
The Best Gear to Upgrade Your Campsite
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 —
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
- 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
- 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
- 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 —
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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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