It’s that time of year folks! We’ve uncovered the best camping and RVing gadgets of the year that promise to add some extra zing to your road-tripping adventures in the season ahead. From portable wireless speakers to a drinking straw that will safely hydrate you on the trail, here are nine snazzy little camping and RVing gadgets that you’ll want to add to your packing list next time you head out:
1. Fugoo Wireless Speaker
With a whopping 40 hours of play time and a waterproof, snow-proof, and sand-proof outer shell, the Fugoo Wireless Bluetooth Speaker is a must-have for road-tripping audiophiles. Not even Bose speakers live up to Fugoo’s 360-degree sound and 6′ drop test. You can even get a multi-mount that lets you take it on your bike, skiing outings and other off-the-beaten-path places. With a starting price of well under $200, Fugoo can’t be beat.
2. Giant Body Wipes
Forget those teeny baby wipes when you’re trying to save water while boondocking. These Giant Body Wipes are the ultimate way to get clean and preserve your water for more important things, like hydrating your body after a long night of partying in the outback! Each body wipe is 4′ x 2′ and they come in a two-pack for less than ten bucks!
3. 02Tech Smart Bluetooth Lantern
When your camping lantern is smarter than you, that’s when you know you’re destined to be comfy in the great outdoors. Fresh from a successful IndieGogo campaign, for under $80 the 02Tech Smart Lantern can measure the temperature, humidity levels and barometric pressure wherever you go. Just one charge keeps it powered for up to 30 days, and with a built-in USB port it will do the same for your other devices. The three-pound lantern’s built-in tripod is a great addition to any campfire party, as the lantern has 16 million different color options to set the mood, which can be controlled by an app on your phone.
4. S’More to Love Smore Maker
Smores in the outdoors don’t get any easier or tastier than using this handy smore maker. You won’t need a smokey campfire to indulge in this tasty treat, the S’More to Love Smore Maker has a wire basket with six s’more pockets that keeps them tidy whether you toast them over a barbecue, in an oven, or old-school over a flaming pile of wood. At around $20 it makes a great addition to any camper’s kitchen.
5. Coleman Treklite Coolerpack Chair
Long hikes are no fun when you get to your destination and don’t have any cold drinks waiting. The Coleman Treklite Plus Coolerpack Chair solves that problem with a 2-in-1 design that makes it a backpack or a chair with a built-in cooler! It’s not a teeny sandwich cooler either: it will hold a case of beer and even has four side pockets with a detachable cargo net for snacks.
6. Thermacell Heated Insoles
Don’t let Old Man Winter keep you from getting out and having fun. Thermacell Heated Insoles keep your tootsies warm without making them sweaty. Using no wires or external batteries, each pair gets at least 2,500 hours of use – or about four winters of heavy hoofin’. With a wireless remote you can adjust the temperature to get just the right amount of heat – up to 111 degrees Fahrenheit – for those super cold adventures. You can even get a car charger for heated feet on the go!
7. Icybreeze Cooler A/C
When the coldest drink in town won’t keep you cool, the Icybreeze Cooler and Air Conditioner will do the job. This 38-quart ice chest is a personal portable air conditioner and cooler that keeps you and your beverages chilled by at least 35 degrees less than the outside air temperature. The built-in rechargeable battery will run the cooler’s fan six hours on low, four hours on medium or 2.5 hours on high speed. When you’re not using the A/C, ice will last as long as seven days at temperatures up to 90-degrees! Stores up to 30 pounds of ice and 49 cans of your beverages of choice.
8. Scrubba Wash Bag
We profiled the Scrubba Wash Bag earlier this year and still love the world’s smallest RV washing machine enough to mention it again on our list of the best camping and RVing gadgets of the year. The Scrubbba lets you wash about a day’s worth of clothing with just 1 gallon of water. Use just a couple more gallons and you’ll have enough clean socks and underwear to avoid a trip to the laundromat and keep enjoying that ultimate boondocking site just a little bit longer.
9. LifeStraw Personal Water Filter
Time Magazine calls it a “Best Invention of the Year” and Amazon reviewers love this personal water filter:
I recently took a LifeStraw out for a test on a backcountry hike in the Rocky Mountains. Every stream, lake, or other water source that I came across I stopped for a drink. I was drinking fresh snow melt and also from lakes that are home to beavers and other wildlife. There was no added taste to the water and I didn’t get sick during or after the trip.
The Lifestraw will remove 99.9999% of waterborne bacteria and surpasses EPA guidelines for E. coli, Giardia, and Cryptosporidium oocysts, rigorous standards for water filtration. Using no batteries, moving parts, iodine or iodinized resin, every LifeStraw will quench your thirst for up to 264 gallons of water. At less than $20, that’s a great deal for clean, pure water no matter where your travels take you.
