When it comes to camping gear, functionality and quality win over cost savings. My own and fellow Scouters’ experiences have shown this to be true over and over again. To make the best use of your money, check out these 7 Pieces of Camping Gear Worth Every Penny.
(Disclosure: Please note that this post contains affiliate links. If you click one of the links and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission that will help support this blog. Thanks so much. )
Camping Gear To Light The Way
You will notice that both the recommended pieces of camping gear for lighting are from Black Diamond® Equipment. My husband and I have both found the company’s products to be well-constructed and able to withstand the test of time. The company has been existence since 1989 with the roots of the company stemming back to 1957.
Black Diamond Spot Light-Having a hands-free way to see in low light conditions in the campsite makes life so much easier and safer. This light offers three power settings (Triple Power LED, Single Power White LED, and Single Power Red LED). The red night-vision mode offers proximity and strobe settings. Additionally, this spot light is water resistant to approximately 3.3 feet for 30 minutes according to the manufacturer.
Black Diamond Equipment Apollo Lantern-And speaking of keeping things hands-free, this lantern will easily hang from a hook or carabiner in your tent. It offers an 80 lumens max output with a dimmer feature and battery level indicator. The 50 lumens output setting will illuminate a 20 meter diameter which is quite helpful. Also, the light will compact when not in use.
Camping Gear For Safe Drinking Water
LifeStraw Personal Water Filter-A lightweight, portable high grade water filter that easily stores in a backpack or duffel bag. This straw-style filter is used by people all around the world and can filter up to 1,000 liters (264 gallons) of water.
GRAYL Ultralight Water Purifier [+ FILTER] BOTTLE-This system offers the convenience of simply filling the water bottle from a stream, lake, hose, community water fountain or other source and using one press filtration. Because of the filtration, you can drink directly from the bottle. This filter removes 99.9% of viruses, bacteria, and protozoa, along with particulates, numerous chemicals and heavy metals.
No more having to lug a bunch of plastic water bottles on your campout or hike says a camping friend who absolutely swears by his. One purifier cartridge can be used to replace the equivalent of 300 single-use water bottles.

Camping Gear For Comfort
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Mattress-Great extra support on top of a cot and/or under a sleeping bag. The dimpled design adds to the comfort, while also helping to trap and reflect back body heat. The folding design makes this mattress easy to pack and transport.
HotHands Hand Warmers-Easily fits inside gloves and pockets. The warmers are air activated so they heat up quickly. HotHands also make toe warmers that will help keep your tootsies toasty in cold conditions.
O2COOL 5-Inch Portable Fan-A tent fan will help manage the heat on a warm summer day/evening when you are car camping instead of hiking a distance to reach a campsite. This 5-inch version runs off of battery power and tilts for directed air flow. It has two speeds and has a compact folding design. If you want a wider cooling area than this version offers, go for the 10-inch.
I personally like to put a damp washcloth around my neck and lay with the fan blowing on me to cool off in my tent.
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Just curious why, if you recommend Black Diamond products, you picture shows a Goal Zero product.
Bobbi, good question. I use an image service to provide high quality, crisp photos with my posts. A Black Diamond image was unavailable, but the Goal Zero lantern illustrated the type of lantern that I was referring to.