Here’s a roundup of our top 10 camping essentials!
You can also download our free Camping Trip Packing Checklist. There are even more of our favorite items listed there.
These are some of our favorite products that we take with us on every camping trip. These are all products we own and LOVE!
Camp Stove
The first of our camping essentials is a new addition this year. After much persuasion, I convinced my husband to get a camp stove. I love to cook over the fire as much as he does, but sometimes it’s just nice to have the stove as an option, especially if it’s raining.
We purchased this Coleman two-burner stove because we have a lot of Coleman products and love them. Also, it uses the green, 16 oz. propane canisters that we already have for other camping items. No need to keep separate fuel on hand for different items.
Lanterns
We recommend having two lanterns.
A propane lantern is great for at night and it throws off a lot of light. You can adjust it to your desired brightness as well.
We also have a battery-operated lantern. This is easy to grab in the middle of the night and is safe to use inside your tent.
Cots
These cots are a total game changer! We always used an air mattress, but not anymore. It only took one night of sleep on these bad boys to add them to our list of camping essentials.
The springs and mattress pad are so much more comfortable than an air mattress. No more waking up on the ground when your bed springs a leak.
We have the larger, deluxe size. They come in a standard size, too. The only downside is that they don’t collapse any more than in half, so make sure you have the room to haul them!
Bluetooth Speaker
Music is for sure one of the top camping essentials!
For the longest time, we played music on our phones all weekend. We finally upgraded to a bluetooth speaker, and we will never go back!
We love our JBL Charge 5. The sound quality is awesome, it can play for 20 hours, and you can even charge your devices with it.
Camp Coffee French Press
An absolute camping essential is coffee! There’s nothing better than.a fresh cup of steaming coffee, right off of the fire in the morning.
We use a Stanley Campfire Coffee Pot. It comes with everything you need to boil and brew up your morning coffee. We like to serve it up in these metal camping mugs!
Collapsible Table
It seemed like we were always juggling a bunch of items as we sat around the campfire making a meal or s’mores. We’ve used our cooler as a table many times, but it never seems to fail that once you’ve got a bunch of stuff on top of it, you remember what you forgot to get out of the cooler.
We got this small, collapsible table recently and it’s so convenient. It is a bit low to the ground, but it gives you an extra surface to set things on. The best part about it is that it folds up, is easy to put together and take apart, and fits into a small carrying case!
Tablecloth
A tablecloth is such a simple thing, but it’s definitely one of our camping essentials.
Picnic tables at campsites are not always the cleanest. Adding a tablecloth gives you a clean surface for eating meals and doing food prep.
These tablecloth clips are handy for keeping them from blowing away.
We like these picnic tablecloths because they’re a heavier quality. I bring two of these because I’ve found that most picnic tables are larger than what one will fit. For an even cheaper option, grab a party tablecloth from the dollar store.
Plate Sets/Mugs
Sure, you can use paper plates and plastic utensils, but over the course of a weekend, that generates quite a bit of waste. For a more sustainable option, try reusable dinnerware.
We like these place settings. They come with a mesh bag, and each person can have their own set. This is a similar, larger set for four.
The cleanup for disposable plates is tempting, but we’ve found that it’s not much of a hassle because we typically have to do dishes from cooking a meal anyway.
Hydration Backpack
Will you be hitting the trails on your camping trip?
I recently got this hydration backpack for a hiking trip, and I love it. It holds 2 liters, and the inside of the backpack is insulated to keep your water cold. There is also room to carry other items, like a sweatshirt, sunscreen, snacks, etc.
Coolers
Cooler must-have camping essentials for any trip. We like to have a large cooler for food and a small cooler for drinks and ice.
We love our large Coleman cooler. It keeps everything cold for us all weekend, even when the temperature is hot. It has a plug that makes it easy to empty water from the bottom, without having to tip it.
And it rolls! We highly recommend getting coolers with wheels. They can get pretty heavy when you fill them up, and sometimes you have to lug it into your campsite. The handle and wheels makes this an easy process. Just grab it and go!
This small Coleman personal cooler is great for ice and drinks. We’ve used it to back a lunch to take to the beach. It also has wheels, so it makes taking it on an excursion really simple!
More Camping Essentials
Don’t forget to also check out our Camping Trip Packing List. We have included even more of the products we use and love in the checklist.
I can’t accomplish anything without a list, and this ensures that we have all the things we need for a successful trip.
We’d love to hear about your camping essentials so we can add them to our list!
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