The best camping gear for total beginners

If you’re living without electricity for a few days, you need a game plan — or more specifically, a meal plan. Step one of that plan is a quick, easy, and reliable way to cook, otherwise you'll be foraging for nuts, berries, and half-eaten service station sandwiches all weekend.

The Campingaz Party Grill is the complete package — great for turning out relatively simple meals during a quick weekend in the woods.

As far as portable gas cookers go, it’s extremely versatile. You can use it to cook pans and grill, thanks to an included grilling grid. If that’s not impressive enough, you can flip over the lid to use it as a wok.

It’s convenient too, with detachable legs that store inside the body of the stove and a carry bag for easy transportation. 

A high quality portable cooler ensures your beers stay crisp and your perishable food stays well away from wildlife.

The YETI Tundra Haul Portable Wheeled Cooler was made to keep your perishables cold for over a week, and to keep everything from stealing your goods. It sports extra-thick two inch walls for unparalleled ice retention and a rotomoulded construction, which makes it virtually indestructible.

Ideal for car camping due to its weight, this model of YETI cooler comes equipped with wheels so that you can easily drag it into the campsite.  

Who says you have to skip your morning cup of coffee when you're sleeping under the stars? The Coletti Camping Coffee Pot offers everything you need to make a great coffee on a wood stove or fire. It’s very durable, built from very durable 18/8 stainless steel with a hardwood handle.

This camping staple can withstand high temperatures and keeps your cup o’ joe steaming hot. And not just one cup. It provides up to 12 cups at a time, so it’s perfect whether you’re on a one-man-in-the-wilderness excursion or a festival weekend with a large group of pals.  

It won’t scratch or chip if it gets dropped on the ground during transport. In fact, you can’t be assured of its quality. Its designed by veterans — who know a thing or two about toughness — and has excellent ratings on Amazon.

A summer-ready tent is a great way to test the waters before investing in a more expensive all-season alternative.

With solid ratings from both Amazon users and top review websites, the Coleman Galiano two-man tent is ideal for both weekend camping and festivals — partly due to how easy it is to put up and take down. It’s a swift pop-up action that takes less than 30 seconds. 

It’s especially good for casual campers, though it has heavy duty weather resistance (for when the British summer inevitably turns wet) with 2,000mm water resistance and a sewn-in ground sheet. You’ll wake up dry no matter how rainy or humid it is. 

If the weather does hold, just remove the rain covers for excellent views of the night sky. There are no windows, but it compensates with large air vents. A four man version is also available.

This is certainly not your dad’s rusty old lawn chair. The XGear camping chair is slick, comfortable, and packs down into an easy-to-transport bundle — with a handy carry bag included. 

You don’t have to be a camping expert to know that the stiff, squeaky lawn chairs of old take up too much space and offer very little in the comfort department. The XGear camping chair however offers maximum comfort. It comes with an option foot rest, plus a reclining action that turns your camping chair into a laugher — which also doubles up as a camping bed, in case sleeping on the ground just doesn’t do it for you.

There are other added features, too — a cup holder built into the arm of the chair and a mesh pocket on the side of the chair. It’s everything you need for a hard day of relaxing and sipping beer.

A happy medium between quality and practicality, this portable Bluetooth speaker by Outdoor Tech will blast your tunes and charge your phone at the same time.

Keep the partying going all night long with the dual portable Bluetooth speaker and powerbank from Outdoor Tech. This handy gadget is completely waterproof, weighs in at just over one kilogram, and boasts over 110 decibels. You'll get a huge 32-foot range and 7500 milliamps of battery power with 16 hours of play time. What's more, this speaker can also charge the average smartphone up to three times.

Ideally suited for an established campsite, we wouldn't recommend this speaker for hiking, as there is no clip to attach it to a bag. 

This is one of best rated sleeping bags among in-the-know reviewers — and, unlike top brand bags, it won’t cost you too much.

With a 4.5 out of 5 rating on Amazon, the Kelty Cosmic 40 Sleeping Bag is obviously doing something right. And that something is keeping you toasty in almost all weather conditions (it’s made for spring, summer, and autumn), using CirroLoft synthetic insulation for lightweight, compressible warmth.

When you’re looking for a sleeping bag, it’s best to opt for something that can be compressed for easy storing and packing, and, of course, is comfortable enough to make you want to crawl in. This product easily checks those boxes. In fact, this one comes with a compression stuff sack for extra easy packing. 

Made from a silky nylon taffeta fabric, it’s soft on your skin and allows your body to breathe and prevents you from sweating. Available in short and women’s sizes.

A good quality pocket knife can get you out of some serious camping binds — from cutting twigs for the fire to quickly opening the bags when hunger strikes — every experienced camper knows a knife is a must-have item. 

But what about a knife that doubles, triples, and quadruples up (even more than that, in fact) to a hammer, axe, pliers, whistle, and more? That’s what you get with the Reesibi 15-in-1 Multitool. It’s safe to say you’re covered for any eventuality.

Other all-purpose features include a screwdriver, wire stripper, wire cutter, saw knife, flat driver, bottle opener, rope cutter, and flint. As a bonus feature, the top of the hammer head is magnetic.

If that isn’t enough, it also comes with a 5-in-1 survival bracelet, which has compass and fire starter. If camping turns into a survival expedition, you’ll be equipped for anything. It’s also very affordable — and built to last you for years and years.