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How to pack and unpack quickly for weekend car camping trips


As we have optimized our car camping system over the years, more and more I think the key to fast packing and unpacking is carefully picking what you bring with you. This means being honest with yourself about what you actually will use and understanding how many comfort items you need to still have a good time, without going overboard. This means that you do have to spend some time thinking about this ahead of time and occasionally reconsidering your packing list, as most of us can get sucked into camping lifestyle inflation over time.

One philosophy that has helped me with this is minimalism. This doesn’t mean to bring the bare minimum for survival, it means to be intentional about each item that you bring with you and don’t toss in a ton of extra stuff that you likely won’t use or won’t use very much. For more reading on the idea, I suggest the blog Becoming Minimalist. 

This philosophy is especially important if you’re only staying a night or two, however if you’re staying longer it can be worth it to indulge in bringing more stuff. This might be items that you’re more likely to use on a longer trip or it might be worth it to you to bring more comfort items.

Here are our recommendations for getting out of town quickly after work

Our high level recommendations:
  • Keep the packing list simple - don’t bring all the toys (for kids or grown-ups)
  • Pack as much as possible ahead of time or just keep it ready to go at all times
  • Dedicate certain items to camping so they're always ready to go
  • Use teamwork - include the kids in packing whenever possible to minimize work for the parents

Our high-level packing list:
  1. ​Sleeping stuff (sleeping bags, pads, headlamps)
  2. Tent
  3. Camp kitchen (stove, fuel, box of kitchen stuff) and camp chairs
  4. Small daypack for each person with a few personal items (book, water bottle, small toys or hiking entertainment, first aid kit, etc)
  5. Clothes & toiletries
  6. Food
  7. Last minute items (pillows, books, wallet, cellphone)

The packing is divided into 3 sections:
  • Pack ahead of time - always ready to go (Items 1, 2, 3): These should be stored in easy to reach places
  • Pack ahead of time - assembly required (items 4 & 5): Hand out packing lists to each family member, one person to ensure it gets done and packed
  • Last minute (items 6 & 7): Pack right before leaving​

Other packing recommendations:
  • Use packing cubes - one color per family member, use two sided ones with one side labelled dirty and one clean
    • Alternately, use one duffel bag per kid - color coded
  • Keep the hiking backpacks stored ready to go with water bladders and any hiking toys for the kids
  • Keep the camping kitchen in a storage box close to the kitchen so it's quick to clean everything and restock it, ensuring it's always ready to go
  • Create laminated packing lists and cross off items that aren't needed for that particular trip before handing it out to everyone to pack
    • Use packing lists with drawings for the kids who can't read yet
  • If you can, don’t bring so much stuff so you have to zero space the car - that adds extra time to packing
    • If you do end up with a very full car, develop a packing system of which items go where and stick to the same system
    • Consider a roof bag if it makes packing faster for you
  • Buy a tent that has easy to use stuff-sack
    • For example: one with different compartments for different components instead of lots of separate bags for stakes, poles etc like this one
    • The tent should easily fit in the stuff-sack and not require a lot of time to fit it in tightly 

Recommendations for packing up camp:
  • Have the kids pack up their own clothes and sleeping bags - it helps if they have their own duffle bag or packing cube
  • Have a dishwashing system that you trust enough so you don’t have to wash the dishes a second time when you get home
    • When we have to wash the dishes at home, often those dishes sit around in the kitchen for a while before we get around to putting them away in the camp kitchen, or the kids use them again and then they stick around even longer while you wash them, or the special camping spatula ends up in the regular kitchen stuff so when we go camping there’s no spatula!

Unpacking:
If possible, get home with enough time to unpack the vehicle before you go to bed. If you have a fast system, unpacking isn’t much of a burden so you don’t have to get home much earlier. Additionally, unpacking the next day is never fun when you’re all back to work and school, especially if you forget and leave stuff in the cooler and it goes bad.

