Packing the basics for family camping in a compact car: Clothing

Packing clothing for this trip was less straightforward than it is for many others simply because of how long we would be gone and the variety of weather we needed to be prepared for.

We planned to stay away from snow, so didn't bring any snowpants or snowboots. I did pack hats, gloves, raincoats (well, raincoats for the kids and I and three emergency ponchos for my husband), bathing suits, and long underwear for everyone plus heavy mittens for the kids. We've used it all, but I think could have done without the long underwear. I also packed too many wool socks for the kids as we never actually used those.

We packed the kids' rainboots and everyone has two pairs of shoes and two sweatshirts plus our other clothes. One of my pairs of shoes was sandals, but we ended up buying slippers for everyone else to use in the public showers and at the beach. I never wore my wool sweater, preferring the hoody, so will likely leave it behind next time.

We didn’t know how often or easy it would be to do laundry, so estimated 5 days worth of clothes for everyone plus some extra underwear and socks. This has largely turned out well, though I'll make a few tweaks for the next journey, including less T-shirts for the kids. They have so many cute ones that I clearly got carried away and exceeded my five day plan.

We have the winter gear in a separate bag  so we aren't fishing through it unnecessarily, but all our other clothing is packed in the same large duffel bag.

One of our best finds on this trip has been the Tru-Earth eco strips concentrated laundry detergent given to us by a friend and long-time Green, Joe Demare (check out his podcast "For a Green Future," which is both excellent and informative). It packs flat and is so easy to use and much easier to transport than liquid or powder detergent, which can be a  disaster if they spill.

I also brought some dryer sheets in a sandwich bag. We've done laundry approximately once a week either at our hotel or a laundromat and this has been fairly easy. I’ll make a separate post reviewing these various places, machines, and costs.