Ultimate Camping Packing List for Families

If you’ve been following our blog, you know that our family loves to travel.  We seem to have fun no matter where we go, and that includes camping!  We’ve collected a ton of camping gear over the years and created an ultimate camping packing list that keeps us organized and ensures we don’t forget the essentials!

My husband and I considered purchasing a camper, but decided that although we like to camp, we don’t camp enough to justify that purchase. So we tent camp. Here is the gear we don’t leave home without:

Tent

In 2020, we upgraded our tent.  We purchased an NTK Arizona GT.  My husband did his research and found that this tent will keep you dry in some pretty wet weather!  As I am typing this, I am sitting in our tent in a rainstorm and I’m completely dry, so I’d call it a win! We use three, full-size, air mattresses, which all fit. However, it doesn’t leave much walking room so if we upgraded again, I’d probably get something slightly larger.

Early on, I organized all of our gear into two large totes so that we could just throw them into our truck and go—without having to re-pack each time we camped. It worked out well for our 2020 camping trips; however, we traded in the truck for a Ford Explorer.  The Explorer gives us some room in the back, but it’s not enough for everything we like to take.

Enclosed Trailer

As we started camping more, the amount of gear we had kept growing. I felt like we needed something that would let us keep everything in one place so we could easily hook up and go. We decided to purchase an enclosed trailer to store and haul everything. I can tell you that this was one of the best investments for us!  In addition to letting us simply tow and go, we can also haul pretty much anything.

Initially, we were looking at 6×8 ft trailers, but ended up getting a great deal on a 6×12 ft trailer that the Explorer can tow.  We paid less than $3k for our trailer, which is significantly cheaper than a camper, but still gives us the ability to stay organized and have a relatively quick set up at our campsite.  And since we store all of our gear in the trailer, we now have extra storage space in our shed!

How we organize our gear

In order to store and organize everything, my husband built a couple of shelves and added this track system to the walls and floor.  We only put shelves in the nose of the trailer, leaving the middle open, so we can haul larger items like furniture, plywood, etc.  The tracks allow us to secure items like our bikes, coolers, etc.

The track system comes with hooks and clips that let us hang chairs, bags and gear on the walls. Here is an idea of how our gear is stored (you can also check out our full video tour below):

Shelves

On the top shelf in the nose of the trailer, we keep our tent, air mattresses, lanterns, and our battery-operated Ryobi fan.

Easy Access Bins

I have four bins that I call my “easy access” bins that I keep on the bottom shelf. These containers are slightly larger than two shoeboxes and just the right size to hold my most-needed supplies. I like them so much, that I probably have 10+ more in my house organzing all sorts of things!

My four “easy access” bins hold cleaning, kitchen/cooking, first aid and pet supplies.  All of my bins are labeled and have a list attached so that I can do a quick check prior to our trip to ensure I have everything I need.  You can see my Ultimate Camping Gear Packing list below, which includes all of the items in each of these bins!

BBQ Caddy

On that same shelf, I also have a BBQ Caddy that I got at Aldi’s. I’ve actually found several of our camping items at Aldi’s!  They get some really great deals and typically have good-quality products.  The BBQ Caddy holds a roll of paper towels as well as our cooking spray, baby wipes, cutlery box, plates, etc.  The caddy is perfect to hold the stuff that you need regularly at your fingertips. Here is an example of something similar.

Mini-fridge

Below the shelves, we have our mini-fridge right in the center.  I bought this for my office, but when all the craziness happened in 2020, I began working at home.  Our company decided to allow us to continue to work from home so the fridge was just sitting in our garage.  We figured why not add it to our trailer! 

When we camp, we almost always have electric hook up so we just plug it in the day before we leave to get it cold and store our food in it when we camp. It saves us from having to worry about melting ice too! Plus, I can start loading my food the night before our trip so I don’t have to worry about forgetting it, dealing with ice or wasting time loading it right before we leave.

Luggable Loo

To the right of the fridge is a trash can, fire starter, propane and our luggable-loo. It’s just a five-gallon bucket with a toilet seat, but it’s honestly one of my most recommended products! When we’re camping, we’re not always near the bathrooms.  My husband and boys have it easy—they can pee on a tree!  That’s not so easy for me so the luggable-loo is my savior! 

I keep it near the door of our tent and if I need to go in the middle of the night, it’s just steps away!  Just make sure you get the luggable-loo liners for easy clean up! I also keep a roll of toilet paper in a plastic coffee can so it stays clean and dry. 

Inflatable Kayaks

To the left of the fridge, we keep our two inflatable kayaks.  We got these tandem kayaks on Amazon for around $160 (total for both kayaks).  We’ve used them several times.  They have held up and are easy to store.  They may not be the most comfortable for a long trip, but they are perfect to use while camping.  And since they are inflatable, they don’t take up much space!

Right Track

Hanging on the upper track system on the right side of the trailer are all of our camping chairs, beach chairs and beach umbrella. We have these items hung with “U” hooks.

Below our chairs, we store our bikes, securing them to the lower track and to the floor track with ratchet straps. 

