Complete car camping setups
Coleman Sundome Dark Room 4/6 Person Camping Tent
$169.99The shelter at the heart of the Intermediate tent camping setup for a family of 4, the buy-once family build.
Check price on AmazonSpecsThere are two ladders because there are two kinds of car camper. Families pitching a tent at a drive-up site need floor space, a real kitchen and seats for everyone. One or two people sleeping inside an SUV need a flat, insulated bed, ventilation and privacy, and far less kitchen. Advice for one is wrong for the other.
Family tent camping (built for four)
| Tier | Items | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 15 lines | $800.20 | See the full list |
| Intermediate | 16 lines | $1,747.24 | See the full list |
| Expert | 16 lines | $4,125.62 | See the full list |
- Beginner tent camping setup for a family of 4A complete, lowest-cost tent camping setup for a family of 4: shelter, sleep, kitchen, cooler, chairs, table, and light, all in one gear list.
- Intermediate tent camping setup for a family of 4A buy-once tent camping setup for a family of 4, upgrading to cots, insulated pads, a rolling cooler, and a two-burner stove for regular weekend trips.
- Expert tent camping setup for a family of 4A premium tent camping setup for a family of 4 built around a Kodiak Canvas tent, Exped MegaMat pads, a YETI cooler, and a Camp Chef two-burner stove.
Sleeping in your car (one or two people)
| Tier | Items | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 16 lines | $539.02 | See the full list |
| Intermediate | 16 lines | $1,142.88 | See the full list |
| Expert | 18 lines | $4,370.61 | See the full list |
- Beginner car camping setup for sleeping in an SUVA complete, lowest-cost setup for 1 to 2 people sleeping inside an SUV: awning, sleep mattress, kitchen, cooler, chairs, light, and a carbon monoxide detector.
- Intermediate car camping setup for sleeping in an SUVA buy-once setup for 1 to 2 people sleeping in an SUV, upgrading to a screened SUV tent, an R4 insulated pad, and a roto-molded cooler.
- Expert car camping setup for sleeping in an SUVA premium setup for 1 to 2 people sleeping in an SUV, built around an Exped MegaMat wheel-cutout pad, a Dometic electric cooler, an EcoFlow power station, and an optional Thule roof box.
Want everything on one page? The printable shopping list puts all six builds side by side.
Get the car camping checklist
One printable page: the full packing checklist plus our three complete setups with current prices. No sales sequence.
Used only to send the list. You can also read every setup free on this site.Researched guidance, not professional advice. Figures are published specifications or clearly labelled conventions; check your own gear's manual and your campground's rules.