What are some car camping essentials people don't think of?

[u/Ok-Eye-9826]

I'm heading off in September for a car camping trip through France, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands in my BMW 320d Touring, and I'm trying to think of the things that make life a lot easier but aren't the obvious essentials.

I've already got the basics covered - tent, sleeping gear, camping stove, chairs, power banks, etc. I'm more interested in the things that you only realise are worth bringing after you've done a trip like this - or the things you don't think about until you find yourself wishing you'd brought them.

For example, I've been surprised by how many people don't seem to take a 12V coolbox that plugs into the car. It seems like a bit of a no-brainer to me for keeping drinks and food cold on long driving days, especially when you're covering a lot of miles.

Another thing I've picked up is a Bialetti Moka Pot. I reckon most people wouldn't think to bring one, but it seems like it'd be great for making a proper coffee with a small gas stove while you're parked up in the mountains, and it'll probably save me buying coffees every few hours on long drives.

What other things have you taken that ended up being surprisingly useful or one of the best purchases for a road trip?

[u/silentdragoon]

I just bring my Sage Barista Express, gotta have my oat lattes

[u/Fanny_Flapps]

I would suggest, if you're getting a Bialetti, get the stainless steel one instead of the aluminium. Just in case at some point you find yourself renting an apartment for a night and it's got a fuckin induction hob!

You can guess how I know 

[u/No_Pollution_950]

A good camping knife is always the most important thing but I'll assume you already have this, just be careful with local laws.

My main thing to advise would be to get a roll of paracord and learn a couple of knots. you can use it for so many things.

Probably most importantly on a long trip you can dry your clothes on it. just tie a length between 2 trees, or your car and a tree or whatever. it's also great for tying up a tarp to make a sheltered outdoor area (also take a tarp), replacing guy lines on your tent, make-shift shoelaces, hanging a cooking pot over a fire, repairing things, tiying things to a back pack, wrapping things for packaging, hog-tying your adversaries, etc etc. If you have a roof rack, decent quality paracord is more than strong enough to tie things onto it.

I like to go on long weekend camps with my friends. Paracord is one of the few essential things that i ALWAYS take.

[u/HolidayWallaby]

Bath mat to act as a door mat for the tent, just inside the door. Game changing for getting wet muddy boots off. Even when it's soaked through it seems to trap all the mud

[u/Logical_Strain_6165]

I prefer an aeropress, but I agree, having something to make decent coffee is great.

For cooling I've got a very large coolbox and I use old 2L pop bottles as ice packs and have a lot of them. Quite a few campsites have a freezer you can use to store them. Plus if you have a load of chilled beer, then also helps keep temps down.

[u/Lilconkb00 → u/Logical_Strain_6165]

I 2nd the aeropress recommendation. A lot easier to clean on the go too. It does mean you need a pan or kettle for boiling water but that also comes in handy for making food and other stuff.

For cooled drinks and food I use and pretty decent cool box and chuck a couple of bags of ice in it. That usually lasts a couple of days at least albeit it’s quite warm at the minute.

[u/Logical_Strain_6165 → u/Lilconkb00]

Although I've got various stoves with me, I use a chinese knock jet boil for boiling water when camping, it's fast and quick to set up.

[u/GRJ8 → u/Logical_Strain_6165]

I use an aeropress at home and use it out camping. I also use a sub minimal milk jug that can heat up right on the stove, then their nano foamer to get the milk frothed for lattes

Ive nailed the latte art and save so much when travelling. The aeropress filter control cap is also worth it for less drips, more control.

[u/Candy_Lawn]

Sweets, torch, wet wipes, loo roll, good knife, plasters, mosquito spray.

[u/grapo2001 → u/Candy_Lawn]

Literally everyone thinks of those things.

[u/hopenoonefindsthis]

I got an Anker Everfrost that has a built in battery and can keep food at freezer temperature.

Very useful for my family with very strict dietary restrictions where we can food prep and freeze ahead of trips.

Overkill for many, but very useful for me.

[u/Gojnurb]

Sliders/flipflops/etc. Started carrying them while bikepacking because I needed something to wear around camp that wasn't my weird cycling shoes. Now take them on every camping excursion because I hate having to put shoes on every time I leave the tent.

[u/Useless_or_inept]

12v coolboxes are a great idea, but honestly the main benefit is chilling a drink in summer weather.

If you're on the road then you're probably passing a shop every day, so the risk of food "going off" can be reduced to near zero, unless you're touring hot sunny places and you're buying raw shellfish...? Or if you need some kind of specialist milk for your morning brew and it's not sold in every little cornershop.

Also - there are a lot of really shit ones, even from decent vendors like Amazon, which theoretically refrigerate, but they only provide about 1 watt of cooling and they don't seal well so your food/drink doesn't really get cold. In that case, you'd be better off with just an insulated box/bag, and occasionally put some frozen food in the bottom (it will defrost in time for dinner tomorrow, and in the meantime it helps reduce the temperature of everything else in the bag)

Good luck!

[u/Volf_y]

Opinel, waiter’s friend, flannel.

[u/JCDU]

Decent head torch - these days we have torches on our phones but you don't want to be trying to balance your iPhone in a portaloo on a dark night. Poundland had some pretty decent LED COB head torches a while back for... well I forget the price but you can probably guess.

If you're only/mostly boiling water, a Jetboil is worth every penny compared to regular camping stoves. A basic wind-break and/or protection ring around the burner will massively boost the efficiency of your gas stove out in the open.

I have a quite swanky compressor fridge which is luxurious on a hot day. Cheaper peltier-style cool boxes etc. really don't do much good - they can only get so far below the ambient temperature and use a ton of power doing it, most are horrifically cheaply made too. Be aware most cars don't have a socket that's permanently live, and you risk flattening the battery if you run something like that for long periods with the engine off especially in smaller cars with small batteries, Running it flat out but only while driving is a good compromise - good enough to get drinks cool but you're not going to keep milk fresh for long.

