11 Pieces of Overlooked Camping Gear You Have To Take With You Camping

One of the hardest things about camping is making sure you have the right gear to bring along, as one wrong move or forgotten item could potentially ruin your whole camping experience. Even worse, even your health!

Some essentials make it onto everyone’s camping gear checklist but what about the things that get overlooked? We put together a beginner-friendly list of the top 11 overlooked camping gear pieces, to help you in staying safe, comfortable, and happy.

Our picks for the most overlooked camping gear out there

We’ve found some of the most important but often underrated camping gear that you might not have been bringing along. With these simple additions to your camping checklist, you’ll know what to bring on a camping trip next time you’re out and about.

#1: Camping Chair

You’re thinking about where you’ll sleep on your camping trip and getting your bag and organized tent, but what about for the other 16 hours when you’re not sleeping? A camp chair is an often overlooked piece of gear that will serve you well in all kinds of camping activities.

Fishing, relaxing, playing board games with the family, eating dinner, reading, and relaxing, all are made better with a quality camping chair. If this piece of underrated camping gear can fit into your trunk, consider choosing the KAMUI portable camping chair, one that’s designed for camping, lightweight, and weather durable.

#2: Duct Tape

There are so many times when you’re camping and a roll of duct tape could come in handy. It doesn’t matter if your tent pole broke, trekking poles got detached, or a piece of tarp tore away, duct tape is the savior.

Experienced campers see duct tape as one of the camping essentials, but it is often overlooked. An item this lightweight and with plenty of uses should definitely be added to your kit. If you don’t want to carry a whole roll, you can simply wrap something around a smaller item like a lighter and you’ll have just enough for one patch job while you’re gone.

#3: Matting

Tents are like our own personal haven when we go camping, but it’s hard to keep the great outdoors from getting inside when we’re camping. The simple fix and something that most people never bring is matting.

Cut a small piece of mesh or matting, or even better buy a pre-made one, that you can bring along. Once you’ve set up your tent you can lay it in front of the entrance. Before you go inside, wipe your feet and take your shoes off and you won’t bring anything in with you.

#4: Outdoor blanket

If you’re planning on spending some time outside and even picnicking with your family, you should consider taking a waterproof blanket. With this item, you can enjoy the outdoors even more, and our KAMUI waterproof picnic outdoor blanket is everything you were looking for.

It comes in an easily transportable bag, and will keep you dry at all times, YOu can even use it as a tent carpet or place to enjoy a meal. From our experience, a blanket is definitely a piece of overlooked camping gear, so consider taking it with you next time you’re in the outdoors.

#5: Tweezers

Most people bring a small first aid kit with them but miss one vital part: Tweezers. They can be used for so many things and will be especially useful for camping thanks to the wide range of problems that can occur.

The most important use you’ll get out of your tweezers is removing splinters from your finger which is a fairly common occurrence thanks to firewood. Secondly, you’ll have an easy way to pull out tics that tend to love finding their way onto campers’ bodies.

#6: Lantern

When packing for camping, the usual light solution that people bring is a flashlight but this doesn’t usually get the job done. A lantern makes a lot more sense, especially the new ones that have solar panels, and can use only a quick charge during the day to shine the whole night.

Look for a lantern that self-inflates as they can make themselves bigger and won’t weigh a thing. The best approach is a solar-powered lantern that can charge up during the day and give you a full night of light without wasting any power or batteries. Pieces of gear like this really can matter when out in the parks.

#7: Baby Wipes

Baby wipes are one of those amazing overlooked camping gear items that come in handy in all kinds of scenarios. For backpackers and campers, they should have a permanent place on their gear list.

With a packet of baby wipes, you can clean up messes, give yourself a quick shower without access to hot water, wipe down surfaces to keep ants away and use it to clean just about anything. The best part is that you can get a compact pack that stores away in your backpack. Just be sure to dispose of them properly and take any trash with you!

#8: Binoculars

There are so many great things to see in the wilderness, but not all of them will be visible with the naked eye. Investing in a quality pair of binoculars will allow you to see wildlife like birds or animals that you could never see by yourself.

You’ll be able to share these moments with the whole family to witness as well. Just make sure you buy a compact and lightweight piece of binoculars, perfect for a hiking or backpacking trip.

#9: Headlamp

For added convenience at night time when you need to make a bathroom trip or to explore your surroundings, a headlamp is the way to go.

You can keep it next to you as you sleep and even give all members of the family their very own portable headlamps, so they have the convenience of lighting at all times. We love this piece of underrated camping gear and think you should consider getting one yourself.

#10: Water Filtration System

We believe that having no access to water that is drinkable, is a hazardous place to be, that is why we recommend the BeFree Water Filtration System water filters to any hiking enthusiast and camper out there.

This water filter that comes in a collapsible hydra pack removes all of the harmful organisms and debris from your water. If you still don’t have a water purifier system in your backpack, you really need to get one as soon as possible, because you never know when you might need it.

#11: Buff

An item that is so multi-purpose that there is no number of potential uses, is the very popular buff. Use it as a mask, balaclava, cap, sunhat, headband, and anything else you can think of.

Truth be told, no hiker leaves their house without their trusty buff and the relationship these two have is truly mesmerizing. In the backpacking world, if you don’t have a buff, it’s like you came to a regatta without a boat. This piece of outdoor gear is a must!

Conclusion on the most underrated camping gear out there

We hope that our short take with 11 overlooked camping gear pieces helped you to cross over from beginner to knowledgeable. Make sure that when you purchase gear, you know that you’re investing in quality that will also provide you security.

This type of overlooked camping gear will protect you in the park, camp, or trail and make your time spent outside more rewarding and worthwhile. This will not just be the case for you and your closest ones, but also for your friends and colleagues camping.

So make sure to get some of these picks we prepared for you and update your camping equipment and checklist. 

Resources:

Hunker
WikiHow