bring the kiddos
Family Camping Kit
This gear will provide a comfortable camp experience for kids and adults alike.
Camping with your kids is every outdoorsy parent's dream, and for good reason. You get to share your love of nature, see the world through their eyes, and discover little wonders you might have missed otherwise. That said, there are some extra considerations when taking your whole family on an overnight adventure, especially when it comes to gear. Here at Better Trail, we’ve got years of experience bringing our kids along on outdoor trips, so we know a thing or two about the ins and outs of camping with children. With this Family Camping Kit, you’ll have the tools to make the experience a blast for everyone.
REI Co-op Wonderland 6 ($499)
REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20 ($149)
Zempire Monstamat Twin ($250)
REI Co-op Kindercone 25 ($70)
REI Co-op Kindercamp ($55)
Kelty Low Loveseat ($150)
Coleman Quad ($30)
Zempire 2-Burner DLX Grill ($225)
GSI Bugaboo Camper Ceramic Cookset ($170)
Black Diamond Spot 400 ($55)
Petzl Tikkina ($20)
Duracell 2000 Lumen Tri-Power Lantern ($40)
Rtic 65 QT Ultra-Tough ($279)
Lifetime Fold-in-Half ($75)
Reliance Aqua-Tainer - 7 gal. ($25)
The Wonderland 6 is one of the most spacious tents we’ve slept in, which makes it great for housing the whole family. That said, this isn’t the most weatherproof tent in the category, so it’s best to stick to trips in sunny conditions (your kids will probably enjoy those more, anyway).
Space & Livability
Storage
Weather Protection
Durability & Quality
Ease of Use
Sustainability
Affordability is always a plus when you’re buying gear for the whole family, and the Siesta certainly has that going for it. But this sleeping bag is also cozy, roomy, and stuffed with features that wouldn’t feel out of place on a much more expensive model.
Warmth
Comfort
Durability & Quality
Features
Weight & Packed Size
Sustainability
The Monstamat Twin is a large, supportive, and durable mattress for parents looking to catch some much-needed sleep in camp. It’s a bit firmer than we’d like, and its bulk can make it hard to pack away, but we gladly accept those tradeoffs for the significant price savings compared to the competition.
The adjustable Kindercone grows with your kids, so you don’t have to worry about springing for a new sleeping bag every year. Its recycled polyester shell also has an impressive durable water-repellent coating that protects against spills, making it a practical and long-lasting choice.
This self-inflating sleeping pad is a trimmed-down version of the adult-oriented Trailmade. It’s not super thick or plush, but it comes with a reasonable price and should be comfortable enough for most kids.
The Low Loveseat will let you kick back next to your favorite camping partners, whether they’re big or small. We’re lukewarm on its overall comfort, but its stability and build quality are hard to beat, especially for families who are tough on their gear.
Comfort
Stability
Durability
Ease of Use
Portability
Sustainability
The Quad Chair is a great addition for any parent looking to add child-sized comfort to their camping setup. It has a sturdy design, and it locks in place for extra parental peace of mind.
The Zempire 2-Burner DLX Grill Stove builds on the classic two-burner design with the addition of a handy bottom grill. Though its bulky frame isn’t for everyone, it enhances cooking versatility without skimping on its core functionality.
Power
Temperature Control
Wind Protection
Build Quality & Durability
Ease of Use
Sustainability
The Bugaboo is an all-in-one cookset that includes multiple pots and pans, as well as plates, cups, and bowls for four. You’ll need to bring your own kitchen tools and utensils, but its nonstick ceramic surface makes cooking simple and cleanup even easier.
You’ll need a reliable light to keep track of your kids after dark, and the Spot 400 has virtually everything we love about our Editors’ Pick, the 400-R, for a more approachable price. It features multiple colored LED lights, impressive brightness, and can withstand being submerged.
Kids will want their own headlamp once they see yours, and the Tikkina is a simple, easy-to-use model. It’s not as feature-rich as more expensive competitors, but its price will make any collateral damage go down much easier.
While it doesn’t feature full RGB bulbs like some other lanterns, the Tri-Power is impressively bright and offers multiple power options to stay charged. It’s also splash-resistant and can double as a battery pack if you need extra charging capacity.
The 65 QT Ultra-Tough provides plenty of space for all the food and drinks you’ll need to keep the whole family sated. Its durability and cooling performance rival top competitors, but it comes in at around $100 less.
The Fold-in-Half isn’t the most compact or portable camp table, but it makes up for that with a sturdy frame that can hold just about anything. A quick setup and adjustable height pack even more value into this modestly priced piece.
The Aqua-Tainer Water Jug will keep your family hydrated all weekend, without resorting to a carful of plastic bottles. It’s also BPA free and features a spigot that tucks away neatly when not in use.
