We spend countless days outside; in that time, we’ve accumulated some cool camping gear and camping accessories and still continue adding to our wish list. With that in mind, we decided to share some of our favorite pieces of cool camping gear to pack for your next camping trip.
Camp equipment ranges from fireplaces, portable espresso, Bluetooth speakers, waterproof matches, and natural cling wrap. Let’s share some awesome camping items that have caught our eye last year in no particular order.
Cool Camping Gear Items and Fun Camping accessories
Wacaco Nanospresso Maker
If you’re anything like us, chances are you’re pretty much a zombie before you’ve had your morning coffee. There’s nothing any amount of open-air and beautiful scenery can do to stop your crazy sleepiness.
Solution: a portable espresso maker. This thing is genius, pocket-sized, and even though it’s pricey, coffee fiends will not care at all. You’ll be packing up your tent in a fraction of the time after using this cool camping gear product.
Wacaco Nanospresso Maker
Aeropress
But if you’re more about the traditional methods of making coffee, forget the electronic gadgets and go for an Aeropress as it’s one of the best camping accessories there is!
The AeroPress Go brews remarkably delicious and smooth espresso and cold-brew style coffee. It’s an intelligent design that is lightweight for backpacking and all outdoor adventures.
GSI Camp Stove Toaster
One thing that can be pretty difficult to obtain while camping is the humble slice of toast. Toast is a piece of bread – easy, you think. No, it’s not. Before you know it, you have a square of literal charcoal on the end of a skewer. Make life easy and get the GSI Camp Toaster.
It’s got neat holsters for your bread and sits on top of your butane stove, making sure the bread is not actually touching the flame. It folds away, too, making it easy to carry around.
Reusable Utensils
We always keep some of these cool camping items inour car, backpack, hiking or with us when we’re traveling. Single-use plastic utensils are wasteful so we take aim at reducing where we can with reusable utensils. It’s a great sustainable gift that’s inexpensive and can be used by anyone.
MR300 Mosquito Repeller
Mosquitoes. You can’t do much about them other than holing up in your tent and covering every inch of your body in clothing and/or DEET spray. One awesome way to not be bitten to death by these awful critters is to invest in a mosquito repeller, namely the MR300. Using heat, this cool camping gadget disperses repellent into the air and creates a 15-foot no-mosquito-zone around you.
MSR Pocket Rocket Deluxe Stove
This is the latest backpacking stove from MSR who has been designing these burners for ages, and the Deluxe is their best one yet. It’s not the lightest burner on the market, but at only three ounces, it’s pretty close.
It’s a significant update to the old RocketPocket 2 with new recessed burner holes, a regulator, a piezoelectric lighter, and pot supports. The result is a burner that is easier to light, burns consistently, and handles wind very well that feels nothing like its predecessor.
Portable Solar Panel
This is great for adventurers, outdoors lovers, or even beach bums as it is a portable solar panel that can charge your phone, tablet, or small devices.
It’s rugged and built for backpacking adventures so it’s made to stand up to being thrown into a dirty pack. What better eco gift than a solar panel to reduce energy consumption. It’s also a great lifeline for adventurers who like to get off the beaten path.
Bee’s Wax Wrap
Ditch the silly single-use plastic cling wrap for something that is both natural and reusable. They’re made from organic cotton, beeswax, oil, and tree resin for a fully natural product.
They work a lot like traditional cling wrap except you’ll need to warm them up in your hands to shape and stick, plus and most important they’re washable. It’s a tremendous sustainable gift and we love these ones with the bear print!
Pico Projector
Tiny and easy to tuck away in your bag, this is a cute bit of unique camping gear that’s perfect for chilling with a movie or your favorite series – or just some YouTube vids.
Store whatever you want to watch on a USB drive or SD card, then plug it into the Pico AAXA P5 Projector and away you go. Good for projecting on the outer or inner side of tents. Genius idea. Rechargeable and good for 135 minutes. It’s not the cheapest cool camping gear item on this list, but it’s worthwhile!
Pico Projector
Rumpl Puffy Blanket
Rumpl blankets are versatile, weatherproof blankets made with 100% recycled polyester. It features include stain and water resistance, a cape clip for hands-free use, corner loops, and a water-resistant stuff sack.
Being lightweight, cozy, and machine washable it’s the perfect camping accessory for anyone and a fantastic gift as there are so many fun designs on the blanket, including designs from some famous national parks!
Rumpl
rumpl
The Pint
Camping cups don’t get much cooler than The Pint canteen. Made by the good people at Stable Goods, this thing is a water bottle by day but converts easily into a cool looking chalice by night. Fill with beer (or whatever takes your fancy) and refresh yourself in your throne as evening falls. If you hadn’t guessed, it fits a pint of your favorite liquid.
Buy The Pint
JBL Flip 4 Bluetooth Speaker
Weighing just over one pound it’s pretty lightweight and the JBL Flip 4 makes for one of the best cool camping gadgets.
