Pack for the trip you are taking
A weekend at a drive-in campground and a weekend on a backcountry ridge need completely different kits. Before you pack anything, answer three questions: can I drive to the site, will there be water, and what is the overnight low?
For a car camp, weight does not matter. For a hike-in site, every kilogram counts. The overnight low decides your sleep system, and water availability decides whether you carry a filter or a full reservoir.
Clothing: the three-layer rule
Two days is short enough that you can wear the same hiking clothes both days if you manage moisture well. Bring a base layer that wicks, a light insulation layer for the evening, and a rain shell. Add one dry set of clothes that stays in the car or tent for sleeping.
Socks are the exception. Bring one pair per day plus one spare. Wet socks are the fastest way to ruin a trip, and they weigh almost nothing.
Food that survives a cooler
Plan meals that need one pot and minimal cleanup. Oatmeal and coffee for breakfast, sandwiches or wraps for lunch, and a one-pot pasta or rice dish for dinner. Freeze a couple of water bottles and use them as ice — you get cold water as they melt.
Pack food in a single bin so it stays together and so you can lift it into the car at night. Animals are persistent, and a loose granola bar wrapper will attract more attention than you want.
The extras that make it feel easy
A small folding table, a camp chair, and a lantern turn a functional campsite into a pleasant one. Bring a rope and a tarp if rain is possible; you can rig a dry sitting area in ten minutes and it changes the whole trip.
Pack a small repair kit: duct tape, a spare buckle, cord, and a patch for your sleeping pad. Most weekend problems are small and fixable if you have something to fix them with.
Loading the car
Put the tent, sleeping bags and pad in last so they are the first things out. Keep food and cooking gear together, and keep a headlamp in the door pocket where you can reach it without unpacking. If you arrive after dark, you will thank yourself.
