Over 8 years ago I married my husband and we went on our very first camping trip as a married couple for our honeymoon. It has always been one of my favorite things to do with my husband, friends, and family. My son’s first camping trip was when he was 6 weeks old, but we then got out of the habit of stealing away to the woods for a weekend because life happened. This year I promised myself that we’d make time for trips like this instead of looking back at another Summer of missed opportunities due to busy schedules.
I’m so glad that I made that commitment. The past two weekends I’ve enjoyed some real quality time with my family, friends, and good ole’ Mother Nature. I came back to the real world with posts about a delicious summer sipping cocktail perfect for camping and a tutorial on how to make fire roasted corn on the cob.
Smart Camping Gear that is also Really Cool!
While I love a good rustic campground, I also know that there are a few items that are just awesome to have while camping. Here are some of my favorites and some items that are on my wish list for future camping trips.
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- Ozark Trail Hobo Tool – 7-in-1 This has been my favorite camping tool hands down! It is a knife, spoon, fork, can opener, bottle opener, and corkscrew all-in-one! The tool folds all up together, but can also detach so that you have a knife and fork usable at the same time!
- GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist Wish list item big time! My friends had this when we were camping and it was amazing! The set had a pot, two bowls, to cups, and two forks that all fit into each other. The pot helped water boil SUPER fast on a little camp stove.
- Therm-A-Rest NeoAir Trekker Air Mattress, Pistachio, Regular While I love camping and I love camping in a tent… but, I’m getting older and I need a little cushion. I love that this air mattress is compact and doesn’t need a big pump to air it up. But, if I’m gonna be completely honest with you… I really want the Coleman Double-High Quickbed because would be like sleeping on a real bed in the middle of the woods!
- ReVIVE Rugged Camping Charger & 5000mAh Solar Battery Pack for Charging at the Beach, Lake, Forest, Desert, and more – Includes Cleaning Brush While I tell myself that I am going to unplug when camping… I still want to have my iPhone camera. This charger would save me when my palms start to get sweaty from being disconnected for too long! (I joke. Sorta.)
- Sol Republic’s Motorola Deck Speaker Speaking of things that need charging… I was recently sent this amazing little speaker (smaller than a breadbox) that can be charged up and used nearly anywhere. It connects to phones/ipods wirelessly and up to 5 people can play DJ by highjacking the link. It is so cool and has great sound. The first thing I thought of when playing around with it was how great it would be for our next camping trip.
That is my current gear list… though, I know I’m missing quite a few items.