It’s durable, waterproof, and suitable for 12 hours of music. Toss it in your bag, then connect your phone via Bluetooth to have whatever awesome music as a soundtrack to your camping trip.
Trivet Set
If you’re all about cooking when you’re camping, this super simple frypan and pot set (complete with a trivet to rest it on) is a great option. It’s a no-frills set of stuff that ain’t exactly lightweight – like, we wouldn’t suggest putting this in a backpack – but it’ll be perfect for a road trip or lakeside retreat.
Yeti’s Lowlands Blanket
A great multi-use we’ve taken to using in the mountains is Yeti’s Lowlands Blanket. Of course, with the Yeti names comes premium products with a high price tag. However, what you get is a blanket that’s use extends far beyond the beach we regularly use ours in the mountains on the cold ground, a wet riverbank fishing, or when we’re out at a friends lakehouse.
BioLite Headlamp
Traditional outdoor headlamps have used disposable batteries such as AAs or AAAs. Batteries require a lot of minerals and resources. A great sustainable product is a headlamp that is rechargeable via USB, such as the BioLite. If you combine this with the solar panel above a backpacker could be off the grid for ages without need for extra batteries and everyone likes a lighter pack!
Panini Press
When it comes to portable pie ovens, Rome is where it’s at. Their panini press is one of the coolest camping gear products we’ve ever seen. Paninis are good for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you can fill ’em with whatever, and this press makes rustling up one of these awesome sandwiches a breeze.
Panini Press
Camp Shelter
You’ve got your tents set up, which is great for shelter – obviously. But if you want some shelter outside the tent, the is one of those great camp gadgets you don’t want to miss. This will keep out the sun and the rain and is covered on one side so it’ll keep out wind, too. Makes for a perfect indoors-outdoors situation, which is what camping is all about, we say!
Campfire Prep Set
This is a neat little set with an fork, spatula and spoon, a stainless steel grater, and the all-important 12cm campfire knife. It’s all rolled up in a polycotton wrap, so it’s easy to wedge it in your bag without it barely making a dent in your packing.
With this set, you get to unleash your inner chef without having to use cheap plastic utensils that bend when you try to cut stuff or melt in the pan. If you are trying to get a gift for someone this is one of the best camping items!
Campfire Prep Set
Tailgating Table
Definitely, one of those cool camping accessories that’s a head-turner. This is an all-in-one snacks’ n’ drinks bonanza, one of the coolest camping gear products we’ve seen. It may not be a utility knife or some other nifty gadget, but sometimes simple is awesome. There are drinks-holders, a central holster for all your snacks, and the lowest part is for keeping stuff as cold as can be. Perfect for sitting around a fire or rocking up at a music festival.
Tailgating Table
MPOWERD Luci 2.0 Solar Lantern
These sweet little solar lights are sure to be loved by anyone. MPOWERD makes small solar rechargeable lights that are great for camping, emergencies, outdoor adventures, or the backyard. However, what really makes them great is the initiative behind them that uses a portion of the profits to bring solar power to those in need around the world.
Hydroflask Wine Tumblers
Created by Hydroflask, this cute set is perfect for wine-drinkers. Or, you know, any other liquid you want to keep cool. The jug itself is super insulated and keeps things cold for up to 24 hours, while the tumblers do their thing in a series of colors. Much better than a bag full of broken glass. We use this cool camping gear item while car camping and at home too!
Wine Tumblers
Yeti Tundra
Yeti is renowned for its durable coolers that are keep ice for days one end. The Tundra is their flagship cooler and the 65L is the most popular size for good reason. This bit of camping gear isn’t something you’re going to be carrying, but it’s perfect for the back of the truck. Pack this holy grail of coolers with ice packs, food, and refreshments, and your camping trip will turn into a veritable banquet.
Scrubba Wash Bag
No more excuses for having dirty clothes when you’re in the wilderness. The Scrubba Wash Bag is basically a dry bag, but on the inside, it’s coated with rubber nodules; mix in some water and soap, throw in your clothes, seal the bag up, and knead the bag like dough for regular wash cycle in just a few minutes. Simple cool camping stuff, but awesome.
Scrubba Wash Bag
Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit
It definitely isn’t cheap, but the Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit. The design maximizes the efficiency of burning woods so you get a hot smoke free fire, the perfect campfire. It’s built with stainless steel and should last for years to come.
Solo Stove Bonfire Fire Pit
GSI Pinnacle Camper Cookset
For probably the most comprehensive cooking set out there, go for the GSI Pinnacle Camper. It’s almost $140, but at that price, you get four plates, four bowls, four insulated mugs (complete with sip-it tops), and a two-liter pot with strainer lid, which nest into a generous three-liter pot and frypan with a strainer lid. It’s all about efficient space-saving with this modular, Teflon-coated extravaganza of a camper cooking set.
