Whether you’re car camping in a national forest campground or living out of a backpack for a few days on the Superior Hiking Trail, camping is—and always will be—the best value for a vacation. It’s still September which means plenty more weekends of fall camping to come. Here are ten of our best pieces of gear for fall camping on the trails and in the campgrounds.
Leatherman FREE T4 Multi-tool
With 12 tools packed into one small package, the Leatherman FREE T4 Multi-tool includes a 2.2 in. carbon-stainless main blade, scissors, package opener, awl, reamer, four types of screwdrivers, a metal and wood file, bottle opener and a set of tweezers. This multi-tool knife has a tool for just about anything you might run into; whether you’re gutting fish at camp or out on a wilderness hike. Our reviewer even used it to start a fire using the file and a fire-steel striker. Leatherman | $60
NeatIce Bag
Instead of dumping your ice cubes into your cooler, where they will eventually melt and leave your food and drink stash drowning in a pool of melted nasty cooler ice, try the NeatIce Bag. It is a reusable, waterproof bag made of 420-denier nylon that holds ice cubes. When they melt, they melt conveniently into the bag, not the bottom of your cooler. And, as long as you didn’t buy your ice cubes from a Mexico petrol station, the melt water is drinkable, thanks to a BPA-free liner and a convenient valve, pour spout and detachable 10-inch drain hose. NeatIce | $30
Primus PrimeTech Stove
With two pots and under two pounds, the Primus PrimeTech 1.3L stove set is small enough to take up minimal space in a backpack but large enough to adequately feed two campers. Having two pots was great because I could cook noodles in one while prepping food or heating up meat and vegetables or sauce in the other. primus.us | $150
TrailFork Camp Food
All TrailFork meals are packaged in 100% home-compostable packaging and are burnable in a campfire. I especially loved the compostable and burnable packaging burning in a campfire part. Peanut Butter Banana Oats and Pizza Casserole. The Peanut Butter Banana Oats has the more the consistency of steel cut oats (as opposed to instant rolled oats) but takes considerably less time to cook. It’s filling and nutritious. Mix in some almond or peanut butter, honey and voila. The Pizza Casserole comes has all the fixings you need for a semblance of a slice of pizza when a slice of pizza is miles and miles away: veggie sausage, spiced marinara, red and green bell peppers, and mozzarella cheese topping. TrailFork.com | $9-$11
UCO Sweetfire Strikeable Fire Starter
Made from Bagasse, a byproduct of sugarcane (hence the name “sweetfire”), each eco-friendly Sweetfire Strikeable Fire Starter will burn for up to seven minutes, giving ample time to get a fire started. For wet or windy days, switch to the Titan Stormproof Match Kit. This kit includes 12 matches and three replaceable strikers in a handy, compact waterproof case that floats. industrialrev.com | $6
GSI Outdoors Pour Over Java Set & Bean Grinder
A full review is coming of the GSI Outdoors Pour Over Java Set & Bean Grinder. I absolutely fell in love with the oh-so packable GSI Outdoors Pour Over Java Set & Bean Grinder that delivered coffee as fine as any floofy coffee shop on my recent trip to Minnesota’s Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. All that’s needed is beans, a mug, and boiling water. All things you’re going to have in your camping cache anyway. Fill the grinder with beans, turn the crank handle (it’s very smooth) until all the beans are ground and descend into the grind chamber. Dump the grounds into the Pour Over Java set’s cone and mesh filter and slowly add boiling water. The end result is drip coffee that (metaphorically) turns a rainy, dreary morning into blue skies and sunshine. GSI Outdoors | $40
GSI Outdoors Haulite Ketalist II
Full review coming on this one too. The GSI Outdoors Haulite Ketalist II comes with a 1-liter anodized aluminum kettle, folding “foon”, insulated mug with sippy top and a nesting bowl. In the BWCA, weather can turn rapidly. The faster you can boil water for tea, coffee or to prepare a freeze-dried backpacking meal, the better your chances of warding off misery. Thanks to the anodized aluminum, the kettle heats evenly and brings water to a boil efficiently and fast. The other nice thing I liked about it is that the spout allowed for an easy pour of boiling water into the small water intake hole of my Sun Shower so I could at least have a much-needed semi-warm “shower” after a couple days. GSI Outdoors | $35
Slumberjack Nightfall 2 Tent
The Slumberjack Nightfall 2 is a 3-season tent that meets—and exceeds—the objective of reliable and durable shelter at a pricepoint that doesn’t give you a hernia. Inside, it is the roomiest two-person tent I’ve ever known. At 86 inches in length and 52 inches in width, crampy inside this tent is not. The ceiling peak sits at about 39 inches. Its walls run more vertical than other tents in its class so taller campers are really going to appreciate its height accommodation. I’m a moderate-height camper at 5’ 6” so I liked that when I sat up I had a ton of headroom and didn’t feel like I had to hunch my neck. It’s also easy to pitch. This is not a tent in which you need to consult the instructions. It’s intuitive. Slumberjack | $140
GCI Outdoor FirePit Rocker
The GCI Outdoor FirePit Rocker brings our love for the rocking chair to the car camping. It will suck all motivation out of you when you sit down because it’s insanely comfortable. Armrest height is spot on, the seat is wide and deep and once you get rocking, only the Jaws of Life will get you up. It rocks butter-smooth on its own platform without any shifting thanks to the GCI Outdoor Spring-Action Rocking Technology™. The cup holder is a very nice touch. GCI Outdoor | $70
Eureka! Ignite Stove
The Eureka! Ignite stove is for the car camper who prefers culinary masterpieces over ramen noodles and freeze-dried camping food. A piezo igniter lights the two 10,000 BTU burners and two-full turn adjustable knobs allow for precise flame adjustment. Wind panels block wind, heat distribution was even and despite being ten pounds, it’s compact and packs down to a briefcase style making storage easy. The full review is coming but it is basically like taking two of your home stove’s burners to the campground. Atop its trusty burners you can lay out a griddle for pancakes and a pan for eggs and bacon. It doesn’t get any better than this. Eureka | $100