Car Camping Essentials from a Beginner
September 24, 2022 - Moab, UT
Why We’re Here
September 10, 2022 - I headed out for what would be one of the most unique experiences of my life. After months of planning, I was finally going to realize a dream of mine and live in an SUV with a built-in bed working remotely and traveling cross country.
A few months prior, when doing research on the different options for cross country travel, I saw a lot of content on car camping. Unfortunately, videos and pictures can’t tell you everything so there were still a few things I couldn’t wrap my brain around.
How would I be able to sit up and not hit my head?
How would I fit in the bed? I’m 5’11!
How would there be enough room for everything I need on a daily basis?
Of course a lot of things you can’t fully know until you experience it, but my goal in starting this blog is to share my experience and the things I learned to hopefully make it very simple for someone to plan their own cross country road trip.
Making a Car a Home
Like any living situation, you are the only one who truly knows how to make your space into a home regardless if it’s a house, condo or car.
A good place to start when making a space into a home is asking yourself, “what are the things that I can’t live without?” I look at this in the way minimalists define themselves - “owning only what adds value and meaning to your life and removing the rest."*
Only focus on things that add value and meaning.
So if you’re buying items for your trip right now and are worried you don’t have “enough” or “the right things” remember that there is no such thing because everyone will have a different idea of what they need.
That being said, let’s dive right in!
September 9, 2022 - The car the day before hitting the road ft. Goldy
Below are a list of 13 items I had in the car interior that can be purchased on Amazon:
1.=Mattress - $324.00
The comfort level of my bed was really important to me, so I opted for a legitimate mattress instead of a sleeping pad or some sort of egg crate or foam pad like I have seen others do. Sleeping on a real mattress really made it feel like home to me and this one was as comfortable as I could imagine. The one linked below fit the exact dimensions of the SUV I was in, but you’ll have to do some measuring to find what works for you.
2. Bedspread - $35.00
It was important for me to have an actual bedspread and not a sleeping bag in the car to make me feel more homey. I actually had one from Target, but anything like the below would be great. It’s important to have something not too expensive and a darker color since it will likely get very dirty.
3. Bed Sheets - $37.00
These are seriously hotel quality bed sheets and I actually have them on my bed at home which made me feel like I was right at home!
4. Blanket - $25.00
Even though this blanket got so dirty it was nice to have the comfort of a warm blanket. Worth it for me!
5. Fridge - $249.00
This 12 volt fridge worked super well for my needs. It fit a week’s worth of groceries in the split refrigerator and freezer section. The handle did break off a few days into the trip which was a bummer, so I could be convinced to look for other fridge options next time. It also took up a lot of my daily charge from the power station as well as a big chunk of room in the car area with no room to budge since it’s plastic and needs clearance for the lid to open.
6. Water Bricks - $48.00
It’s very important to make sure that you have at least 6 gallons of water with you when car camping (especially in remote areas). In the case of emergency, you should have enough water for 1-2 weeks. I stumbled upon water bricks when doing research on other car camping set-ups. I wrapped two together in bungee chords to keep them as compact as possible. I also put them in a shopping bag so if they leaked, the water wouldn’t touch the power station. There are other options for water bladders, but to me water bricks are the most affordable and hold the most water.
7. Water Spout - $28.00
My water spout linked below broke within the first week (You may have noticed I’ve called out a few things that broke immediately). Durability of appliances is especially important when living and traveling in car where you are moving around a lot. Next time, I would purchase the Primo® Water Manual Pump or Electronic Pump.
8. Power Station - $229.00
The Jackery Explorer 1000 linked below is not actually the power station I used on my trip, but I included it because I wanted to share a list of essentials entirely from Amazon. I used the Goal Zero Yeti 3000x which is a more heavy duty power station with 3000 watts of stored energy rather than 1000 watts. It all just depends on your power needs!
9. Fan - $29.00
I ziptied these to the back of the headrests for some cool air circulation during the night. They are not high powered at all so if you are looking for something heavy duty, these are not them.
10. Trash Can - $27.00
This trash can fit perfectly in the front center console and consealed the smell of trash well. It’s not really meant for large amounts of food scraps or smelly trash but it does the job for a quick trash can on hand.
11. Trash Bags - $14.95
Fit well in the trash can above, environmentally friendly!
12. Clothes Storage - $29.00
Make sure to consider your clothes storage if you are building a bed platform in your car. My platform was built with a clearance just under 3” so it was really difficult to find clothes storage that fit under the platform with a handle to pull them out. The below bins are what I would have preferred to use, but I ended up ziptieing together multiple wire baskets.
13. Packing Cubes - $30.00
Packing cubes are a hack to be able to include more clothing items in your clothes storage bin. Although I would recommend packing a lightly as possible :)
14. Towels - $25.00
You know… for showering. Which I will tell you all about in other blog.
Here’s 14 items fit in my roof storage & drawers that can be purchased on Amazon:
1.=Roof Storage - $89.99
I actually had a hard shell Thule rooftop storage container off of Facebook Marketplace, but I wish I would have gotten a soft shell roof bag like below. They are more flexible and from what I understand easier to attach to the roof and open/close.
