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Must-Have Family Camping Gear and Checklist

Are you planning a camping trip with your friends or family? You need the right gear and supplies.

With so many options and items to tick, there’s a chance you’re unsure of what to bring or include in your shopping list. If you’re not sure of what you’re supposed to have handy for your camping adventure, we are here to help.

Here’s our easy-to-read guide on what you need to bring for your camping trip.

Get ready for some good news — you don’t need to break the bank for observing an Arizona tradition, and we have what you need at our many branches in AZ.

Your Camp Kitchen Setup: Things You Can’t Do Without

When you want your own kitchen in the Arizona wilderness, these are the kitchen must-haves that deserve a spot in your checklist:

1. Two-burner camp stove: Cooking over fire is great until it isn’t. A reliable gas camp stove gives you consistent heat for everything from morning eggs to a full pasta dinner, regardless of wind or flame height.
2. Cast iron pan: Nothing else holds heat the way cast iron does. Use it on the stove, use it directly on the fire, and it will still be in the family twenty years from now. If you buy one thing, make it this.
3. Small pot: It’s essential for boiling water, heating soup, making oatmeal, or mixing up a packet of hot cocoa for the kids.
4. Chef’s knife (with cover): One good chef’s knife handles most of your prep.
5. Paring knife: This knife is best for fruit, small vegetables, and anything that needs detailed work. Pair it with the chef’s knife, and you’re set.
6. Cutting board: Get one with non-slip edges. At a picnic table, a sliding board is more annoying than you’d expect.
7. Tongs: You can’t live without them if you want to pick up bacon from a hot griddle without getting burned.
8. BBQ tool set: If you’re cooking over an open fire, you need the right reach. Pair it with an oven glove for anything close to direct flame.
9. Heat-safe spatula: Scrambled eggs and sautéed vegetables don’t mix well with a spatula that melts on contact with a hot cast iron.
10. Oven mitt or oven glove: Cast iron handles get hot fast, especially over fire, so grab a mitt (or two).
11. Heavy-duty foil: Heavy-duty foil holds up for foil packs, corn on the cob, and lining the cast iron to prevent sticking.
12. Heat-safe dishes and utensils: A set of proper camp dishes makes any meal feel like home.
13. Mugs: Hot coffee in the cold Arizona desert morning is half the reason to go camping in the first place.
14. Meat thermometer: A proper thermometer is especially important when you’re cooking over fire with variable heat. Don’t leave your meat’s heat to chance.
15. Cooler: The more insulation, the more days you can go without hunting down ice. It’s worth the investment for trips longer than a night.

You can find most of these must-haves at our branch in Chandler or browse our full tools and hardware section for anything from cookware accessories to camp setup gear.

Things You’ll Appreciate Having (Even if They’re Not Exactly Mission-Critical)

These items may not be essential by definition, but if you’ve got room in your camper or truck, why not grab them?

1. Dutch oven: Cast iron and built for fire, one is key if you want to make chili, soup, stew, or nachos at camp.
2. Over-fire grill or tripod setup: A grill grate directly over the fire handles skewers, hot dogs, and anything that benefits from direct heat. A tripod gives you indirect heat, which is better for things that need more time. Which one you choose depends on how you cook.
3. Skewers: They make meats and veggies easy to eat. Let’s not forget how kids love them.
4. French press or pour-over system with a kettle: A camp stove and a small pot can work, but a Stanley French press holds more and keeps it hot longer. If coffee is a morning priority, a press or pour-over should be a priority.

Stocking Your Camp Pantry

Desert humidity, condensation, and wildlife are all working against your dry goods. So pack the following in a sealed, leak-proof container:

1. Sea and Kosher salt
2. Your spice kit
3. Cooking oil
4. Cooking spray
5. Coffee

Besides feeds and livestock essentials, we offer supplies across a wide range of categories, including everything you’ll want to have in your camping kitchen.

Stuff for Your Sleep Setup

Don’t sleep on your campsite’s sleep essentials (pun intended). Make sure you have the following for maximum comfort out in the Arizona wilderness:

1. Tents for the kids (and grown-ups)
2. An air mattress or sleeping bag if you’re roughing it
3. Pillows
4. Camping or lawn chairs

Gear Most Forget — But You Shouldn’t

These items are some of the most overlooked in any camping checklist. But leave them behind, and your camping experience drops several notches:

1. Picnic tablecloth: You’ll need these for rough and dirty campsite tables.
2. Dish bins and dish soap: These are critical for clean dishes and cutlery on camp.
3. Headlamps and lanterns: These set the campsite atmosphere in a way a headlamp never will.
4. Fire starters and a lighter: Reliable fire starters take the frustration out of getting a fire going when the wood is damp.
5. Bottled or filtered water, a pocket knife, and a first aid kit: These three cover your safety basics, and none of them take up much room.

Clothing and Personal Gear

Lastly, make sure you’re ticking off the boxes when it comes to your clothes and personal items:

1. Hiking boots and socks: Ankle support on uneven Arizona terrain makes a real difference over a long day. Brands like Merrell and Darn Tough are trail standards for good reason, and many trail boots run small, so sizing up is often the smarter move.
2. Pack an extra set of clothes: Camping is dirty, and you will always need some clean clothes.
3. Rain gear: The Arizona monsoon season is real, and a poncho takes up almost no space.
4. Swimsuits, towels, beach blanket, and life jackets: If you are near water, pack all of these. Life jackets are non-negotiable if anyone is getting on a boat.
5. Sunscreen, bug spray, and water bottles with slings: A hands-free bottle carrier changes how you move on a trail, and getting one for every person in the group is worth it.

Gear up at Shoppers Supply AZ

Camping is all about being outdoors, but who says you can’t have the comforts of home?

Before your next trip, head to your nearest Shoppers Supply location for camping supplies and outdoor gear across our Gilbert,Chandler, and Apache Junction stores.