Published June 26, 2026 12:10PM
Overview: Family camping with little kids is a lot—but the right gear makes it survivable, even fun. After two summers of figuring it out the hard way, Outside contributor Jenny Wiegand shares the family camping gear that actually works for families with toddlers.
I just survived my first family camping trip of the summer with two toddlers (age 1 and 3). It was a better time than camping with a baby and a 2-year-old last summer—but easy? Still no. Relaxing? For maybe five minutes while the kids were jumping on their mattresses. Worth it? Unequivocally yes. We came home dirty, smelly, exhausted, and optimistic about our life as an adventure family. We were getting there—one trial-and-error trip at a time.
We packed a ludicrous amount of gear for a 24-hour escape to a nearby state park (1.5 hours from home, close enough to bail if we needed to). In some ways, we were better prepared than last year—we had a campsite reserved, a darker tent to encourage sleeping past 5 a.m., portable shade, and toys galore—but we still came up short in a few key areas. Here’s the family camping gear that served us well, the items that didn’t, and the stuff we’re adding to our packing list for our next family camping trip later this summer.
Updated, June 2026: This family camping guide has been updated to reflect our family’s evolving camping needs. With two toddlers now in tow (up from a baby and a toddler last summer), we’ve swapped in new gear picks based on hard-won lessons from the campsite—including a blackout tent, an all-in-one camp kitchen, and a few items we’re already planning to ditch before our next trip.
Family Camping Gear I Swear By
Dark, Family-Sized Tent: Kelty Daydreamer 6P
Last summer, we camped in the North Face Wawona 6-person tent—a setup we loved for its double doors, massive gear vestibules, and numerous stash pockets. But the bright orange color amplified the dusk and dawn light—not ideal for tricking babies and toddlers into sleeping their 12-hour shift at camp. This time, we tried the Kelty Daydreamer, a slightly smaller six-person tent with a light-blocking rainfly that creates total darkness even during peak daylight.
The footprint (89 sq ft) is still more than big enough to accommodate a double air mattress and two singles, with plenty of room for gear and bags. My 5-foot-nine husband could comfortably stand without stooping. It’s no frills compared to a tent like the Wawona—only one door, four corner stash pockets, a detachable overhead gear loft—but dead simple and quick to set up. Just two poles means one person can easily set it up in under 10 minutes. That’s a huge deal when you’re herding feral children during camp setup.
The one downside: the rainfly blocks light brilliantly but turns the tent into a sauna. Airflow is minimal with it fully secured—you’ll want to pull the fly back during the day to make it livable. Still, the blackout tech alone makes the Daydreamer our new go-to family tent.
All-In-One Camp Kitchen: Cinch x Wild Land Kitchen Cruiser
A new addition to our camp kit this summer, the Kitchen Cruiser proved life-changing—and I don’t say that lightly. The hardest part about camping with babies and toddlers (besides the sleep situation) is keeping camp clean and organized. Running water is a must when you’re constantly washing milk bottles and rinsing pacifiers covered in dirt. My favorite feature is the built-in sink and rechargeable electric faucet that pulls water straight from your water jug at the push of a button.
I also love the counter and storage space, which keeps cooking utensils and food safely out of toddler reach. Posted up at the end of the picnic table, I had a dedicated kitchen to work in instead of taking over the entire picnic table. The two-burner stove ignites at the push of a button—no matches, no lighters required—and had our pasta water and coffee boiling fast. The size of a standard camp gear box when packed, it easily unfolds to standing height in under a minute. The best part compared to other camp kitchens out there: everything packs into the unit itself—stove, sink, cookware, everything.
At 43 pounds unloaded, it’s a beast to carry more than a few feet. But it could weigh 100 pounds and I’d still find a way to cart it to every campsite. That’s how much it’s changed my camp cooking and clean-up experience.
Plush Camp Mattress: Exped Megamat Duo
If you want to increase your chances of sleeping soundly (or, more realistically, a solid few hours) when camping with toddlers, invest in a quality camping mattress. I was a troubled sleeper even before I had kids, so my husband and I splurged on the queen-sized Exped Megamat Duo. At four inches thick and nearly 60 inches wide, the Megamat felt like a luxury when it was just the two of us, but with little ones in tow, I’d call it a necessity. Kids inevitably end up in your sleeping space, and having the extra room kept us from feeling completely cramped. As for durability, our 35-pound toddler turned it into a trampoline while we set up the rest of camp, and the pad handled it without issue.
