Camping has two main types: car camping and backpacking. And of course we can’t forget the ever-popular version of car camping: glamping. By definition, car camping means that you drive your vehicle up to your campsite and you can unload your gear, which allows you to have a bigger mattress, larger tents, more luxurious food, and comfy chairs. Backpacking means you get to a trail head with everything you need on your back, and hike a minimum of several miles.
Our family has done a lot more backpacking than car camping, and in fact most of our gear is actually backpacking gear until recently, when we started collecting some items for car camping (a bigger stove and nicer chairs etc). However this summer we embarked on a style of camping I had never done before. We flew to Glacier National Park with camping gear in our checked luggage, then proceeded to camp for 10 days! So my question was, how does one pack for flight/car camping? I tried doing research and there wasn’t much out there as far as a packing list or any Youtube videos on the subject, which only added to my nervousness.
I will be sharing my packing list in this blog and some tips that will give you our itinerary for plane/car camping, with a hotel or to-do laundry in a future post.
Airplane/car camping packing list (partially inspired by a list from www.backcountry.com):
Sleep System
❑ Tent or tarp
❑ Sleeping pad
❑ Sleeping bag
❑ Camping pillow
❑ Sleep sack – for heat
Food and Snacks:
❑ Mighty spark 20 sticks
❑ Ramen 3 packages of 3
❑ 2 Boxes chips
❑ Tea and coffee
❑ Protein Powder/ bars
❑ M&M’s, gummy candy
❑ Dried Mango
❑ Pack food for trip as much as you can
Kitchen Gear
❑ Stove Backpacking one
❑ Camp cookware (pots & pans)
❑Utensils – Titanium Spoons
❑ Knife
❑Cutting board
❑ Plates, bowls & mugs
❑ Cooler – can be a checked luggage
❑ Biodegradable soap
❑ Lantern
❑ Lighter/waterproof matches
❑ Camp chairs - optional
❑ Paper Towels
❑ Trash bags
Emergency, Repair & Tools
❑ First Aid Kit
❑ Medications
Pepto-Bismol
Charcoal
Supplements/Vitamins
Tylenol and Excedrin
Benadryl
Ear stuff
Cortisone cream
Benadryl cream
Digestive enzymes
Heart burn meds
Lys mouth stuff
Homeopathy
Hygiene
❑ Toiletries (mini sizes)
Dove soap
Biodegradable soap
Wipes
Hand sanitizer
Mosquito repellant
Brush
Contacts and solution
Hair Products – moose and glue
Hair ties and bobby pens
❑ Pack towel and wash cloth
❑ Toothpaste and tooth brush
❑ Make up
Personal Items
❑ Water bottle
❑ Food
❑ Water
❑ Cash (for campsite and park fees where credit cards don’t work) and coins for the shower and laundromat
❑ Sunscreen
❑ Sunglasses
❑ Insect repellant
❑ Head Lamp
❑ Power bank for charging electronics/solar power charger
Clothing
❑ Clothes line
❑ Beanie
❑ Socks
❑ Shirts
❑ Pants
❑ Underwear
❑ Gloves
❑ Shoes and sandals
❑ Insulated jacket
❑ Rain jacket – always a must in most parts of the world, even if the weather says no.
❑ Sun hat
Rule to Follow:
1-2-3-4-5-6 Rule for packing:
1 hat
2 pairs of shoes
3 pairs of pants or skirts
4 shirts
5 pairs of socks
6 sets of underwear
Nice To Have
❑ Camera
❑ Notebook
Pencil and sharpener
Pen
❑ Games and Cards – We brought Uno and Skippo
❑ Book
To Print out:
❑ Reservations and park passes in case of no reception.
To Pick up when land:
❑ Fuel canister
❑ Shampoo/Conditioner – if you have girls and they have camp showers
❑ Bear spray – Just rent at the National Park
❑ Snack
❑ Lighter and matches
Recommendations I learned:
Once you land and get your rental care, plan a trip to Walmart or a sporting goods store. You can pick up some of the more luxurious food items there, like fresh fruit and such. We went with a family and they used a Costco Rubbermaid to transport pre-made dry foods, which was used as checked luggage and worked pretty well!
Always pack a raincoat on you when in the plains as rain can roll over head at any moment.
3-4 season tent is essential, as we did get rain more days while camping for short periods of time.
Hammer and sturdy tent stakes due to high winds rushing over the plains. This will prevent tents from falling down. This didn’t happen to us but we did see others struggling with this.
Don’t overpack into your bags! You need to have room to easily remove items and put them away neatly.
Book hotels in your transitions days (if going for longer than 5 days) that have coin laundry so you can do laundry (we packed clothing for 5 days).
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