2. Two Burner Camping Stove - $79.99
I actually used the Martin two burner stove, but I couldn’t find it on Amazon. Something like the below will work just fine. These camping stoves are fueled by small 16oz propane tanks and are super intuitive to use. Here’s a how to video to get started. Single burner camping stoves are also an option if you want something more compact.
3. Propane - $28.00
Fuel for your camping stove. 1 tank should last you at least 1-2 weeks.
4. Cooking Skillet - $40.00
Any size skillet of this brand should work great! Notice the foldable handle to make it more compact.
5. Cooking Pot - $89.90
Sea to Summit is another great brand for cooking appliances. The silicone material makes it easy to fold up and put away quickly.
6. Dishes and Utensils - $35.00
I grabbed some utensils, cups, plates + bowls from home to bring in the car, but something like this would work too.
7. Wash Bin - $16.99
A wash bin is essential for washing dishes on the road whether it’s right next to your car or in a campground or truck stop bathroom.
8. Dish Soap - $4.99
Toughest dish soap spray I found for cleaning camping dishes.
9. Dish Scrubber - $11.99
Essential for scrubbing dishes in the wash bin.
10. Wet Wipes - $15.99
I used these for the finishing touch to clean dishes because I didn’t want to wash a ton of dish towels.
11. Folding Chair - $32.99
These chairs are put together by connecting metal poles together and stretching the chair fabric over them. They are very compact and easy to transport, not to mention comfortable.
12. Camping Table - $109.99
Kingcamp is a great brand for camping tables. The set up process is fairly easy and creates a sturdy enough table for cooking and eating on.
13. Laundry Bags - $12.99
Any standard laundry bag is important to have for those dirty clothes to easily take into a laundromat or a friend’s place.
14. Lanterns Flashlights - $17.99
Flashlights are underrated but so important to have on hand. Once the sun goes down, you are on your own for light.
Here’s a list of 4 remote work items that can be purchased on Amazon:
1.=Lap Desk - $59.00
Worked well for a semi-permanent desk while working in the car.
2. Portable Monitor - $254.99
This portable monitor was a game changer for me as my job requires me to be on video calls and share my screen constantly. It made the transition from using two full sized monitors at a sitting desk to working remotely in the car very smooth. The pixel quality from my end was not as good as my LG monitor at home (to be expected). But my coworkers and clients said it was high quality when I shared my screen on their end.
3. Solis Hotspot - $139.99
The Solis hotspot device connects to the strongest cell signal wherever you are. So instead of having a hotspot device for one cell carrier, the Solis offers a more flexible approach. In my experience, the Solis was not always the most reliable wifi solution but to be fair, no wifi is always reliable. I plan to share another blog deep diving into working on the road to explain more.
4. T-Mobile Hotspot - $198.00
One of my favorite people to research when I was preparing for my trip was Crosby Grace. She wrote an article on her hotspot recommendations and the T-Mobile hotspot was her choice since they cover more of the U.S. than other carriers. This hotspot ended up being my most reliable one for approximately $50 per month.
7 Non-essential items that can be purchased on Amazon:
1.=Fairy Lights - $6.99
Practical for light, good for vibes.
2. 6 Person Tent - $499.99
This tent was actually a gift, but it was never used on the cross country trip. I just never had a need for it. It’s getting some good use now on more regional trips and I highly recommend it.
3. Solar Panels - $199.99
The specific ones I had were the Goal Zero solar panels, but what I didn’t realize was that the conditions needed for solar panels to work well is really specific. Since I was not traveling in high altitudes or staying in direct sunlight for extended periods of time, the one time I used them didn’t generate a lot of power. I was also moving very quickly spending 1-2 nights in one location so solar panels were not the most realistic source of power for me.
4. Hiking Backpack - $259.99
There also wasn’t a huge need for me to have a backpacking pack because I was only car camping. However, I am working up to backpacking trips and I know for a fact this backpack is very comfortable with adjustable straps for back support.
5. Hiking Boots - $290.00
I would tell every single person on the planet to buy these hiking boots if I could. They felt like I put my feet in warm sleeping bags to go to bed before I went on a hike. Completely worth the price.
6. Umbrella - $27.99
I clipped this umbrella to a table or chair when some shade was needed and it worked fairly well. It is definitely not super sturdy so it would fall over if a gust of wind came.
7. Mirror - $17.99
I purchased this mirror thinking I would use it to look at myself when getting ready, but I never did. I got ready in various bathrooms mostly. This is a nice mirror though because you could hang the handle from the hook on the door handle.
And there you have it! This is an incredibly long blog, so I will leave you with the summary links below. Thanks for reading!
Check out my Amazon Car Camping List for a complete look at everything I purchased:
Check out my Tiktok video for a walk through of the car set-up:
*https://www.breakthetwitch.com/minimalism/#:~:text=Minimalism%20is%20all%20about%20owning,and%20space%20in%20our%20lives.