Left Track

On the left side of our trailer, we store a ton of other gear using the hooks!  We didn’t spend much on storage for our gear.  I just looked around my house and repurosed some of my re-useable tote bags.

Our pop-up canopy is in a storage bag with a handle so it hangs right on our hooks too. 

We have a couple of beach bags hanging next.  I stuck these towards the nose of the trailer because we don’t use them as much.  They have sand toys and some inflatable toys that are nice to have, but aren’t used on all trips.  I tried to keep the things we use more regularly towards the back of the trailer for easy access.

Next, we have a Thirty-One Large Utility Tote filled with our life jackets.  This tote fits our 5 life jackets perfectly!  These are always with us so we can use them with our inflatable kayaks. 

Easy Access Shower Bag

I have another Thirty-One bag that stores all of our shower stuff.  This tote has five outside pockets that perfectly fit our flip flops. I also purchased these fast-drying, microfiber towels that are perfect for camping. They don’t take up much space and have their own little storage bag with carabiner, which clips right to the handle of our shower bag.

I keep a grab-and-go bag that has all of our showering necessities like shampoo, conditioner, body wash, louffas, razor, toothbrushes, toothpaste and deodorant. We can grab that bag and have everything we need for our shower.

Blankets, toys and more

On the same hook, I have a couple of fold up blankets we use for the ground or at the beach.  They nestle in nicely behind the shower bag.

We have another bag filled with some toys for the kids such as playdoh, playing cards, soccer ball, baseball mitts, etc.  This is towards the back so the kids can easily grab it when they’re bored.

Chef Table

The last couple of hooks hold our GCI Master Cook Station.  This is a recent purchase and it’s one of my favorite items!  This little table only weighs 30 pounds and folds up so small and flat!  When it’s open, it has several shelves, a place to hang paper towels and even a sink to wash your dishes.  It also has a hook to hang a lantern so you can see what you’re doing when it’s dark. 

Once we’re set up at our campsite, my cooking and cleaning bins as well as my BBQ caddy sit on the shelves of my Master Cook Station so I can easily grab those items when I am making food or cleaning up messes.  Since my easy access bins are plastic with snapping lids, they are waterproof and keep out bugs and critters.

On that same hook, we also hang our Breeo cooking grate that allows us to cook our food over the fire.

Floor

Our larger items just hang out on the floor along the sides of the trailer.

Grill/Smoker gear and tools

On the floor of the trailer, we have a large rolling Dewalt bin that stores my husband’s Green Mountain Grill Davy Crockett smoker, extension cords, hot dog forks, and hobo pie makers. This is another item that I highly recommend. My husband started smoking food a few years ago and this was his first smoker. It’s portable so it is perfect for camping.

He recently upgraded to a larger version so this one is strictly used for camping. It can cook anything from meats and veggies to pastas and desserts. We’ve cooked meals over the fire, but this has become the go-to for most of our meals.

We also bring a large cooler that usually stores our drinks.  Both the Dewalt bin and our cooler are secured to the floor track system with ratchet straps. 

Along the side of the cooler and Dewalt bin, we have a small toolbox filled with smoker accessories like wood chips, thermometer, oven mitts, etc. 

My husband also keeps a tool bag filled with a mallet and hammer for hammering in tent stakes, extra Ryobi batteries and a charger, a battery-operated air compressor, etc.

Extra/Overflow Bins

In addition, we have two larger overflow bins that hold bigger items or extras we may need for our trip.  They sit on the floor of our trailer and you can find the list for those bins in my same Ultimate Camping Gear Checklist.

These bins sit towards the nose of the trailer. The kitchen bin has items like pots and pans, dish washing pan, extra plates, cutlery, etc. The other bin has some extra clothes, a hiking back pack and camelback backpack, sheets, etc. 

We store our sleeping bags and pillows in large space saver compression bags. 

In that same area, we keep our travel-sized Blackstone griddle that makes cooking eggs, pancakes and bacon a breeze.

Do I need all of this gear?

No! Don’t let what we pack intimidate you! We have a ton of gear, but it’s not all necessary on every trip.  Remember that our trailer is also storage so for us. It’s easier to take everything we can possibly need so that we don’t have to unpack and repack.  We can just hook up the trailer, pack food and clothes and hit the road! This helps us spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time setting up our site.

What should I pack?

We took the guesswork out creating a list. Use our Ultimate Camping Gear Packing List to start packing! And if we forgot anything, let us know so we can get it added! Is there any gear you can’t live without? Let us know!

Need a Video Tour?

And if you’re a visual person needing a tour of our trailer, check out our video showing you where everything “lives!”

Where is your next Adventure?

Planning your next camping adventure? If you’re heading out west, be sure to check out our posts on Utah’s Might Five National Parks. Whether you’re camping or not, there are so many amazing views in Zion, Bryce Canyon, Capitol Reef, Canyonlands and Arches! Plus Kanab, Utah is nearby and was a bonus stop for us with lots of fun outdoor activities!