camping gear guides

Stay safe, stay connected, and stay found in the backcountry with a satellite messenger or personal locator beacon.

Ultra-thin 1.4" profile vs performance tradeoffs: our GSI Pinnacle Pro review covers design innovation, cooking speed, and premium camp stove value.

We researched and tested dozens of camping chairs from Coleman, Kijaro, Helinox, Yeti, including camp chairs for beach day, bad backs, tailgating, and portable seats for music festivals.

We review 18 portable foldable tables to find the best camp tables—including best camp kitchen cook station, sturdy camp dining table, and folding ultralight table.

Discover the best quick-dry towels for travel and camping. Explore top picks for efficiency, convenience, and versatility to enhance your outdoor adventures.

We researched and tested 25+ rotomolded camping coolers to find the best performance for ice retention, best for the money, best wheeled, and best Yeti alternative. Then we tested to verify our findings on camping, fishing, white water rafting trips.

We tested the REI Co-op Westward 6 at the campground. Here's how the vestibule, 77-inch peak height, and weather protection actually perform for family camping.

The best solar shower bags and electric portable camping showers for campers, backpacking, overlanding and emergencies. We test for temperature, speed to hot water, water pressure, and ease of use.

Take your camp cooking to the next level with a portable camping grill, whether you like propane, charcoal, wood, electric, pellet or a fire pit.

Do you really need camp shoes? We say yes! Read why – and how to find the best camp shoes for backpacking, van life and getting around the campsite or ski hut.

One of the best ways to move from surviving to thriving in nature is to sleep in a well-ventilated, durable, weatherproof camping tent. We found camping tents that are easy to set up and durable.

We tested and compared 22 camping sleeping bags to find the best for car camping. Whether you're family camping, want a mummy bag, or a budget sleeping bag, we found warm, comfortable, versatile synthetic and down bags from Kelty, Nemo, Coleman, REI, Teton, and more.

Sleep better outdoors with top-rated pillows tailored for backpackers! Our testers found lightweight, compact, and durable options for every budget.

We tested rain pants for 2 years from thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail to the forests of South America, from Colorado’s high country to winter in New York. Our expert guide provides field-tested recommendations, ensuring you stay dry and comfortable on the trails.

Whether you need a lightweight pair of hiking pants that will keep you cool in high temperatures or a heavy-duty pair that can handle the most demanding of terrains, here are our winners for the best hiking pants for men.

Power your phone and electronics with our review of the best portable solar chargers and panels with power banks for camping, basecamping, and outdoor adventures.

We review human waste bags and wag bags for ease-of-use to find the best odorproof and leakproof toilet kits for camping, climbing, backpacking, rafting and emergencies

We tested 35 SPF lotions to find the best body sunscreen for outdoor activities and best everyday sunscreen with broad spectrum UVA and UVB sun protection.

Water bottles are vital to keeping us hydrated outdoors- whether it’s for a day hike, a camping trip, or backpacking. We tested wide mouth Nalgenes, collapsible, glass, and vacuum insulated bottles from Yeti, Hydro Flask, and Klean Kanteen and more, comparing 17 bottles side-by-side.

Powerful 14,000 BTU dual burners vs reliability concerns - our GSI Selkirk 540+ camping stove review covers performance, ignition issues, and car camping value.

We researched the 100 most popular winter gloves, liner gloves, heated gloves, and mittens to find the best gloves for running, cycling, extreme cold, and touchscreen usage.

We spent 4 years testing 24 of the most popular synthetic insulated jackets and tested the top models for months in conditions as diverse as mountains in Arizona to snow storms near Bend, Oregon to walking a toddler in Portland. We considered models by Patagonia, Arc’teryx, L.L.Bean, Mountain Hardwear, Rab, Outdoor Research, The North Face, and Montbell.

We reviewed 44 down jackets to find the 7 best puffy jackets for most outdoor activities: hiking, camping, backpacking—ultralight to extreme cold.

Tested on ice and snow from Maine to Alaska for 4 years, here’s our review of the best men’s winter boots for warmth, water resistance, fit, comfort, and traction.

We spent 8 years testing the top women’s winter boots for ice and snow from Maine to Alaska. We review the best boots for warmth, water resistance, fit, comfort and traction

The Kelty Cosmic 20 camping sleeping bag combines 550-fill down insulation with durable construction - our review tests real-world warmth and packability for car campers, cabin and summer camp trips, sleepovers, and entry-level backpackers.

We spent 2 years testing 12 outdoor blankets to find down, fleece, puffy, and picnic blankets that are warm, waterproof, resist stains, and are easy to wash.

We spent 400+ nights testing the best headlamps for brightness, battery life, comfort, and ease of use for backpacking, hiking, running, climbing, and camping.

We test 30+ camping lanterns from battery powered lights for survival to lightweight packable lanterns for backpacking and solar lanterns for backyard picnics

We spent 3 years testing the top-rated cooler bags and insulated totes, cooler backpacks, and soft shell small coolers ranked for ice retention, zippers, and portability.

Trekking poles are one of the most multi-purpose gear items you can carry into the backcountry. We've tested dozens of models over thousands of miles to find the best.

We test over 25 popular backpacking tents to find the solo, 2-person, and 3-person tents for all kinds of backpackers, hikers, and campers. We tested on 1000s of miles of backpacking in climates from desert to temperate rain forest to find the best backpacking tents for most people.

We tested a dozen hiking boots for men for fit, support, and traction across day hikes and backpacking trips. Here are the best men’s hiking boots out there.

We tested the best backpacking sleeping bags over thousands of miles on the trail, and chose the best bags based on comfort, warmth, packability, and weight.

We researched and tested backpacking cooking pots—ones with positive reviews in outdoor media as well as users. We found the best cook pots for backpacking including titanium, anodized aluminum, stainless steel, and cook sets. We considered cooking efficiency, heat distribution, and weight.

We find the best backpacking stoves after testing 22 of the most popular backpacking stoves side-by-side for 3 years and over 1000s of miles.

After testing dozens of socks over thousands of miles of hiking, here are the best wool and synthetic hiking and backpacking socks — hiking socks to prevent blisters, the best socks for hiking in hot weather, compression, and more.

To find the best sleeping pads, we tested 20 pads over 1000s of miles of backpacking, bikepacking, and bicycle touring. See our top picks for best overall, 4-season, budget, foam, side-sleeper, and hybrid.

We ran 2,000 miles in 24 of the most popular trail running shoes to find the best trail running shoes for hiking and backpacking, road-to-trail running, narrow feet, wide feet, beginner trail runners, and distance running.

To find the best child hiking carrier for babies and toddlers, we reviewed backpacks and tested the Osprey Poco line, Deuter Kid Comfort, Kelty, Thule, and more