Our Top 10 Favorite Pieces of Camping Gear (or so I thought)

A quick note:  This post was written before buying our Casita and moving on to the road full-time so it’s slightly out of context to our current situation but still applies!

Our Four Wheel Camper combined with an awesome array of gear is what makes our camping trips so much fun, we never want to go home.  Since truck camper travel means limited space, every item that gets packed must have a good use, meaning we use and love everything we bring.  We pack far more than 10 items but I thought it would be fun to try and narrow down our top 10, must-have pieces of camp gear that we never leave home without.

I should preface this post with the fact that Mark is a bit of a silent partner when it comes to this website.  He researches, buys and maintains all the things that make our travels fun and affordable.  I like to photograph and write about all those things.  We enjoy our roles and aren’t interested in swapping places any time soon.  But almost everything I write is seen by Mark before it gets published just to make sure we’re on the same page.  I wrote this list feeling pretty confident that we would come pretty close to selecting the same 10 favorites (with a few exceptions, like #7).  But when I asked him to make his list, his long-winded response about all the gear he loves took a completely different turn than where I was going with this post.  I decided his take on the topic deserved it’s own post, but since I already wrote this one, I figured I’d publish it too.

So, without further ado,  here’s my take on what 10 things we love, always use and wouldn’t want to live without…

ONE) Kelly Kettle.  This was the first piece of camping gear we purchased after getting our Four Wheel Camper.  Any natural fuel can be used to boil water using the Kelly Kettle so all we have to do is gather some sticks from around camp and within minutes we have boiling water.  We always keep a thermos full of hot water on hand for everything from coffee to cooking to hot showers in our homemade camp shower.

TWO)  Nissan Thermos.  This particular thermos keeps our boiling water piping hot for up to 24 hours.  We usually boil water the night before for coffee & tea the next morning.

THREE)  960 Lumens LED USB Rechargeable Flashlight.  Mark is a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to flashlights but this is the one I hear him raving about most.  Yet, when I asked him what his #1 favorite flashlight was this wasn’t it.  Guess you’ll have to check back to read the follow-up post to find out what it is ; )

FOUR)  Solar Panel.  The ability to generate power from the sun to keep all our electronics going is awesome.  No noisy generator or campground with hookups needed.  If you’re the DIY kind, we recommend sourcing your solar parts from Solar Blvd.  If you’d prefer the user-friendly, ready-to-go route, we recommend Zamp Solar products.  We have both.

FIVE)  An Axe.  Sitting around a campfire has to be one of the greatest pastimes on the planet and there’s always wood that needs splitting in order to get that fire going.

SIX) A Camera. We always have a wide variety of camera gear on us but currently I think the DJI Mavic Pro drone is our favorite piece of camera equipment. It’s so cool to have the ability to get a photo of our campsites from a few hundred feet in the air. However, we’ve found that we’re only comfortable using it in remote areas where we know we won’t be a nuisance to someone else when using it.  I also love my iPhone 7 for timelapses while we’re driving.

SEVEN)  Oversized Camp Chair. This chair is huge, cumbersome and obnoxious but oh man, it’s so comfortable.  When it’s cold or especially when it’s windy (the high back and sides block the wind) this chair is the ultimate splurge.

EIGHT) Luminoodle LED Rope Light. We love good yet subtle lighting sources to illuminate camp after dark and this is our favorite that we’ve found so far.  It’s also an excellent source of light for reading inside the camper at night.

NINE & TEN)  Yagi Antenna & Verizon Hotspot.  These two items give us an excellent shot at picking up cell signal in remote areas which allows us to run our business while we camp.

We love all our gear, Mark has thoughtfully researched every purchase, so it was tough to narrow it down to just 10. But the items above are definitely the stand-out favorites (according to me).  A few things that just barely missed the list for me are our Nutri Bullet Blender (because I have a smoothie addiction), our homemade camp shower and Pahaque Outhouse tent (because showers at camp are straight up luxury) and our down jackets and wool long johns (because we can’t imagine winter camping without them).

Check back soon for the follow-up post “Mark’s Favorite Things and his attempt at choosing his top 10”!

3 Comments

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  • Great list! I’ve been looking at the Yagi antenna recently…do you just attach it to a pole and set up when you get to camp? Also, do you have to use something like a Wilson WeBoost with it? Thanks!

    • Hi Greg! Yes, we attach the Yagi antenna to a painter’s pole and bungee tie it to the truck. It doesn’t require a booster when using it in combination with a hotspot but it does if you’re using it with a phone.

By michele

About

Hi!  We’re Mark & Michele, a couple of modern-day nomads perfecting the art of slow, perpetual travel.  Our tiny home on wheels and slow-paced travel style allows us maximum freedom at minimal expense.  This blog is where we share our travels as well as our insights in to this lifestyle that we absolutely love.  Thanks so much for being here.

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