Top 10 Camping Essentials

Spending a week in the great outdoors can be an amazing adventure or a living nightmare. Usually, a good or bad camping experience comes down to just one factor: what you packed (or didn’t pack) for the trip. Having the essential camping items in your backpack can mean the difference between a restful vacation among the trees and a ride to the nearest emergency room. Whether you’re a first-time camper or a seasoned survivalist, don’t leave home without must-have items for a nature outing.

Tent

Even if you prefer slumbering under the stars, you should always have a tent on hand just in case. Otherwise, a midnight deluge, freak snowstorm, or heavy dew is sure to leave you drenched, miserable, and at risk of hypothermia. A tent can shield you and your gear from high winds as well. Whether you opt for the best two-person tent or a larger cabin-style tent, make sure you bring along all of its necessary accessories: rope, tent poles, stakes, and a rain fly.

Sleeping Bag

Resting on a bed of moss and leaves may sound like fun, but it won’t keep you warm when the sun goes down. Temperatures can drop significantly at nightfall, sometimes 20 degrees or more. Keep in mind, too, that many insects are most active at night and may chance upon your unswaddled body. Going without a sleeping bag risks an uncomfortable night’s sleep at best, exposure at worst. And if you’ve ever tried to go camping with your kids, you know without a kid’s sleeping bag, they’ll toss and turn all night.

Water Bottle

Water is essential for survival in the great outdoors, and the further off the beaten path you go, the more quickly it seems to run out. The last thing any camper wants is to be stuck without a fresh supply of H2O, especially since drinking from a pond or lake can cause serious illness due to bacteria. Even if the wilderness you’re heading into is just a few feet from your car, carry a day’s supply of the wet stuff in a Hydration Flask.

Flashlight, lantern, or headlamp

A campfire may be nice and bright, but only for about six feet in any direction. If you need to locate an item within your tent or visit the latrine during the night, portable, battery-powered light is invaluable. Many campers tout headlamps as the best option because of their hands-free functionality.

Cooking gear

No camping trip is complete without cookware set to help make your meals while you’re in the great outdoors. Even though the ethos of camping is to make do with what you’ve got, you want to make sure that what you’ve got can get the job done. Whether you’re the kind of camper that’s whipping up a gourmet meal over the campfire or you just need a few pots and pans to help you boil water and maybe fry an egg with a camping stove, in our store you’ll find camping cookware set out there that will fit your needs.

Reusable utensils

There are too many utensils to keep track of, and chances are, you might need a certain utensil for one camp meal and not another. Storing all utensils in a mesh bag makes them easy to locate, plus after you’re done doing the dishes, you can throw all the utensils into the bag, and hang them up around camp to dry.

The right backpack

For an overnight trip, you should be able to get by with a backpack that holds 30-50 L. If you’re backpacking for an extended trip (3-5 days), then you will need a larger pack (50-70 L). Backpack size is also determined by how bulky your gear is. Remember, all the additional layers for a winter trip will add more bulk to your bag than a standard summer outing. Even if there’s no rain in the forecast, plan to bring something to cover your pack. A simple rain cover is fine, or you can bring a large trash bag.

Pocket knife

The pocket knife is the ultimate multipurpose tool of the outdoors. A knife can be used to trim a rope, cut a fishing line, dice bait, slice cheese or sausage, open a tightly sealed package, sharpen a stick, deal with tangled vines, or tighten a screw. Without a knife, such tasks become nearly outright impossible.

Inflatable pillow

Whether you’re hitting the road to drive to an epic camping spot or headed out on a multi-day road trip, having a pillow for the car and for sleeping is a clutch. An inflatable pillow is a good option that won’t take up a ton of space or leave your neck wrecked in the morning.

First aid kit

It’s unlikely you’ll experience a life-threatening injury while camping, but even a long day of hiking can result in blisters that require bandaging. Small cuts and scrapes, too, can quickly become infected if left untreated, so keep bandages and antiseptic on hand. Your first aid kit should include other necessities as well: scissors, adhesive, gauze, soap, a CPR mouth barrier, and an emergency whistle. Be sure to toss in bottles of sunscreen and insect repellent as well. Sunburn and bug bites can end your trip as quickly as any laceration.

Don’t forget your personal items like clothing and toiletries and fun items like games and binoculars. When you go camping for the first time, write down any of the things you wish you packed so next time you can remember to bring them. After a few trips, you’ll develop your own camping preferences and things will be easier and more comfortable the more you do it.

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