Skip to main content

Gear Guide: Ultimate camping packing list

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Even though it’s still raining and cold here in Portland, Oregon, the camping season is getting started in warmer areas of the country so it’s about that time to make sure you’ve got all the essentials in your garage for a great camping trip. While camping with the bare minimum is certainly an option, we’re here to give you the inside scoop on what kind of gear will make your trip more comfortable. It seems appropriate to use the classic Boy Scout motto of “always be prepared” when packing up your gear, whether you are hiking to your destination or just driving to a convenient camp site. Pack all the right tools and you can have a relaxing weekend away from civilization. Just don’t forget to turn off your smartphone.

Clockwise from top left.

Recommended Videos

Hitting the road this summer? Make sure to check out our new weekly gear guides with tech-inspired packing lists for your next adventure. Last week: The ultimate music festival packing list.

Tent

An obvious essential, make sure you have a tent that is made for the elements you will be camping in. If you pack a hot-weather tent for the rainy season, you might regret it. If you plan on staying up late into the night playing card games with friends, consider a high-tech option like the Eureka Solar Intent Tent ($240) includes a solar-powered LED light inside that charges up during the day to provide up to 8 hours of light in the tent.

Solar charger

While we advocate turning off your electronics during your trip to maximize relaxation, it’s always good to be able to connect to technology if necessary. There are many options for non-outlet charging, including this Brunton Explorer Foldable Solar Panel ($79), which harvests the sun’s energy to provide power for small electronics via USB.

Rain jacket

Even if you don’t live in a rainy climate or the weather forecast is all clear for the weekend, there’s always a chance of unexpected showers to ruin your day. Getting wet and cold because you don’t have appropriate rain gear is the worst, especially when you are nowhere near a hot shower or indoor heat. Rain jackets are lightweight, so make sure to throw one in your bag no matter what. We like this Marmot PreCip Rain Jacket ($69+), which offers superb rain protection, breathability, and small packing size.

Knife

Even though you might not expect to need it, a knife is hands-down one of the best tools to pack in your bag. Whether it’s cooking up dinner or cutting ropes to help hang wet clothes, it will always come in handy for something. This Benchmade REI 585 Mini Barrage Knife ($160) has a great, all-purpose 2.9-inch blade with an ambidextrous, folding design.

GPS

This won’t be a necessity if you are driving to a large, easy-to-find camp site, but if you are taking a long hike to get to camp or plan to take off on adventures while at your site, having a GPS along with you is never a bad idea. The Garmin GPSMAP 60CSx GPS ($220) is a handheld device that will ensure that you don’t get lost, or can at least find your way back if you do. Mark up to 50 routes with this GPS to have exact directions wherever you go.

Stove

Unless you are going with the bare-minimum approach, you are going to want some hot food at the end of your day in the wilderness. While you can always cook basic hot dogs over the fire, a stove gives you more options for a full, delicious meal. Try a quick-start version for convenience, like the Century Matchless Ultra 2-Burner Stove ($99), which ignites both burners with the touch of a button. You can even cook two different things on the burners at different temperatures.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

Sleeping bag

Sleeping bags and sleeping pads are also mostly a given for camping scenarios, but it’s also important that you bring the right one for your trip. Pack an extra-warm version if the weather is still cold, a breathable one for hot weather, or a cozy couples sleeping bag if you’re escaping to the woods with your significant other. This REI Kingdom + 30 Double Sleeping Bag ($200) will keep two people warm and toasty and is breathable and compressible, too.

Lantern

Even though fire is great for outside light and heat, you’ll probably want some type of light inside your tent for chatting, game-playing, drinking, or just being able to see all of your stuff. Pick a compact style if you want to pack light, like this ML-1 Mini Lantern ($55), which weighs in at only 300 grams. The small lantern has no bulbs that will burn out on you, and if necessary you can charge the lantern yourself with a little arm power.

