Packing the car does not have to be hard

There are no scarier words for most adults than lets start packing the car when its time to go on a road trip vacation, we all have images of when we were kids being piled into the old station wagon or Pick up truck and not being able to move because our parents took so much gear with them.

You do not need to pass this experience down a generation to your children, with some simple advice we can show you what to load , vacation packing how to's ,and when enough is too much.





The first step is to determine exactly what you need to bring a good camping check list will help you identify what items are essential and what ones are optional, trust me my wife and I have made the mistake of taking too much gear and makes life hard for everyone.

Once you have the items your going to need identified you should ask yourself and very simple but effective question,

What can I buy when I get to my campground to save room?

Your going to find things like condiments,food overall, firewood and several other basics items for example can be bought locally once you get to your destination, by doing things this way your saving room in the car which I willing to bet will save fuel and allow everyone some more breathing room.


when it comes time for actually putting the gear into your vehicle please take some time to plan on where each large item will fit best by doing this you will avoid having to load and unload your vehicle.

Do not lay it on too thick

We try to layer the gear so the large items form a base in our trunk and then we work the smaller item in where they fit best between the rest of the equipment, if room is in demand you may want to try a roof top carrier to add some extra room.

A worthy mention here is before you pack , check your specific vehicles weight limit for people and gear and make sure your tire pressure is set correctly this can pose a serious risk if your tires are under or overinflated.
Some people take small trailers with them to stow their bikes,gear and other items, depending what type of vehicle you own this can be very useful option .

I have seen used trailers as low as three hundred dollars with the new ones starting about five hundred dollars.


When you have decided on the items your going to be packing in the car you may want to visit our section on campsite selection one more time to make sure your sure of what to look for in a campsite.

One of your toughest parts of this whole process will be limiting what the children want to take with them you should really be firm but fair here you have to pack and repack every thing so please keep this in mind.

For the long run heavy duty totes will become your best friend when it comes to storing and transporting your gear, I strongly recommend spending money on the best quality you can budget.

We have found the Mega mart special(s) always become brittle and crack after a few trips, this is a waste of product and your hard earned money.

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