This is arguably the best camping chair you will ever own thanks to its balance of comfort and stability and its amazingly low weight and packability. This chair packs down into a bag about the size of a loaf of bread and it weighs about that much, too. Yet set up — which takes all of a minute — it can easily accommodate up to 320 pounds. And more to the point, it does so comfortably. Our kids can all but curl up in the thing, adults can lounge in it, and the chair works whether you’re kicked back with feet up, sitting up to eat or read, and whether it’s perched on sand, stone, grass, or snow. While hardly a cheap piece of gear, it’s a lifetime purchase of quality such that you might as well just buy one for everyone in the gang and call your campsite seating complete.

This folding camp chair is legitimately as comfortable as most of the seating you’ll find in the home. It’s not exactly small when folded, still taking up a good two-by-three feet and about a half foot thick, but if you have an SUV, truck, or car with a trunk large enough to accommodate the thing, you’ll be providing yourself a gently rocking, large, supportive chair you can comfortably sit in for hours on end, making it perfect for use while fishing, birding, or regaling those gathered around the fire with tales of yore. Any time we have the space to bring this chair, we bring this chair. And any time we need an extra seat in the backyard, this is the first one we grab.

Sure, this collapsible camping couch is designed to be shared by two adults, but it’s arguably at its best when one adult uses it for curling up or three kids clamber onto the Low Loveseat together. Whether we’re headed to the beach, to the campgrounds, to a park, or even just to a friend’s house where extra outdoor seating will be a plus, this thing is almost always in tow. By which I mean slung over a shoulder until it’s set up, which involves nothing more than pulling it open and plopping it down. It’s a lot bigger than a Helinox chair, sure, but one of the best things about Kelty’s loveseat is the unmatched stability of this camp couch. Even with kids jumping about on it, this thing is not going to tip over or collapse – a serious plus when you have a beverage tucked into the armrest cupholders.

A diehard camping friend of ours (yes, a dad, for the record) once called his family’s camp hammock “the first thing we set up at the site and the last thing we take down.” Why? Because kids love hammocks. And you’ll love that it’s virtually impossible to tip over in this particular camping hammock. You’ll also love that setting it up takes about a minute provided you have trees (or some other stout anchors) at the right separation from one another. And once you manage to get a turn in this lightweight, packable hammock that happens to be able to support a stunning 500 pounds (in the two-person option, FYI), you’ll see that the kids were onto something. When lined with a good camping blanket, it’s so comfortable, you might just skip that afternoon hike. (Probably don’t do that, the hammock will be waiting for you after, but no judgment, either way.)

Like the Chair One, packed down, a Table One Hardtop from Helinox is about the same size as a loaf of bread. And it weighs just 2 pounds, 2 ounces. Unpacked and set up, a process which takes about a minute, this table creates a sturdy, flat surface that measures 15.5" by 23.5", creating ample space for several people to dine or for you to lay out all the gear and equipment you'll need for photography, fishing, or even to set up an impromptu writer's table or painter's workspace. Simply put, once you add a Helinox Table One to your kit, you will never want to be without it again. (We sure never camp without it.)

Why is this table from Stoic called the “Dirtbag?” Because “dirtbag” is an old term of endearment in the climbing and mountaineering community, and this dirt cheap but darn good table will certainly endear itself to you. Even when we’re headed to a campsite with a picnic table we still toss this folding camp table in with our gear because it’s sturdy and handy and easy to clean. We have used the thing enough times to know it’s solid enough for any use, from piling gear on top of it as we prep for a day hike to chopping, peeling, and prepping a campsite meal. The aluminum slats form a nearly flat surface (we like to throw a tablecloth, blanket, or tarp over it when it serves as our camping mealtime table) and they resist scratches and corrosion even in inclement conditions. Popping the table up takes less than two minutes and breaking it down is easy, too. Packed away, the Dirtbag table slips into the trunk with the rest of the gear and it doesn’t take up much shelf space in the garage.

When you’re camping, one of the constant concerns is, simply put, where to put stuff. That can mean wondering where to put things that need to drip dry, be they pots and pans or towels and swimsuits. That can mean wondering how to keep foodstuffs up out of the dirt and away from little critters. That can mean wondering how to properly suspend a lantern for decent campsite lighting. And on it goes. With the highly versatile Charlotte’s Webbing Camp Organizer from Outdoor Element, you can clip or drape just about anything you need up off the ground, and you can mount this customizable gear line between trees, hung from a vehicle, tacked to posts, or in myriad other setups.