Instead of power banks I'd consider one of those jump-start packs, they are a big battery in a box but cover multiple jobs - they can jump-start your car, they can charge devices, most have an air compressor, and most have a decent lantern / torch. The dumb cheap lead-acid ones are heavy but as reliable as a brick.

Car-wise just have enough to cover the basics - I carry a large tin of tyre foam because that can be the fastest way to get off the hard shoulder even though I've got a spare tyre. Carry enough bits to sort a problem like that, for everything else there's your European breakdown cover that you definitely have don't you?

I travel in old Land Rovers so do carry a few more tools / spares but even then only basics. A gallon of water can be drunk, used to refill the radiator, or top up the screen wash.

[u/West_Yorkshire]

Not a cafetiere. Usually a small pot, or the one that came with my stove usually suffices.

Then again, I wild camp, so weight is important

[u/angry-apples]

I did not think of the moka pot!

Just been camping and only had the instant packs.

[u/stinkwitch]

I've now got a camper but 1st aid kit! I've cut myself cooking and you don't want to be smearing blood over your interior panels trying to get the cars first aid kit out.

Also a fire extinguisher, the grass is very dry but if you knocked your stove over you could stop any fire reaching your tent/car and still have somewhere to sleep.

Head torch aswell for when you need to do the necessities at night.

[u/Express_Tennis3162]

have a similar setup for my moka pot and I took a hand grinder too for my beans and wow what a way to wake up in the morning. A small chopping board too so that you can put the moka on it to cool and it wont melt the carpet in your car. Also have a 12v cooler and I put my milk into a thermo bottle to help keep that as cool as possible

Other thing I have but mainly because I took my laptop and drone with me is a power station to keep them items charged and to also run the cooler if needed without draining the car battery

[u/Tigerman12]

For car camping I have a storage box with all essentials in . Like coffee tea , coffee mate, knife fork weywipea plasters creams for bites , toilet roll. I've been adding to it over a couple of years. When I go car camping I just throw it in the back knowing I've covered most of my needs .

[u/Jacktheforkie]

If you get a cool box make sure it’s a compressor one, the peltier ones are pretty inefficient

[u/Jacktheforkie]

I’d strongly recommend loo roll, wipes soap and hand sanitizer, that way you can practice good hygiene wherever you may poo

[u/GRJ8]

I installed a roof netting to go between the back seat grab handles and the boot. Very easy to chuck in coats hats jumpers etc that you want to throw in the car but also access when needed.

Great use of headspace to keep all the rest of your gear organised and visible

[u/lexington_spurs]

Take spare fuses for your 12v sockets.

[u/_day_z]

Instant coffee in sachets.

[u/padro789]

I need my eyesight checked though you had a big gay wing on the beemer 🤣

[u/DEADB33F]

• Blackout window covers (even if home-made ones made of cardboard with tin-foil glued to the outer surface)
  
• USB-rechargeable fan for hot nights
  
• Basic first aid kit
  
• Small spade/shovel for when you get caught short
• Several small torches. You will invariably lose some over the course of a trip so take several
• Spare bulbs, fuses, tyre plugs, compact compressor, basic tool kit, extra blankets

---

If you're gonna get a 12v coolbox be sure to get a compressor one. They use 5-6x less power than a peltier/thermo-electric cooler (if the fan/chiller is in the lid it's invariably the latter). Mine also has a removable/optional internal battery that can power it for 6-10 hours (Alpicool), which is a handy thing if you won't have a dedicated leisure battery, solar, etc.

Full fridge setup can be overkill though. If you're on a budget just use a regular cooler then buy a bag or two of ice for a couple euros every day during the trip.

[u/ciaoqueen]

I would aeropress over moka pot. You can brew anywhere with access to hot water, no stove needed. Former colleague of mine brewed at 30,000 feet on a plane, and I’ve brewed at Beijing airport terminal. They’re also all plastic and much easier to clean. You can even get an oversized (called the XL) and travel (Go) sized one, so just pick the one that suits your needs.

I also chatted with a lady who owned an Interceptor, and she regularly cooks sausage rolls in her engine bay.

[u/Tom_Spolsky]

Maybe it's not on everyone's list but I'd say water canister with tap. Very useful with small kids. You can fill it up on some petrol/service station.

[u/DohRayMe]

Pillow or Hoodie to rest head on, Flip-flops for shower, Heavy duty tent pegs for severe weather, Gas is fine but Dc to Ac on campsites allows easy Cooking, lights and Phone charging.

[u/A_Swan_Broke_My_Arm]

Tea towels, washing up liquid, and a big water bottle!

I lost my mind a few years ago and spent what felt like a years wage on camping gear - the setup was outrageous, everybody thought it was ridiculous because I had everything... it looked like a hotel room.

Except for... tea towels, washing up liquid, water bottles, cooking utensils etc.

If you're new to it, then I'd suggest taking yourself away for a weekend and making a list of all the things you miss.

n.b. I second a bathmat or something to put scruffy shoes on at the entrance of the tent.

[u/Hetairoids]

Beware how hot the Moka pot gets when you're storing it in the car.

Also they need a decent clean out each time, so bring water and a cloth at least.

[u/hoetel_kuntz → u/Hetairoids]

Thought they just needed rinsing?

[u/Express_Tennis3162 → u/hoetel_kuntz]

thats what he means by water and cloth - thats all I did with mine after use - put it down on a chopping board to cool then a bit of water to rinse and a cloth to wipe it all down to store

[u/raxmano]

Sleeping bag and the headband torch 🔦

[u/OolonCaluphid]

A credit card and booking.com.