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100 Best Camping Gear Items to Help You Conquer the Wilderness Like a Pro
Preparedness is an art.

To us, spending time outside is an absolute necessity. And camping is one of our favorite ways to do that. Where else can you get dirty with the people you love the most (or by yourself, if you’re into that), immerse yourself in a forest of color-changing leaves, sleep under the stars, wake up to a dew-covered tent on a brisk fall morning, eat flame-cooked meals, roast marshmallows, and sing “Kumbaya”?
A handful of our editors are pretty obsessed with camping; we grew up camping with our parents and have made a lifestyle out of time spent in the woods with our loved ones. Without question, fall is our favorite time of the year to wake up in a tent. We make tons of quick weekend escapes throughout Colorado and New York, and plan at least one longer camping trip every year to places like the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, Moab, Glacier National Park, Olympic National Park, Iceland, South America, and many more — because nothing recharges our batteries better than some unplugged adventures.
Camping has come a long way from the days of canvas tents, PVC folding chairs, and cooking a can of beans over the fire. Whether you're going backpacking in the Adirondacks or car-camping in Yosemite National Park, here is your ultimate checklist of camping essentials we swear by.
From shelter and warmth to food, toiletries, games, bear spray (yes, bear spray), and stuff for your pup, this is the best camping gear that will enhance even the most experienced hiker's outdoor adventure.
Andrew has been contributing to the outdoors and fitness content on BestProducts.com since 2017; he's a nature lover, peak-bagger, skier, and general good-time haver who lives in Colorado, knows where all the fresh snow is, and what gear you should be wearing for staying warm or looking fresh.
Christine is the Executive Director of Content Strategy for Hearst's Enthusiast Group (BestProducts.com, Popular Mechanics, Runner's World, Bicycling), where she spends her days digging through data for trends and analyzing user behavior (but also there is lot of shopping); she’s a certified yoga instructor, avid half-marathoner, new mom, partial vegan, dog lover, future sommelier, and hiker/camper extraordinaire. She studied both Journalism and Apparel Design at Colorado State University, got her start in media as an intern at Harper's BAZAAR, and thinks we’ll all be living in “Amazon Prime Villages” shortly — and is totally OK with that.
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