Enjoying the great outdoors doesn’t have to mean sacrificing your creature comforts when you have these gear and accessories – some practical, others just plain genius.
By Irene de Vette
0/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
MTA Hairclip
Not only does the Original MTA Hairclip put an end to camping hair, it’s also a multifunctional tool with a gazillion nifty uses like cutting ropes, removing screws and other things you might not even know you’d need in the outdoors. mnkbusiness.com
1/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Collapsible Cup
Every camper knows packing space is precious, and this Collapsible Travel Cup hardly takes up any. Made of silicone and suitable for piping hot drinks, the small cup comes with a mini box located in the lid that’s perfect for storing pills or tea. amazon.co.uk
2/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
LED Tent Pegs
Wandering bears, poison ivy, hailstorms …guylines? Those cables anchoring your tent can be just as dangerous as any other camping hazard, often tripping up incautious campers. These LED Heavy Duty Tent Pegs fix your tent securely and also shed some light on those tricky guys, making breaking your neck on tent cables a thing of the past. coghlans.com
3/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Unbreakable Hatchet
Need some logs for your fire pit? Bring this Unbreakable Hatchet for some heavy-duty chopping. The lightweight axe has a hardened steel blade and is designed to chop wood deeper with each swing, so that you can get your campfire nice and toasty in no time. fiskars.com
4/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Sea to summit
When fully compressed, this featherlight Spark SP I Sleeping Bag fits into the palm of your hand, yet it’s incredibly warm. The mummy-shaped bag keeps you comfy from head to toe, with a differential fill to gradually concentrate warmth over your body core, and a contoured hood with a draw cord lets you seal yourself in for a good night’s sleep. seatosummit.com
5/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
jetboil
Are you one of those people who enjoys the morning view just a little more with some coffee running through your system? Brew a cup of joe in a matter of minutes with the Jetboil Flash Java Kit, including a burner, a clip-on cup, an in-cup press and a sample of organic coffee. jetboil.com
6/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Survival laces
True survivalists, rejoice! These Survival Shoelaces are made with 550 paracord, featuring 7 strands of nylon plus flint and tinder in one core, and a strand of fishing line in the other. Not only can you use them to catch a fish and start a fire to cook it over, they can also help you repair gear or build a shelter. wasatchoutdoors.com
7/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Mini Water Filter System
Clean, safe drinking water, no matter where you are: that’s the promise of this Mini Water Filtration System, which fits in the palm of your hand. Just attach it and sip from the included drinking pouch, standard disposable bottles or hydration packs, or use the straw to drink directly from the water source. sawyer.com
8/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Dog Bed
When you’re shivering up in the mountains, chances are high your dog isn’t feeling very warm, either. Give your furry friend an extra layer of warmth in this 2-in-1 NobleCamper, an ultra-light compressible dog bed that transforms into a sleeping bag. noblecamper.com
9/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
MSR Stovetop
Cooking your trail meal doesn’t have to be a frustrating ordeal with the MSR Pocket Rocket Stove, an ultra-light, ultra-compact backpacking stove. It boils one litre of water in under 3.5 minutes, and a specially designed Windclip prevents gusts of wind from messing with your flame. msrgear.com
10/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Goal Zero Lighthouse
Let there be light! …and a fully charged phone. The Goal Zero Lighthouse 250 Lantern isn’t just a solar-powered lantern shining up to 250 lumens (in turbo mode), it’s also a charger for your electronic devices. When there’s no sunlight, it can be cranked by hand (solar panels not included). goalzero.com
11/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Blue Ridge Camping Hammock
When pegging a tent is difficult – perhaps the terrain is too rocky, too marshy or too jungly – a hammock is a good alternative. The Blue Ridge Camping Hammock is lightweight, weather-resistant, and flying-insect-free. It can also be used on the ground as a bivy tent. lawsonhammock.com
12/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Know Your Knots Bandana
