As our cross-country road trip quickly approaches, I’m starting to think about packing and making sure we have everything we need. In case you’re not up to speed, my husband, myself and our three year-old will be hitting the road in our new Meerkat trailer and heading for the Midwest. After deciding not to send our daughter back to preschool, and having very flexible work schedules at the moment, we decided to have some adventure and safely make our way to family in a much more remote area than super-dense Los Angeles. Our trailer is self-contained so we’ll be able to safely travel with minimal stopping (gas and likely two or three stops to get ice) and make our way to the Midwest.

While prepping for our trip I googled countless lists of “what to pack for your first camping trip in a trailer” and found that lists tend to either cater to tent camping, giant RV camping or don’t include all the necessities you might need.

So here is my complete list of every single item we purchased for our trip. I’ll also list out what we already have but did not have to purchase and my next installment of “On the Road” will include a downloadable packing list for you.

Road Trip Necessities (I use the term lightly as I don’t really need a coffee maker, but I also really do).

Solar powered portable shower and privacy tent - Our trailer has a toilet but not a shower. We picked this one up (along with a privacy tent) so we can avoid pubic facilities.

Yeti Cooler - Everyone knows Yeti, and hopefully it’s because they are as amazing as they are cute. I have heard wonderful things about both the Walmart and Costco coolers that are half the price. I will report back post-road trip.

We mostly travel with suitcases but I thought smaller duffel bags would be easier when on the road so I stocked up on two of these bags during the labor day sale.

Lanterns - We picked this larger LED lantern because of the battery life and this little kid-sized one because Brittany recommended it here (make sure to also check out her camping must-haves!). One note is you can’t pick the kid lantern colors but we somehow lucked out and received pink. My daughter has been carrying it around with her for the last week so we’ll probably have to replace the batteries at least once before we even leave.

Battery powered fan and Honeywell ceramic heater . We’ll be traveling throughout October so we want to make sure we stay warm enough. The trailer has a fan but just in case we go to a campground without power we have a battery operated fan as well that hangs from the ceiling.

Now all the boring but safety-focused items that have been recommended to me. Surge guard for when we’re at campgrounds with hookups, Lynxx Levelers in case the campsite isn’t level, Log wrench in case of flat tires, Wheel chocks to keep the trailer in place, Trimax wheel lock for trailer security when we’re hiking during the day, trailer coupler lock, first aid kit in case of accidents and fire extinguisher.

Battery powered sound machine - I am very sensitive to sound and my daughter sleeps with a sound machine at home so we’re bringing a battery powered one on our trip just in case we need it.

Camping chairs and small table - These were the first items I purchased when West Elm was doing a sale a while back and we’ve been using them in the yard. I opted for slightly cuter chairs instead of super campy because I figure these can be used in the yard for extra seating (if we ever have people over again) and for the beach.

And sadly, for car sickness - dramamine for adults, dramamine for kids and wrist bands.

And here is everything we already have and do not have to purchase:

For sleeping - Blankets, sheets, waterproof mattress cover, pillows, foam mattress topper
For dining - cups, utensils, plates, pots/pans, portable stove, large table (built into trailer), s’more sticks
Etc - bungee cords, tarps, backpack, door mat, outdoor rug, soap, rags for cleaning up, extra chargers and battery packs

Now that we’ve covered all the “necessities”, here are the more entertainment-focused items. You’ll also notice these are all really items for our three year-old, because as long as she’s entertained we’re happy! This covers items for driving time as well as hanging out at campsites at night.

Road Trip Entertainment:

Games - We’re huge fans of games here (read a recent post of some favorites) so we thought it would be fun to surprise our little one with a few new ones along the way. I opted for Snug as a Bug in a Rug and The Fairy Game because I’m a huge fan of the Peaceable Kingdom brand and love that they are cooperative games without winners (aka no meltdowns or frustration).

Books are my daughter’s favorite items in the world, so we’re excited to surprise her with some new ones on the trip. Sweep is perfect to kick off the fall, Camilla Cartographer and the Disney Maps book because my daughter loves maps, Harlem Grown because I’ve heard great things before and the 5-Minute Scary Stories book because this series is great and gives you the most bang for your buck (they are long!).

Pinna is another service of which we’re huge fans. We’re currently almost through our three-month trial but we’ll definitely sign up for a full membership for our drive. Pinna is a paid app without ads that has podcasts and audiobooks for kids

In this household Zollipop lollipops are definitely considered entertainment. Our daughter is a huge fan of these and they are “healthy-ish” so we’ll be stocking up on these!

Halloween Activity Book, Halloween Activities Wipe Away Book and Sticker Books from Usborne - All of these are great in-car activities. The Usborne sticker books are the easiest to pull pages out and for little kids to easily peel their own stickers out. If you’re interested in Usborne books check out Brittany Viklund’s book account in-depth looks at all of their products.

Magnetic Lunch box to hold small toys that we already have and to use with magnets.

A few totally new toys including this Vtech tablet toy (I usually don’t enjoy these types of loud toys but they’re perfect for in the car), travel bingo and Haba Town Maze.

Another recommendation from Brittany is this iPad case. We’ve never done iPad time in the car before but I think five days of driving will definitely warrant some serious screen time.

And I’m most excited for this kids video camera. I really can’t wait to see what my daughter decides to capture with her camera!

And here is everything we already have and do not have to purchase:

Petit Collage magnetic dress up, Vtech camera, Magformers Princess Castle pieces, Plus Plus Puzzle Blocks and various stickers and notebooks that we already have.
And of course our trusty toddler headphones so we don’t have to listen to all the same music for five days.
Since we’ll likely be pretty tired by the end of the day we’re not bribing any adult entertainment other than books, speakers and iPads.

I think that is everything! I’ll post a complete and updated packing list in two weeks as well as our route. For more camping and road trip articles, click here.

Happy road tripping!

- Callie AKA “MiLOWE Mom”

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