as recommended by your favorite National Park experts (that’s us)
We’ve been camping in the National Parks, a lot. Through those nights (and we’re talking hundreds of nights) in all sorts of weather, from scorching deserts to snowy mountain tops to the tropics, the forests, and beyond, we’ve come up with an essential list of our favorite camping gear.
Here you’ll find everything you need to have the perfect camping trip no matter where you’re going.
Camping & Hiking Essentials
Camping
We’ve compiled a list of camping essentials that we swear by here. From tents to sleeping bags to backpacks and everything in between, we’ve got you covered. So go ahead and have a look and see what you might be missing for your next camping trip.
Big Agnes Cooper Spur Tent
We’ve been using this tent for years and see no reason to stop now. Lightweight enough for backpacking and 5 minutes to setup.
Hydroflask Water Bottle
Keeps ice cold and coffee hot. Durable, lightweight, and easy to clip on to things. Comes in lots of colors. What more can you ask for.
Patagonia Arbor Backpack
This is a great casual backpack we use all the time. Always stocked in photogenic colors to boot. The canvas exterior is tough and durable against the elements.
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ENO Doublenest Hammock
We’ve had our ENO hammocks for nearly a decade and they’re still going strong. Lightweight and cozy these are great for sleeping & lounging.
Coleman Camping Stove
We love this easy to pack, fast setup stove. Runs on standard propane (& butane) found at every Walmart across the country. Cheap and easy is the way to go.
Fenix Flashlight
This is a bit of a spendy flashlight but we feel it’s justified. This sucker packs a powerful punch making for great night shots and illumination.
Jetboil Flash Cooking System
There’s still no beating Jetboil when you want to boil water in a hurry anywhere. This compact, versatile, cooking system deserves its high rank among campers and backpackers all over the country.
Coleman Portable Camping Chair with 4-Can Cooler
Coleman is perhaps the most trusted brand in camping so why wouldn’t you trust them with your camp chair. This one even comes with a cooler sleeve built in to keep up to 4 cold drinks on standby!
TETON Sports Camp Pillow
We like this camp pillow because it’s not inflatable. We find the inflatable ones tend to become hard as a rock or have your head sliding off all the time. This camp pillow has all of the characteristics you want in a pillow on your bed at home in a lightweight compact size.
Coleman Classic 2 Burner Gas Camping Stove
This is the classic camping stove. If you can spare the room and are cooking for more than 2 people this one is the way to go. Plus it blocks the pesky wind from weakening your flames.
GSI Outdoors Ultralight Java Drip
This thing is absolutely ingenious. For $10 this simple, ultralight, easy to use, coffee making solution is a camping must. Put your coffee grounds in, clip it onto your cup, pour hot water over it, rinse and repeat.
Gregory Mountain Products Zulu 65L Overnight Hiking Backpack
Gregory makes some seriously good backpacks and the Zulu is out favorite. The Zulu comes in different sizes depending on how much gear you need to pack. They’re all great. This one is for overnight backpacking, but you can find all of them easily on Amazon.
TETON Sports Polara 3-in-1 Sleeping Bag
Searching for the right sleeping bag is a bit like getting sucked into a black hole, or at least that’s how I imagine it. There’s endless options and so much confusion. Let’s just simplify things. You want a sleeping bag for regular camping that will keep you warm all year and won’t break the bank. Here it is, you’re welcome.
Energizer High-Powered LED Headlamp
These are fun gadgets aren’t they? There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to headlamps, but we find that simple is better here. This thing is lightweight, affordable, long lasting, and does everything you need it to.
FengChi LED Camping Lantern
If you’ve been camping enough you know how annoying it can be trying to prop up a flashlight or phone light in the tent at night so you can see. Get yourself this three pack of multi-functional LED lights and watch the camping stress melt away.
Gerber Multi-Tool
A multi-tool is one of those things you forget about until you need it – and you inevitably always do. We like this one for the price, durability, and ease of use.
Stanley Base Camp Cook Set for 4
Sure you could buy individual plates, flatware, pans, pots, and accessories and maybe even save a buck. Or you could buy this nesting 21pc all in one set from Stanley – the same company that’s been making indestructible food & beverage gear for over a century.
Polar Bear Coolers Original Nylon Soft Cooler
Coolers are another opportunity to get lost searching for the right one. We like soft coolers as they’re much more versatile than hard ones and can be used for any occasion. Polar Bear is the trusted brand here, they don’t leak or sweat, and keep things ice cold for at least 24hrs.
POWERLIX Ultralight Inflatable Sleeping Pad
There’s a lot of sleeping pads out there and we’ve tried several over the years. This one is the one we’re still using and hasn’t failed us. It’s lightweight, packable, easy to inflate, and provides enough support – all for far less money than a lot of comparable sleeping pads you’ll find.
Anker PowerCore 10000mAh Portable Charger
Lets face it, phone batteries are annoyingly unreliable and almost seem designed to keep you near an outlet at all times. Free yourself from battery anxiety with this small, lightweight, portable charger. We love it.
National Parks Playing Card Deck
Before you say anything, yes, a deck of cards is a camping essential. This handsome deck of cards is done by our friends at Fifty-Nine Parks and features their very cool artwork of our national parks. Also check out our co-founder Jim Pattiz fireside chat with them.
Sawyer Products 20% Picaridin Insect Repellent
20% Picaridin is proven to be just as effective at repelling insects as DEET without any of the drawbacks. (DEET can tend to be oily, damage clothing, and have an odor to it). We like this particular kind because of it’s compact size and more effective spraying.
Better Wood Products Fatwood Firestarter
No you don’t need firestarter if there’s wood available at your campsite, but boy is it great to have. We like fatwood the best as it’s simply wood from pine stumps, no chemicals or additives of any kind. If you’ve never used fatwood, welcome to a whole new world of fire making.
Coghlan’s Multi-Spice
We love this convenient multi-spice container. No more forgetting salt and pepper and whatever else you might need for your camp meal. With garlic salt, paprika, curry, cayenne, and black pepper this little thing has you covered in one convenient container. Did we mention it’s under $5?
