Mark’s Favorite Camping Gear (and his attempt at choosing his top 10)

favorite camping gadgets

The night I was trying to wrap up the article I’d written about our Top 10 Favorite Pieces of Camping Gear, I sat down with Mark to compare our top 10 favorites to make sure we were on the same page before I hit publish.  After about an hour of Mark listing out every piece of gear that he loves and wouldn’t want to camp without (which is many things I might add), I finally got him to reluctantly choose his 10 favorites.  I say reluctantly because our conversation was very much a logical male vs. a light-hearted female type exchange.  While I threw out the top 10 things that came to my mind, he explained why you can’t have this thing without that thing and so forth.  Or how this piece of gear doesn’t make any sense without these other four things.  Which is precisely why he spent about an hour telling me about the many things he loves to use at camp.  And honestly, I can’t blame him for loving all of it.  We don’t impulsively buy anything.  Everything has a need and is thoughtfully researched before it’s purchased. Which is exactly why I love taking the opportunity to share these lists with you.  You may not have the time or desire to do the same kind of research so we’re here to tell you what we love and what is worth your hard-earned cash.  Even if we had to create very different His & Hers Top 10 lists!

Mark’s selection process started by breaking down all our gear in to categories and by the names of the following categories you’ll see why I’m the writer around here ; )

Mark’s camping gear categories:

Things to light things
Things to cut things
Things to sharpen things
Things to make fire
Things to take advantage of that fire
Things to hike with
Things to document things
Things for protection from the elements
Things to charge things
Things to connect to the internet

From those categories, I got him (okay, maybe I made him) choose a favorite from each.  SO…without further ado…here are a few of Mark’s favorite things:

favorite camping gadgets

Favorite knife: Morakniv outdoor knife with carbon steel blade
These inexpensive knives take and hold a really sharp edge.

Favorite sharpening tool: Diamond impregnated cards
An effective sharpening tool that is compact and easy to take anywhere.

best camping gear

Favorite fire starter tool: Fire Sleeve
Bic lighters are by far the easiest way to have fire.  This protective sleeve sees that your lighter button won’t accidentally get pressed and run out of fuel.

best camping gadgets

Favorite use of fire: Kelly Kettle
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.

best hiking gear

Favorite piece of hiking gear: Keen waterproof hiking boots
These have been our go-to hiking boots for years.  Mark is on his third pair and loves them for their durability, comfort and waterproof qualities.

camping gadgets gear

Favorite camera: DJI Mavic Pro
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.

favorite camping gadgets

Favorite way to protect against the elements: Tarp & para cord
A cheap, effective and versatile way to protect against the elements while camping or hiking.

best camping gadgets

Favorite charging method: USB solar charger
You can’t beat the portability and functionality of this compact solar panel.  Combined with the headlamp below you can have light and power anywhere.

Favorite flashlight: Fenix HL60R rechargeable LED headlamp
Mark loves the ability to recharge things with USB.  In addition, this headlamp has 950 lumens, four brightness levels and a 18650 lithium battery that can last for over 100 hours in Eco mode.

Favorite piece of gear for connectivity: Verizon hotspot
We’ve had excellent results with this hotspot.  The most technologically advanced LTE hotspot on Verizon.  Comes with two antenna ports which is important for trying to get the best signal in remote locations.


What I thought would be a fairly simple “here’s 10 things we love to use at camp” kind of post, instead turned out to be two round-about articles that ended up detailing 17 things we love (we agreed on 3 things).  Regardless of the number, we hope maybe you’ll find your next favorite piece of gear from our two lists!

And if you’re up for a challenge, let us know in the comments what 10 pieces of camping gear you own that you wouldn’t want to live without!

5 Comments

Leave a Reply to micheleCancel reply

  • It would be hard to count how many pairs of Keens I’ve owned over the years in a multitude of styles: sandals, shoes, mid- and high-top hikers. They may not be the most durable outdoor shoes made, but they fit me, and don’t cost an arm and a leg. (I have $300 Hanwag mountain boots that still feel like new after 10 years, and Lowas that are stiffer and more durable in sharp rock and scree, but neither are as comfortable as Keens for all-day wear.) The company I worked for actually developed the first waterproof-breathable liner (eVENT) for Keen.

    But one thing I learned the hard way: all Keen products are not equally great. My greatest disappointment was when a nearly new pair of Targhees with the fabric strap lace-holders (similar to Mark’s pictured pair) were ruined because the twist-style laces literally sawed through the strapping near my instep, and there’s no way short of reconstruction to fix or prevent it. After that, I have limited my Keen purchases to only their shoes or boots that offer a lace-holder made of leather.

    And for what it’s worth, I echo his choice of Morakniv… excellent quality, all-around excellent knives, by a century-old company. I’ve carried Gerbers, Kabars, and even a handmade Bo Randall Model 14 survival knife as a soldier, but for bang for the buck, haven’t found anything that beats Morakniv. Cheap enough you can easily replace it if you break it, and strong enough you won’t. They even come in orange and pink so you can find them in the grass!

    • Ron, I just bought a brand new pair of Targhees last week. Haven’t even worn them yet. Because nothing seems to last as long these days, I’m hesitant to throw out my old pair. My fingers are crossed that I don’t have the same issue as you! I love those boots.

  • I too had 3-4 pr of the Targhees, but quit buying them when the fit changed in my last pair. I recommend having a shoe repair man replace the fabric for the lacing loops with brass eyelets that will not fail like the fabric does.

  • Here you go! Most of our gear is better for backpacking but we are slowly getting more RV appropriate gear 😉

    ~Salomon Men’s X Ultra Mid 2 GTX (LOVE these so much that after I wore out the 1st pair I bought a second pair that exactly the same) – https://www.amazon.com/Salomon-Mens-Ultra-Multifunctional-Hiking/dp/B00N9W05P6

    ~HOTLIPS TITANIUM 600 MUG (great for setting directly on the fire!) – https://snowpeak.com/collections/holiday-gift-guide-1/products/single-600-cup-hotlips-set-mgh-044?variant=671143709

    ~ENO Double Nest Hammock

    ~Sickle Titanium Spork (Nice little hook on the end for lifting the lid on a pot!) – https://www.amazon.com/Sickle-Titanium-Built-Bottle-Opener/dp/B00OYBBYTC

    ~Toilet paper 😉

    ~CoolPix AW 100 (OK little Camera but really handy for underwater shots!) – https://www.amazon.com/Nikon-COOLPIX-Waterproof-Digital-Camera/dp/B005IGVY6K

    ~cast iron skillet (more RV appropriate and great for cooking pretty much anything!)

    ~Sawyer water filter – https://www.amazon.com/Sawyer-Products-SP128-Filtration-System/dp/B00FA2RLX2/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1512666420&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=water+filter+sawyer&psc=1

    ~Samsung Galaxy S8 (a phone (and camera, maps, music, light, internet, etc) is probably already assumed by most folks but it definitely goes on every trip with us!)

    ~ Hot Chocolate (also goes on every trip!)

    Thanks for the info! I’ll be looking into some of these items, especially the sharpening cards!

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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