Z is for Zzzzzs

Getting enough sleep (aka Zzzzzs – aren’t I clever?) is key to enjoying your trip, and noise and light can both interfere with a good night’s rest while car camping. To ensure you get the sleep you need:

• Use earplugs if noise bothers you (I prefer SAS Safety 6100)
• Consider an eye mask if light is a problem (or you can just wear a hooded sweatshirt to bed and pull the hood down over your eyes)

Temperature control may be your biggest concern, however, and heat is likely to present more of a challenge than cold. You can always layer on more blankets but what do you do if it’s just too blasted hot to sleep comfortably?

Well, it’s usually cooler – a LOT cooler – at higher elevations so plan your stops accordingly. After we spent one uncomfortable night in the Utah desert in late June, we resolved not to repeat that mistake. Beings it’s about 3.5 degrees cooler per 1,000 feet of elevation, the next night we headed for the hills. At 10,000 feet, the sleeping temperature was just right!

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F is for Food

In addition to apples, other fresh fruit makes great car camping food. Bananas, for example, each come individually packaged by nature in an easy-to-remove wrapper! A few other suggestions include:

• Fresh produce – especially baby carrots and cherry tomatoes
• Dried fruit/nuts (trail mix) – but be careful, this is a very calorie dense snack option!
• Juice boxes – may cost more but convenience usually comes at a price
• Powdered milk – good staple to have on hand and available in small packets
• Uncle Ben’s rice or Stove Top stuffing – sometimes you may choose to compromise for convenience
• Peanut butter – individual servings or in a jar (kept upright to avoid oil leakage)
• Eggs – boiled eggs can’t be beat as an easy protein source when it comes to convenience, nutrition and cost
• Prepackaged, frozen steaks – individually wrapped, these beauties are great on the grill and keep several days in an ice chest

Just remember that the purpose of food is to fuel your body. When spending long hours sitting in the car, you don’t require as much fuel so choose your food wisely. And if you must have candy, buy “fun size” and put the extra out of reach – way out of reach! Also, you can share meals eaten out, which avoids waste, saves money and prevents weight gain. Happy travels!

K is for Kitchen Stuff

Although it’s important to travel light due to limited space, you’ll need to pack a certain amount of kitchen stuff for car camping, depending on how long you’ll be gone and what meals you plan to make. At a minimum, be sure to remember:

• Frying pan and spatula (unless you’ll do all cooking in your Jetboil)
• Drinking cup, eating utensils and plate and/or bowl for each person
• Dish soap
• Towels (cloth and/or paper)

We also made good use of a couple lidded, plastic containers (which we also used as bowls) but probably could have gotten by without them.

So… What must-have kitchen stuff do you take camping?

E is for Essential Equipment

In addition to a tire repair kit and air pump(s) (see T is for Tires and B is for Bedding), essential equipment for car camping includes:

• First aid kit – you can buy one or make your own
• Car jump starter – super important and the one thing we almost needed that we didn’t have
• Flashlight (and/or headlamp and/or battery lantern), with extra batteries
• Weather-resistant, foolproof fire starter, such as a butane lighter
• Duct tape
• Bungee cord(s)

I know this is by no means an exhaustive list. What have I forgotten?

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R is for Rope

Envisioning me stuck in the middle of a creek crossing on the Nebesna Road in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park during our Alaskan adventure, Joel bought 100 feet of 13,000-pound-test Dyneema 5/16-inch “blue steel” rope (similar to AMSTEEL BLUE ) and a bunch of rigging so he could pull our Subaru out by himself if need be. I’m happy to say that the rope and rigging came home unused but it was nice to be prepared.

While Dyneema may be overkill for your needs, rope can come in handy for lots of things when car camping, such as:

• Clothesline
• Tie downs
• Hanging food
• Towing (use multiple strands for strength)
• Repairs (backpack strap, etc.)
• Belt or suspenders

So, what other ways do you use rope when camping?

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X is for Xtra Cash

Ok – so I cheated on the heading. Yes, I know how to spell extra. But do you know how hard it is to come up with a car camping related item that starts with X? And the letters C (cash) and M (money) were already taken, so…

Be sure to have some extra cash stashed separately from your credit/debit card(s) and in a place other than your purse or wallet. Why? Well, if your purse or wallet is stolen or lost, or if you can’t use a plastic means of payment (power outage, misplaced or damaged card, faulty card reader, etc.), you’ll be glad you have cash handy to get you through.

Suggestions for places you might stash cash include:

• Money Belt – I have one that fits flat against my body under my clothes
• Nooks and crannies in your car – look for spots that are relatively easy to access but not too obvious
• Ice chest – in a zip-top bag taped securely inside the lid
• Suitcase, duffel bag or backpack – securely tucked away
• Pillow – attached at one end, inside the pillowcase

And how much cash should you have on hand? Whatever is reasonable based on your potential immediate needs and distance from home or relatives/friends who are able and willing to help. Just remember where you put it…

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I is for Ice Chest

Ice chests come in many sizes and types, from a simple insulated bag to a fancy 12-volt version that plugs into your car – the options seem nearly limitless! When choosing an ice chest, consider what will work best for you:

• Hard side vs. soft side
• Zipper closure vs. lock/latch
• Size – Does it fit in the front seat? (often your only option when car camping)
• Weight when full – Can you lift it?

We started out with a zippered insulated tote bag style cooler, which we love for bringing home groceries, but quickly determined a medium size freestanding hard-sided plastic ice chest was a better fit for our trip. We also discovered that zip-top bags DO NOT keep food dry in melting ice so bought leak proof containers to house items we didn’t want submerged in water (like butter and avocados).