Home › RVs, Trailers & Car Camping › Car Camping: The Easiest Way to Fall in Love With Camping

Car Camping: The Easiest Way to Fall in Love With Camping

How to pick a campground, set up a comfortable site, cook well and keep car camping easy.

Car camping is camping where you can park within a few steps of your site. It is the gateway to everything else outdoors, and honestly, many experienced campers never leave it behind. You get the stars, the campfire and the birdsong without carrying your house on your back. Here is how to make it great.

Choosing a campground

• State parks usually offer developed sites with water, restrooms and showers, and often electric hookups.
• National parks offer iconic scenery; popular ones fill quickly, so reserve early where reservations exist.
• National forests and other public lands often have simpler campgrounds and dispersed camping where permitted.
• Private campgrounds add amenities like pools and stores.

Read site descriptions carefully. Look for shade, distance from restrooms (close is handy, too close is noisy), and whether the site is level.

Arriving and setting up

Arrive with daylight. Walk the site before unloading. Decide where the tent goes, where the kitchen goes, and where the fire goes. Keep them apart: tent upwind and at least 15 feet from fire and cooking.

Done means done

No guessing in the dark

The Slot Grill Instant-Read Digital Meat Thermometer reads in about 3 seconds, has a backlit display for night cooks and a fold-away probe. Or grab it bundled with Seasoning Balm.

Thermometer · $19.97

The car as basecamp

Your vehicle is a storage locker, a windbreak, and in a storm, a shelter. Keep food and scented items in it at night where allowed. A hatchback tailgate makes an excellent prep counter. Some campers sleep in the car with a pad; crack windows for airflow and use bug screens.

Comfort upgrades worth the space

• A big tent you can stand in
• Cots or thick pads
• Good chairs
• A pop-up canopy or tarp for shade and rain
• A camp table
• Lanterns and string lights

Cooking at a car camp

Car camping is where camp cooking can really shine. You can bring a full cooler, cast iron, and a real grill. The catch is that "real grill" often means a big bulky grill from the backyard that takes up half the trunk and needs two people to lift. On the other side are flimsy little grills that wobble and bend when you set a skillet on them.

A flat-pack steel grill solves the space problem without the wobble. The Slot Grill Compact packs to about an inch thick and the Full Size to about an inch and a quarter. Both hold cast iron, set up by hand in under a minute, and give you a clean surface instead of the campground grate.

Campground etiquette

• Respect quiet hours.
• Do not cut through other campsites.
• Keep lights pointed down and generators within rules.
• Leash pets and clean up after them.
• Keep the fire small and smoke low out of courtesy to neighbors.

Camp griddle

Pancakes, eggs and smash burgers at camp

The Slot Grill Griddle (Plancha) add-on is built from the same thick carbon steel, comes in half or full griddle configurations, and flat-stacks with your Slot Grill. Grill not included.

See the griddle add-on

Day trips from camp

The beauty of car camping is mobility. Drive to trailheads, swimming holes, overlooks and small towns. Come back to a camp that is already set up.

Packing up

Start early on departure day. Dry the tent if possible. Make sure the fire or grill is dead out and the ash is cold. Do a final sweep for micro-trash. Leave the site better than you found it.

Choosing the right site within a campground

• Level ground for the tent.
• Shade in summer, especially in the afternoon.
• Wind protection from trees or terrain.
• Distance from restrooms: close but not next door.
• Privacy: sites on the outside of loops often feel more secluded.
• Water access if you're paddling or swimming.

Packing the car efficiently

1. Lay out all gear in categories.
2. Load heavy bins on the floor, close to the center.
3. Put the cooler where you can reach it.
4. Put the tent and first-night essentials on top or near the door.
5. Slide flat items like a flat-pack grill, tables and tarps along the sides.
6. Keep the driver's view clear.

Campsite layout

• Tent: on the tent pad, upwind of the fire.
• Kitchen: near the picnic table, well away from the tent.
• Fire: in the ring or your own raised grill on a durable surface.
• Car: as a windbreak and storage.

Rain-proofing a car camp

• Pitch a tarp over the table.
• Keep the tent fly taut.
• Keep gear in the car or under the tarp.
• Have dry clothes in a bag.

Car camping meals

Car camping lets you eat well. Bring cast iron, a griddle and fresh ingredients.

