The first thing you’ll need for a successful and fun car camping getaway is a good tent, something that will keep you dry and keep the bugs out. We are also looking for easy setup, spacious room, decent interior storage and packability. The L.L.Bean Acadia six-person tent checks all the boxes ($399). It also has a really cool magnetic door, a feature that puts this tent at the top of our list. The door uses gravity and magnets to easily pop open and close — no hassling with a zipper (though it has a zipper, too for extra security). The tent, with nearly vertical walls, has a 10-by-10 floor space and roomy 81-inch headspace, so most people can stand up in it. There’s no-see-um mesh windows for good bug protection and air flow, a gear loft and stash pockets, and a port for a power cord. Like most tents, we’d recommend setting it up in advance to get the hang of it, and marking assembly points with colored tape, that way you’ll already know what you’re doing when you arrive at the campsite. Once you get the hang of it, this tent is easy to put up and take down. We’d also recommend the L.L.Bean Acadia Family Screen House ($189) for a bug-free picnic and seating area.
You can really move around in the very spacious Wawona 6 Tent from The North Face ($550), with great ceiling height and generous floor space. An added bonus is the separate vestibule area, perfect for storing extra gear, including bikes, chairs, etc. One tester set up four chairs for her family in the vestibule during a rainy evening and said they were “happy as clams at high tide.” The ventilation is great and the setup with color-coded poles is relatively uncomplicated, especially with two people. It packs up neatly into a duffel-style sack. And this baby is sturdy and weather-resistant, even during a windy deluge.
“It’s a teepee,” the kids cried. “It’s bigger than our bedroom,” one tester said. If you want 16-by-16 floor space and years of use — and don’t care that much about the weight and portability — then the Teton Sierra 16 might be for you ($779.99). Technically it’s a bell tent (not a teepee), a circular, canvas tent supported by a central pole. This one is super durable, has an extra-large door for moving people and gear in and out easily, and has great air circulation with several vents and windows. It holds up well in wind and rain, too. If you don’t need that much space, consider the Teton Mesa 14 Canvas Tent ($719.99), a cabin-style option, made to last, and to withstand anything Mother Nature dishes out. It’s smartly built, with a front awning, built-in gear hooks, lots of interior storage options, and two e-ports. You’ll have this workhorse for years.
It’s meal time
Trust Weber, one of the world’s top BBQ brands, to come up with a high-quality portable grill. The Weber Traveler Compact Portable Gas Grill ($349) has become our go-to camping grill (some of our testers now use it as their home grill, too). It’s super easy to use, heats up fast, and has good temperature control. It’s super portable, weighing only 37 pounds, yet has enough grill space for 12 burgers. It’s a winner. Add the L.L.Bean Camp Table ($89), with a mesh basket attached underneath for cookware storage, and your kitchen on the go will be good to go.
If you’re looking for a very functional kitchen setup, with storage and counter space, check out the KingCamp Bamboo Camping Kitchen Table ($259) that combines a table, steel plate windshield, large storage cabinet, and an adjustable lantern stand. The 100 percent natural bamboo countertop is nearly 40 inches long, with cabinet storage underneath, and there’s another pull-out rack to hold a trash or compost bag and hooks for hanging pots, kitchen tools, and towels. The adjustable legs make it easy to level, and the whole thing folds down to a portable 102-by-15-by-52 cm size. Goodbye mess! “We won’t be digging through boxes and bags and hunting for kitchen gear ever again!” said one tester. “This is a game changer.”
We also love the SylvanSport Dine-O-Mite Camp Kitchen Organizer ($249.95), another great camping prep station with tons of storage. It features a 39.25-inch bamboo top with four storage cubbies underneath, six storage pockets, and an integrated towel holder and bottle opener. It packs into a portable carrying case, too. “Wow!” said one of our testers. “Everything we needed for meal prep was in one, easy-to-use space.” SylvanSport also makes Dine O Max ($399.95) adding an additional bamboo countertop for more working space.
Ready to go gourmet on your next camping trip? Up your cooking game with the Ooni Koda 2 outdoor pizza oven ($499). Yes, you do have room in the car for this extremely portable oven, weighing 35.27 pounds and measuring only 21.5-by-28.4-by-13.1 inches. The best part is you won’t have to compromise on pizza size, as it features a 14-inch stone. It’s also extremely efficient, cooking pizzas in less than 60 seconds at scorching temperatures, up to 950 degrees. Ooni, makers of the world’s best-selling pizza ovens, uses patent-pending G2 gas technology for more even heat distribution. The result is perfect pizza, quick and easy, every time. Once you try it, your kids won’t let you leave home without it.
Sleep in comfort
Call us wimps, but getting a good night’s sleep is priority number one when family camping, and that starts with not sleeping on the ground. Byer of Maine has been making cots since 1880, supplying the military, American Red Cross, the Boy Scouts of America, and ordinary folks like us. When you’re serious about staying off the ground in comfort, get their Maine Military Cot HD ($199.95). It’s full size, 84 inches long by 30 inches wide by 18 inches high, and is wicked strong and sturdy, strength tested to 1,100 pounds! It also has a nice gear pouch with pockets and comes with a carrying case. We also like Teton Camp Cots With Pivot Arm, a huge upgrade from an air mattress. They’re sturdy, and the pivot arm makes setup and takedown easy. They come in three sizes: regular, XL, and XXL ($131.99-$215.99).
To really up the comfort level, consider the ultra-cushy Therm-a-Rest NeoLoft™ Sleeping Pad ($239.95). It’s made for backpacking, weighing only 30 ounces, and it packs in a tiny stuff sack about the size of your water bottle. Its high-tech 3-D construction results in an easy-to-inflate, dreamy, warm air pad. “I forgot it wasn’t my bed!” one reviewer commented.
Speaking of comfort, consider the Teton Acadia ($71.99), an oversize outdoor blanketyou can throw on the ground or around your shoulders. It’s poofy, soft, warm, and waterproof. In warm weather, we leave the sleeping bags at home and pack this instead.
Get organized
Car camping with the family? There is a lot of stuff. Fortunately, there are great totes, duffels, pockets, and pouches to keep it all organized. The hefty and sturdy Base Camp Gear Box from The North Face (two sizes, $150-$175) is perfect for storing your camp gear, dry goods, clothes, or whatever. It has duffel and side handles, a window to see what’s inside, inside and lid pockets, and it’s collapsible, so it’s easy to store when not in use. It’s built to last for years; even your rough and tumble teenagers won’t hurt this bag. The Gregory Alpaca Camp Box 45 ($69.95) is another great storage option. Made of tough plastic, it’s very durable, and waterproof. We like the four-hinge top, so it can open on either side. For smaller jobs, we like the rugged Gregory Alpaca Utility Tote 50 ($109.95), perfect for grab-and-go storage, with lots of pockets, and a smart stand-up design. This has become our go-to tote for everything: beaching, boating, camping.
Keep it cool
The RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Cooler ($206.09) is as tough and durable as that other top brand (Here’s looking at you, Yeti), nearly as well-insulated, lighter weight, and costs a lot less. We tested it on a recent getaway, and it kept our food cold for four hot days. (They claim you can keep food cold for up to seven days.) It comes in a variety of sizes, and there’s one with wheels, too.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at [email protected]