This is our fast unpacking system: 
  • Phase 1 - unpacking the car:
    • Someone unloads the car and puts things in the right general area (example: just inside the front door of the house vs the garage)
    • Someone else puts things in the final destination room (we have our kids do this)
      • For example - duffel bags go to each person’s room, sleeping bags go to the storage spot, food bags and the cooler go to the kitchen
      • Even 3-year-olds can help if you give them simple directions
  • Phase 2 - putting items away:
    • One person works on the kitchen unpacking the food bags and the cooler and washing any dishes that are needed
    • One person works on putting away sleeping gear/tents/other camp items
    • Kids take care of their own clothes bags - put toiletries away, put dirty and clean clothes where they belong (help them if they’re too little)
NOTE: modify this system for your house/storage area layout and the age(s) of your kids


Using these tips, we can usually pack for a weekend trip in less than 1 hr ahead of time plus 30 min the day of and then unpack in less than 30 min

One final note: when you're packing for a short trip, don't spend too much time ensuring you have every single item on your packing list (except of course for any especially critical or life-saving items). The extra time required to go from 95% correct to 100% correct can be 1-2 hours which isn't often worth it for a short trip. If you do forget something, use it as a teaching opportunity for the kids to learn how to live without having everything. We have a long list of items we have forgotten on trips and it makes for good stories. (Like when our daughter had only climbing shoes instead of regular shoes for an entire weekend, or when we forgot the fuel.)

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Original version: 6/9/2019
Updated: 9/7/2020

​This advice is based on our experience camping in groups organized by our good friends who have amazing organization experience.
  • Plan for no more than about 6-8 families of about 4 people
  • Have one person book a group campsite or multiple campsites that are close together
    • Use the campground maps on the reservation websites to find sites nearby (don’t assume consecutive numbers mean they’re close together!)
  • Use a google sheet to like this one that our friends made to organize the planning 
    • Collect information on what gear people are bringing so everyone doesn’t need to bring 1 of everything (for example you don’t need 8 stoves, etc)
    • Keep track of what dietary restrictions everyone has
  • Ideas for meal plans:
    • Consider not planning meals the night everyone arrives - people sometimes come late 
    • Divide up the cooking responsibilities so each family cooks once (everyone who doesn’t cook helps clean)
    • Include a make-your-own brown bag lunch station
  • Clean up suggestions:
    • Set up dishwashing tubs (soap/rinse)
    • Use a mesh bag for hanging dishes dry
  • Organization ideas:
    • If people bring identical items suggest people label stuff (or use climbing tape)
    • Have one central dining spot so kids can eat at one table and parents can make a circle of camp chairs or eat at another table while still supervising
    • Consider bringing a folding table for the “buffet”
  • Suggested activities:
    • Plan a group activity, like hiking or playing in a river/lake
    • Bring stuff for campfire/smores
    • Glowsticks (they also come in handy for keeping track of kids in the dark)

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Original version: 6/8/2020


This section is a summarization of the gear tips for camping that are included in the different camping sections, with some additional tips added. Since the philosophy of this website is to not recommend certain specific gear band instead to give criteria of what to look for when selecting gear, that is what you'll find here.

General:
  • Packing for car camping is a lot faster if you are not filling up every square inch of your car when packing.
    • If you have a smaller car, consider spending a small amount extra on key items in order to get them in a smaller version if possible.
  • Lighter gear isn't important unless you will be using the gear for backpacking also (for example sleeping bags and pads).
  • Try to buy gear that can be used for multiple activities, so if you also go backpacking, don't buy completely separate gear for car camping.
  • Buy color-coded gear for each family member if possible, otherwise label clearly with names.
    • ​Examples: clothing duffel bag, mug, toiletry kit

Sleeping:
  • Buy a tent that has easy to use stuff-sack.
    • For example one with different compartments for different components instead of lots of separate bags for stakes, poles etc like this one.
    • The tent should easily fit in the stuff-sack and not require a lot of time to fit it in tightly 
  • Sleeping bag:
    • Consider how much space you have in your car and then decide if you need one that packs up small or not.
    • Get one that isn't excessively longer than the kid if possible.
      • For example: a toddler or little kid length sleeping bag is good when they are young.
    • If your kid moves around a lot, get one that attaches to the sleeping pad like this one.
  • Sleeping pad:
    • If size or weight is a consideration, get a 3/4 length pad.
    • Otherwise, get a full-length one they can still use as a teenager (although I know adults who backpack with 3/4 length pads).