How We Built the Family Camping Kit
There are few things better than bringing the whole gang along for an overnight, but it also takes some extra planning—and gear—to make sure your crew is comfortable in camp. As opposed to the products in our other camping kits, which we primarily built for duos, the picks in this family-oriented list are split between adult gear, kid-sized (or kid-friendly) equipment, and things that make group camping easy. As you’ll see below, we placed a lot of importance on value, as buying gear for four people—no matter how old they are—can get expensive quickly. Our tailored recommendations will help ensure that everyone, including your wallet, is a happy camper.
Building a camping setup for your family can be tricky. Your kids are constantly getting bigger, which means navigating the logistical and financial gymnastics of them outgrowing their gear every season. At the same time, you want to make sure that what you do get them will last for however long they need it—children can be hard on their gear, after all. And then there’s the bigger question of how to make the experience as comfortable and enjoyable for them as it is for you.
With that in mind, we’ve suggested higher-quality items in the gear categories that don’t depend on sizing, such as the tent, stove, and cooler. Other pieces of gear, like the kids’ sleeping bag and camp chair, have a shorter lifespan. In these cases, it makes sense to go with more economical options, since they’ll outgrow the gear eventually.
Roominess is key when it comes to sleeping in a tent with your family. But when you’re choosing the right one, it’s important to dig a little deeper than a tent’s listed sleeping capacity. In fact, in our experience, those numbers are rarely accurate. Unless you plan on sleeping like sardines, with your clothes and gear outside, you’ll want to size up.
For a household of four, we recommend looking at six-person shelters, and one of our favorite tents for families is the REI Co-op Wonderland 6. Its cabin-like frame, near-vertical walls, 78-inch peak height, and 83.3 square feet of floor space make it impressively roomy, with plenty of space for four sleeping pads, duffels, and anything else you plan to keep inside. It also includes a removable interior wall, which lets you divide the tent into two rooms so that you and your kids can each have your own space. (A full-length vertical zipper still makes it easy to move between the sides when needed.)
The biggest drawback to the Wonderland is its weather protection. It disappointingly lacks a full-coverage vestibule, and its tall walls make it prone to catching wind. If your family mostly camps in fair weather during summer break, you can get away with these shortcomings. If you plan to head out in harsh conditions or just want something sturdier, consider investing in The North Face Wawona 6. It’s about $100 more, but its domed design and more comprehensive rainfly offer better resistance to the elements. Plus, the Wawona’s vestibule is enormous—it’s capable of keeping all your gear safe and dry, as well as doubling as a hangout spot.
Conversely, if the Wonderland 6 feels a little tight, the Zempire Aerospeed 6 offers over 10 extra square feet of floor space and an even more cabin-like feel for maximum comfort. Its inflatable air frame is a bit unconventional (at least in the U.S.), but we’re willing to bet that your kids will love helping pump up the poles. It’s an even pricier investment than the Wawona, but since your camping tent is one of the pieces of your kit you can use as your children get older, it may be worth spending a bit extra on something that’ll last for years to come.
Last but not least, some children (and especially babies) need a dark environment to sleep or nap during the day. The Kelty Daydreamer 6P isn’t as high-quality or spacious as the tents above, but the thick materials block a claimed 90% of sunlight. If you need dark, you know it, and the Daydreamer is a specialized camping tent that provides exactly that—or darn close to it.
For parents, we like the REI Co-op Siesta Hooded 20 sleeping bag. It’s one of the rare REI products that’s truly high-quality, and our favorite features are its large hood (which fits a pillow from home), its off-side zipper that helps with temperature regulation, and the large draft collar. There are fancier products out there with more bells and whistles, like The North Face Dolomite One with its three temperature ratings, or the Big Agnes Echo Park 20 with an elastic pad retention system, but for what you’re paying, the Siesta can’t be beat. And, like many REI products, its pricing is universal across all sizes, so you won’t have to spend extra if the “Long Wide” version fits you best.
Choosing a sleeping bag for your kid can feel like a catch-22. Get something that fits them now, and they’ll outgrow it in a year or two. Buy a larger bag, and their warmth retention and comfort suffer. Luckily, the REI Co-op Kindercone 25 strikes a happy medium. Its stuff sack doubles as a space adjuster, allowing the bag to grow with your kid. It fits those up to 5 feet tall, after which you should probably switch to an adult bag (grab a short one if you can, though). For their first adult bag, the $100 REI Campwell 30 is roomy enough for active sleepers and will keep them warm in temps down to freezing, while also not costing a fortune.
Of course, you won’t want to sleep directly on the ground. Good pads will ensure that campers across the age spectrum stay warm and comfortable, and the $250 Zempire Twin Air Mattress is our go-to choice for adults. This two-person pad has a 10.5 R-value, 4-inch thickness, and a 75-denier base that are all on par with the most premium options available—but for over $150 less. (If you want to spring for one of the category’s top models, the Exped MegaMat Duo has similar specs and comfort bona fides but will run you $420.)
