6 Things We Love That Make Car Camping With Kids Straight Bougie

Weight 21.6 lbs | Seats 4 | Seat capacity 265 lbs each | Folded size ~34″ x 4″ x 13″

We own two of these, and we use both of them constantly — lined up in a row, they seat eight kids with room to spare. The real win isn’t the size, though. It’s that each kid gets their own seat. No scooting, no haggling over the good spot, no one crawling over the bench mid-snack because two kids can’t agree on space. Everyone has their spot, and they can color, eat, or listen to a story without anyone jockeying for position.

Is it a little janky? Yes. Our first one arrived missing a part — we contacted VINGLI, they sent a replacement, no fuss. It folds down to roughly the size of a thick boogie board, so it slides into whatever you’re already packing.

Do we sit on these? Yes. Seat capacity is 265 lbs EACH! So we even sit on them with our two-year-old on our lap. Is it comfy? No. Do we end up sitting there often? Yes again.

The short version: We stopped counting the falls off standard campsite picnic benches once we started bringing these. Worth the mild jankiness.

Size: Small fits approx. 3’2″–4’6″ / 30–70 lbs | Large fits approx. 4’2″–5’8″ / 60–140 lbs | Power: USB-C rechargeable | Runtime: 12 hours (we rarely wear it until it runs out of battery) | Cleaning: machine washable

There are a hundred light-up vests on Amazon, all cheaper, and none of them looked like they’d survive actual kids. The Tracer Jr has. Ours get worn around the house in party mode — the rainbow-cycling setting — before we even leave for a trip, kids running around as “race cars” with the lights on in broad daylight.

Where it earns its keep is the shoulder seasons: spring, fall, and any winter outing when it gets dark and stays dark. In peak summer, when the sun doesn’t set until practically bedtime, it does less work. But the second dusk starts creeping in, we know exactly where our kids are in a crowd — and we get complimented on them constantly.

We bought a small for the toddler and a large for the older kid, but honestly we just swap them. The Velcro sides adjust enough that it doesn’t matter.

The short version: Pricier than the alternatives, worth every cent. Wait for a sale if you want, but don’t substitute a cheaper vest.

Material: Repurposed vinyl mesh | Qualities: Sand-free, UV- and mildew-resistant, reversible, handmade in Colorado

We know the owner of Gili — we met him years ago traveling in our van, long before kids — and this mat has been on every trip since, camping or towing our travel trailer. We have the larger size and it just does not quit: years of dogs, and now kids, actively trying to destroy it, and it’s still going strong.

Sand and dirt actually fall through. Bigger debris needs a quick sweep with a broom, but that’s it. We also keep a small one just for tossing outside a tent door or van slider — a quick landing spot for shoes when that’s all we need for a one night stopover.

Not right for you if you’re outside Colorado and price-sensitive on shipping. There are other sand-free mats on Amazon — we just haven’t personally used them, so we can’t vouch for how they’d hold up next to this one.

The short version: Bomb-proof, and backed by a small company we trust.

Note: The shop link goes to Gili’s small mat. The larger size we use has been on their site in the past but wasn’t listed at time of writing. Check with Gili directly if you want to size up.

Size: Seat height 13″ | Width 58″ armrest to armrest | Weight capacity: 600 lbs | Carry weight: ~16 lbs

This is our cuddle chair. Cuddling a kid in it is exactly what it’s built for – or your significant other if you should be so lucky. We loved ours enough to give it as a wedding gift, and a friend loves hers enough that after it got aggressively too close to a campfire, she just threw a blanket over the burn and kept using it.

Get the low version. Sitting low by the fire means the smoke drifts over your head instead of into your face — worth it for the kids especially. Also it’s easy in and out for kids, and if they fall, they’re already close to the ground It fits an adult and two kids, or basically any combination of kids you can pile on, and it has the stability a tiny kid chair doesn’t: no tipping over backward.

The short version: One of our all-time favorites. Buy it in low.

DoubleNest: 9.5′ length, 400 lb capacity, 19 oz | Nomad Stand: 15 lbs 8 oz, 300 lb capacity (this caps the whole setup at 300 lbs), fits hammocks up to 10′ (carabiners required), includes stakes and carry backpack

A hammock might be the single best piece of entertainment we bring camping. Our kids and their friends swing in it, push each other, wrap themselves up and flip over, try to climb up one side, and generally do everything they can to break it. It has survived all of it.

The stand is what makes it possible everywhere. So often we’re camping somewhere without two perfectly spaced trees — a beach, a site with saplings, wherever — and the stand means we pitch the hammock anyway. Stake it down. Kids will absolutely find a way to tip it over if you don’t.

The short version: Bulky, but worth building the packing list around.

Length: 39 ft | LEDs: 120 | Modes: 8 | Weather rating: IP65 (lights and panel) | Runtime: 12+ hrs after a full day of sun

The string lights we actually camped with aren’t sold on Amazon anymore. There are so many solar string lights out there, and this set is the closest match we’d buy today: same warm fairy-light look, and it checks the only two boxes that matter.

What you actually want is two things: waterproof, and a solar panel you can move away from the lights themselves, so you can chase the sun during the day without taking the whole string down. Both the lights and the panel here are rated IP65, and the panel sits on its own stake.

Set them up when you arrive, angle the panel toward the sun, and forget about them. They come on by themselves at dark, which covers that stretch between dinner and everyone crawling into their tents, and they recharge the next day.

The short version: A genuine vibe boost, and one less thing to think about at camp.