Personal Gear:
  • Headlamps - don't need anything fancy since the kids will try to lose them
  • Toiletry kit - something simple and small that the kids can manage and keep track of on their own.

Cooking:
  • Stove:
    • Get one that has reviews for durability and can simmer if you need it to.
    • Pick the fuel system you are comfortable with:
      • Liquid fuel that can be refilled easily vs gas fuel that needs disposable canisters or can be refilled at a shop.
    • Consider the number of burners needed for your family and the amount of cooking you like to do.
  • Dedicated camp kitchen box:
    • Rubbermaid or similar box with a locking lid
    • Shallower ones let you find things more easily, but if they are too shallow they don't fit the washbasins.
    • Alternately, could use a plastic set of drawers.
  • Cooler:
    • You don't need a super-expensive brand-name one, although they do look cool.
    • Read up on how to pre-chill a cooler before filling it (when you have time, are going on a longer trip or somewhere warm).
    • Consider freezing your own ice blocks (such as with small size juice containers).
  • Washbasin: could just buy simple stacking ones, or consider fold up one.
  • Water container: they come in handy in places with less water, don't get one too big, look for one with an optional nozzle, and be careful of leakage in the car.
  • Table:
    • Useful if you have extra space or if you camp in places without good tables.
    • Roll-up lidded tables fold up small, which is useful if you are tight on space.
  • ​Food storage:
    • ​Have dedicated storage (bags or bins) for food in camp.
    • For longer trips, consider having bags labeled "breakfast", "lunch", "dinner", "snack" to make it easier to find food.
  • Cooking extras:
    • ​Label utensils and marshmallow skewers so they don’t get accidentally taken by friends.
    • Buy a separate small cheese grater/measuring cup/measuring spoons/can opener/wine opener that you can leave in the kitchen - we bought cheap versions of all of those for camping only.
    • I'll break our rule: we love Rolla Roasters for roasting marshmallows.

Extras:
  • Hammock - a small one is fun, doesn't need to be fancy or brand name, just small
  • Sun/rain/wind shade:
    • Look for one that withstands what you need it for
    • Example: strong enough not to be destroyed in wind or has good reviews that the roof won't sag from too much rain.
  • Folding chairs:
    • Consider kid-sized ones for smaller kids
    • They can take up a lot of space so consider getting smaller ones to make pack up easier 

Hiking Gear and Clothing:
Extra Car Storage:
  • First, consider if you really need the extra storage space, or can you take the money you would have spent on the box and buy smaller versions of some of your camping items so that you don't need it.
  • Then make sure you know where you'll store the extra box or bag before you buy it
    • If you need to leave it on the car, are you ok with the lower gas mileage that you'll get?
  • Understand who is capable of putting it on the car (does it need 2 people? are both of you strong enough?)
  • Consider how hard it will be to use for each person (is someone too short to reach it on top? Or do they need a step ladder?)
  • Extra storage options are:
    • Roof bag - it only requires a small storage area, but you need to carefully tie down all the straps each time you use it or you'll get flapping noise while driving.
    • Roof box - you'll need to find a space to store it, and you may need 2 people to put it on the roof.
    • Trailer hitch box - easy to reach for shorter people, needs a trailer hitch, and two people to install and you need to find a space to store it.
  • When you decide to purchase one, check out websites like Craigslist because you can often get a good deal since many people find they don't have space anymore to store them and haven't used them much.

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Original version: 9/14/2020