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While plenty of people like going camping to get away from the buzz and sense of connectedness inherent with modern life, an increasing number of campers want exactly the opposite. Thankfully, the constant stream of innovative tech being unveiled means that it’s now easier than ever to do either. Campers looking to go off the beaten path will benefit from advancing safety tech and lightweight gadgets, while those looking for a more relaxed experience will find more ways than ever to keep their creature comforts while outdoors.
Of course, the increasing number of camping gadgets on the market mean that it’s getting increasingly easy to overlook one or two devices that might just be a gamechanger for your next camping trip. So, we’ve rounded up a selection of our favorites, from survival essentials to glamping gadgets, with something here for every type of camper. These useful bits of tech range from $50 to $850, so no matter your budget, there’s something here to add to your equipment arsenal.
Anker PowerHouse 200 Power Station
Ewdison Then/SlashGear
If you’re packing light for a camping trip, then hauling around a huge, bulky power station to keep your devices topped up simply isn’t an option. Then again, a compact, pocket-sized power bank might not be able to store enough charge for your whole trip. This is where the Anker PowerHouse 200 comes in: It’s a cross between a traditional power bank and a power station, offering extra capacity over a pocket-sized power bank while still remaining small and light enough to carry around.
It features a variety of ports, making it more versatile than a compact power bank too. There’s a 110V AC port delivering up to 100W of power, alongside a 12V port, a USB-C port, and two USB-A ports. It’s capable of charging multiple devices at once, although its fast charging capabilities are limited, as the USB-C port only delivers up to 30W output.
The metal body and rubber ends of the PowerHouse 200 make it look a little more premium than other power stations, as well as making it more resistant to bumps and scrapes. It’s one of the lightest power stations of its kind, so if you can live without fast charging, there’s plenty to like, especially considering its $260 list price.
Soundcore Motion X500 Portable Speaker
Dave McQuilling/SlashGear
Whether you’re camping alone or with friends, a portable speaker can be a useful addition to your arsenal. One of our favorites is the Soundcore Motion X500, which retails for under $200 but punches above its weight when it comes to sound quality. We tested the speaker’s capabilities across a variety of indoor and outdoor spaces and found it to be a consistently strong performer, with crisp audio and plenty of bass.
It’s easy to use too, and can be controlled either through your phone or through buttons on the top of the device. We thought the officially claimed battery life of 12 hours was a little optimistic, but unless you’re cranking the volume to the maximum the entire time, it should provide more than enough juice for a couple of evenings’ worth of music. Even at max volume, it still retains impressive sound quality given its size, making it a great option for parties. It’s also IPX7 waterproof, so if the weather takes a turn for the worse, there’s no need to worry.
Goal Zero Skylight
Goal Zero
Setting up lighting at campsites in remote locations can be tricky, especially if you need lighting over a larger area. The Goal Zero Skylight offers an innovative solution, as it features six individually adjustable lighting arms and can stretch up to 12 feet into the air. Each arm packs an array of LED lights with four brightness settings, with the lowest setting providing up to eight hours of lighting on the internal battery alone. In many cases, that won’t be enough, and so the Skylight is best paired with a portable power station like Goal Zero’s own Yeti 1000 for longer runtime.
The adjustable arms make it easy to adapt the Skylight to illuminate either a wider area or an individual campsite, and setup only takes a few minutes, so it can be moved around with ease if needed. While its $300 asking price might put some buyers off, the Skylight’s ability to replace almost every other piece of lighting equipment you’d otherwise need for a trip makes it worth the investment for many campers. It might be pricey, but it means you can leave the torches at home when setting out into the wilderness.
Makita Outdoor Adventure Coffee Maker
Makita
While its coffee-brewing abilities aren’t going to satisfy the most demanding baristas, the Makita Outdoor Adventure Coffee Maker (also sold as the less catchy ADCM501Z) is a novel way to enjoy fresh brewed coffee when there are no outlets nearby. It runs on Makita’s 18V LXT battery pack, the same pack that powers many of the brand’s power tools.
The unique coffee maker is able to brew three cups of joe per charge, but if you’re already knee-deep in the Makita tools ecosystem, you may well have several battery packs lying around already. In that case, how many cups you can brew is simply a matter of how many packs you bring along — snapping on a fresh battery pack allows you to keep brewing indefinitely.
A permanent built-in filter is included, so there’s no need for paper filters. In fact, all you’ll need to bring is coffee grounds and water. Even with the batteries attached, the machine only weighs 4.7 lbs, so it’s easy enough to port around if you’re traveling between multiple campsites. With a list price of around $200, it’s relatively cheap by coffee maker standards. If that still seems like too much to pay for freshly brewed coffee, the AeroPress Go offers a much cheaper and even more portable alternative, although it will require a separate kettle.
Wurkkos TS32 Flashlight
Wurkkos
The Wurkkos TS32 is one of the brightest flashlights of its kind, making it great for remote, off-grid locations or solo camping trips. It boasts a 13,000-lumen maximum output, and at medium brightness, boasts over 25 hours of runtime per charge. It’s IP68 rated and so should remain unaffected by even the most extreme conditions, including being temporarily submerged in up to three feet of water.
It can be recharged via a USB-C PD port, or by the old-school method of unscrewing and removing the batteries. In a pinch, it can also be used to provide emergency power to phones or other small devices, thanks to the two-way charging. This makes it especially useful if you’re not bringing a power bank or power station on your trip.
