Get a full size tent but also get a tent that you can set up alone.
Get a water proof, well ventilated tent. This means you want a mesh inside with about 12” of fabric forming the bathtub and a fly that extends to the ground. This type of tent is waterproof. Others are not. Think about how the door is designed to enter the tent. Doors that angle in without vestibules will drip water at the entrance to the tent so you don’t want that. The most time consuming part of setting up a tent is pounding in pegs into hard packed gravel. Get strong pegs you can hit with a hammer without them bending. Also look for a tent that needs fewer pegs. Practice setting up your tent first before you show up at a site in the dark, hungry and tired and need to do it for the first time.
Next up is bedding. Thickness is proportional to comfort. Air mattresses are cold, they suck the heat out of you. So you want one of two things 4” thick self inflating matts filled with foam or an air mattress with the cheap blue pads over top for insuslation. The expensive thermarest pads are really more backpacking focused. This is the best car camping mat and occasionally comes on sale for $99. Otherwise just go air mattress and foam on top.
Get good sleeping bags. You don’t need down sleeping bags because you are car camping but here is a good time to buy something with some quality. Get something that is EN rated. If using EN Limit ratings get something 7 degrees warmer than the min temps you will face. If in the mountains in July and August 0 is a good assumption for minimum temps maybe 5 if you are pushing it.
Stove - I go with the Coleman 2 burner propane stove and a charcoal briquette bbq.
Tarp. Have a rain shelter separate from your tent.
Clothes - have sleep clothes that never leave the tent. These are warm dry clothes to sleep in.
You also will be dirty, accept that your children will be covered in dirt and destroy any clothes they are wearing. That’s okay, they are camping clothes not new clothes.
Storage systems - I have 5 8” deep rubber made bins. 1 is kitchen/dining, 2 is food, 1 is hardware, 1 is toys. This plus a cooler fits nicely in a small SUV. Then I have a roof rack for tent/clothes/sleeping gear.
Bikes - fun to bring if you are staying in one location, good for keeping kids entertained. Sometimes they join gangs of kids racing around the campground. They are a pain if you are moving more often and especially if you are doing long stops between camping locations and have to worry about theft or hotel nights on route to places.
One other thing is to try to stay at least two nights in one spot as set up tear down gets tiring of doing it every day.
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