot of the warmth in the tent. I have one tent for me and the dog and another, which I can stand up in for when the family comes along, but that was to keep Eve (my wife) happy.

Sleeping Bags- Here is where it gets tricky. Down or synthetic, 0 degree, 15 degree, 20 degree. Should they zip together...

Down bags pack smaller and may be lighter, but they may not stay warm if they get wet and you may be allergic. Synthetic stays warm when wet, but packs bigger and still isn't as fluffy. Sierra Designs, and others, are advertising Down bags with an outer lining that will keep the down from getting wet, but they are SUPER pricey.

As far as warmth goes, that is a tough one. Remember a 0 degree bag might not keep you warm in 0 degree weather, but it will keep you alive. On the other hand, there are ways to make a 15 degree bag warmer, but you can't make a 0 degree bag cooler. They make inserts that go into your bag (think socks) that will make your bag warmer and you can take it out on warm nights. You can also dress in layers and lose them as you get warm during the night. Some people actually say sleeping naked in a good bag is the best way to stay warm, but I think that originated from a guy taking his girlfriend backpacking for the first time.

When you buy a sleeping bag, you can usually decide what side you want the zipper on. If you and your wife get opposite side zippers you can zip them together to create one big cozy bag so you can spoon or whatever. This is great until it gets so bloody hot and there is no way to stick a leg out to thermal regulate.

What ever you do, do not store your sleeping bag in the stuff sack all the time, It will kill the bag, by compressing the materials making it not as warm. Store it in the big bag it comes with or under your bed.

Lantern - Black Diamond makes an led one that is awesome.

Flashlight- Redundant, but yeah. I would suggest one per person.

Cook stove- I have a 2 burner propane stove that works great, but I don't really eat like a king at camp.

Thermarest/camp bed- They keep you warm from the ground and offer some cushion. I want to try the one W.O.L. has (not his, but a new one)

Cooler- Doubles as a table or a seat.

First Aid Kit- blisters, scrapes, bee stings, and on and on

Cooking utensils- Think small and multi purpose. I use my backpacking cooking stuff even when car camping, It just packs so well. I use kids plates. They stack together, are cheap and easily replaceable. One set of everything per person. One plate one fork one spoon one cup etc. Nalgene or Kleen Kanteen for water per person.

odds and ends Paper towels, TP, trash bags (might have to pack your trash out) dish soap (get the camp soap that won't be bad for the environment) Ivory Soap (does not have a scent so the mosquitos might leave you alone) Bug Spray, camp towel, sunscreen, mesh bags to store your utensils to dry, any personal needs

Camp chair- Gotta sit

Hammock- Gotta nap (not really needed, but I bring a small one. Use it less than a third of my trips.)

Food- I pack easy. Pop Tarts and instant oatmeal for breakfast. canned soups and chili for dinner type of things. Maybe hot dogs for the first night by the fire. Beef Jerky, trail mix, M&M's and instant Hot Chocolate go a long way

Water- I usually bring way too much when car camping, but better than not having enough.

Cold weather gear Warm jacket (down and fleece for me), beanie, polypro base layers. I hate being cold and the mountains and desert can turn quickly. Once you are cold, it is hard to warm up. Rain gear too

Camp shoes flip flops, slip ons (like keens or crocs). Easy on and off for those late night trips to the bathroom, water play, or just when you don't want to wear hiking boots any more.

UNO Not so much on big group trips, but family trips. Some of my fondest memories are playing card games in a tent in the rain with my parents, second only to, many years later, playing different games with my girlfriend in a tent in the rain, but I digress.

Milk crates The kind that you borrow (for years at a time) from the back of the grocery store or Starbucks. they are great for packing the Jeep and can be turned over and be used for camp table to cook on. If you don't want to commandeer them, small heavy duty storage bins work well too. Also good for keeping your gear together in the garage when you get home.

DOG Depending on where you go, this is one of the best things you can bring. National Parks only let pets in camp so you can not take them hiking or to any of the sites so that is hard, but everywhere else that they are permitted it is awesome. My goal is to take at least one trip a year with just me and Opie, my dog.

Camera Memories of a lifetime.

Sorry I was so long winded, but talking about camping was a nice break from working on theatre stuff and all of the upcoming meetings pertaining to it.

 

Really great to see this thread Andy it's about time you take Tiffany and the kids on some of the awesome trips! One thing we've had to do because of the limited space is to buy hiking equipment because by design it's a smaller footprint and takes up less space. Other things to help get everything into your jeep is to have a rack or trailer...best advice and ones we got some time ago was to pm the jeepcachers since they seem to have the whole camping with kids thing down to a science.

Admittedly we've only been on a couple trips with all three teenage girls and the two dogs but we did manage to have everything we needed with us

 

Thanks to all that have replied and with Fathers day coming who knows what I will get but at least I will have a list of ideas I can give the kids. I am looking forward to gettign out more with the local jeepers.

 

That's a great list, Sully, I am going to print it out. I always seem to forget stuff when Jeep camping.

You can also find good stuff on Craig's List -

 

I think your biggest challenge will be getting 3 kids and camping gear into your Jeep. Racks would help. we haven't done it for the kids yet, but cutting down one pillow size was a huge help. We bought a couple of medium sized foam pillows at REI that pack into tight little balls. They are around $30 each (thus why we have only purchased 2 so far) but one of my favorite upgrades for camping.

 

I created a spreadsheet that over the last eight years has grown to three pages of three columns each and pretty much covers any little thing I've ever needed on a camping trip ranging from beach to mountain camping (not high altitude, heavy winter or backpacker camping - just good old fashioned tent camping). If you PM me your e-mail address I'll send it to you. Together with all the great info that's already been posted you can customize your own list and be good to go