Packing for Family Camping

I never really found a packing list that I liked for the kind of trip that we took over the summer -- an extended car camping trip. What made it a little more complicated was that we drove from Texas to Maine, and we needed clothing appropriate for heat and cold.... and LOTS of rain.

Here's what we brought as far as camping supplies. Actually, no .... here's what we USED:

*tent -- large one-room tent (Hobitat 6 man tent from REI -- but we have camped in a large tent from Target and it was great)
*tarp -- we put the tarp inside the tent. It worked great. It POURED rain
*inflatable mattress for the parents
*pump for the mattress
*Sleeping pads for the kids:
nap mat -- sort of worked -- easy to clean (and there was a peepee accident in the night)
roll-up Thermarest sort of pad from Target -- not great -- never felt very fluffy
egg crate mattress cushion cut in shape of sleeping bag -- terrible -- absorbed moisture -- yuck!

I would recommend legitimate Thermarest cushions -- I have seen friends use these and they blow up really nicely -- or buy 2 queen air mattresses and a tent large enough to fit them both. Have 3 kids sleep sideways on the mattress in their sleeping bag.

*One large Maglite flashlight -- awesome
*2 small flashlights -- less awesome, but good for kid use
*Coleman 2 burner stove -- propane
*Storage container for all the cooking stuff
*silverware rolled up in a 3 zippered jewelry bag
*spatula
*corkscrew, bottle opener
*salt and pepper
*small bottle of oil
*all purpose seasoning mix
*5 plastic plates -- I'm sorry! -- I already had them -- I tried metal plates but they got hot and burned our hands.
*5 stackable cups -- useful for drinking & for eating cereal/soup
*3 sippy cups -- for drinks along the way -- I would probably use water bottles next time b/c the kids are getting too old for this
*waterproof box with matches & lighter
*A small package of fatwood for starting fires in times of desperation
*dish towel
*dish soap
*sponge
*3 camp chairs -- we didn't have room for more
4 sleeping bags -- one of them was really only a sleepover bag -- terrible!
3 small towels (kid size) for bathing

Along the way, we acquired:
*paper napkins from various stores & restaurants
*shredded paper to use in starting fires (we usually shredded the campground map from the last place)
*camp chairs -- my husband insisted we didn't have room for them, then we couldn't take it anymore and bought them along the way
*sticks -- to roast marshmallows :) I just sent the kids to find a straight stick and then we "sterilized" them over the fire. We all survived.
*a blanket -- you'll notice we only brought 4 bags and we are 5 people -- my husband left his sleeping bag behind and then did not want to buy one -- so he bought a blanket and wrapped up like a taco. This was fine for a while, but chilly in Maine.

More lists to come -- clothing & food.