The beam can illuminate up to 637 meters (2,090 feet) ahead, with strobe and SOS flashing functions for emergencies. According to the manufacturer, it’s also capable of surviving falls of up to three feet thanks to its toughened aluminum casing. The Wurkkos TS32 is cheaper than many rival flashlights of equal brightness, retailing for around $130. It’s worth noting here that, strangely enough, a USB-C charging cable is not included with the flashlight, despite two-way charging being one of its most notable features. That means buyers will have to remember to bring one separately, or purchase one if they don’t have a spare at hand.
Makita DCW180Z Heater and Cooler
It’s not just coffee machines: Also available in Makita’s camper-friendly range of gadgets is a combination cooler and heater that runs using the same 18V LXT battery packs. With two packs fitted, the cooler can run for around 17 hours at 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Much like the coffee maker, running it for longer periods is simply a matter of bringing enough battery packs. However, the DCW180Z also has another trick up its sleeve. If you’re out of batteries but have either a 12VDC or 120VAC outlet nearby, it can also run off either outlet. Pair it with a good power station, and you’ll have enough juice for several days (or more) of cooling.
The versatile camping accessory features a variety of temperature settings, from 15 degrees all the way up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. A small screen on the top of the unit displays a readout of the internal temperature. It’s easily portable too, with wheels to make it easy to roll along smoother surfaces and a shoulder strap to carry it over rougher or muddier terrain. The DCW180Z costs around $700, making it a serious investment, but few other coolers/heaters offer such versatility when it comes to power sources and temperature range.
Snow Peak Mini Hozuki Lantern
Snow Peak’s Mini Hozuki Lantern gets all the basics right: It’s compact, affordable, and bright enough for a variety of uses, with up to 60 lumens output. But it’s the extra design features that set it apart from the pack. One such feature is the magnetic handle loop which, as well as making the lantern easier to hold, also allows it to be hung from ropes, branches, or anything else you can find at the campsite.
While, at its maximum brightness, the Mini Hozuki Lantern can easily illuminate a large tent, it can also be dimmed to provide a minimal glow or even made to flicker like a candle. It’s powered by AAA batteries and, depending on its setting, can last up to 70 hours. Squeezing the full 70 hours out of the lantern will require keeping it on its lowest setting the entire time, but even on max brightness, it’s still good for 40 hours of use. With a list price of just under $50, the Mini Hozuki Lantern won’t break the bank either.
Garmin InReach Mini GPS Messenger
Garmin
If you regularly go camping in places further off the beaten path and find that cellular signal is long gone, a good satellite messenger is essential. One of the most capable is the Garmin InReach Mini, which retails for around $350. It features two-way messaging so that, in the case of an emergency, you can both send messages to rescuers and receive messages back.
A dedicated SOS button on the device connects directly to the Garmin’s specialist rescue service, who will then contact local emergency services to coordinate a response. The SOS sends information about your location automatically, while the information you enter when you set up an account for the device will allow Garmin to notify your emergency contacts about the situation.
It’s not just emergencies where the InRescue Mini comes in useful either. You’ll need to sign up to a monthly subscription when you register the device, and depending on the level of your subscription, you’ll also be able to send a set number of short messages to contacts while you’re on the trail, to let them know you’re safe. You can either do this directly from the messenger, or connect to your phone for easier typing. Thanks to Garmin’s class-leading satellite network, you should have no trouble sending and receiving messages no matter where you are in the world.
Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank
Chris Davies/SlashGear
If you’re hiking between campsites or just planning on packing light, then hauling around a bulky power station is out of the question. However, a basic power bank isn’t always going to cut it. A great middle ground is the Goal Zero Sherpa 100AC Power Bank, which offers a variety of ports and plenty of juice, while still remaining light and compact enough to easily throw into a backpack. With 25,600 mAh capacity, the Sherpa 100AC can recharge multiple small devices, both wirelessly and through conventional ports.
The Qi wireless charging pad delivers up to 15W, while two USB-C ports allow for simultaneous fast charging of up to 100W and 60W respectively. There are also two USB-A ports and a 110V AC port capable of delivering up to 100W. That’s not enough to power appliances like kettles or fridges, but will be plenty for charging up devices without a USB-C adapter — older laptops, for example, or drones.
The battery capacity is also within the limits of what’s allowed for commercial airline travel, which is handy if you’re flying out to a more far-flung camping destination. There’s a lot to like about the Sherpa 100AC, but it does come at a cost: At a retail price of around $300, there are plenty of cheaper options on the market.
Xgimi Halo Plus Portable Projector
Adam Doud/SlashGear
Whether you prefer watching big-screen movies or simply catching up on your favorite TV shows, a good projector makes an excellent companion for evenings spent camping. One of our favorite portable projectors is the Xgimi Halo Plus, which delivers a 1080p picture with 900 lumens of projection power. It’s powered by Google TV, meaning the interface feels both familiar and intuitive to use. On battery power alone, the projector can run for around 90 minutes, although it can also be plugged in to a power station for longer runtime.
Finding a suitable surface to project onto when camping can be tricky, and can sometimes mean settling for a distorted picture. The Halo Plus offsets this with auto-keystone correction, which accounts for off-axis projection and objects on the projection surface. We found it to be generally very effective, with the projector able to accurately adjust to a variety of surfaces. While the Halo Plus’ $850 retail price is no small chunk of change, it’s one of the more affordable options considering its capabilities.
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