The appeal of car camping is obvious; you get some of the comforts of home while enjoying the聽beauty of the outdoors. Nobody understands that better than Nate and Stephanie Yarborough, the duo behind , who have spent the last two years traveling and camping across the country. First, they traveled in a 40-foot RV but recently downgraded to a Sprinter so they could be more nimble and explore easier. 鈥淲e spent three months building out our Sprinter van, but if it鈥檚 warm, we鈥檙e sleeping outside the van in hammocks,鈥 Stephanie says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all about sleeping under the stars for us.鈥
They鈥檝e crisscrossed the country, hitting all of the Insta-worthy locales that are likely on your bucket list, and have decided that the best car camping in the nation is in Southern Utah. 鈥淓specially the Escalante area,鈥 Nate says. 鈥淭he landscape is so otherworldly, and there鈥檚 so much BLM land, there鈥檚 free car camping everywhere.鈥
We asked the couple to detail a handful of key items that make their campsite feel like a home. Here are their picks, in their own words.
ARB Refrigerator ($800)
“Coolers are great but this is better because it keeps your food cold and prevents the need to refill聽ice and dump聽water.”
Eno Doublenest Hammock ($70)
“We ditched our tents a long time ago. With , you don鈥檛 lose your sleeping pad throughout the night like in a tent, and you can lay there and look at the stars and take pictures right from your bed.”
Kuju Coffee ($25 for 10 pack)
“We used to use instant coffee all the time. We made do, but it was never enjoyable. Once we got turned on to 聽we never looked back. These pour overs are made for backpacking so you can have a quality cup of coffee in the backcountry without carrying around a French press. It鈥檚 great quality coffee and you don鈥檛 have to brew it at the perfect temperature. It tastes good no matter what.”
Goal Zero Yeti 400 Battery ($600)
“Even if you鈥檙e going camping to get unplugged, you鈥檙e going to need to plug something in. We have extensive solar power in the van, but the is great for a campsite to keep all our cameras and drones all charged up. It鈥檚 nice not to have to power up your car to charge all of your camera gear or phones. And it can power the ARB fridge too.”
Slackline Industries Baseline Slackline ($60)
“We never go camping without . We love stringing it up and practicing our balance and laughing at each other. We try to park next to someone with a guitar because if you鈥檝e got a guitar, a slackline, and a fire, you have the complete package.”