You kids won’t need something nearly as robust, so we suggest the REI Co-op Kindercamp sleeping pad. Its 1.5-inch thickness and 60-inch length are good enough to fit and support most growing children, and its self-inflating design makes it straightforward to use. Its $55 price tag isn’t a steep ask, either.
Like our tent pick, our recommended camping stove skews toward the premium end of the spectrum, as it’s built to last well beyond your kids’ growth spurts. And with several hungry mouths to feed, we wanted to choose something more comprehensive than your typical two-burner stove. Enter the Zempire DLX Grill. Its top cooking surface is large enough to fit two medium-sized pots or pans, and it also boasts a bottom grill for even more cooking capability. While you’re preparing bacon and eggs on the stovetop, you can toast bread or hash browns on the grill so breakfast gets on the table faster.
To cook and serve your food, the 23-piece GSI Outdoors Bugaboo Cookset comes with multiple pots and pans, as well as color-coded cups, plates, and mugs for a family of four. The nonstick ceramic coating on the cookware makes it easy to clean, and the welded stuff sack pulls double duty as a camp sink when it’s time to do the dishes. If you don’t need something as comprehensive, the Primus Campfire Cookset forgoes the dishware but keeps the pots and pans for about $70 less.
If you’re planning to camp away from established campgrounds, you’ll want a table capable of handling cooking, eating, and tabletop games. While there are plenty of options out there, we always find ourselves coming back to the Lifetime Fold-in-Half Adjustable Folding Table. Its $60 price tag is well within the budget of most campers, which makes its impressive 750-pound weight capacity even more noteworthy. The adjustable legs also help improve its versatility. For something a little classier, consider the Zempire Kitpac Pro Large Camping Table, which features a bamboo tabletop and a more refined look..
Finally, you’ll need a cooler capable of keeping things cold. In our deliberation, we paid special attention to capacity, durability, cooling performance, and, of course, price. Ultimately, the Rtic 65 QT Ultra-Tough Cooler came out on top. It’s large enough to hold plenty of food and drinks, features a rotomolded design that’s ultra durable and keeps ice cold for days, and can even double as a camp bench or step stool. We also like that its lid is lockable, which helps keep animals (or curious kids) from opening it and grabbing what’s inside.
While you can make do with a simple flashlight, we’re big fans of headlamps in camp. They take up hardly any packing space, are easy to use, and—most importantly—free up your hands to roast marshmallows over the fire. The Black Diamond Spot 400 is our pick for adults, as it strikes a nice balance between quality, durability, and affordability. You get both white and red LED bulbs, a generous 100-meter beam length, and a build that can survive being dunked in water. The rechargeable Spot 400-R is worth the upgrade if you don’t like dealing with extra batteries.
For something a little simpler for your kids, the Petzl Tikkina is a solid and more affordable option. Its white LED bulb has a respectable 65-meter beam length, and its one-button operation is straightforward to use. The Black Diamond Wiz Kid Headlamp is another (slightly more expensive) child-friendly option that also comes with several safety precautions, including a breakaway elastic safety strap and a child-safe battery closure.
Lanterns aren’t as much of a necessity, but they’re a nice addition to your nighttime setup. We love using one for tabletop games or hanging it inside the tent for bedtime stories. If you want maximum brightness without breaking the bank, the Duracell 2000-Lumen Tri-Power Lantern is our pick. It’s bright enough to light up your entire campsite but can be dimmed for cozier settings. It also offers three charging modes—USB, solar power, and battery—and can juice your phone or other electronics if you left your power bank at home.
By the time you’re ready to throw your camp chairs in the car, your trunk is probably looking pretty packed. That’s why we like the Kelty Low Loveseat for parents. This two-person camp chair packs away smaller than two single chairs will, but it’s just as easy to set up. Its low-slung profile and six legs also make it super sturdy, perfect if your kids decide to crawl into your lap. And if they prefer their own seat, the Coleman Quad Chair is a great choice. It’s a standard camp chair shrunk down to kid size (and with a price tag to match) that features a locking frame to keep it from accidentally collapsing.
Is the Family Camping Kit for You?
This kit is for any parent who wants to pass on their love of the outdoors to their kids. Whether you’re looking to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, encouraging your children to unplug from their devices, or hoping to create lasting memories, this gear will help you do just that. We’re all about fostering the next generation of wilderness lovers (and stewards), and we hope this kit helps your children explore, appreciate, and care for the natural world.
If you’re just starting out and looking for camping gear that will fit into an even tighter budget, head to our Budget Camping Kit. Conversely, if you’ve got extra cash to spend and are shopping for the best of the best, check out our Editors’ Picks Kit.
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