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Won't Go Back Woods Camping Without These!
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items My family loves backwoods camping. Here's our list of non-negotiables for shelter, cooking and outdoor enjoyment… and our favorite recipes!
Sections
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Tent Essentials
Campfire Cooking Essentials
Essential Gear
Tent Essentials
We all know that your tent can make or break the experience. You need shelter and accessories that are light, durable and reliable!
Looking for a lightweight, roomy tent that easily sleeps 4 people and their gear? These are some great tents that allow you to stand up, have great zippers to keep the bugs out and handle whatever weather comes at you!
Tents | REI Co-op
Just in case you are new to the game, this article will definitely lay out the basics for how to set up a tent properly so that you stay dry, comfortable and warm/cool depending on the weather.
How to Set Up/Pitch a Tent
I will not camp without these light, long-lasting camping lanterns that have a handy hook for hanging from the ceiling, a great light and USB-C charging. Added bonus? They can double as a power source for your phone!
Camping Fan With Led Lantern
Inflatable ground mats are a gamechanger. Especially love when they have the internal memory foam core and self-inflate. I LOVE my ground mat and will not camp without it!
Sleeping Pads & Camping Mats
What is camping without the stories? I loved telling my kids a story before bed! These are great stories without being too scary!
Campfire Stories
I love the convenience of the cots. They keep you off the ground, allow storage space for gear underneath and make sleep more comfy!
Camping Cots
Make sure you do your homework when you pick a sleeping bag. There are different weights and temperature ratings. Although you can get a multi-purpose one, it really is best to use one suited to the temperatures you'll be facing.
Sleeping Bags
Don't forget the tent pegs! Never will I forget the camping trip where we forgot to pack the tent pegs. Now i make sure they are included in the bag before we leave! These ones are great for sandy soil.
Tent Pegs For Sandy Beach
Don't forget the tent pegs! Never will I forget the camping trip where we forgot to pack the tent pegs. Now i make sure they are included in the bag before we leave! These ones are great for more rocky, gravel-based soil.
Tent Pegs & Stakes
If you know, you know. I prefer not to support the population of mosquitoes so when the bugs are really bad, I do wear my bug jacket. On nights when the swarm is particularly bad, I have been known to wear my netting to bed too. It's only funny if you've never experienced it! Trust me, add this to your list of essential items!
Mosquito Hats & Bug Net Gear
Campfire Cooking Essentials
Whether it's preparing a meal over an open flame or making the perfect campfire desert, you do need to have some essentials. These are our favorite campfire recipes and the stuff we use to make them! Food makes everything more memorable!
If you have not made Hoagie Pies with these campfire cast-iron cookers, you have not lived! Whether you make Hoagie Pizzas, Campfire Pies or Hoagie PB&J, making these with your family will become a favorite memory for everyone. Just be sure to rub the outside of the cookers with a bar of soap before you cook with them! Make cleanup much easier.
Coghlans 0744 Cast Iron Camp Cooker
Camping is just not camping without a S'Mores! It is the quintessential camping dessert. Just be sure not to leave any extras for the bears!
FRANK S'mores Kit, 400-g
If you're short on inspiration, there are some absolutely wonderful recipes on this list!
25 Delicious Recipes You Can Cook Over a Campfire
This is my favorite cooking set to bring along. All the essentials you need and they compact down so well making for easy transport.
The Wildfare Core Full Serve Cookset | 26-piece set | 4 QT
These are super fun, easy to operate and of a good length, especially for young roasters who are learning how to perfect their marshmallow toasting game.
MASTER Chef Glow-in-the-Dark Marshmallow Roasting Sticks
Maybe you aren't the biggest fan of S'Mores, so here are some mouth-watering alternatives that do not involve roasting marshmallows and smothering them next to chocolate between a couple crispy sweet graham crackers.
10 Easy Campfire Desserts That Aren't S'mores
Essential Gear
I just cannot believe how much I can fit in this backpack. To boot, it is absolutely comfortable even when it is packed to the max. The frame fits easily on my shoulders and the weight distributes evenly. It's a dream to wear and use. Years later, mine is still holding up after many, many backwoods trips
NorthFace Terra 55 Backpack
NEVER without my Keens! The miles I have walked in these boots has convinced me they are the only boots I want! Still comfortable after years of wear. I just make sure to use a little mink oil on them at the end of every season and they are good to go!
Keen Hiking Boots
These trusty navigation units are my go-to choice for handheld GPS. I use them in my personal life and I teach my students how to use them too. Virtually indestructible and always reliable too!
Hiking GPS | Handheld GPS for Hikers
Such a useful article to help explain all that your GPS can do the help you navigate.
How to Use a Handheld GPS
Batteries die and and GPS handheld devices glitch, so I have learned to always carry my Sunto MC2 as a backup. I have taught my two sons how to use a compass too. It's a life skill
Suunto MC-2 G Mirror Compass
I loved this article to explain the ins and outs of compass navigation. It really is a life skill!
How to Use a Compass: Compass/Map Navigation | REI Expert Advice
Never leave home without one! The smaller, compact ones are great for day trips, but be sure you have a substantial one for your longer trips. Never know when you'll need it, but always glad to know it's at the bottom of my pack!
First Aid Kits: Health & Personal Care
Especially when you are backwoods camping, you can never be certain of fresh, safe water to drink. That's why my LifeStraw is always in my backpack. I love the convenience of the straw but the volume of the containers. I'd recommend having one of both. Great thing about the waterbottles is they are lightweight and can hold a good volume of water without taking up a lot of weight in your pack.
LifeStraw
Especially when you are out in the bush, away from immediate first aid, there are some important things to keep in mind. I love this article for its basic, easy to understand and practical first aid information!
First Aid Kit Checklist | REI Expert Advice
I love the easy portability of these small rocket stoves. Easy to pack and they'll get water boiling in just a few minutes. No need to wait for the coals to come. A bonus is if you get the ones that have their own little cooking pots that fit easily over the burner.
Camping Stoves, Camp Fuel and Fire Starters
If you've never cooked on a twig stove, have you even really ever camped? The engineering that goes into these powerful little stoves is awesome and they are so light and portable that they really are an easy add to your backpack. They are usually also allowed in restricted fire zones for cooking purposes too. Just make sure you have your little bucket of water handy to put out the flames.
TOAKS Titanium Backpacking Wood Burning Stove | REI Co-op
This is a must-have in my books. Bonus if you get one that has motion-sensor on and off! So handy when you are backpacking and trying to make it to your destination as the sun dips down.
Headlamps - LED, Rechargeable & Battery
Another really useful skill is how to efficiently build a campfire. It's not as easy as it seems. I loved this article for the practical, step by step information. I often share this one with my Outdoor Ed students too!
How to Build a Campfire