Camping

Must-have Family Camping Gear & Family Camping Checklist

HEALTHY MAMA MEAL PREP

FREE FLEXIBLE MEAL PLANNING GUIDE

Resources you'll love

tell me more!

I'm Kris, trained chef, culinary nutritionist and busy mom, here to help you take the stress out of healthy eating with flexible meal planning, simplified meal prep and easy budget-friendly meals.

Meet Kris

THE HEALTHY mama kitchen podcast

find what you're looking for:

Socialize

Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

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:

Click here for our family’s favorite easy camping meals

Sleeping & Hanging Out:

Other must-haves:

Personal items (don’t forget!):

Click here for my Amazon Storefront with all my camping favorites (affiliate link)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *