For some people, camping is a minimalist activity. I, however, am not a minimalist person (seriously, ask any of our friends). Part of the fun of having a camper is the ability to buy things that you would not take with you on a car camping trip. Some of my favorite items would take up half your trunk, but they fit easily inside our 21′ travel trailer. Keep reading to find my favorite not-must-haves!
First, you buy the camper. Then, you stock the camper. Although this is the fun part, it can seem overwhelming at first. But fear not! We got you. This post is the third in a series about stocking your camper. With these posts, you can easily make your camper comfortable and functional. Check out our prior posts about stocking the kitchen and bedding here.
A fancy firepit!! We have the Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe with a Carrying Bag. This is one of the newest additions to our camper and it has quickly become one of our favorites. We spend most of our time camping in Colorado, which historically has many wildfires and, consequently, many fire bans. That means chilly nights at a campsite with no fire – until now – because this firepit allows us to have a fire anytime. AND! If you place the firepit below your awning or under your tent canopy, the tent will trap the hot air and create a nice, warm space. We used this method when we were at the Estes Park Campground at East Portal (check out the campground review here) because it rained all weekend. And it was amazing! This firepit allowed us to stay outside much longer than we otherwise would have. We also love that you do not need to build and maintain a wood fire and that you do not smell like campfire at the end of the night. Seriously, this firepit was a gamechanger.
A tent canopy. Not only can this hold in the heat from your firepit, but it also comes in handy on those hot or rainy days. I’d estimate that we set our canopy up a little less than 1/2 the time. But I love how easy it goes up and comes down when we do use it!
A Camping Oven. We have the Camp Chef Outdoor Camp Oven, which was a gift from my Mom. We put the oven on a wish list, but we really expected it to be a silly, gimmicky item that we rarely used. Much to our surprise, we actually use it a lot! Our camper does not have an oven and this thing comes in handy! Since we both have full time jobs, we usually leave for camping trips after work on Friday. That means that we arrive late and still have to set up camp. Having a quick, easy dinner makes that process so much better. We usually buy small frozen pizzas and cook them in this oven while we set up camp. You will probably be surprised to hear that this oven easily gets to 425 degrees. I won’t complain about the post-dinner cookies, either! Finally, we use the stove top to cook breakfast during those gorgeous Colorado mornings, instead of using the range inside the camper.
A Dutch Oven for campfire cooking. While we are on the topic of cooking, I thought I’d throw in our Dutch Oven. Before you @ me, I know that this is an item that most campers – including car campers – probably already have. I guess we were late to the party, because ours is another semi-recent purchase. If you’re looking to buy one for a new camper, and you plan to use this for campfire cooking, make sure you get one with a flat top. Food cooks so much quicker if you can add coals on top of the lid. You will also need a lid lifter because the metal handle gets very hot. Check back in a few weeks for my campfire chicken pot pie recipe!
Pro tip: line the inside of the Dutch Oven with foil for easy clean up.
Another piece of unnecessary kitchen equipment is a small blender. Honestly we rarely use our small blender, but it is nice when we want to make smoothies or fancy sauces.
Fancy Lounge Chairs and a Side Table. These chairs and this table make our afternoons at the campsite very comfortable. There is nothing better than returning from a long hike to an equally long nap in these chairs. The side table is great to have for your drinks, snacks, and mosquito repeller.
Mosquito Repeller. We bought this for a trip on the Grand Mesa, where mosquitos live by the gazillions. Sorry, that trip was pre-blogging, so we won’t have a video. But I will do a campground review eventually! We bought this repeller before we had a generator, so we purchased the backpacker version that runs on propane. If you have a generator, you might want to consider the battery powered version. We were impressed with how well this little gadget worked. Overall, it is very effective! Don’t forget to pick up some replacement mats and some small propane tanks, if you buy the backpacker version.
Outdoor Rug. Ok, real talk – when we first bought our camper, I swore that we’d never have one of these rugs. I thought they were so tacky. I changed my mind on a whim during one of our longer trips (I honestly have no idea why) and I never looked back! The rug makes our small camper feel so much bigger! It turns the space under our awning in additional living space and it keeps a lot of the dirt outside (i.e., it keeps the camper much cleaner). I also love that I can walk around without shoes on the rug (most of the time).
Wool Blankets for fireside lounging on a cold night. We keep two wool blankets in our pass through and we only use them outside. They are very warm and perfect for cold nights by the fire.
iPad/iPad Mount. One of the more expensive items we use in our camper is an iPad and an iPad Mount. Instead of having a TV in our camper, we use the iPad. We usually download shows or movies before we head out for a trip and we watch them if it rains or if we want some pre-sleep TV time. We have a mount by our bed and another mount by the dinette. It is a much easier, smaller alternative to a TV.
Generator. Another expensive item we have is a super quiet Honda generator. Although we camped for many years without a generator, and it is by no means necessary, it is really nice to have. When we are using battery power, none of the outlets in the camper work – so we can’t charge our devices. Using the generator for a few hours solves that problem! It also allows us to run the air conditioning on those particularly hot days. If you get a generator, please remember to be respectful of your camping neighbors and don’t run it late a night.
Inflatable Kayak. If you camp near the water often, this is a super fun buy. The kayak (surprisingly) is easy and quick to inflate and deflate. It holds air very well and is pretty comfortable when you’re on the water. It is made for two, but I usually take it out on my own. There is nothing better than relaxing in the middle of a quiet, beautiful alpine lake.
I know what you’re thinking – “How on earth do you store all this stuff??” Our camper – as with most small rigs – has small passthroughs. We use our front (and only) passthrough for camping chairs, our tent canopy, firewood, and a few other odds and ends. While we aren’t on a trip, I store the remaining items in and near the dinette. We also tow the trailer like this and it works great! When we arrive at a campsite, the first thing I do is move all this stuff outside. It adds a little extra work, but it is worth it!
