Car Camping For Beginners
Sharing tips learned from my first car camping experience, everything you will need to know as a beginner!
A 4,000 Mile Round Trip Adventure!
My husband and I recently took a cross country road trip from Maine to east Texas, where we will be buying land to become snowbirds (another story for another time!) We were joined by our two dog children, Brantley and Scout, who are both large dogs (60-65 lbs). The journey one way was a 30 hour drive along 1,900 miles of highway.
I drive a 2015 Ford Escape, a compact SUV with all wheel drive and decent fuel economy. However, the studded snow tires I run during the winter cut down on efficiency slightly, and given the ice storms spanning even as far south as Texas, I didn’t want to risk changing over to my summer tires.
We would be camping out at our destination, so there was a lot of cargo to carry with us. Being in a compact SUV, this meant I needed to get some extra storage space for the outside of the vehicle, which I elaborate on below.
PRE-TRIP PREPARATIONS
There was a lot to do before heading out onto the open road, for ourselves, our dogs, and the vehicle.
PEOPLE PREP
ALL. OF. THE. LISTS. Click here for my Car Camping Checklist!
Outdoor Kitchen
There was so much to pack. Firstly, I hauled the camping totes and coolers up from the basement, and took inventory over what we had and what was needed. My cast iron was feeling a little neglected so I took some time before the trip to scrub it down and re-season, which makes the pan non-stick.
Then we did some groceries to pack the “dry cooler” for foods that didn’t need to be chilled. In here I also tossed in some oil and spices for cooking. The “wet cooler” was packed last minute with only the essentials we needed to get us to the destination, which included our dogs fresh food, some extra waters, and ice.
Clothes and Toiletries
Next we packed our camping bags, our go-to method of packing for any trip as they are so versatile and designed to carry quite a lot in such a small space. This included the usual like clothes, extra shoes of different kinds, toiletries, and chargers.
I really enjoy watching vanlife content on YouTube, and a helpful tip I picked up was to use baby wipes to extent time between showers. Since we were going to be camping on private property without facilities, I knew this was a MUST. I also brought some feminine hygiene wipes just to be extra careful with my lady bits.
Sleeping Gear
Lastly was the sleeping gear. We actually were planning on sleeping in a tent, but our (fairly new) air mattress didn’t hold air well and with it still being cold at nights in Texas, sleeping on the ground was not an option. After some deliberation and a few days of sitting in my amazon shopping cart, I pulled the trigger on a queen size collapsible cot, which also came with an air mattress and pump. We needed something big enough and strong enough to support both my husband and I, and our two large dogs. With the convenient portability that would stow nicely in my rooftop kayak racks and a 600lb weight rating, this cot was perfect for the job. We brought our home bedding as it’s a nice heavy comforter.
DOG PREP
Exercise
The dogs have been on several 2-3 hours trips before, and only one longer trip of about 5 hours, so I wasn’t sure how they would do being cooped up for so long. Not to mention, the idea of my babies being in the back seat on highways made me nervous. Part of the prep included lots of fulfilling mental and physical activities the week before the trip so they were as relaxed as possible going into the long ride.
Gear
I already had a small tote in my car for dog items like spare collars, some treats, and a small medical kit. But I needed to upgrade to something bigger to accommodate all of their accessories (they have a lot). My husband had a Dewalt tote with interior dividers that I was able to use to neatly pack ecollars, regular collars, their harnesses, regular leashes, retractable leashes, and some first aid supplies.
Food
As I mentioned above, my dogs eat a fresh food diet comprised of Volhard NDF2 and raw meat. I packed just what they needed of the Volhard mix into dry storage food containers, but it would have been easier to buy a small 5lb bag instead (their usual it 20lbs). Because this mix doesn’t contain any preservatives, it has to stay refrigerated, or in this case a cooler, so it doesn’t spoil. Next, I brought a 3lb pack of ground beef in Tupperware, not enough to last the whole trip but just to get us to our destination.
VEHICLE PREP
Service
My car had close to 78,000 miles on it before the trip, so not excessive but also not low mileage. I got an oil change done knowing it was close to due anyway and that we would be putting on about 4,000 additional miles.
I decided to keep my studded snow tires on knowing we would be crossing many northern states before entering into warmer climates, which was a good call given the snow storm dumping a few fresh inches the night before we departed. I checked my tire pressure to make sure all the tires were even and at the proper inflation, and got some quarters stashed in my center console in case I needed air on the way down. Lastly, my husband picked up a tire plug kit just in case we needed to make any roadside repairs.
My sister gifted my a lovely just-in-case back in college, which comes with a variety of roadside safety products and tools for small emergencies. This thing is so great I’ve even gotten it as secret santa gifts before, everyone could use one of these. We do also have a AAA membership that’s still active from my husband’s previous employer, which was a nice piece of mind for bigger emergencies we wouldn’t be able to get ourselves out of.