Joseph Joseph Wash + Drain
Nobody wants to do the dishes. It’s not a fun task scrubbing dirty plates, but someone’s gotta do it. So, instead of coming up with some sort of totally inefficient makeshift way of cleaning your crockery, use this thing. It’s literally a portable sink with a plug so you can drain it easily instead of having to throw a gallon of water into the undergrowth. Best of all, leftovers get caught in the drain so you can bag them up.
Wash + Drain
Campfire Grill
What more can we say other than, well, you need this in your life if you can’t not BBQ when you’re in the great outdoors. Lugging around a whole BBQ grill with you sounds like a massive effort, but not with this rolling grill. How does it work? Roll it out, set it up, light a fire, and the scent of sizzling meat will soon be in the air.
UCO Stormproof Matches
Lighting a fire in damp conditions is not fun. One of the worst things about matches is them not even lighting in the first place. Getting yourself some UCO stormproof matches, ones that light even in the wind and rain – and will even light after being submerged in water – is a no-brainer. As long as there’s phosphorus (the orange bit), these things are virtually invincible!
Stanley Classic Stay Hot French Press
If you like your coffee as much as we do, you’ll likely want an awesome french press to keep your coffee hot in the outdoor weather. Calling the Stay Hot French Press by Stanley.
This bad boy keeps our coffee piping hot for up to four hours. It’s also 48 oz so you can really nurse your first cup of coffee before pouring your second. We love this in the wilderness (but we may use it at home too!)
Camp French Press
Stanley Two Bowl Cookset
For camping, hiking, or even tailgating the Stanley two bowl cookset is a game-changer. It’s small and light and easy enough to take into the backcountry with you.
It’s a nesting 10 piece cookset that includes bowls, bowl lids that double as cutting boards, spatula, ladle, a pot, and a vented pot lid. Seriously we love this thing because it means we can have a gourmet meal in nature!
Cookset
Happy Hour co*cktail Shaker
I’ve used plenty of co*cktail shakers in my day, but this one from Stanley has to be the best! It certainly makes for one cool camping gear item!
This is an all-in-one co*cktail shaker with a twist to lock top, a removable reamer that allows you to juice, and two shatterproof stainless steel rocks glasses.
Camp co*cktail Shaker
Cast Iron + Trivet Set
If you’re all about cooking when you’re camping, this super simple frypan and pot set (complete with a trivet to rest it on) is a great option.
It’s a no-frills set of stuff that ain’t exactly lightweight – like, we wouldn’t suggest putting this in a backpack – but it’ll be perfect for a road trip or lakeside retreat.
Cast Iron Set
Pack Towel
A packable travel towel should be on everyone’s backpacking checklist who plans to spend the night outside, and we consider this one of those essential camping accessories.
Not only are they good for rinsing off at night, but also for those times you want to take a dip in an alpine lake!
Pack Towel
Z Seat
It’s a good idea to bring a small mat to sit on during breaks if you’re in the mountains and we think this is one of those really cool camping gear items that are inexpensive. The stone and ground can often be much colder than the air so it conducts heat and will make you cold.
A pad can serve a lot of purposes like provide a backrest, pillow, cooking surface, or a place to change your clothes. They are light though so make sure they don’t blow away.
Seat Pad
Quick Dry Underwear
Like socks, giving the gift of underwear may be a little strange, but trust me on this underwear. Smartwool makes high-performance, quick-drying underwear that is antimicrobial and breathable.
We don’t just use this for hiking, but also for traveling in general since I don’t always have access to a washer. Good hiking underwear is one of those backpacking supplies you should consider purchasing.
Underwear
Garmin InReach
When you are camping you will likely spend a lot of time in the backcountry which means disconnected and far from a cell phone signal. This brings a lot of risk in case of an emergency. The Garmin Inreach allows to have a GPS for navigation. It’s not the cheapest cool camping gadget, but it could save a life!
Then should the worst ever happen we have an emergency button through Inreach that notifies search and rescue should we ping the satellite. It’s a lifesaving device, that also does nifty features like send short messages and even allow for friends and family to track your whereabouts when you’re on the trail.
Navigation Device
Compressible Pillow
A pillow is a cool camping item for a good night’s sleep in the mountains. Therm-A-Rest makes durable pillows from upcycled foam. These pillows are soft and expand large enough for a comfortable rest.
Pillow
Oru Kayak
The Oru Kayak is a one-of-a-kind foldable origami kayak designed specifically for easy transportation and storage.
Made with high-density polyethylene the Oru is lightweight and can be assembled or disassembled in just a few minutes. No more tag teaming to carry a kayak to the lake, you can easily handle this one yourself!
It’s certainly far from the cheapest camping accessory, but I figured I would mention it on this cool camping gear list as it’s extremely lightweight, yet sturdy and can accommodate one person. If you are looking for an epic gift to get someone who likes camping, you can’t go wrong with this baby.
Oru Kayak
our kayak
