Last updated: March 2026 Written by Mike — dad of three (14, 12, 9), camps regularly in NJ and PA. Has a cabin in the PA mountains. I’ve packed for enough family weekends, solo overnighters, and extended trips to know exactly what makes the difference between a great trip and a miserable one. Here’s the thing about packing for camping — you’re not going to forget the tent. You’re not going to forget the sleeping bags. The big stuff is obvious. What kills a trip is the small stuff. The can opener
Car camping vs overlanding vs backpacking
These three get mixed up, and the mix-up is how people buy the wrong kit. Car camping is a trunk and an established site. Overlanding is remote driving and sleeping on the vehicle. Backpacking is everything on your back.
| Category | How you get there | Where you sleep | Comfort | Vehicle | Weight limit |
|---|
| Car camping | Drive to an established site | Tent or vehicle, next to the car | High. Bring what fits. | Any vehicle with a trunk | Whatever the car holds |
| Overlanding | Remote or off-road routes | Rooftop tent, tent, or vehicle | Moderate. Self-sufficient. | Built-out SUV or truck | Payload capacity |
| Backpacking | Hike to remote sites | Ultralight tent or hammock | Minimal. Ounces count. | Trailhead parking only | About 30-40 lb on your back |
Start with car camping. You are next to the vehicle if something goes wrong, you can bring comfort that would be absurd on a trail, and you learn weather and cooking without buying a whole overland build. I did this for years in a Honda Accord. The Sierra hauls more now. It is not required. A tent, sleeping bags, a way to cook, and a cooler. Everything else is optional.
Car camping with kids
First trip is one night. If that goes well, the second trip can be two. A three-night disaster with a tired four-year-old sets you back a year. Wharton State Forest in the Pine Barrens is our first-trip default: close for NJ, spacious sites, 20 minutes from a Wawa if the plan falls apart.
- Favorite blanket, one stuffed animal, glow sticks, a snack they only get when camping. You are building a good association, not a hardship test.
- Let them help. Kids who set up camp stay invested. My oldest can get the tent up faster than I can. The younger two carry water and gather sticks.
- Rules before anyone leaves the truck: stay in sight of the tent, do not touch stove/fire/hatchet, tell an adult before the bathroom, if you get lost stay put and blow the whistle. Each kid gets a whistle on a lanyard.
- Food that wins: hot dogs on sticks, s'mores, pancakes. Let them put too many marshmallows on the stick.
- Rain plan in the truck: cards or coloring books, and a tarp over the picnic table so you can still sit outside in a drizzle.
Northeast spots we actually use
Pine Barrens, New Jersey
Wharton State Forest: Atsion, Bodine Field, Godfrey Bridge, Batsto. Sites spread out under pitch pines. Bass River is more developed. Flat, sandy, and farther from the highway than it looks. Summer weekends book. Use the NJ State Parks reservation system.
Pennsylvania mountains
Promised Land State Park is the family default: two lakes, maintained sites, trails that work for mixed ages. Tobyhanna is close and quieter. Hickory Run has walk-in sites and Boulder Field, which occupies kids for a long time.
Delaware Water Gap
Worthington State Forest on the NJ side. The Appalachian Trail crosses the campground, so you can hike a section and be back for dinner. Dingmans Campground on the PA side gets you to Dingmans Falls. National Recreation Area sites go through Recreation.gov.
Catskills, New York
North-South Lake: two lakes, swimming, escarpment views. About 2.5 hours from NJ. A Friday-after-work drive.
Shoulder season (late April into May, then September into October) is the best window: fewer crowds, fewer bugs, cooler sleep, October color. Pack from the list above, then add the car-camping extras you actually used on the last trip instead of buying a second kit.