Hammock

This one is definitely not on the list of essentials, but if you can find the extra room, it would make for some pretty fantastic relaxation, particularly if you’ve found a camp site near a lake or other beautiful scenery. This version, the ENO DoubleNest Hammock ($65), can fit two or more people for snuggling or family bonding. Marine-grade line and a metal snap make it easy to hook to trees, posts, or whatever else you can find.

Fire starter

As everybody knows, fire is the ultimate necessity when camping. It provides heat, light, cooking opportunities, and is of course a great place to sit with friends and discuss the day. If you’re not good with starting a fire on your own, it’s always a good idea to have some sort of helper with you to get the flames started. A steel flint, like the StrikeForce Fire Starter ($24), will help get things going, especially if you’ve set down camp on wet terrain.

Headlamp

A headlamp is an invaluable tool when you are out in the woods with no direct light. Much easier to use than a flashlight, you can make use of both hands while directing bright light onto whatever task you might need it for. It also comes in handy for finding things in your tent or when stumbling around outside at 3 a.m. to go to the bathroom. Try this Petzl Tikka XP 2 LED Headlamp ($55), which is small but packs bright lighting, a tilt head, and a battery status indicator.

 

Hitting the road this summer? Make sure to check out our new weekly gear guides with tech-inspired packing lists for your next adventure. Last week: The ultimate music festival packing list.

Topics
Kelly Montgomery
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelly Montgomery is a magazine journalism graduate from the University of Oregon's School of Journalism and Communications…
Everything you need to know before buying a space heater
A Vornado heater on a table.

Space heaters are a simple (and affordable way) to keep your home warm during the chilly winter months. Offered in a variety of sizes, you'll find models designed for small offices, sprawling living rooms, and everything in between. However, space heaters are also responsible for house fires and other accidents -- meaning you have to be careful with how you use them.

Before rushing out and adding a space heater to your home, here are a few things to consider. From checking available safety features and finding the right size to placing it in your home and avoiding smart plugs, here’s everything you need to know about these useful gadgets.
Check for crucial safety features
The most important feature to look for in a space heater is the tip-over switch. Products with a tip-over switch will automatically turn off when they're knocked over, making it an indispensable safety feature. It’s rare to find products without a tip-over switch nowadays, as all the best space heaters use them.  But if you're shopping for older devices, be sure it has one of these. If it doesn’t, the heater will pose a serious fire hazard if it gets knocked over.

Read more
The 11 best smart home products that support Matter
Amazon Fire TV on Echo Show 15.

Matter is arguably the biggest thing to happen to smart homes since their inception. The interoperability feature lets devices from different ecosystems interact with each other, giving you the freedom to shop for your favorite products regardless of manufacturer. Unfortunately, not all devices have rolled out support for Matter – and not all of them will.

Some notable products support Matter as of today, although dozens more are expected to add the functionality in the coming months. For now, here are the 11 best smart home products that support Matter. For a full list, head over to the official Matter website. We've seen massive adoption of the technology over the past few years, so there's a good chance your favorite devices now support Matter.

Read more
You only need to spend $34 to stay warm with this space heater deal
The Dreo DR-HSH006 space heater in the living room.

If this winter has felt particularly chilly in your house, you might want to take a look at space heater deals. If you want one that's portable and budget-friendly, check out the Dreo DR-HSH006, which is currently on sale from Walmart with a $36 discount that drops its price from $70 to just $34. There's probably not much time remaining before this flash deal expires, so if you're interested in buying this heating device for less than half-price, you need to proceed with the transaction right now.

Why you should buy the Dreo DR-HSH006 space heater
While there are space heaters that are huge and bulky, the Dreo DR-HSH006 is a portable model with a handle that you can carry to different rooms around the house, so you can use it wherever you are. It only takes a few seconds to warm up and provide heat, with temperature settings between 41 and 95 degrees Fahrenheit that you can adjust in increments of 1 degree. Since it's powered by a brushless DC motor and it's equipped with a winglet fan, the device operates silently at just 34dB, so it won't disturb you while it works in the background.

Read more