• Day 1: grilled steak, potatoes, salad
• Day 2: pancakes, sandwiches, fajitas
• Day 3: breakfast tacos, then home

Sleeping in your car

Fold seats flat, add a pad, crack windows with bug screens, and use window covers for privacy. Never run engines, heaters or grills in an enclosed vehicle.

Trip ideas from Texas

• Hill Country rivers in summer
• Piney Woods lakes in fall
• Gulf Coast beaches in spring
• Big Bend in winter
• Panhandle canyons in spring and fall

Car camping and the clean grill

Car camping is where it is easiest to bring your own grill. A flat-pack grill slides into any car. Instead of the shared site grill, cook on steel you know is clean.

Making the most of the car

Car camping lets you bring comforts you could never carry on your back. Use that advantage without overloading.

• Bins and crates keep gear organized and easy to find.
• A flat-pack grill slides under a cooler or behind a seat.
• Camp chairs and a table make meals comfortable.
• A big cooler keeps food fresh for a weekend.

Packing the car well

1. Heavy bins on the floor, close to the center.
2. Sleeping gear on top, where it stays dry and is easy to grab.
3. Kitchen bin near the door for quick access.
4. Water jugs secured so they cannot tip.
5. Never block the driver's view.

Sleeping in the car

Some campers sleep in the vehicle itself. Fold the seats flat, add a pad, and crack windows slightly for ventilation (screens help keep bugs out). Use sunshades or window covers for privacy and darkness. Never run a fuel-burning heater or grill inside.

Choosing a car camping site

• Level parking pad.
• Flat tent pad.
• Shade from trees, but no dead branches overhead.
• Some privacy from neighbors.
• Close to (but not right next to) restrooms.

Camp kitchen layout

Set the grill on a stable surface away from the car and tent. Place the table nearby for prep, and the cooler in shade. Keep a wash bin ready for cleanup.

Day trips from camp

Use camp as a base for day hikes, paddling, scenic drives, and town visits.

Cleaning up

Pack out trash. Clean the grill. Leave the site cleaner than you found it.

Food for car camping

Car camping allows fresh food: steaks, burgers, vegetables, eggs and fruit.

A car camping weekend timeline

Friday afternoon: load the car from your bins and checklist, buy ice on the way, and aim to arrive with at least two hours of daylight.

Friday evening: pitch the tent, set up the kitchen, light the charcoal, and cook an easy first dinner like pre-formed burgers.

Saturday: breakfast on the griddle, a morning hike or paddle, lunch at camp or on the trail, an afternoon nap or swim, and a bigger dinner like steaks and potatoes. Fire and stars after.

Sunday: hot breakfast, slow pack-up, let the tent dry in the sun, a final site sweep, and home by afternoon.

Comfort upgrades worth the space

• A thick sleeping pad or cot
• A real pillow from home
• A screen shelter for buggy evenings
• A camp rug for the tent door
• Battery-powered string lights
• A solid grill that cooks real meals

Keeping the car organized at camp

Keep the car locked when you leave the site. Store food inside at night where required. Keep the keys in the same pocket every time so they never get lost in the tent.

Car camping on a budget

You don't need expensive gear to start. Use blankets and pillows from home, a basic tent, and your kitchen pots in a bin. Spend on one or two key items that make the biggest difference: a good sleeping pad and a reliable grill that cooks real food and doubles as a fire pit. Add upgrades slowly as you learn what you value.

One more tip

Bring a small broom to sweep sand and leaves out of the tent before packing.

Questions campers ask

What is car camping?

Camping at a site you can drive to and park next to, so you can bring more gear and comforts.

Can I sleep in my car while camping?

Many campgrounds allow it. Keep windows cracked for ventilation and never run fuel-burning heaters inside.

What is the best grill for car camping?

One that packs small, sets up fast, and is sturdy enough for cast iron, like a flat-pack carbon steel grill.

Flat-pack grill

Packs flat. Cooks like it means it.

Tab-and-slot steel plates, no hinges, no loose hardware to lose in the leaves. The Full Size packs to about 1.25" and the Compact to about 1". Both are strong enough for cast iron.

See the Full Size · $149.97

Compact · $89.97 $99.97
About 14 lb, 146 sq in, 1 to 3 people, packs about 1" thick.Full Size · $149.97 $159.97
About 27.6 lb, 231 sq in, family-size, packs about 1.25" thick.