Electric Pump: Exped Mega Pump
Last summer, we let the self-inflating Exped Megamat puff up on its own while we handled the rest of camp setup. This year, we added the Mega Pump to our kit to make life easier. This rechargeable electric pump designed for Exped mattresses had our Megamat Duo inflated in under five minutes (versus the 20-minute self-inflating time). But the real win is the deflate port: packing up camp is always a scramble, and trying to deflate mattresses five minutes before we’re supposed to vacate our site used to call for a not-so-fun team-building exercise. With the pump, it’s done in minutes.
Portable Shade: Kelty Sunshade With Sidewall
Shade is never guaranteed in Colorado, so a portable shade structure is a must when camping with kids. The Kelty Sunshade is easier to set up, more portable, and better at blocking sun than other shades of similar size we’ve tried. Three crossbars thread through the sleeves for easy setup in under five minutes, though the job does take two people. A detachable third wall can be repositioned to any side to block low-angle afternoon rays. It’s big enough to shade a standard picnic table but packs down to the size of a yoga mat in its carrying case. The only downside: the shade becomes a parachute in wind—we had to use the included guylines to keep it steady even in a light breeze.
Reliable Cooler: RTIC 52 QT Ultralight Cooler
When it was just my husband and me, we made do with a cheap Igloo cooler for weekend car camping trips. But now that we’re schlepping a quart of milk, yogurt, and enough cheese and eggs to feed a small army, we’ve upgraded to something bigger and better insulated. More affordable than most competitors, the RTIC 52 QT Ultralight is big enough to hold a week’s worth of family groceries and retains ice remarkably well even when left in the sun. A silicone net on the inside of the lid keeps butter, sandwiches, and cheese out of the pool of melting ice, and an integrated bottle opener is a thoughtful touch. The catch: the 52-quart takes up serious trunk space. We could probably make do with the 32-quart model until we start extending trips beyond 24 hours.
Bomber Gear Storage: Gregory Alpaca Camp Box 50
Any old storage container can serve as a camp gear box, but we learned last summer that a durable camp box with a quality latch system is worth spending a little extra on. The Alpaca Camp Box 50 is made with thick, durable plastic that doesn’t give when you squeeze it into tight trunk space, sit on it, or let the kids stand on it. The feature worth the price tag is the lid: clear with a gasket seal so you can see inside and keep out water and dust, attached via a dual-purpose hinge/latch that lets you remove it completely or just prop it open on one side. So simple, but so clutch when you don’t want your toddler running off with the lid to use as a shield.
Toddler Sleeping Bag: Kelty Space Cadet 40
Figuring out how to keep little kids who thrash around like alligators warm and comfortable at night is the most stressful part of family camping. Last summer, we put both kids in the Morrison Outdoors wearable sleeping bags—a sleep system they couldn’t kick off or worm their way out of—that kept them plenty warm during a 40-degree night. This summer, we tried the lighter-weight Kelty Space Cadet 40 on our 1-year-old. The two-way zipper design meant we could unzip the bottom of the sleep sack and snap it back so she could walk and thrash more freely, and ensured she wouldn’t overheat on a milder 46-degree night. Our 3-year-old has ditched sleep sacks at home, so he went with a regular sleeping bag. He woke up nowhere near his bag but insisted he was plenty warm.
Family Camping Essentials
In addition to the big-ticket gear above, these are the smaller essentials we swear by.
Rugs: We use three small area rugs to keep our tent as dirt-free as possible with barefooted toddlers running around: one outside the tent door, one inside, and a third in the car to use as a changing mat on the go.
Tablecloth: Most picnic tables at campsites have seen better days. We bring a durable plastic tablecloth for a clean, easy-to-wipe-off surface—and tablecloth clips to keep it in place.
Sand toys: It doesn’t matter if you’re camping by a beach, lake, or in the woods, a couple of buckets, shovels, rakes, and pan sifters go a long way toward keeping little kids occupied for at least 15 minutes at a time.
What We’re Adding to Our Family Camping Kit
Hard-won lessons from this trip mean a few swaps for next time.
Ditch the single air mattresses: Looking back, we were delusional in thinking our two tots would sleep better on their own single camp mattresses. In reality, both slid and rolled off their mattress multiple times throughout the night. For the next trip, we’re reintroducing the Pack ‘N Play for our 22-month-old (she still needs to be confined); for our 3-year-old, we’ll try a blow-up toddler bed with bumpers. Eventually, the plan is for them to share a double mattress—but we’re not there yet.
Add a rechargeable portable fan: We’re committed to the Kelty Daydreamer for its blackout properties, but we’re adding a fan to keep the tent cooler in the early evening when we put the kids down before the sun has set.
