Comments on: The Joy of Car Camping – Base Camping for the active outdoors person

By: Sia

Sia — Sun, 22 Mar 2020 04:34:55 +0000

Veteran Backpacker who is now doing more car camping because it’s just like you said. We use our SUV to sleep in. In bear country we just put all our stuff in the bear cans. Non bear country we set up the tent and use that to store our stuff. We have the REI half dome. She’s our beloved tent we’ve used on some epic trips home and abroad. It’s awesome to use all our backpacking gear bc it makes for a lot more room in the CAR. My husband has a chronic illness that came later in our lives so we to rethink how to camp. Don’t knock the blow up mattresses that are out there. There are many designed for just SUV’s. We love ours. Sorry can’t remember what brand but we ordered online Amazon. After strict routines we didn’t even question when backpacking for years, car camping feels like rolling out of bed and playing, having a fire or not, the rolling right to bed. It feels effortless compared to setting up camp. We absolutely love it.

By: Brian

Brian — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 16:17:24 +0000

Car camping is also a great opportunity to test out different types of backpacking gear. I’m thinking about switching to using quilts instead of mummy bags. I’m going to try out a quilt car camping first with my mummy in my car. If I hate the quilt, I can always grab my mummy from my car. This is better than testing out on a backpacking trip. If I hate it car camping, I won’t bring it backpacking.

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 04:41:43 +0000

In reply to Leroy McGee. No. Anyone who brings a fire pan to use in non-designated fire rings is well behind the times with drier weather and fire bans.

By: Leroy McGee

Leroy McGee — Fri, 06 Dec 2019 04:11:43 +0000

Any guide to car camping that doesn’t at least suggest bringing a fire pan is a bit outdated.

By: John from LifetimeTrek.com

John from LifetimeTrek.com — Wed, 15 Mar 2017 17:22:59 +0000

Great extensive article. I built a camper out of the back of my truck and use it often. Its great to not have to set up a full campsite. It feels like a home away from home. I put a mattress and a separate electrical system in the back as well.

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 23:28:24 +0000

In reply to Paul Mags. ps. Have fun! :)

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 23:26:11 +0000

In reply to Diana.

Cylinders should never be stored in a place above 125F. Since my wife and I camp in the Rockies a lot, and avoid places such as Utah during the summer, that has never been a problem for us generally. It does get quite hot in a car of course ( http://acprocold.com/blog/hot-car-get/ ). I tend to keep the fuel outside the vehicle for all but the coldest camping. Assuming you have A/C in the vehicle, the fuel itself should be fine to and from the trailheads. For storage of propane when not camping, a cool and dry place with adequate ventilation is suggested.

By: Diana

Diana — Sun, 20 Mar 2016 20:24:04 +0000

I know this is an old post, but I’m hoping someone will come along and help me answer my question. I’ve been considering car camping for a while, but I’m still stuck on the cooking part. Where do you keep your gas on a hot day? I’m concerned about keeping the canisters inside the car. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but I’m considering just bringing food that doesn’t need to be cooked bc of this (stuff for sandwiches, snacks…).
Thanks!

By: Paul Mags

Paul Mags — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:48:32 +0000

In reply to Rich. Glad you liked it! Some activities (like the ones you mentioned!) are better in a camping environment. Just another tool to keep in the outdoor person's 'bag o' tricks'. :)

By: Rich

Rich — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 00:41:08 +0000

Wonderful, thorough article, thanks for taking the time to put it together. I live in Boulder and while much of my outdoors time is spent backpacking or winter camping with a ski pulk, I do enjoy car base camping for when I’m out climbing, mountain biking or kayaking for the weekend. Surprised folks have such difficulty understanding why this type of camping is also fun! My folks are coming to visit and want to go camping so I’ve been looking for ideas to make it more fun and enjoyable for them, particularly in the food and cooking dept. I like your tote organization; I’ve been using one big tote but now I’m thinking about breaking stuff apart into separate bins like you do. I also keep everything ready to go in my truck for spur of the moment solo adventures.