In the last two years I’ve spent over 25,000 miles on long-range road trips (5+ hours at a time) - exploring and overlanding through Colorado, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Idaho.
With all this windshield time I’ve learned a thing or two about making these drives a bit more bearable.
In this article, I’m going to share 3 must-have items for long-range car camping trips.
1 - A bed that’s already made
The National Highway Traffic Safety Commission Estimates that 91,000 traffic accidents happen a year due to drowsy drivers.
Caffeine is great, but NOTHING beats a power nap.
Being able to travel on longer road trips with a bed that’s already made gives you a supreme advantage.
You don’t need to waste time shuffling gear out of your cargo area to set up your bed, and if you have a rooftop tent - you might get some weird looks popping it open in an urban area.
Car camping platforms that elevate your sleeping surface so you can store all your gear underneath and drive around with a made bed make it extremely easy + stealthy to pull off the road and catch a quick snooze.
There’s a ton of helpful information out there when it comes to DIYing a system of your own. Though these systems are often heavy, permanent, and difficult to remove from your vehicle.
If you are looking for a car camping platform that’s lightweight and compacts away into a convenient case, check out the Hele Box!
It’s designed to fit a wide range of vehicles and the car camping platform actually doubles for two other uses (storage/table)
2 - Gum
This one is underrated.
Things get boring on long drives - your brain goes dull and your body is stuck in a sitting position for hours on end.
One thing that doesn’t need to stay stagnant, is your mouth!
There’s only so much to talk about (if you are traveling with someone) and if you are by yourself, this wasn’t an option to begin with (or was it?!)
I like to have a full pack of my favorite gum on hand before I start my journey.
It’s a great way to keep your body moving and engaged with something that goes beyond music or staring out the windshield.
If you asked me ten years ago, I would probably put chips/snacks in place of gum - but my aging metabolism can’t burn off those calories like it used to.
Pro tip: Go for a strongly minted flavor - it will hit you with a waking blast every time you reload with a new piece.
3 - Emergency Kit
Don’t overlook this one.
Before hitting the road, make sure you have:
- Jumper cables
- Tow rope
- Fix-a-flat
- Portable air compressor
- Basic tool kit
These are the bare essentials that I like to bring in the event I’m ever stuck in a pinch.
If you are car camping in the winter, make sure you have warm enough gear should you ever need to wait for help without the warmth of your vehicle's heater.
I like to pack all my emergency gear into one section of my Hele Box car camping platform’s storage case. This way I know exactly where everything is should a situation arise.
Those are my top 3 picks for long-range car camping trips. What did I miss? Anything you would add?
Let us know in the comments, and I’ll update the article accordingly.
If you are looking for more helpful information about car camping, sleeping platforms, how to find dispersed campsites, etc. check out the rest of our car camping guide!
Safe travels!