I’ve been camping since I was a kid. Been backcountry all over the US and solo hiked the AT in 2007. I have acquired a lot of gear over the years. Nowadays my wife and I go car camping in the Midwest with our now 3 year old and she loves it!

We have all the basics. I’m looking for any quality of camp life improvements y’all throw in the car to make camp a little more fun, a little more comfortable, or just plain luxurious while you’re out there enjoying and relaxing.

Thanks in advance!

Since you are car camping, and assuming space and weight is not scarce....use one of these to start your fires...you light one, throw on full size logs and your gtg. Works out to about 3.50 per log, but I'd rather spend my time enjoying a scotch by the fire than hunt down kindling.

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Dual battery set-up for electronics, lighting, fridge, etc. Bucket with toilet seat if you're out in the sticks.

I'm sure you are aware that "less is usually more"

Yeah, I don't know if there is a perfect answer, but more is generally not it.

We have camped all over the West with kids over the last 15 years. We have generally moved on from tent camping but here are some items that can make a big difference and some that are more in the "it depends" group.

1/ Comfy tent, which means big with plenty of room to walk upright for long stays at same campground. We have a separate, more weather-resistant tent for short, in-the-wild trips. We bought a Costco "fast setup" two-room big cabin tent with inbuilt LED lights and it was great last spring in Utah. These are big tents so it takes time to pack but at least the setup is fairly quick.

2/ Airdbeds, mummy sleeping bags, some lights.

So that about covers the indispensible. Beyond that, it all depends:

1/ Big canopy/screen house is great but only if staying for at least several days: huge, heavy, takes time to set up and take down.

2/ Cooking etc it really all depends on trip, but as said above, the more we carry, the more we search for items!

3/ We use basic camping chairs but it all depends of course on how much you stay at the campground.

4/ We have done okay with a cooler. Never had a fridge. Never had a really pricey one either but some are definitely better than others so the cheapest are indeed junky. It will be needed for long remote camping but the cost is significant (dual batteries, fridge itself). Some sort of day trip small cooler is pretty essential.

And it goes on and on, we have a small, light-weight trailer.

It really varies too much by family, personal preferences, length of stay, frequency of use, type of campground....

We did the usual stuff. When the kids were young we added lots of stuff. Even a camper and small motorhome. Now I'm back to camping on two wheels. Traveling and camping off the motorcycle is best. Minimalist camping is easier, and you have time to enjoy why your out there, instead of trying to deal with all the junk you brought. You back packed, teach the kids that everything you want to bring takes time and effort to deal with it, AND you have to carry it!