Car Camping - Must Have Gear Camp Live In Your Car What is car camping How to camp in your car hi
it's AlaskaGranny Alaska Prepper what's car camping does it mean you sleep in your car
it can mean that but it doesn't necessarily car camping means that you're going camping somewhere
that you can drive in your car car camping live in your car means you can bring more gear than
if you're backpacking because you don't have to be able to carry all gear belongings with you you
can load your car take lots of extra things with you that you'd never be able to take if you had to
carry it all in one pack on your back live in car car camping you need to think about do you want
to sleep in your car do you want a tent you have to have a shelter if you're going by yourself you
could stay in your car or if you're in some kind of a predicament when you need to shelter live in
your car bug out live in your car then you may want to figure out how you could put down
the seats how you could make a spot that would be adequate for you to have your supplies and to have
a place to lie down and sleep if you're traveling with your family it's unlikely you could all lie
down and sleep in your car so you would probably want to bring a tent when you choose a tent the
first figure out what your budget is how much room do you actually need in tent how many people will
be using the tent tents come in all different price ranges and if you're just going for a few
days or you think you want to go on a long camping expedition or start camping every weekend you
need to decide how long do you want to use your tent and how much money are you willing to spend
don't go overboard until you know if camping is actually for you you can start with a basic tent
use it a few times and then if you want bigger tent better tent you can always upgrade later
don't start with the most expensive tent to find out camping is not something you really want to do
next you need your bed you want a sleeping bag maybe you have a sleeping mat or a pad maybe you
even have a yoga mat that you could put mat down and roll up sleep in some comfy warm blankets
so decide what it is that you want for sleeping whether you're going to be sleeping in your car or
in your tent so you want to probably have sleeping bag blankets comfortable and that can stay
all around you so a sleeping bag usually works well for that but if you like to kick your legs
around and you don't want to be struggling with a sleeping bag then perhaps you want to have a nice
comfortable quilt but just remember if you are camping and it gets very cold the quilt doesn't
stay around you like a sleeping bag a sleeping bag makes a little nest around you and holds
all the heat in so it can actually be much better if you're car camping car living in cold weather
decide what the weather is probably going to be like during most of your camping car living the
weather conditions where you plan to camp will determine the quality of the sleeping bag that
you need cabin camping where you're inside is going to be a lot warmer than if you're out in
a tent or even in your car and you want to make sure that you have a sleeping bag that's rated
for what the nighttime temperatures are going to be the summer type or cabin camping sleeping bags
are much less expensive but if that's all you can afford you can always take an extra blanket and
you can make a sleeping bag liner i'll put a link to a video i made about how you can make a simple
sleeping bag liner it gives you extra warmth it also helps keep your sleeping bag clean which
nobody wants to sleep in a dirty bag so figuring out ways to stay clean can really be important
one of the coolest things that i found for car camping was this umbrella looking car
windshield pop-up shade and i think it's amazing umbrella car windshield pop up shade folds down
just like an umbrella but then you unravel it and you pop it up windshield pop up shade
and look at the shape windshield pop up shade umbrella goes clear over the windshield of your
car it's huge umbrella windshield pop up shade shape of the rectangular windshield it's hard
to see in here because the thing is so big but it really works it doesn't weigh very much and then
when you're done shading your windshield you just fold it back up like an umbrella and it's amazing
because umbrella windshield pop up shade stays in place those big folding accordion things that
they can be a real hassle and then they're still big when you want to put them away so i have been
enjoying umbrella pop up windshield shade so look for creative ways also to black out your windows
whether you want to put up little curtains or you want to put something over the window
look for the car sunshade umbrella i'll put a link to this where i got it on amazon
and it's fantastic it's huge fits the car windshield great it really keeps the heat out
and look how easy it folds up and down this has been something that's been a game changer for me
when i want to go out in my car and it's hot or if i want to go on a little car camping excursion in
nearly every situation we need water and if you're going car camping living in car you might consider
buying Igloo long rectangular water container because the big square water storage containers
are so bulky they take up so much big square room where i found Igloo long narrow rectangular water
container is better because you can slip it just on one side of the car and then if you need to
