I have fond memories of camping with my family when I was a kid. Most commonly we were car camping because we did a lot of our camping while on road trips around the country. In preparation for our family camping trip this Summer, I found myself feeling nostalgic for those camping trips of my youth. I loved my mother’s organization and preparedness, as well as those classic camping gear items that bring back so many memories. From the dishes and tea kettle, to the stove and deck of cards, I attempted to recreate the scene for my daughter with the best camping gear that I could find for our family.
(Fun Fact: We still have and use my mom’s sleeping bag – the Snow Lion – that she bought in the 70’s in Berkeley, CA.)
Our trip this year took us from the Oregon Coast, to the Redwoods in Humboldt County California, to Crater Lake and Diamond Lake in eastern Oregon, then to Bend, OR for the Shakey Graves & Lord Huron outdoor concert, and ended with a stopover at Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood while on our way back to Portland.
If you ever get a chance to tour our neck of the woods, this loop is really spectacular! I’ll post our full trip review soon with more travel details, and check out our other adventures under the travel category.
One of my favorite nostalgic items for camping is the classic blue and white speckled mugs and dishes. My parent’s have since donated our original set, but I was able to find a great replacement set for a great price!
Next, one of my absolute favorite parts of camping is waking up in the cool early morning air and boiling water for coffee or hot cocoa. To keep things simple in the morning, I love the ease of our Coleman Gas Stove, and as a kid watching my mom boil water in the tea kettle on this stove is one of my strongest memories.
We borrowed my parent’s wheeled Coleman cooler for this trip, and it was a fantastic decision. Not only did it work as coolers should, but it also doubled as our card table by the fire! (Side note: We were all happily surprised to see how well Earth Balance butter spread held up during a week in the cooler!)
For tents, there are only three of us, and the Coleman Sundome Tent works great. It’s just enough space for our sleeping mats and sleeping bags. If you are planning on staying in a location for longer than a night or two, or one who likes to keep you backpack/bag in the tent with you then this tent may be a little small for three people, but definitely sufficient for two.
One of the items that we LOVE and everyone asks us about are our Tooge inflatable sleeping mats! Small built-in foot pump allows you to inflate in less than 3 minutes, super easy to deflate and wonderfully comfortable. The product mentions that they are great for backpacking, but these are definitely only suited for car camping as they are heavier than they appear when rolled up. However, I am never car camping without these again!
I’m still working to match my mom’s impressive organizational skills, but what helped us was to keep things in separate and clear bins – Kitchen bin, Dry Food bin, Games bin, etc.
Comment below and let me know if I should feature any other great products that you recommend!
Founder of Shoulders With Freckles and SUMMERSKIN, as well as a Pharmacist, Melanoma Survivor & Mom.
