Given all our blog posts, we’ve seen that you guys like camping. With that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to help you out with a blog post with basic tips for car camping! Some awesome places to car camp in Colombia are the Black Lagoon and, the best of all, the Neusa Dam. Car camping doesn’t mean sleeping in your car, it just means you have your car near you as you camp, which makes it so that you can take pretty much anything you want to go camp. That’s very, very different to camping in the wilderness, on long hikes, where you usually try to take as little as you can – the bare necessities. Without further ado, these are the basic tips for car camping.
*If you’d like to read how to get to the Neusa Dam, my favorite place for car camping in Colombia, check out this blog on how to get to the Neusa Dam and what to do there!
Basic Tips for Car Camping
The Tent
The truth is, you can take any type of tent to car camp, just because you have your car. For that reason, the issue isn’t getting the smallest possible tent. Instead, it will depend on the number of people you’ll usually be camping with, the quality of the tent and the price. Here are some recommendations regarding tents:
- Get a tent made for 1 or 2 more people than you’ll usually be camping with. This is for two reasons: first, more friends might decide to go with you, and the more the merrier. Second, having more space makes everything more comfortable. Everyone has more space to move and you have space to put backpacks, books, flashlights, food and whatever else you want in your tent. True, you don’t need a lot of things in you tent with the car so near to you, but it’s nice to have the option not to have to leave your tent if it’s rainy or cold outside.
- Tents are classified by seasons. A 2 season tent is made for good weather and usually has ventilation openings that can’t be closed if it rains. 3 season tents are made to withstand stronger rain and wind. And 4 season tents are made to withstand even snow. So it’s up to you to decide where you’re mostly going to be camping and get your tent based on that. If you’ll be camping everywhere, get yourself a 4 season tent so that you’ll be good wherever you go! If a tent doesn’t specify its season classification, at least make sure its water-proof.
How to Know if its Water-Proof
- Even if a tent says it’s water-proof, that doesn’t mean it’s great, and if it’s both water-proof and cheap, the tent isn’t going to be very water-proof. If the brand is well-known, such as The North Face, Hilleberg, REI, MSR or Coleman, the tent will be good. And if the tent comes with a rain-fly, which is a water-proof canvas that goes on top of the tent and must be taut for it not to touch the tent’s body, and a groundsheet or footprint, which goes between the ground and the tent floor to keep humidity out, that tent will be more water-proof.
How to Set Up the Tent:
- The way to set up the tent changes depends on the tent, but there are some things that everyone can do to be more comfortable, regardless of the tent. First, camp on the flattest ground you can find to sleep well and so that you don’t roll over and accidentally touch the tent walls, letting water in. Second, camp a ways off from the nearest water source. Some would say up to 150 feet (50 meters) away so that you’re safe from flash floods and don’t contaminate the water in any way. Third, don’t place the tent entrance facing the wind because it could get really cold. Although, if you’re being annoyed by mosquitoes, putting the entrance facing the wind will keep them out.
Our Favorite Place to Car Camp Yet!
If you’re itching to get outside, read this post on outdoor adventures close to Bogota!
Sleeping Bags
Sleeping bags are usually rated by temperatures: 35°F and higher (2°C and higher), 35 to 10°F (2° to -12°C) and 10°F and lower (12°C and lower). This means sleeping bags are made to warm you are those temperatures, although it varies per person and brand.
Get your sleeping bag based on the temperatures you’ll mostly be camping in. If you’ll probably going to be camping in deserts, get a 35°F and higher (2°C and higher) sleeping bad, but if you’ll be camping in the snow a lot, you’ll definitely want to get a 10°F and lower (12°C and lower) sleeping bag.
One great option for couples that are car-camping is to get a 2 person sleeping bag. While hiking and backpacking, it would never make sense to have one. But with a car to carry all your things, it’s a luxury you can definitely afford.
Sleeping Pad
Sleeping pads are really important for camping, but they’re not only for comfort. Sleeping pads’ main function is to keep the ground from sucking all the warmth from your body. You can get inflatable pads or closed-cell foam pads.
Take any kind of sleeping pad when you’re car camping because you have the space in your car; you might even be able to take any old one you have at home. But if you’re about to buy a sleeping pad, it’s important to think of what you’ll mostly be using it for. If you’ll be car camping a lot, by all means, buy a big and comfortable pad. If you’ll only be car camping every once in a while, but will backpack a lot, it’s better to get a small, inflatable sleeping pad. Some good brands are Neo Equipment, Therm-A-Rest and, as always, Coleman.
Pillow
It makes no sense to carry a pillow when you’re backpacking because they’re so bulky, unless you were to find a small inflatable one. But when car camping, I recommend taking one with you to sleep as well as you can, since you have the car to carry it for you!
To Build a Fire
Of course, the most important thing to have is a lighter or some matches. Then there’s also the wood. You can buy as much wood as you want, since you have the car with you, or you can scavenge for it at your campsite. Scavenging for it feels much more adventuresome. If you’re buying wood, try to do so close to your campsite to help the locals out. Helping out where you can is cool.
This is the best way to start a fire:
- Put kindling, such as dry leaves, in the middle of where you’re about to start the fire.
- Put sticks and bigger and bigger wood around the kindling in a teepee (or cone) shape, with the point facing up. Heat rises, so this teepee shape will make sure the heat efficiently lights the bigger wood.
- Put a flame to the kindling in the middle from the bottom for it all to burn, blowing softly to motivate the flames.
- Watch how your fire starts, adding small sticks and maybe even some more kindling if the fire needs some help.
I hope this helps you figure out how to build a fire. The best way to learn is to get outdoors, try, fail, try and learn! Make sure you don’t light a fire under a tree!
Foldable Chairs or a Blanket
When you’re camping, staying outside at night is the best because of the stars, the sounds of the night and sitting by the fire. The first two times I went car camping, I had to sit on the ground outside and my butt was extremely cold the entire time. So something important is to take foldable chairs or a blanket to sit on at night.
Food
The first question to ask yourself is: do you want warm or cold food? Then you just buy it and go camping!
If you’ll only be out one night, I recommend just taking cold food or food you can toast over your fire (for example, a sausage cooked on a stick). Personally, I also recommend you take a big thermos of a hot beverage, coffee for me, because nothing feels better than a hot drink on a cold night or morning.
If you decide to cook or will stay more than a night, in which case you’ll probably want some hot food, get a Coleman stove. They can be bulky, but it doesn’t matter because you’ll be car camping!
Leave no Trace
Everything you take camping should leave with you, even the toilet paper you use to wipe your butt.
Music
This is a sensitive subject, and a lot of people will probably scold me for including music on this list, but a lot of people need their music! It’s a sensitive subject because a lot of people prefer only hearing the sounds of nature while camping and others can be very disrespectful with their music. In my opinion, there should be no problem as long as the person with music is respectful, keeping it at a reasonable volume.
So yes, I recommend taking a speaker on your car camping trip or, even better, a guitar or a friend with a guitar if you don’t play.
And that, plus all of the things on this list, will help you have an amazing time while car camping. I hope these basic tips for car camping helped!
Click here to read about another gorgeous dam, how to get there and what to do!
