We are a family that loves to camp. And when it comes to bringing along young kids, there is a lot of gear that is involved. When we go camping, I don’t like to overpack and have so much stuff that I can’t find anything. But I like to be prepared to make sure we have everything we need for a comfortable night (or few nights).
My parents took us camping from a young age and as child number 4 of 5, I have so many fun memories camping as a kid. I want to give my kids those opportunities to make memories camping. Waking up in the tent with a cool breeze on their face, playing in the nearby river, building fires are roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. All some of the things I look back on fondly.
I put together a list of most of the main gear we bring on our family camping trips. I’m sure I’m missing things and I didn’t link to little things like a lighter, or cash. But I will probably need to go back through and add some things. If you see anything missing, leave a comment and let me know!
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ROOF TOP TENT
4 Person Roof Top Tent: We love our roof top tent and if you want to see Why We Chose A Roof Top Tent, you can check that out here.
Dog Ladder Ramp: This has been so nice to get our dog up into the tent. It just wraps around the ladder with a few bungies it comes with and then you elevate it onto something creating a ramp.
Camp Kitchen
Camp Chef Stove: We love our stove and use it to make most of our meals when out camping.
Cutting Board: We usually just grab a cutting board from home, but it is nice to keep one in your camp kitchen bin so it’s one less thing you have to remember to grab.
RTIC Soft Cooler: This cooler is great for overnight trips where we don’t need a ton of food. It keeps everything cold for multiple nights though so you don’t have to worry about things melting too fast.
Jetboil Flash
The Jetboil Flash is a compact, lightweight cooking system designed for backpacking and camping. I have had mine for years and absolutely love and bring it on 90% of my backpacking trips and a lot of our car camping trips. It boils water incredibly fast—usually in about 100 seconds—thanks to its efficient burner and heat exchange technology.
The integrated design includes a pot, stove, and fuel canister, all of which fit together neatly for easy packing. It has a push-button igniter, a built-in heat indicator to let you know when the water is ready, and an insulated cozy to keep your hands from getting burned. (I do always pack a back up lighter in case the push igniter fails). It is mostly meant for simply boiling your water quickly, not really cooking in it as it’s very hot and can burn your food.
ELECTRONICS
Battery Power Station: It’s so nice to not have to worry about our sound machine dying in the middle of the night and not needing to turn on the car to charge our phones.
Portable Charger: Sometimes I just pack a small portable charger. This is great for quick overnighters or if we are tight on space.
Adult Headlamp: A really bright headlamp that is rechargeable. Multiple light settings.
Kids’ Headlamp: This kids’ headlamp is designed for kids with some safety features, fun colors, and it’s not too bright so they won’t blind you.
SLEEPING Gear
Soft Goods Bin
REI Trailgate Gear Bin: This is a catch all for our sleeping bags, blankets, and jackets. I love how it keeps everything together. While it is soft sided, it’s still sturdy and can fit better in tighter spaces than a traditional plastic bin.
Sleeping Bags
Logan’s Yellow Sleeping Bag: This is the perfect, lightweight sleeping bag for those warmer temperatures
My Green Sleeping Quilt: My custom sleeping quilt has quickly become my favorite piece of camping gear. It’s warm, lightweight, and I bring it on all of my trips.
Kids Sleeping Bag with sleeves: Safe sleep sleeping bags are hard to find but Morrison designed the perfect bag. You can read my Baby and Toddler Sleeping Bag Review here. (Discount Code: HaileyOutside)
Kids Red Sleeping Bag: If you have an older toddler that likes to be cocooned in their sleeping bag, I’d recommend trying the Little Red. My 4 year old loves it. It’s warm and you can slip their sleeping pad inside the built in sleeve so they don’t roll off.
PILLOWS
Preschooler’s Green Pillow: This lightweight pillow is perfect for any backpacking or camping trip. It takes up virtually no room.
Logan’s Grey Pillow: This is one of my favorite camp pillows because it has a bit of cushion inside the inflatable pillow.
Toddler’s Pillow: A camp pillow that feels like your pillow from home? Yes please.
Yoto Player: We love our Yoto Player for playing audiobooks. It helps our kids wind down at night. You can read all about the Yoto Player here.
(Discount Code: Hailey10)
Sound Machine: This lightweight sound machine keeps us all sleeping through the night. USB rechargeable.
Clothes
Walker Family Duffel Bag: A perfect travel bag for anyone who is on the go a lot. Organizational pockets will help keep things from getting too messy inside as well.
Jackets
Kid’s Down Jacket: This is the best down jacket for little kids. It keeps them warm, is lightweight, reversible, and doesn’t break the bank.
Women’s Down Jacket: I wear this one on a regular basis, and I love it. It goes on sale often as well, so keep your eye out for it. Here is the Men’s Version.
Patagonia Synchilla: My husband and I both love these fleece pullovers. They are so cozy and I usually wear the men’s because I like the oversized fit.
Pajamas
Kari Traa Silja Base Layer: These are my Kari Traa base layers I wear all the time. I bought this top with the matching high-waisted bottoms in a size up to fit me while I’m pregnant. I have been able to wear them even when I’m not pregnant and just tuck the top into the bottoms.
Merino Wool Pajamas: I love to bring merino wool base layers camping with a baby because they make great pajamas as well as just comfortable clothes for the kids to lounge in. They don’t smell even if the kids wear them for multiple days and I love that they protect their skin from the sun. (I wouldn’t put them on the kids if it was over about 75°F as that would be too hot. Discount Code: HaileyOutside for 10% off
If you want to read more about the benefits of merino wool and why I love it, you can check out this post I did about my favorite layers for my kids.
Baby Beanie: Keeping your kids head, ears, and neck warm is important in keeping them happy out in freezing temperatures. There are a few different options that I like. A lot of times a beanie is sufficient in keeping them warm from the neck up.
- Iksplor Beanie: This merino wool beanie is amazing. It is thin but warm. I particularly love having my kids sleep in it when we camp in colder temperatures. My toddler has also worn it under his bike helmet (wearing anything underneath a bike helmet can compromise its safety) to keep his ears warm.
- Carhartt Kids Beanie: This is a classic beanie that is warm and cute.
Basin Goods Beanie: These are the beanies I wear most often. I like them because they have a lot of cute colors and while they are warm, they don’t make my head too hot when I’m hiking or camping.
Shoes
Camp Shoes: The Teva Re Ember Moc‘s are the best camp shoe! These are lightly insulated so they keep your feet warm, they have a sole so they are meant to be warm outside, and the back is designed to fold down so you can easily slip them on. Here is the Men’s Version.
Miscelaneous
Toilet Kit: This toilet kit comes with everything you need to do your business outside. We often camp where there aren’t bathrooms so making sure we leave as minimal of an impact is very important.
First Aid Kit: When we go camping I used to pack the Adventure Medical first aid kit that is for both humans and dogs. Now we always bring the My Medic Mini First Aid Kit. It’s a compact and versatile emergency kit designed for convenience and preparedness. I’ve had it for about a year and a half and have used multiple items in it throughout that time. You can read my full review of the first aid kit, here.
Bear Spray: We like to bring bear spray even though we don’t camp in grizzly country. It’s affective against other large predators and the occasional black bear we might see.
Card Games: While we don’t play as many games camping as we did before having toddlers, we still like to throw a game in just in case we do have time. I wrote a post about the Best Games to Bring Camping that you can check out.
If you enjoyed this post about our Family Camping Gear, make sure to check out these posts!
