Would you believe a staggering 77 million Americans go camping? More and more people are embracing the hobby and discovering an incredible and affordable way to enjoy the outdoors. If you’re thinking of trying it out, then you’re on the right path.
The thing, you must be puzzled about what to get before your first camping trip. What are the most necessary camping essentials that you can’t afford to forget? With a market size that exceeds $6 billion in the US alone, the right outdoor and camping equipment can be daunting.
Additionally, other personal and useful essentials can be equally overwhelming. Usually, a great camping trip always comes down to what you packed or what you forgot to bring. For this reason, we have gathered some of the most vital camping essentials to help you out.
1. A Quality Camping Tent
Don’t overlook the fact that it would rain during your camping trip and it could be super chilly, so you need to be hiding inside your tent. A midnight deluge or heavy dew could leave you drenched, and the last thing you want is to be miserable and cold or to risk something as serious as hypothermia.
A quality tent will also shield you from high winds and protect the rest of your camping essentials. When purchasing a tent of choice, you can get anything from a two-person tent to a cabin-style tent. Regardless, the most vital thing is to pack all the accessories, including the stakes, tent poles, ropes, and the rain fly.
2. A Quality Sleeping Bag
If you want to catch some quality sleep during a camping trip, then you’ll need a quality sleeping bag. When most people envision camping for the first time, they think that sleeping on leaves and moss is a ton of fun. While it could be for a while, this is not a viable sleeping option for the same reasons why you need to tent.
3. Sun Protection
We cannot over-stress how important it is to bring sun protection during your camping trip. Most camping is done in summer when the sun can be excruciatingly hot and unforgiving. You could experience sunburns, snow blindness, and potentially skin cancer or premature skin aging.
The most important camping essentials for sun protection include sunscreen on sunglasses. Sunscreen will limit your exposure to UV rays, so use it and reapply whenever necessary. You can also purchase SPF-rated lip balm because lips could get pretty dry in the sun.
4. A Water Bottle
It goes without saying that water is a camping essential. Surviving in the great outdoors can be quite a challenge, and the further you go off the path, the quicker your water will seem to run out. The last thing you want is to be out in the woods without fresh water.
Regardless of how far you plan to venture away from your car, it’s important to have a water bottle so you can always have water at hand. It’s also nice to have in case you come across a stream where you can refill. If this is a possibility, you may want to pack a water filter or water purification tablets to purify the water you get out there.
5. Fire Starter and a Camping Stove
What’s camping without a crackling campfire? This is one of those aspects of a camping trip that makes it feel like camping. To avoid missing out on toasting s’mores and marshmallows or heating your food, you need to bring tools to get a fire started as quickly as possible.
A firestarter is an indispensable element that will help you start a fire even in wet conditions. The best firestarter is one that not only ignites quickly but also sustains the heat for a while. You could start a fire with matches, a cigarette lighter, butane lighter, magnesium fire starters, or a flint and steel.
That said, a camping stove would be very useful when you don’t want to light a campfire, especially in the mornings. It could also be useful during unfavorable weather conditions for a campfire. Some people are also not adept at cooking on a campfire, so a stove may be a lifesaver.
5. A First Aid Kit
Unless you’re planning to venture deep into a jungle, it’s highly unlikely you’ll experience life-threatening injuries during a camping trip. However, even a day of hiking could always result in blisters or small cuts and scrapes. These can easily become infected, so it’s always important to have a first aid kit with a few essentials.
There’s a lot of camping essentials that should go into a camping first aid kit. However, some of the most important include bandages, scissors, painkillers, adhesive, soap, and an emergency whistle. For a full-blown first aid checklist, check out The Savvy Survivalist.
6. A Pocket Knife
Pocket knives happen to be the ultimate multipurpose tools when venturing into the outdoors, so make sure you take one with you. You could use the knife for almost anything, such as cutting fishing lines, slicing food, opening sealed packages, sharpening sticks, tightening and opening screws, or even skinning small animals that you hunt.
7. Weather Appropriate Clothes
When camping, you only need to pack a few clothes, so it’s very important that you keep them dry. Wearing damp clothes is not only uncomfortable but also very dangerous to your health. Wet clothes are also very heavy, so choose lightweight and waterproof gear that will accommodate whatever weather you camp in.
8. A Flashlight or Lantern
Having a flashlight or a lantern can be indispensable at night. It’ll help you locate items within your tent, and you’ll have a more reliable light source than a campfire. You can also opt for a headlight due to its hands-free possibility.
Camping Essentials: The Most Vital Essentials for Camping
These are some of the most vital camping essentials you must not forget. There’s a wide array of essential camping gear out there, so choose what you need for camping and go with it. Make sure every camping product has an important use to avoid carrying too much stuff.
You can never be too sure what will happen on your trip. This makes it important for you to have extra of the most important essentials. This means you need to bring extra food in case you run out before you head back home, extra water for the same reason, and extra clothes for unpredictable weather.
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