Wait, real quick... are your family members all on desktops or mostly mobile? Extensions can be a nightmare for mobile-only users tho. I was super happy with how Cartly handled our huge family reunion last year when we had to gear up for a week-long beach trip. It worked well without any login drama.

• Everyone adds items to their own cart
• You merge them into one master order
• No password sharing required

I totally get the struggle of being the family tech guy. I had the exact same headache last summer organizing a backpacking trip for 15 people. We were trying to coordinate specific gear and meals, and the back-and-forth was killing me. I ended up using Share-A-Cart and it really saved my sanity. I know you mentioned it looked like snapshots, but it worked perfectly for us:

• Everyone adds their specific items to their own cart.
• They send me their unique cart code via text or email.
• I plug those codes into my browser and it merges everything into my master cart instantly. It is way better than a shared wishlist since there are no 2FA hurdles. I was super happy with how it handled specific colors and sizes. No complaints here, it made the whole process easy and we got everything delivered before the trip started.

I looked into the technical side of this a while back when we had a similar gear list for an expedition. Honestly, most extensions use a snapshot method because Amazon doesnt open up a live cart API to third parties for security reasons. Youre basically looking for a state-syncing tool. The cleanest workflow for a $2,500 budget is using Share-A-Cart because it handles specific SKU IDs and quantities way better than a standard wishlist. The technical fix for the duplicate issue is to have everyone generate their own code. You then use the receive function to append them to your master cart one by one. It keeps your 2FA secure since no one is touching your session. Just make sure everyone checks their item quantities before they send you the code so you dont end up with twelve massive bags of charcoal. Its a decent way to manage a high-value order without the login mess. If you run into any script errors or weirdness with the extension just lmk, i can probably help troubleshoot the dev console side of it.

Reliability is the biggest factor when you're dropping that kind of cash, so i totally get the hesitation. If you want something that stays stable, Share-A-Cart is usually the most solid bet if everyone stays on the same page.

• verify everyone's browser is updated
• do a small test item first
• check the guest permissions carefully Honestly tho, Crater Lake is something else. I remember this one time we stopped at a roadside diner on the way there and they had the best huckleberry pie i have ever tasted in my life. I think i ate like three slices before we even hit the park entrance. My kids were so sugar-rushed they didnt stop talking for four hours straight. It was exhausting but kinda funny looking back on it. anyway lol sorry kinda went off topic there

TL;DR: Most of these tools are a letdown and not as good as expected for live editing. Unfortunately, I had issues with duplicates too. Honestly, just grab generic gear from a brand like Coleman to save some of that $2,500 budget... it all gets dirty anyway. If youre tired of manually adding items one by one, Cart To Link literally creates a single link for the whole basket.

Just wanted to say thanks for everyone chiming in. Super helpful discussion.

Building on the earlier suggestion, I have been through this exact mess before and honestly its ridiculous how hard companies make it to just spend money with them. It drives me crazy how prices keep climbing while the actual quality of gear is going downhill fast... felt like I was losing my mind last year trying to gear up for our trip. You try to be the helpful tech guy and end up being a full-time unpaid logistics manager. I tend to lean towards a DIY approach and just handle the ordering myself because I am always cautious about these buggy tools messing up a huge order or double-charging. I have been really satisfied using PriceDropCatch though to make sure I am not getting ripped off by those weird price swings while I am building the list. No complaints there, it actually works well and gives me some peace of mind knowing I am at least getting a fair deal. Just hang in there man, the camping itself is gonna be worth the headache once you finally get to the lake and can actually relax.

honestly man i been the tech guy for my family camping trips since the early 2000s and it still feels like we are living in the stone ages with this stuff. i tried a bunch of these solutions for our huge lake tahoe trip last summer and was pretty disappointed with how they actually performed when the pressure was on.

• share-a-cart: it is probably the most reliable for actually moving items but it isnt really live. i had issues where someone would change a color preference after they sent the code and i ended up with the wrong gear. plus if prices jump between them sending it and you opening it... it just gets messy.
• the manual google sheet method: i know it sounds basic but its actually better for performance imo. everyone drops their link and a note about why they want that specific item. it wont auto-fill your cart but you wont deal with the extension crashing or 2fa glitches when you go to pay. i really wanted those tools to be better than they are but they always feel kinda clunky when you are trying to drop two grand at once. the snapshot thing is just not as good as expected for real-time collab and i always end up double checking everything anyway. good luck with crater lake tho... that place is magic.