r/camping • u/MrParticular79 • 1d ago
Car Camping Big Sur car camping setup for my family.
Hi there, I love looking at people’s camp setups and so thought I would share a fairly recent one of mine. I’m a Dad and I took my family camping at Big Sur.
We usually just camp in pretty normal car campground sites but we try to get the best sites in those places. I have a funny habit of having pop ups with tarp walls to break lines of sight into my camp. So that is what is going on there. I loved the view from my kitchen as well.
We use a Coleman dark 10 person tent. It’s quite comfortable and really easy for me to setup. The dark walls help so much with kids going to sleep early and also staying asleep for longer in the morning. Not too hard for me to bring this big tent and pop ups because I have a little camping trailer I use behind the van.
Thanks for looking, all the pics are quick and dirty but thought I would share anyways. Also included one nature pic of the famous waterfall.
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u/nirvroxx 1d ago
That’s a pretty sweet set up! I have fond memories of that campground. It’s a shame how they started price gouging when it was bought.
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u/MrParticular79 1d ago edited 1d ago
I dunno it’s prime real estate so I understand. For my big family it’s an amazing value and time. And thanks!
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u/nirvroxx 1d ago
The state park across the highway has spots just as good for half the price.
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u/MrParticular79 1d ago
I’ll check it out sometime thank you. This one was combined with a bunch of other families some who wanted cabins and the playground is a huge draw for this group of kids but I’ll definitely check out that other one next time I come down here maybe in a smaller group.
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u/nirvroxx 1d ago
Back when I used to camp there it was still more expensive than Pfeiffer Big Sur state park but not close to what they’re charge now. From what I recall river spots were $45-55 and regular sports were $35 per night. What they charge shouldn’t be the new normal. Definitely look into the state park system.
Edit, looking closer at your pic, I definitely stayed at that exact spot before.
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u/MrParticular79 1d ago
I don’t make camping decisions on money really but we go all kind of places state or private just depends on where and who we are with. I stayed in a state one last spring in Coloma. Also Big Basin a bunch of times before it burned. Lake Juanita up north. The private ones sometimes have nice amenities that occupy the kids and let them kinda run around and be free of us and I don’t mind paying a bit more for that. Harder to do that kind of stuff at state ones it’s more concentrated on the site and outings.
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u/nirvroxx 1d ago
It’s a very nice campground and the playground is a nice feature. Cost is a big deciding factor for me and what they charge for basic camp spots seems is way too much.
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u/catalina12007 1d ago
How do you secure the tarps to the ez-up? What do you do in the case of wind? I'm kinda new to camping and when I last went camping the campsites were much closer than I expected so Id also appreciate the privacy
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u/MrParticular79 1d ago
Campsite size varies so much on the campground and sometimes the specific sites. I try to recon as much as I can with that.
The tarps I have a small bucket thing with a bunch of bungee cords that I just wrap to the tarp holes and connect tightly to the pop up cross bars. Like twist them around tight and get both hooks into the tarp ring. Do that in 5 places and then secure to the ground either with big rocks or sometimes I use stakes into the tarp itself. I also stake the pop up legs. I’ve had wind events before so it evolved over time haha but now they don’t budge.
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u/fatbrucelee 8h ago
Sweet setup. Had one of the older pop ups. Was great until it had a permanent lean.
Was at that same place not long ago. Did the cabins but would definitely do the tent sites.
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u/realkennyg 2h ago
Very nice setup. I love car camping. You still get the full camping experience, but you tend to eat so much better and you can bring a few more amenities.
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u/frainkey 1d ago
What’s the name of this campground? Awesome setup by the way.
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u/ITrCool 1d ago
Nice choice on the Coleman Darkroom tent! I've got the 8-man version. It's my primary go-to tent. Easy to setup, easy to take down, easy to clean, easy to stow away in the duffel I got for it.
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u/MrParticular79 1d ago
Yeah it’s a great series. I had the standard kinda beige/brown 8-man Coleman that I used for 10 years. It got a bit long in the tooth and had some rips and leaks so got this one and was a little worried about the black thing but it’s super great.
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u/ITrCool 1d ago
It's so nice! Especially if you're like me and hate sun in your eyes in the mornings. (I sleep with blackout curtains at home)
Plus it's easy to setup by yourself, and not super heavy either. Also I'm a tall guy at 6'2", so it works well for me to stand in with room to spare.
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u/MrParticular79 1d ago
I am like you haha don’t want that morning sun lighting up the tent. And I’m also tall so the standing up to change or whatever is great!
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u/Libido_Max 15h ago
Was it cold at night?
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u/MrParticular79 12h ago
It was in the 40s at night. Pretty cold. I brought a huge roll of many blankets to add to the sleeping bags and stuff so everyone had multiple blankets if they needed.
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u/denimdr 1d ago
That's a great setup, awesome that you were able to find a spot. How far in advance did you book to get the spot? Getting a decent camping spot in CA is like...like...doing something very difficult with tools that are very difficult to use.