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The Best Gear to Upgrade Your Campsite

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Take your alfresco experience up a notch with a few non–essentials, from a campsite–friendly ice cream maker to an inflatable dog bed.

two-person hammock

  1. Two–person hammock — Camping chairs are great, but hang a hammock and you’re on your way to an enviable outdoor living room. Enjoy lazy afternoon naps and happy–hour tipples, all from your soft, fast–drying nylon taffeta hammock that’s big enough for two. ENO Doublenest Hammock, $100, MEC

Related: The Best Camping in Canada This Summer

Travel Gear, Shop, Adventure
By Jacinthe Dupuis, Andrew Elkin, Dominique Lamberton, Alexis Ramlall
Photo by Greg Rosenke
July 15, 2021
camping stove

  2. The ultimate camp stove —

    This camp stove heats, cooks and even charges your gear using the sticks and twigs around you for fuel. Then it packs down to the size of a litre water bottle, weighing less than 1 kg including its 3,200–mAh battery. Biolite Campstove 2+, $200, MEC

wearable camp cushion

  3. Wearable camp cushion — This two–in–one cushion–quilt will keep you cozy in the great outdoors. Ready to settle into your tent for the night? Use the FÄLTMAL as–is or unfold it to reveal a jacket–shaped quilt, complete with sleeves and buttons in the back to keep it secure, from the tent to the firepit and beyond. IKEA FÄLTMAL, $40

camping lantern and charger

  4. Lantern x flashlight x charger — Why pack a lantern, flashlight and portable charger when you can get them all in one? This collapsible lantern, which easily switches to flashlight mode, features a rechargeable battery that also charges your devices via its USB port. UCO Arka LED Lantern, $79, Altitude Sports

coffee grinder for camping

  5. Serious coffee grinder — This hand grinder, featuring stainless–steel burrs and an aircraft–grade aluminum body, will ensure your camping cuppa is as smooth as the one from your local coffee shop. VSSL Java Coffee Grinder, $195

outdoor slippers for camping

  6. Outdoor slippers — With a tough rubber sole and toe box, these easy–to–pull–on wool boots are perfect for kicking around the campground. Greys The Outdoor Slipper Boot, US$108, Huckberry

outdoor ice cream maker

  7. Kid–friendly ice cream maker — Homemade scoops are just a game of soccer away with this this ball–and–ice cream maker combo. Made of food–safe materials, the ball has two compartments: one for cream, sugar and vanilla, and another for ice and rock salt. All it takes is 20 minutes of shaking, rolling and tossing to make a pint of delicious ice cream you and your fellow campers will get a kick out of. UCO Soft Shell Ice Cream Ball Pint, $40, MEC

a dog on a dog bed

  8. Inflatable dog bed — This lightweight bed is the perfect sleeping bag equivalent for your pet. Made to be camp friendly with its durable fabric, puncture–resistant bottom and soft fleece top, it packs down to a convenient size so you can bring your pup on every trip. Klymit Moon Dog Bed, from $80, Peak Camping

a foldable wine bottle

  9. Foldable wine bottle — Packing vin nature or a library bottle for a deep–woods dinner? This lightweight bottle with a food–grade lining keeps the aging effects of oxygen off that precious juice. Platypus PlatyPreserve 800–mL Bottle, $12, MEC

orange yeti cooler

  10. The coolest cooler — No need to worry about your patties thawing or your chocolate melting: the Yeti Tundra locks in cold like no other, making it the ideal mate for longer trips with limited access to ice. Bonus: its bright colour is sure to attract envious looks at the campground, leaving you feeling as cool as your actual cucumbers. Yeti Tundra 45 Hard Cooler in King Crab Orange, $400