These seven essential pieces of car camping gear will help you make the most of your summer on the road.
1. Illuminate
BioLite Base Lantern XL
This sexy, Bluetooth-enabled flat camp lantern is a multi-purpose charging station for smart phones and other small electronics as well as a serious light. Thanks to a 12000 mAh rechargeable li-on battery, it can pump out some serious lumens and offer up real-time feedback on how much juice it has remaining. Best of all, you can control it via a handy smart phone app.
Preorder on Kickstarter or check out bioliteenergy.com
2. Grind
GIR Voltaire
Coffee is simply one comfort that cannot be ignored when you camp, and fresh-ground beans are key. The GIR Voltaire is the best bean grinder we have seen for home use, not to mention in the woods. It features a digital LED timer that lets you program in the perfect grind for your coffee maker of choice. What’s more, it can sense when your beans are getting old and will order a new supply on Amazon before you run out. Rechargable batteries keep it running in the wild.
Fund it on Kickstarter or head to productofgir.com
3. Share
Exped SynMat Hyperlite Duo
Want to share the tent with your sweetie but you keep ending up in the cold crack between pads when you try to spoon? This plush, warm, double-wide, inflatable pad sleeps two with ease. $279; exped.com
4. Imbibe
Hydro Flask 64 oz. Widemouth Growler
Craft beer junkies can rest a little easier knowing they can carry some of their local brew pub’s most obscure creations into camp. This insulated, vacuum-sealed gowler will keep that peppery saison cool and fresh enough to impress your bros around the fire. $60; hydroflask.com
5. Cuddle
Nemo Puffin Blanket
The best camp blanket is not just for extra warmth in your tent. It should also be an accessory, worn by the savvy camper when reading a
book by (but not too close to) the fire or when sneaking out for a pee. This soft, durable, DWR-treated cuddler delivers. Bonus: When you are in your tent, you can button up the bottom for extra foot warmth. $100; nemoequipment.com
6. Clean
RinseKit
Kids, dogs, mountain biking mud caked into your leg hair … there’s a lot of dirt in camp. This high-powered, portable spray system makes cleaning it all off as easy as if you had a faucet. $90; rinsekit.com
7. Sleep
Big Agnes Yellow Jacket 4 mtnGLO
Big Agnes’ mtnGLO tents are no gimmick (hey, we gave the Fly Creek UL2 a Peak Gear Award last issue). The built-in LED lighting system stays out of the way of function and it offers up enough illumination to organize without that bright, annoying glare of a headlamp. This roomy four-person tent is ideal for lazy car camping outings, providing enough space to stretch out and play cards and 68 inches of headroom. $400; bigagnes.com
