The Best Car Camping Gear from Ski Brands

This article originally appeared on Ski Mag

Sleeping under the stars is good for the soul, and there's no better feeling than packing up the car on a Friday afternoon and hitting the road for a weekend off the grid.

Whether it's organizing your camp kitchen or finding cozy layers to wear around camp, here are some of our favorite car camping gear made by brands we usually look to for ski gear.

The North Face Base Camp Gear Box

A burly and portable gear box with enough storage to keep your camp kitchen or bike gear organized, this is one of those items that we never thought we needed until we became completely reliant on it. With an almost 60-liter carrying capacity, it takes up a pretty hefty footprint in the trunk of a car, but the stackable sturdy frame and duffle handles make it easy to heave all your gear out of your rig all in one go, and internal mesh pockets make it easy to keep kitchen supplies and camp gear in one place so you know exactly where to reach.

Mountain Hardwear Yawn Patrol 30degF Sleeping Bag

Spacious, affordable, and perfect for those who toss and turn, the cozy Yawn Patrol sleeping bag is the best little cocoon to crawl into for a weekend of car camping. While some prefer to go even lighter, I find a 30degF-rated bag to be ideal for summer car camping, and this one is a great weight for nights in the Rockies that dip into the 40s. Unlike most bags where the zipper runs only down the side, this zipper runs around the foot box, with two dual-angle zippers that allow you to open it up, pop your feet out and wear it around camp as a quilt. The 45D nylon ripstop fabric on the outside stands up to wear and tear around a campfire, with 650-fill down for high warmth to weight and easy packability.

OR Women's Tundra Aerogel Booties

For chilly nights around camp, we love slipping our feet into Outdoor Research Tundra Aerogel Booties. Stuffed with synthetic PrimaLoft insulation, these booties provide a boost of warmth for chilly evenings in the mountains, are water-resistant, and can stand up to light weather. They aren't fully waterproof, more ideal for dry mountain climates instead of soggy PNW adventures. The collapsible heel comes in handy when you need a little extra heel hold while running around camp cooking dinner, but also want the utmost convenience of a slip-on when you roll out of your tent for a midnight trip to the bathroom.

Patagonia Fleetwith Pants

Lightweight yet sturdy enough for kicking back around camp on a warm summer evening, Patagonia's Fleetwith Pants are car camping pants we hardly go anywhere without. The stretchy polyester and spandex construction feels light and airy enough to wear on 80degF plus days where you're looking for a little extra sun protection, transitioning easily from the trail to dinner around the campfire (they're even soft and cozy enough to sleep in). Front drop pockets, side-thigh cargo pockets, and zippered back pockets keep devices, hair ties, lights, and other small essentials close by, and the tapered capri design leaves enough room to dip your feet in the river without getting your pants wet.

Flylow River Cowboy Hat

Whether you're grilling up brats, or kicking back by the river, everyone needs a good camp hat, and Flylow's River Cowboy likely won't leave your head while the sun's still up. The wide-brimmed straw sun hat boasts plenty of protection for hot days outside, with a fixed chin strap that ensures that it won't ever leave your side. Plus, with Flylow's signature Ski Bum patch, you can keep the campfire convo as centered around skiing as possible in the August heat.

Rab Stratosphere Inflatable Pillow

While I certainly try to grab a pillow from my bed when I head out for a night under the stars, I often get to camp and find I've totally spaced. This ultra-packable inflatable pillow by Rab started as my emergency pillow (the compact design makes it ideal to store in the back of my car as a backup) but has since become my pillow of choice for both car camping and backpacking trips. It inflates in less than 12 seconds, and the brushed polyester fabric is soft against my face, so you can use it without having to wrap it in some sort of jacket or blanket as I do with many other scratchy camp pillows.

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