Lark’s head, double fisherman’s knot, slip knot – knots are super helpful when camping. If you can remember them, that is. This practical Know Your Knots Bandana is a great cheat sheet and has a lot of uses itself, from scarfs to Band-Aids. A real survivalist can’t do without one. colterusa.com
13/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Snappy Towels
Despite the name, these Snappy Towels will make you anything but snappy: they’re made of waffle-weave microfibre fabric, making them not only compact and portable, but also incredibly absorbent and quick to dry. Use the plastic snaps to wear the towel around your shoulders or to attach it to a line or tree branch. snappytowels.com
14/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Barocook
It sounds almost too futuristic to be true, but this Barocook Flameless Cooker can cook food without any electricity or fire, using non-toxic self-heating pads. A bit of water activates the pads, which are then left on the base of the outside container. Inside the container, you can pour in water for coffee or tea, or add your trekking meal. After a couple of minutes, dinner is served. barocook.net
15/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
SeeThroughCanoe
Gaze at sea creatures swimming directly underneath and around you while you paddle this See-Through Canoe. Made with the same polycarbonate material used in the production of bulletproof glass and weighing only 19 kg (42 lbs), the canoe comes with an optional quiet motor. seethroughcanoe.com
16/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker
Bring a few summery tunes to your campsite or boat. This waterproof, shockproof and dustproof Outdoor Bluetooth Speaker with Carabiner is protected by a durable rubber jacket that can withstand any drop, jolt or splash. Just don’t forget to listen to the sounds of nature from time to time. iluv.com
17/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Portable Toaster
For creatures of habit who can’t get the day going without their morning toast, this portable toaster is worth the extra weight. Atop a camping stove, it can toast up to 4 slices at once. Store by folding it flat like a plate. coghlans.com
18/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Camphair Don't Care
One of the perks of camping is the absence of mirrors, but you’ll look great anyway in these ‘Camp Hair Don’t Care’ tank tops. They come in both fit and flowy versions, and are extra soft for ultimate campsite comfort. etsy.com
19/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Camping is In-Tents
Yes, man, camping is truly ‘InTents’, and any outdoorsy hunting/fishing/hiking/climbing guy will love this T-shirt as a gift – or gal, of course, because it’s available in sizes ranging from S to 4XL for men, women and children. etsy.com
20/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Helios Smart Charger
Digital junkies don’t need to go cold turkey in the great outdoors. The Helios Smart is a charger that uses 3 highly efficient solar panels, charging enough solar energy in 90 minutes to juice up your cellphone. Attach the panels to your backpack to soak in solar energy while you’re using your own power to burn up the trail. solpro.com
21/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Blue Freedom
Not a lot of sunlight? Try hydropower. The Hydrocharger Blue Freedom is a crowd-funded product, the smallest portable hydropower plant around. When placed in a fast-running stream, it promises to charge the internal 5,000mAh battery in 3-4 hours. kickstarter.com
22/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
SpaTap
When you use water directly from a bottle for anything other than drinking, it often gushes out, creating a mess and wasting valuable water. The Spa Tap Shower is a small and simple tool that solves this problem by creating a hanging tap and/or shower system out of any bottle, for use when brushing teeth, washing vegetables, or as a quick shower. spatap.com
23/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Campsuds
Developed in the 1960s, Campsuds was the first multi-purpose biodegradable cleaner, and is still popular today. You only need a few drops for any cleaning job, from dishes to clothes, body and hair, all with a minimal environmental impact. Campsuds with citronella, lavender and peppermint oil even deters insects while you take a bath. sierradawn.com
24/26
Special Camping
Gear Up: The 25 Best Camping Must-Haves.
Scrubba Wash Bag
Dubbed ‘the world’s smallest washing machine’, the Scrubba Wash Bag is a pocket-sized device that allows you to wash your clothes thoroughly while still travelling light. Inside, it contains hundreds of resilient nodules that act as a flexible washboard, giving your clothes a machine-quality wash in a matter of minutes. thescrubba.com
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