13 essentials to take on your next camping trip
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Spring is here, allowing all of us to spend some time out of the office and enjoy the great outdoors. For many, that means a camping excursion, to the woods, to the mountains, to the beach, to wherever you can feel removed from the stresses of the day-to-day hustle and bustle of life.
Personally, I enjoy camping a ton, although most of my outings involve attending music festivals in between nights spent at the campsite. But the essentials in both cases, whether you’re roughing it in the wild or sleeping under the stars in a lawn filled with cars awaiting tomorrow’s Arcade Fire set, are the same: You need a tent. You need a sleeping bag. You need to eat.
Below we’ve collected some of our favorite products for the campers out there. See what your bag is missing before you head out to pitch your next tent.
A pop-up tent
Coleman USA InstagramI bought this exact tent the night before I left for Coachella with no idea of its quality. Now three years and six festivals later, I doubt I will ever buy another tent again. It takes literally seconds to set up, which after hours of driving to your campsite is a great relief, especially when you see those around you struggling to fit one pole into another to stabilize their lodging.
Sundome 4 Person Tent, $62.17, available at Amazon.
A cozy sleeping bag
AmazonThis is an obvious one, but yes, in case you forgot — bring a sleeping bag with you when you head off to the campsite. The one featured here is from North Face, one of the most trusted names in keeping people warm, and it is very reasonably priced.
The North Face Aleutian, $118.44, available at Amazon.
A comfortable chair
AmazonCamping can be exhausting and if you don’t have a great place to unload your body after a day on your feet, you can get disillusioned with the outdoor lifestyle very quickly. A chair like this one will give you a comfortable seat around the campfire, so you’re not stuck sitting on a stump for the long weekend.
Coleman Camping Oversized Quad Chair, $21.79, available at Amazon.
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