We just finished a week on an island camping (glamping) and here are some must have items for camping. We won’t camp without them! These are in no particular order but they all are a must have item for camping. We are cabin campers, so if you are looking for off the trail backpacking supplies, this won’t be for you. Here our our top five with two bonus items.
5 Gallon Water Dispenser – Electric Drinking Water Pump a must have item for Camping
Hydration is key and even when you are camping you need to drink water. Getting drinking water out to the campsite can be tough and you don’t want to end up with a bunch of trash. Those small empty small bottles create a lot of trash and often waste water. Two things can fix this issue. Five gallon bottles with this Electric Drinking Water Pump and some solo cups to go with it. Make sure you label the solo cups with names (use a sharpie so that they can withstand a few washings). The labels will minimize your trash during the trip and help you stay hydrated. As an added bonus get color cups as those are even easier.
This pump makes it easy to fill up the cups or smaller bottles for hikes or other outdoor adventures. As a bonus this pump can be charged via USB with your solar charger. You if you don’t have a generator or other power source. This truly is a must have item for camping or your next glamping trip.
Solar Lights / Lanterns in Ball Jars
These solar powered mason jars are great multi-purpose lights and a must have item for any camping trip. They serve as little lanterns for everyone to carry in the dark. The lanterns can mark the edges of things like decks or walk ways. They can light up a tent when needed. Best of all they just need to be put outside to charge during the day. No flashlights needed on this trip. No flashlights meant no batteries! There are a ton of different kinds and don’t forget your ball jars.
Puzzle Mat
Puzzling is a tried and true glamping activity, but typically a cabin has limited space. Dedicating a table for a puzzle is usually a non-starter. We just discovered these puzzle mats. The mats allowed us to build puzzles, but then roll them up when the table was needed. I will admit that I was unsure about the blow up piece, but these really worked well. The instructions made it clear that it was not a flotation device, sad. We would not have finished some tough puzzles on the trip without them!
Solar Charger
Even when you are off the grid, you are not fully off the grid and let’s face it, you have to return to the grid at some point. So a solar charger is a great item to have. The kids will find a way to watch movies on their iPads or iPhones and you may want to charge up your phone for hikes, music, or movies as well. As we talked about above, the electric drinking water pump can be charged up with the solar charger as well. Having a charger that can be refilled by the sun is a must for any camping adventure.
Cooler Backpack
This cooler backpack was the absolute best and a must have for the trip. Being able to put the backpack on and hike out to a picnic, get on the boat, or just transition between campsites made this a must have item for camping. The backpack was used just about every day. Wine is not included.
Deck of Cards
Playing cards are a must item for camping. Kids will be all over “Speed” while parents can play some solitaire by themselves. Games of war will always break out and if you are feeling like a poker night, you can always rustle up some change or chips to make that happen. They are small and don’t take up much space at all, so bring a few decks on any trip.
If you are looking for some fun – don’t forget about washer toss or other back yard games. Details are here and here.
Havik Shirt
You can’t go wrong with a Havik Shirt. These are dad friendly and will be sure to get a positive response. Lots of designs and colors to chose from here. You can check out the full list of available designs here at the Modern Dad Topics Store. As you likely know Havik is a Modern Dad Topics brand designed and marketed by the author as some active sportswear to workout, hangout, or relax while sporting a Havik design.
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