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Must-have Family Camping Gear & Family Camping Checklist

Camping

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It’s probably no secret by now- we LOVE camping as a family. We’ve been camping since our kids were itty bitty and they’ve become the best campers! I’ve been camping in some capacity most of my life- but it wasn’t until we decided to start camping as a family that I really started collecting camping gear. Now, I am pretty minimalist by nature and I DON’T think you need a ton of fancy camping gear to camp well. We started with very basic equipment (see the $2 plastic target plates, below) and slowly started upgrading to better quality items that will last us for years to come. These are my camping must-haves for easy car camping with a family.

p.s. Don’t forget to download my family camping gear checklist with clickable links!

Camp Kitchen Essentials:

Gas Camp Stove This is the one we have used for years– but it’s out of production now- this newer version is just as affordable (only $75) and with great reviews (this is the one we’ll get once we need a new one- but ours is just fine 5 years in!). If you need a single burner, this one is great as well! Don’t forget the propane (or butane for the single burner!)
Cast Iron Pan This is honestly one of the only truly ‘must-have’ camp cooking items, in my opinion. Cast iron pans are one of THE best investment you can make for your kitchen- not only do they cook the BEST steak, they can cook over a camp stove OR the fire (or from stovetop to oven if you’re at home).
Cast Iron Griddle This is more of a nice-to-have, but honestly, we use this EVERY camping trip for eggs, bacon, pancakes (flat top side) to burgers and skewers (griddle side). Worth every penny!
Small Pot(for boiling water, soups and more). A small pot is necessary if you’re heating water for coffee or hot chocolate, cooking small bags of pre-packaged grains, oatmeal or a small can of soup (for a larger amount of chili or soup I recommend a dutch oven- below!).
Chef’s Knife (with cover) You really only need two knives- a large (protected, especially when you don’t have a good place to store it) chef’s knife and a paring knife for smaller items.
Paring Knife
Cutting board I like one with secured edges so you don’t have to worry about slippage.
Mixing Bowl For mixing veggies with oil for skewers, salads and more!
Tongs – a small set for the griddle (bacon!) or cast-iron is an essential.
BBQ Tool Set for cooking over the fire (I recommend using an oven glove for extra safety!)
Heat-safe spatula for scrambled eggs or sauteed veggies is a must!
Oven Mitt or Ove Gloves
Heavy-Duty Foil– the regular stuff does not work as well over the fire, these are essential for cooking over the fire in a cast-iron (avoid sticking) or for foil packs of veggies, veggies and meat or cooking corn!
Heat-safe dishes and utensils I will tell you from experience, our first year of camping regularly we relied on inexpensive plastic ware from Target and it was NOT the same
Mugs (fancy or basic)
Meat thermometer Better safe than sorry- especially camping!
Cooler We love our current cooler, but just upgraded to a larger one for longer trips. The more heavy-duty your cooler, the longer you’ll be able to keep food cold (important!).

Non-essentials (but really nice to have):

Dutch Oven If you want to cook soups, stews, chilis or nachos over the fire (or camp stove)- a cast-iron dutch oven is a must- and will last you forever if you treat it well!
Grill for fire (option 1- over fire grill or option 2- tripod and grill grate). If you want to cook primarily over the fire- you’ll want an over-fire grill (more direct heat if you’re doing skewers, etc) or a tripod with a grill grate- it’s up to you, the tripod is more indirect heat and good for things that cook slower- but the over-fire grill is great for things like skewers, hot dogs and sausages.
Skewers– we love skewers for camping! They cook up fast and there are endless flavor combinations.
French Press or Pour-over System and Kettle. If you’re a coffee lover like we are, a good coffee system is important for camping! We recently upgraded to the Stanley french press and LOVE it- it makes a ton of coffee and keeps it hot for hours!

Pantry Items:

Leakproof container. This is essential to keep any moisture (not just rain, but humidity and condensation) as well as critters outside of your pantry items!
Sea salt
Kosher Salt
Spice container
Cooking oil
Cooking spray
Coffee (for the french press) or use pour-over packets- these are the best pour-over coffee packs we’ve found and used for years! We’ve typically just used a small pot to boil water over the camp stove, but now that we have the Stanley French Press, a camping kettle is better (it boils more water!).

Click here for our family’s favorite easy camping meals

Sleeping & Hanging Out:

Tent for the grown-ups
Tent for the kids
Air mattress and sheets or sleeping bags for the adults
Pillows
Camp chairs

Other must-haves:

Personal items (don’t forget!):

Clothes (+ 1 pair because camping is dirty!)
Hiking boots (these are the ones I have and love– I also loved and used these hiking boots from Merrell for 4+ years- note they do run small!)
Hiking socks (my favorite brands are darn tough and smartwool)
Flip flops for the beach or lake (or around camp- cros work great, too as they’re easy to hose off!).
Rain coat or poncho
Swimsuits
Beach towels
Blanket for the beach or lake
Life Jackets if you’ll be boating
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Face wipes
Sunscreen
Bug Spray (favorite natural and favorite heavy duty)
Water Bottles (favorite water bottle for adults/favorite for kids– they also have thermos brand and love it)
Water bottle slings (these are game-changers for kids and grown-ups for hands-free nature walks)