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Welcome to “Best Summer Ever,” your guide to getting the most out of the sunny season. Whether your idea of a perfect summer is embarking on epic adventures or blissfully doing as little as possible, we’ve got you covered. Because the best summer doesn’t just happen—you have to make it happen.
If your idea of “going camping” involves a solo trek far off the beaten path to get in touch with primal survival, I’ll see you when you get home. My camping vibe is the opposite of “roughing it.” (Life is rough enough.) I love the outdoors, but I don’t like to suffer, so I’ve put together this gear guide to making your next camping trip as comfortable as possible.
I recently took a comfort-focused camping trip and tested all the products recommended below, and it was a game-changer: I’m usually over camping after a couple of days, but with this gear, I could happily spend much more time in the woods.
The most essential camping gear
Credit: Stephen Johnson
How to choose the right tent for your camping trip
God bless backpackers and adventurers, but I have no interest in spending any time in survival-style tents like this OneTigris Backwoods Bushcraft Shelter. I like my tents as large as possible, and after testing out a 12′ Teton Sports Canvas tent, I’m never going back to cramped nylon. This thing is like a portable hotel room—it sleeps 10 people. A tent this size is obviously too heavy for backpacking, but if you’re loading it in the car, or going to a festival or something, I highly recommend it.
While it’s not hard to set up a large tent like the Teton, it’s fairly time consuming—there are a lot of pegs to hammer into the ground. If you want ease-of-construction, check out this Gazelle T4. We timed the set-up, and it took 90 seconds to go from bag to finished tent, and another five minutes to hammer in a few pegs. It’s a tall tent, too, so no hunching over.
Another excellent choice: this Skydome Tent from Coleman (the portable stove people). It sets up easily, is six feet tall at its highest point, and is $250 right now. And it’s designed to block out 90% of light, so you can sleep in or take a nap in the middle of the day.
The best pads, cots, and air mattresses for camping
Credit: Stephen Johnson
I hate being uncomfortable when I sleep. I hate air mattresses. I need a frame and some support, so I was psyched to test out this Teton cot. Paired with a foam sleeping pad, it’s nearly as comfortable as my actual bed, and the coldness from the ground doesn’t seep into your bones like it would with an air mattress. No notes. My camping companion, David, swears by the Exped MegaMat. It’s pricey, but according to David, it’s ridiculously comfortable, even when laid directly on the floor of your tent.
The best sleeping bag for camping
… is no sleeping bag. For car-camping, since and weight and space don’t matter, I say forget the sleeping bag altogether. They’re constricting, claustrophobic, and often too hot for summertime camping, so I just bring some old blankets from home. I’d rather have layers of blankets so I can control the temperature and avoid feeling locked in.
The best cooking gear for camping
The idea of cooking over a fire pales in comparison to actually doing it, so pack a camp stove. This UCO Flatpack Smokeless Firepit and Grill is a very nice one. I have a battered old Coleman campstove like this one that suits all my needs, but I tested out this Jetboil Flash Camping Stove, and the thing boils water in less than two minutes. Amazing.
The best bug repellents for camping
Throw away your citronella candles and those horrible coil things. All you need for full mosquito protection is a Thermacell diffuser. It’s the final word on keeping mosquitos away. As for personal bug protection, if you want a DEET-based insect spray alternative, try the Tongo brand insect repellent—I tested it and highly recommend it. Not only did it keep all bugs off my skin, the scents of green tea-mint and citrus-sandalwood both smell great.
Absolute camping must-have: a first aid kit
Make sure you bring a first aid kit. You don’t need anything fancy; this one, for instance, is very lightweight, waterproof, and features hospital-grade first aid treatments for cuts, scrapes, fractures, headaches, and more.
Almost essential camping gear: trail shoes, cleansing spray, and more
The above tents, stoves, and beds are all you need for basic survival, but who wants to settle for basic? The below “extras” can be omitted from your trip, but only if you’re a bare-bones kind of person.
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Body cleansing spray: Just because you’re camping, doesn’t mean you have to be gross. I really like Pristine’s body cleansing spray. It feels amazing going on, and the Oakmoss and Aloe scent is tops. The company also makes toilet paper spray, which also works great—even if the sharks on Shark Tank didn’t see it that way.
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Trail shoes: An old pair of Converse are perfectly acceptable for car-camping, but if you’re doing any hiking, consider trail shoes, like these from Hoka, aim for the sweet spot between heavy hiking boots and running shoes. They’re a great solution for more casual hiking.
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An e-bike: If you have a rack, throw a Lectric Peak X 2 e-bike on the back of the SUV so you can get around the campground in style, or even do a little all-terrain riding. Read my full review here.
Non-essential, ridiculously luxurious camping gear
Credit: Stephen Johnson
So you’ve straightened out the basic survival, and you’ve got a way to clean and feed yourself. But is that enough? Don’t you want to take your camping trip to a new level of comfort? If so, the gear below will turn your camping trip into a glamping trip.
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Camping espresso maker: Just because you’re outside, doesn’t mean your coffee should suck. We tested out a Nanopresso Portable Espresso Maker, and waking up to high-end coffee is seriously the best. Maybe this should be listed under “essential gear.”
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An air conditioner/heater: Being able to control the temperature inside your tent is game-changing. This Ecoflow Wave 3 air conditioner/heater, paired with the add-on battery, kept my tent chilly during the day, and comfy warm at night, and my tent is huge.
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Karaoke machine: If you want camping entertainment, you can’t do better than camping karaoke! The Ikarao Break X2 karaoke machine is portable, with enough battery power to keep campers caterwauling into the campground’s quiet hours. Check out my full review here.
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Bass guitar and drum machines: Breaking out an acoustic guitar and singing “Kumbaya” is for hippies. Instead, turn your local KOA into Burning Man by plugging a Roland AIRA T-8 Beat Machine, a Yamaha FGDP-50 finger drums, and a Fender bass into your karaoke machine, and make 1990s techno. (Seriously, do this. It was the most fun I’ve ever had on a camping trip.)
Camping gear you might not have even thought of
Credit: Stephen Johnson
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Fire-starting gear: My wife once gave me a Bear Grylls Fire Starter with a ferrocerium rod, SOS instruction, and a built-in emergency whistle. The thought was nice, but it’s useless. Just bring a lighter.
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Welding gloves: A pair of welding gloves are an essential part of my camping pack, because being able to manually rearrange hot logs leads to optimal campfires.
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Flashlight gloves: What can I say? I like gloves. These LED-powered gloves are better than a flashlight, because you don’t have to hold them. You’ll find them useful at home too, for all kinds of low-light, detail-oriented work.
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Headlamp: Like LED gloves, headlamps are better than flashlights because they let you keep your hands free.
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Booze: It’s a taste thing, but my favorite camping tipple is Hochstadter’s Slow & Low Rock & Rye, a delicious mix of rye whiskey, rock candy, oranges, and honey that’s strong enough to matter but mellow too.
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Toilet paper tablets: These individually packaged, compact little “pills” contain disposable personal towels for all your business; throw some in the glovebox in case they didn’t refill the TP at the campground.
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Guyline cord adjusters: Throw some cord adjusters in with the tent stakes. Whether you’re setting up a tent or a hammock, cord adjusters will take the place of knots. They’re the kind of thing you never knew you always needed.
So this summer, if you see someone rolling up to the campsite on an e-bike, with espresso in hand, blaring techno, come say hi. I’ll be the one sleeping like a baby in a climate-controlled circus tent.