Cleaning
I took advantage of an unusually warm winter day earlier in February to clean the caked on salt off my car. Living in the north, salt is a car eating nemesis but helps keep the roads mostly ice free for safer driving.
The warm weather also brought out some smells inside the car that had been surpressed by the single digit temps we’ve had the past few months. My car is a dog-mobile, which ends up capturing smells in the fabric (despite having leather seats), so I also gave the interior a good vacuum and cleaning.
I stocked up on my car tissue and hand sanitizer supply as well, in anticipation of the many gas pumps I’d be handling.
Cargo Space
I already had some simple J-bar kayak racks on my roof, which we used to transport the popup canopy and cot as they were both fairly long and skinny.
But I needed something for the four larger items of the two coolers and camping totes, but it couldn’t be roof mounted since I already had the kayak racks. I’ve been looking into reese hitch cargo baskets, since I already had the 2 inch hitch installed on my SUV (thanks yet again to my very talented husband). I settled on this steel, foldable cargo basket because it was one of the larger ones I found, and I liked the option of having it folded up when not in use.
We ditched the cover as it was pretty chintzy, but the cargo basket did also come with ratchet straps which was nice. Assembly took about an hour with two people, but could be done by one person.
The fold up table went inside underneath the blankets and then the dog beds went on top of that. We also kept the tent inside to keep it dry, along with the dog tote for easy access to their leashes for pit stops.
THE DRIVING PORTION
Google maps estimated the drive time at 1 day and 5.5 hours (30 hours) on toll free roadways. Our plan was to alternate turns driving, with the passenger sleeping as needed between shifts. We woke up around 345am and got rolling around 430am on a frigid Saturday morning, the weather at home in Maine was -11oF air temperature.
Getting outside of New England always feels like the longest part of any journey, the congestion, dilapidated infrastructure, and just boring drive. Every four or so hours we stopped to stretch our legs, take a bathroom break, and refuel.
There’s no sleeping in a moving car for me, I’ve tried. The instant my eyes close my anxious mind plays out the various scenarios that could go wrong, other drivers, wildlife, the driver falling asleep. I would reach the precipice of sleep only to jolt upright at the slightest bend in the road or touch of the brakes. If we wanted to keep driving, both of us had to sleep.
We made it about 21 hours before pulling over at a “scenic outlook” off I-80 in Tennessee at midnight. We nestled my SUV between the towering trucks and set an alarm for 3am. My Ford Escape seats have a great range of motion so my husband laid the seat back as far as it would go while I climbed into the back with the dogs. Another helpful feature is my remote starter, which allowed us to run the car for 15 minutes at a time for heat as needed. Trucks barreled by on the highway, and at one point a series of sirens followed. With seemingly the blink of an eye, the phone alarms went off and we were rolling again.
CAR CAMPING SETUP
We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon, and began setting up camp right away. We put up the popup tent and set the kitchen up just on the outer edge partially underneath it. The “kitchen” consisted of the folding table with a camp propane stove on top, along with a bowl on the backside for a sink to wash dishes. The coolers and totes slid underneath the table neatly. We set the sleeping tent up on the other side just outside of the canopy, and got the cot and bedding situated.
With some loose dogs in the area, I decided to keep my dogs on leash for the first day or two, until we all became more familiar with the area and what to expect. I parked my SUV with the rear gate facing our camp setup, and looped the dogs’ leashes around the reese hitch hoops so they had inside/outside access to the vehicle, which was helpful for closing them up when a loose dog came around.
The first night we attempted sleeping in the tent, and while the cot was surprisingly comfortable, the low temps were a little too low so we moved into the car for heat. The following night we pulled just the air mattress from the cot kit, along with our bedding, and all four of us slept in the back of my SUV. The most comfortable arrangement was to sleep at opposite ends, one person with their head by the seats and the other with their head by the rear gate.
Considerations/Things I’d Do Differently
Swap air mattress for sleeping pad
We didn’t intend on sleeping in the car, and while the air mattress for the cot was thinner than a typical stand alone air mattress, it was still a little too tall. I’d recommend a double inflatable sleeping pad, like the ones sold for backpacking. This still provides some cushion without taking up too much space. This way, you don’t have to move or deflate the air mattress during the day if you’re driving around.
Remote start car alarm
If you lock yourself inside the car using a fob, depending on he make and model, opening the door from the inside without unlocking it first will set off your alarm. I did this at least twice, setting off our neighbors dog alarms in the middle of the night. So, remember to unlock the car first before getting out.
Be prepared for worst case scenario
On this trip, I ended up hitting a stump and ruining my radiator. Luckily, my husband is extremely knowledgeable and experienced with mechanics and was able to replace this part himself while we were there. However, we didn’t bring any tools with us, and if it weren’t for our kind neighbors who lent us tools and a ride, we’d be getting the vehicle towed into town.
Be prepared by keeping a tool kit in your car, have some kind of service like AAA in case of a breakdown, and build up an emergency fund to cover unexpected costs.
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