With a portable camp shower from Geyser Systems, one of the largest pain points of campers everywhere is washed away. Literally. Whether topped off with warm water from your camp stove for the OG version or warmed up with a built-in heater for the heated system, a Geyser camp shower is perfect for family camping, for overlanders, for vanlifers, and so forth. With just 0.8 gallons of water, you can use this camping shower to thoroughly clean yourself from head to toe. This unique camp shower makes it easy to clean the kids, too – and with warm water, so no complaints! You can also swap out the sponge and use a Geyser Systems shower and sponge for cleaning dishes or rinsing down gear.

With its large 67” by 83” surface, this camping carpet has ample room for picnicking, playing, gear staging, and more. And because it’s waterproof, you can unroll it on sodden grass, wet sand, or right on the mud. When rolled out under a tent, it can add a bit of insulation against cold ground or help ensure no water finds its way up into your tent from damp earth. In a pinch, you could also use the Quechua camp rug as a blanket for some added warmth or as an impromptu rain shelter. And you can unroll it anywhere you want, by the way, from the backyard to the basement to the park – no campsite is actually required.

Create a huge 20-foot by 18-foot covered space with this quick-to-setup tarp from Snow Peak. It provides a large space that’s shaded and cool when the sun is blazing and that’s reliably dry in the rain. You can use your covered space for cooking and dining, for games and relaxing, for staging your gear for a long hike or climb, or for taking a midday nap. Not only does this capable Tarp Hexa Evo Pro work well, it even looks cool, too, so be ready for campers from nearby sites to amble up and ask: “Hey, what’s this most excellent camping hardware, buddy?”

The need to poop while you hike, camp, or climb is traditionally one of the least pleasant parts of an outdoor adventure. When you bring a PACT Outdoors Bathroom Kit, you can have the most pleasant possible outdoor bathroom experience, though. That's because these compact kits include a little shovel to dig your latrine, wipes that come compacted into discs that expand with a few drops of water, mycelium tablets you drop onto your waste before covering it with dirt, said tabs helping the waste rapidly biodegrade, and with hand sanitizer for when you're done. In other words, a PACT bathroom kit has everything you need to poop outdoors, all you need to do is find your way a few feet off trail or a good stone’s throw away from your campsite.

If you want to be able to leave your younger kids snoozing in the tent while you chill worry-free fireside or in the hammock, then you owe it to yourself to get a baby monitor system from ROAR. These walkie-talkie-style audio baby monitors were designed with the outdoor family in mind, so they are dust-proof, water-resistant, durable, and they have great range and battery life. Good enough for everyday use but great when used during a camping trip, a ROAR baby monitor is that piece of gear you didn’t even know you were missing.

If your family camping trip involves some trekking into camp (or if you’re doing a multi-day trek with the kids — and good for you, that’s awesome!) then you want to have a very lightweight backpack, as you’ll be carrying your gear and likely, much of the kids’ stuff, too. The Lightning pack from EXPED is a great choice because both the 45-liter and 60-liter versions are low weight but high in gear capacity and, thanks to the roll-top closure, these packs can be cinched down tight with smaller gear loads or rolled up to accommodate a lot of stuff stuffed in there. The padded straps and waistband evenly distribute the load, while rear compression straps further secure your cargo, and daisy chain loops let you add external gear, like air mats or even a tent.

Keep your lights on, your fans running, your phones and cameras charged, your coffee pot percolating, and so much more when you bring this amazing portable battery power station along to your campsite. Even when we’re planning a minimalist campout without the need for many electronics at all beyond lighting and maybe a sound machine and fan, we always tuck our EcoFlow power station into the trunk, just to be safe. It’s also safety and preparedness that has us keeping a power station (actually two) charged up at all times at home — in the event of a power outage, a River Max 2 could keep a fridge running for multiple hours, preventing spoiled food, and can also recharge phones, flashlights, lanterns, and other essentials.

Once you and the kids have used these wipes to clean up after a hike or paddle or before a meal, you may never want to use hand sanitizer again. Each alcohol-free individually-packed Handzies wipe is infused with soap and water (and no harsher, drying ingredients) and can leave your hands feeling almost as clean as if you’d had a tap and regular soap at the ready. These wipes belong at your campsite, in your hiking pack, in your suitcase, in your glovebox, and everywhere else your family’s hands go.