5 Highly Recommended Camping Gadget Must-Haves

When you go camping, you'll more than likely bring a sleeping bag, food, a fold-out chair, and maybe a Bluetooth radio to jam out to music. That said, you may find yourself wondering what other gadgets you can bring to help make your camping experience better. 

For example, you'll need a way to cook your food if making a fire is inconvenient or impossible due to wet wood. You'll also need a flashlight, so you're not wandering around in the dark, bumping into trees and tripping over your tent.

You could probably rough it out in the woods during your camping trips most of the time, but that doesn't mean you have to — especially when you have access to things like high-tech camping accessories. Based on a variety of reviews from users — as well as our own experience in the wilderness and research of proper outdoor gear — these are the camping gadgets to bring on your next trek.

NEBO is a flashlight and tool company dedicated to innovating in its products. At $99, the Redline 6K flashlight is no exception: With the ability to produce 6,000 lumens with LED lighting, it is incredibly powerful. It comes with an adjustable feature that allows you to zoom the light in four times, lighting up anything up to 700 feet away.

Just be aware that even though it does have closed-loop temperature control when you turn the flashlight off, the bulb is still warm enough to melt some materials, such as polyester fabric, so don't lay it down on your sleeping bag until it is completely cooled off.

The NEBO Redline 6K is a versatile tool because it can also be used as a power bank as well, which can come in handy when your phone's battery is low while out in the wilderness. It is also rechargeable with a micro-USB to USB charging cable. Additionally, due to its aircraft-grade aluminum body, this tactical flashlight is waterproof — you can submerge it in water up to three feet, for up to 30 minutes.

Gone are the days when you have to bring a shovel, a hammer, an axe, and other necessary adventure essentials on your camping trips. The Rockworkx Multi-Tool T7, made of high-quality aluminum and stainless steel, has it all plus more. 

Only being on sale a little over a year since the publication of this article, it is a fairly new product from a small California business. However, the public has plenty of good things to say about it so far. Coming in at $290, this heavy-duty tool allows you to save space in your camping arsenal due to its innovative storage function. Because of how it's designed, you can easily slide it into any two-inch tow hitch receiver.

When it's stored in the receiver, the tool is a full-size step to help you get to hard-to-reach areas. From there, the three-piece telescoping tube can turn into a sand or snow shovel, whichever is needed for your camping environment. 

Other tools included in the design are a hammer with a nail puller, a pry bar, a camp clearing tool, a short and long handle axe, and different styles of rulers like an angle measure and a fish ruler. In all, it's a well-rounded multi-tool.

Stakes have their versatile place in the camping world — you stake down tents and canopy ropes. However, sometimes, they can be difficult to see in the dark, causing you to step on one, which is never fun. UCO's Stakelights, which run $19 for a pack of four on Amazon, can help with that problem. 

They give off 17 lumens of light, which is just enough to light up the stake and its surrounding area, and will work for up to 10 hours. Once the battery dies, simply replace it with another AAA battery. 

The Stakelights come with two settings: You can either set it to shine like a normal light, or to strobe mode, which will help you find your tent easier if you step away for a bathroom break. Additionally, the LED is protected by a water-resistant housing, so no need to worry if it rains. 

Overall, reviewers seem to be happy with the products, though there are some setbacks. The lights do turn on with a simple click of a button, so the Stakelights have been known to turn on accidentally, which will drain your batteries. Also, to make use of the lights, the stakes can only go into the ground about halfway.

Whether you're taking a backpacking trip into the wilderness or camping out at your local state park, you should bring a portable stove for cooking. The Jetboil HalfGen Cooking System works for all types of outdoor activities. It's a modular system priced at $210, but it does come with the Jetboil single burner stove, a nine-inch frying pan, a carry bag, a fuel regulator, and a windscreen.

By itself, it produces 10,000 BTU of heat, and can perform at its full capacity down to 20 degrees Fahrenheit. It's a fairly small and light design as well, coming in at just under four pounds, which makes it ideal for carrying in a backpack. However, according to some reviews, the cooking set is a bit delicate, so take caution when packing for trips. Beyond that, buyers praise its compact design and build quality

The stove runs off propane and can be connected to other Jetlink stoves using the Jetlink port. You will need the Jetlink accessory hose to connect the multiple stoves, though. Fuel is not included with the product, but you can easily find a one-pound propane tank at your local outdoor store or even Walmart.

Do you remember growing up with walkie-talkies and being able to hold conversations with friends from another room? Well, there's a grown-up, rugged version of it — the Rocky Talkie Mountain Radio. Created to help keep you safe during your wilderness adventures, this radio costs $110 per device, but you may find the advantages of it worth the price. 

It has a lithium-ion battery that can hold life for up to four days, and will continue to work without damage in temperature conditions as cold as -20 degrees Fahrenheit. However, it does not give you the option of replacing the batteries, so you will need to bring a power supply if you plan on being out for an extended time. 

Furthermore, the Rocky Talkie has a range of 25 miles, which the company itself tested in the Colorado Rockies. However, it works best within the range of one to five miles in mountain terrain. It also comes with a built-in carabiner and backup leash to keep it protected and well within reach, while also being shatterproof just in case you drop it on rocks.

The products featured in this article were decided based on thorough research on outdoor gear from personal experience, as well as the reviews that accompany these products. These reviews come from outdoor enthusiasts who have tested the products during their camping trips as well, or simply through everyday use. Both were used to inform on what gadgets would make for essential tools to include on this list.