How to Pack a Soft-shell Duffel Bag for an Over-the-road Camping Trip

Hey all and welcome to an exhibition of what I've learned during my time camping and what kind of things you should expect when camping lightly. Some prerequisites before this guide can be applicable are listed below:

- Car

- Soft-shell duffel bag

- One set of clothes (everything from shoes to a hat)

- Non-perishable and perishable foods

- Toilet paper

- Sleeping element (car also works here)

- Water supply (water bottles work here)

Once these items have been acquired everything else becomes personal preference. A deck of cards is not a requirement in the same way that a camera is not a requirement and a toothbrush is not a requirement in the same way that deodorant is not a requirement. Some campers definitely pack their entire house with them and have a hell of a time lugging those extra pounds around with them on hikes. Use your best judgement on what you will NEED and what you can live temporarily without.

With that said let's talk about the trip.

Deciding the length of your trip can often dictate weight of your bag, although the longer the trip becomes, the sooner that rule becomes untrue. As stated above, I'm packing for a 5-day camping trip which to some may seem arduous and to others may seem insignificant. Importantly, this is not a backpacking setup. Backpacking is much more packing intensive and the weight recommendations often require the traveler to buy special gear in order to reach a carriable weight.

You can think of a lot of this guide in terms of packing for a flight except without many of the more unreasonable restrictions that come with TSA. For the uninitiated, that means you can pack aerosols, liquids exceeding 3.4 fluid ounces, and other various more recreational items.

Length also ties in with time. If you're planning to go on a weeklong trip, it may be worthwhile to leave during a weekday so that many would-be drivers are at work and the path to your destination is less clogged with commuters. This time saved in the car seems minute but a 9 hour drive can turn into an 11 hour drive with traffic. That's sunlight you're missing out on at camp and more time sitting driving than most like to.

Along with length, deeply consider location as different areas will have different expectations when it comes to weather and certain regulations. Drier places in the United States may have certain restrictions when it comes to recreational campfire creation while other places may be dealing with a record blizzard.

It's more important to know where you're going than how you may get there. The path to the destination may change but if the destination changes, an entirely new trip may have to be packed for. For my example, I'll be staying roughly around the Kansas-Oklahoma area in October which may lead to some cooler temperatures but no snow. The pictures give a rough estimate of the area.

My particular bag has one mesh pocket on its long end, one solid pocket along the side, and the largest main pocket taking up the majority of the space. While some travelers may find more use in more pockets or divides within their bag, I find three pockets to be just enough. If you find further separation necessary, I recommend using Zip-loc bags for smaller items and plastic grocery bags for larger groups of items. This allows for simple removal and replacement especially if these items are labeled. Size will ultimately decide how much you can carry so be very aware of the space you're working with.

After you decide how long you're going to be leaving for, that will determine what kinds of things you pack and/or what amount of these things you'll bring along. Remember, weight is energy and energy is crucial when you have to carry your pack with you everywhere you go.

For this example, I will be packing for a 5 day trip, camping for 4 nights outside. I will be bringing along a small assortment of hygienic supplies and will do most of my cleanliness through changing the clothes I am wearing along the trip.

For this trip the clothes I'm packing include:

- 3 T-Shirts

- 1 Hooded Sweatshirt

- 1 Jeans

- 1 Athletic Shorts

- 5 Undergarments (both cotton and polyester/nylon)

- 5 pairs of socks

- 1 Pair of shoes (shoes aren't included in the picture because they are worn)

Toiletries look like this:

- Baby wipes

- Toilet paper

- Daily wear contacts

- Hand Sanitizer

- Gallon sized Zip-loc bags to pack out trash

and food looks like this:

- 4 cans of hearty soup

- Various granola bars (Clif bars happen to be my current favorite with their peanut butter banana bars)

- Various fruit snacks

I drive a 2004 Chevy Cavalier Coupe. It is a FWD vehicle who is surprisingly capable off-road and has maintenance done on it by myself. It is suggested that you mount the proper tires and get your oil changed at a minimum before embarking as trips like this can entail a lot of distance. Some campers go as far as to get an entire vehicle inspection.

I personally do not mind when my items intermingle but I do keep my important documentation in the solid side pocket when I don't want to carry it on my person. The long end mesh pocket usually gets used on longer trips and its where I keep my reusable utensils or other similar tools (knives, shells, etc). For this trip I am going to package my toiletries together and my perishable food items. Everything else will be free to exist within the bag.

Don't forget this step! It's a pain to constantly rearrange your bag because your most used items are at the bottom. Keep clothes at the bottom and never pack your jacket/hoodie unless you've brought more than one of them. Jackets tend to be bulky and take up a lot of pack space. It makes much more sense to wear it instead of carrying it and robbing yourself of precious cargo capacity. In this case I want my perishable foods near the top for easy access and my important items in the side pocket.

Personally, I like to roll my clothes. I believe it is the most space efficient and allows for tighter packing in the long run. I pack from bulkiest item to thinnest item and fill in extra space when necessary while leaving room for some of the more important items that are to come. This is the time where you might have to decide to lose an outfit or two. A good rule of thumb is "the closer it is to your body, the more often you want it changed".

Following the previous tips, now it's time to put it all together. Pack your bag in a way that is comfortable and makes sense to you because you're the one who is going to be using it! A little bit of wiggle room is nice and even encouraged so that you aren't worried about busting a zipper or not having room for some of the trash you create.

This is a surprisingly complex step. Every person reading this guide is assumed to be packing their duffel bag for car travel. To this end, the bag placement becomes a question of access. If you think you'll need the contents of your duffel bag while on the road, I suggest placing it in the passenger seat or at the feet of the passenger seat. If you have less immediate need but could still imagine seeing a situation in where its use was needed, select the backseat. If you have no intention of reaching into your bag at all, I suggest the trunk or any other separated storage compartment like a roof-rack or a trailer.

Now that you're properly packed, it's time to hit the pavement. Get out on that open road, fill your car up and venture forward. This is also a great time to test locations of your pack as momentum and inertia may cause the bag to shift. If you have rather delicate items stored within the bag, it might be worthwhile to move it to a less spacious location within the car as to limit potential damage to the item caused by movement.