sleep in the car you can sleep on one side and have your gear including your Igloo water on
the other side Igloo long narrow rectangular type water container works well Igloo long
narrow rectangular water storage container tank has an easy to carry handle and then the spout
you can turn it on its side you can use it this way or this way but if you put it this way
it has a spout that you can pour the water out easily with a little spigot on this when it's down
on your picnic table or you can put it up this way if you want but it's not the great big squares
which can be very cumbersome and hard to maneuver if you're trying to fit everything into your car
besides a warm sleeping bag you want to make sure that you have some warm clothes some layers a hat
and gloves and maybe a scarf and if it's going to be cold at night you can get a hot water bottle
you fill hot water bottle with warm water and put it in your sleeping bag hot water bottle can
help keep you warm all night long but if you're going camping and it's not cold where you are
then some of these things aren't as necessary but you always want to be prepared just in case
that's the nice thing about camping in your car you're able to bring a lot more things with you
hand warmers are also a great idea these are little chemical packets and you snap them and
shake them and they create several hours of warmth you can put them in your pocket hence they're
called hand warmers they make some that are body warmers that you can put in the core of your body
there's also foot warmers hand warmers are great you can stick them right into your sleeping bag
and help warm your sleeping bag once you have your water figured out you need to
decide about your food camping food should be simple and easy you don't want to have a great
big hard-sided cooler but you can depending on how you're planning to use your space
if you're going to be staying in your car you want to try soft-sided bags coolers you
can get an insulated picnic type cooler and then you can stuff your cold food in here
and then you can nestle cooler food down even in the foot wells in the back seat of the car you can
have your other camping gear fit on top when you have the big hard sided cooler or the water jug
they're very hard to navigate where they fit in car but if you use soft sided containers then it's
going to be much easier to maneuver things around pack your car i like to put the cold food into
a thermal bag like this it's not going to stay as cold of course anywhere as long as a big hard
sided cooler but you have to decide how long am i going to be camping and what are the parameters of
the space that i have in my car you can also put dry foods in another soft-sided cooler tote bag
and then you can have those they're easy to figure out where to stick them store food into
nooks and crannies in the car rather than having a great big box a bin or a hard sided container
so think about how you're going to be using your space when you're deciding on how you're
going to pack your car camping living in car because space might be limited i got a small
Coleman Peak One stove you can get much bigger camping stoves but camping stove can be as simple
as a one burner stove with the fuel that goes with it so get the size portable stove that fits
your group size and the space that you're going to have then you want to make sure you
have fuel to go with camp stove matches you need to light camp stove and to light your campfires
have some type of a simple can opener you can even try the military p38 or p51 i think they're called
i'll put a link to a video i made about how to use the p38 the p51
and how you would use those to open a can food they are can openers that came from
the military and maybe if you were ever in scouts you had p38 p51 and they taught you how to use it
have some simple sturdy outdoor cookware you can find little pots little mess kits sturdy
silverware things that you can use not only for cooking but you can also eat out of them
if especially if it's just you you may want to have some plastic dishes or some paper plates
figure out what fits the space you have how long you plan to be camping what works with your budget
next camping gear some kind of flashlights or headlamps you can get wind-up lanterns you can get
simple head lamps i like the small usb flashlights because you can plug these in even in your car and
charge them up if you have the usb capability which most of our cars do and then you'll have
even a tiny little flashlight will help every person in your group should have at least one
flashlight and then have a few extra flashlights simply because they get dropped under the seat of
the car or they get lost in the night and you want to be able to find the things you need
when it's dark something that i like to do when i tent camp is i bring along a few Dollar Tree
solar lights I put Dollar Tree solar lights where the guidelines tent ropes are so that people don't
trip on them in the night it also helps you find where your tent is if you go out to say use the
restroom in the middle of the night then you have the solar light whether you're returning
to your campsite from using the bathroom or from a nighttime stargazing hike you can find where your
vehicle or your tent is just with a simple light from Dollar Tree include extra batteries that fit
your flashlights get a substantial first aid kit i found first aid kit recently CVS it's really neat
because it's a sport essential first aid kit and it even comes in a dry bag so that it's a
