Camping Gear List
Realistically, you don’t need too much extra gear to enjoy camping. Besides a tent, bedding, lighting, and food preparation, what else do you need? There is no need to go overboard, in fact too much stuff becomes a burden. Besides the basics, there are a few gifts and gadgets that will make the camping experience more enjoyable.
Tent
A tent is the most basic necessity for camping. Don’t be fooled into ideas about sleeping under the stars, leave that for movies and books. In many climates sleeping under the stars would mean possibly getting drenched by rain, eaten by bugs, or even drenched by invisible dew in the morning. All of the above will ruin a good time. You need a tent.
You can’t go wrong with a Columbia tent. They are well-constructed, practical, and reasonably priced. Follow this link to check the price on a 3-person, 4-person, 6-person, or 8-person tent.
Pro Tip: a 3-person tent realistically fits two people with your gear, and 4-person tent is a little more spacious for 2 people and very tight for 3 people. A 6-person tent is fine for 3 people, and an 8-person tent is great for four or five people. You get the idea.
Tarp for Under Your Tent
Pro Tip: Even the best tent will not keep you and your stuff dry in moderate rain. If the ground gets wet, the floor of your tent is just a thin layer of fabric and you and your stuff will get soaked. The trick is to place a heavy-duty tarp under your tent, and you need to fold the edges of the tarp slightly smaller than the floor of the tent. If the tarp extends beyond the tent, the edges can collect rain, which could then pool underneath the tent. A tarp like this is about 15 bucks on Amazon. I folds up like a bed sheet, and it will make the difference between a comfortable, experienced, fun camper and a wet rookie camper.
Pro Tip: When you get home, hang all of your tents and bedding from a clothesline to dry out and clean before putting them in storage
Lantern
A good light source is a must-have. A flashlight will get you around a campsite at night, but it won’t light up your campsite like your living room. A good lantern will make your camping experience. The LuminAID PackLite Max is the perfect size to light up your entire campsite. It has 150 lumens to light up the entire campsite, and it is dimmable for inside your tent, with a handle to carry it around your campsite or string it from the roof of your tent. This lantern is rechargeable either by solar power or charge it by USB. Your lantern will also charge your cell phone or other devices. The lantern is waterproof, it opens up to 6 inches and collapses down to 1 inch.
You can use blankets from home for camping, you don’t necessarily need a sleeping bag, but you probably don’t have a camping mattress at home. Even the perfect campsite may have protruding tree roots, rocks, and uneven spots that can get very uncomfortable in the middle of the night. A simple mattress will keep you comfortable. This Clostnature self-inflating mattress will keep you comfortable throughout the night. It compresses down to a tight roll, and it has a built-in pillow.
A traditional sleeping bag is like a blanket with a zipper. A good quality sleeping bag will cost less than $50, and the traditional style, with its rectangular shape, opens like a comforter and you can use it as a blanket at home. These sleeping bags are plenty to keep you warm on a cool spring or fall night.
The mummy-style sleeping bag is rated for “four seasons,” which means you should be fine in the winter too. These sleeping bags keep you very warm because your body fits into a tight “sack” tapered to fit your body. Mummy sacks are made with lightweight and quick-drying material, so if your sleeping bag gets wet it only needs a few hours on a clothesline before you are back to sleeping in comfort. The mummy-style sleeping bags weigh less and are more compact, so they are much preferred for backpacking, whereas traditional sleeping bags are usually used for car camping.
This nifty invention from Coleman is great for washing grimy hands and even washing your dishes. For about 5 bucks you get a pack of 50 “sheets” that dissolve and turn into sudsy soap as soon as the individual sheet gets wet. This saves you the hassle of carrying liquid soap, and keeping hands clean keeps campers healthy and having fun.