dry container it's soft-sided it can squeeze into a nook and cranny first aid kit has all kinds of
components in it but i really like that it's in a dry bag you roll over the top clip it together
and all of your first aid supplies content stay safe and dry even if you end up out in the rain
then if you want to go boating if it's raining your first aid supplies contents are safe and
dry and it's in a manageable container that can fit just about anywhere in your car
i also have a basic water filter Life Straw water bottle because you just never know when
fresh water may not be available and you want to have pure water to drink so whatever kind of water
filter you have whether it's a life straw water bottle have some sort of a way to purify water
because you just never know what conditions the water might be where you camp consider no wild
water safe to drink you don't really know where it's come from what's upstream from there or who
was there just before you so have a way to purify water just in case there's no running water where
you're camping next think about hygiene bring a roll of toilet paper one roll toilet paper per
person is what i do when i camp with the group everybody gets their toilet paper in their own
ziploc bag you're responsible to make your toilet paper last it's amazing how much longer toilet
paper lasts when it's your roll and when you use it up you're the one who's in trouble and it's
not a matter of well i'm just using and using and using it when it's gone somebody else will figure
it out you'd be surprised how much less toilet paper is used when you're responsible for your
own roll i also like to put in a few extra just trash bags for disposal of your toilet paper
whatever kind of camping you're doing have some baby wipes so that you can stay clean
and one tip that i have is to get a spray bottle you can put vinegar and water in the spray bottle
and you can use that to spray off and then wipe off your dishes where running water is in short
supply i'll put a link to a video i made about how to wash dishes with very little water that might
help you figure out ways to make camping easier don't forget your toiletries just like at home
you want a comb a toothbrush toothpaste lotion bug spray sunscreen all of those things that you would
need have them together in toiletries container that can seal up so toiletries stay together and
they're not lost under the seat of the car or dropped into the dirt when you're getting in and
out organize your clothes and your gear into soft sided duffel bags because you can just squish them
around together the better you organize your belongings into soft sided containers you can
figure out how to maneuver them around in the car you have no idea how much easier this is and how
much more you can put in the car and have your things together you can even go to Dollar Tree
and get some of these little collapsible boxes and they they're soft-sided you can put your clothes
in them you could put some food in them you could put all different kind of camping supplies in them
and then even fold them up and put them away if you don't need to use them for something today
one of the tips i have is i bring an empty coffee bag because these are pretty much airtight and
you can put stinky garbage in these and fold it over and that can help not only keep your
area smelling better but if you're in an area where there's critters you want to be extremely
careful that you don't have food odors around for them to come and want to get in things so this is
one of the tips that i try to keep the garbage together but then as soon as possible you want
to dispose of it properly get some kind of little brush or broom so that you can sweep out your car
keep your things clean as possible and then try not to have all your muddy shoes directly into
the car you can even get a simple door mat and put it out then take your shoes off and on on the mat
so that it keeps some of the dirt out of your car you probably don't want to store your shoes
out there but you might in some circumstances but that at least lets you get into the car even take
then your little broom and sweep the dirt off your shoes before you bring them into your car
think about extra tools have a pocket knife some paracord duct tape is good for any excursion and
then try to think creatively what do i have that i can put together that i could actually go out
and camp in my car and enjoy the time that i have experience in the wonders of the world you don't
have to go very far even to adventure away from your home summer is here and you know we've stayed
home so long with this crazy pandemic and maybe we're not sure we want to be around people or we
can't afford to go on a big vacation anymore you can still gather some supplies together
and go on a little adventure in your car yes even with the price of gas going up you could drive a
few miles even to a park or to a campground that's close by and have a little adventure by yourself
or with your family so leave a comment tell us what are the items that you think are essential
if you're going to go car camping or even if you want to live in your car for a while there are a
lot of possibilities and tips and tricks that we can learn from each other so let's share so that
we help make every single day we have be the best it can be if you enjoyed my video i hope you'll
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