Camping gear – readers’ recommendations

We asked Campfire Mag readers to tell us about their favourite items of camping gear. In fact, we’ve given  away a prize or two for the best suggestions. 

Here are some of their recommendations – from barbecues and kettles to the comfiest camping mattresses.

Plus if you’d like to win a great piece of camping equipment, just send us your own suggestion for something that works really well for you. 

Latest update: April 2021


Eco Set paella pan 38cm: set of 3 square support legs + 38cm polished steel paella pan + 300mm gas...

I have so many favourite bits of camping gear. A paella burner and pan to feed the 5,000; a hammock to sling up between trees, and a good loungy camping chair. I think my current favourite is a solar camping shower – a black bag system to hang up that warms in the sun and gives an alfresco bathing experience that is sheer joy. Modesty covering is optional, depending on how wild your camping is! Jos S.

GSI Outdoors, Gourmet Kitchen Set 11, Camping Chef Toolset

My favourite camping kit is our GSI kitchen utensil kit bag. It contains everything we use and we’ve added extras into the elastic loops. The folding utensils inside are amazing and are really durable. Best of all it has a solid zip which keeps everything inside the bag. Jane Feilden

My favourite piece of camping gear is an MSR Pocket Rocket – a fantastic stove for bikepacking. Adam K.

I love the MSR Pocket Rocket 2. It’s incredibly small and incredibly lightweight, perfect for a several-day expedition but just as useful for a day trip to the beach when you want a nice cuppa! The boil speed is very impressive and it always outperforms friends’ kit whenever I pull it out of the bag! Mike

Kelly Kettle 'Scout 1.2ltr in Stainless Steel | Ultra-fast Camp Kettle | Whistles When Boiled | Fuel...

My favourite piece of camping gear is a Kelly Kettle. Small, portable and easy to use. Hannah Sorley 


Coleman 50Qt Xtreme Wheeled Cooler Hard Shell Passive Cooler - Blue/White

My Coleman fridge keeps my beer super-chilled. There’s nothing worse than a warm beer and nothing nicer than an ice-cold beer whilst kicking back and stargazing around an open fire. Great for keeping the bacon fresh for the mornings as well. Michael

Trangia Unisex Stove Alloy Pans, Silver, Size 27 Size 1 UK

My favourite piece of camping gear is.our years-old Trangia. Easy to use and hot water in minutes! Patricia B.

Read our Stove Recommendations

Abreli Portable Folding Electric Kettle 555ML Fast Boiling Foldable Electric Kettle for Travel Food...

My favourite piece of camping gear are my folding bowls and kettle. Super space-saving. Chris M. 

Read our Camping Kettles Round-up

Cadac Safari Chef 2 Pro QR BBQ - Black

My favourite piece of camping gear is the Cadac Safari Chef 2.  It packs away neatly into a small bag, is really easy to use and it’s amazing how much you can actually cook on it considering it’s compact size. I regularly manage to cook up a feast for a family of four.  It’s really easy to clean too which is a bonus as no one likes that job. I opted for the canister version, but there’s a gas bottle model tooPaula H.

We have reviewed the Cadac Here


Alpicool G22 Car Fridge 22 Litre Mini Fridge 12/24v Car Refrigerator Portable Camping Fridge Freezer...

My favourite camping gear is my car fridge. We load it up with sandwiches and beer and it keeps everything cool in the car. There’s nothing better than a cold beer and an egg mayo sandwich to keep us calm while pitching! Martin

 Need help choosing a fridge? Read our easy-to-follow guide

E-Prance Permanent Coffee Filter, KF2 Reusable Coffee Filter, Stainless Steel with Removable Stand...

My favourite item of camping kit is a coffee dripper. Makes one perfect cup. Nick
Nice! Reusable is great. Have a look at our green camping article!

Cobb Premier Air Charcoal Barbecue Grill and Carry Bag

Our favourite bit of camping gear is our Cobb BBQ. It’s super-compact, and you can pick it up when you’re using it, as it doesn’t get hot on the outside. It has so many cooking uses, not just barbecue.

We’ve done the usual sausage, bacon and eggs in the morning and left it by the van cooking a shoulder of lamb that was then ready for us when we returned from an afternoon on the beach. Lush! Fern S.

Cobb oven


Read our Cobb review

Velo Sock Bicycle Indoor Cover for Storage and Transportation, Stretchy Dirt Proof Fabric, Bike...

Stretchy, beautiful and fits all bikes, these ‘sock’ bike covers are designed to keep your bike’s muck out of the car, the campervan or the house.

If you don’t like peacock feathers, plenty of patterns and plain colours, plus full covers as well as bottom-half ones. Velosock are the best, but expensive. Go for BEEWAY as a cheaper alternative. Pete C. 

Hook and Loop Straps Cable Ties Organizer Fastener 300 mm x 25 mm, Black (10 Pack)

Those velcro cable straps are soooo useful for all sorts of jobs. I wrap my cutlery together, tie my curtains up, hang stuff from them etc etc.  The only thing I haven’t used them for is cables! Happy camping. Kathryn

…and fix-all tape

Gorilla Tape Black 11m

My essential piece of kit for camping is Gorilla duct tape. I have an old car, an old tent and ageing kit, BUT that tape can make nearly everything usable. My other essential is my dog – to make me feel safe, no matter where I camp. Lorraine

Tabletop barbecue

Kampa - Sizzle Tabletop Camping BBQ

Kampa Sizzle Tabletop BBQ. So easy to use with the gas cartridges and we’ve cooked many fab meals on it. Viv S.

Tube Grill cooking

Grilliput Folding Barbeque,Silver

My choice is my Tube Grill. It’s portable and lightweight and very easy to clean. My 18-year-old son was about five when I bought it and he loved setting it up once I’d shown him how. 

We’ve used it with logs underneath, coals and a gas burner, so it’s versatile too. It’s still like new and nothing’s broken. It all packs away inside the tube so nothing gets lost either. It’s also a lot cheaper now than it was when I bought it! Sharon O.

See our other best barbecue finds

Skip to your own loo

Kampa Khazi Portable Toilet

My favourite piece of camping gear is the Kampa Khazi portable toilet. As a woman of a ‘certain age’, I find that these days my bladder has the capacity of a walnut.

If I didn’t have this fab wee portable toilet in my tent it would make for an uncomfortable trip, having to wander to site loos or find a bush to hide behind at all hours of the night. Could terrify the locals.

It’s a sturdy and not too obtrusive bit of kit and the lidded bucket means you can discretely dispose of the contents. No ‘walk of shame’ with an open bucket! Catherine

Lots more camping toilets reviewed here too

One pan to rule them all

No products found.

My favourite piece of camping gear is my Ridge Monkey Connect. It saves so much space in our small camper and is perfect for breakfast, lunch and dinner (and even cookies!). Tracey O.

The lightest chair?

My favourite piece of camping gear is my Helinox Chair Zero. It’s the lightest chair in the world that has a full backrest…about 500g. I also have the optional ground sheet, which allows it to be used on even the softest surfaces without sinking in.

I even made a special waterproof roll-top pouch for it which is fixed vertically onto one side of my backpack via some custom 15mm webbing straps. It’s not cheap, but the comfort it brings me when camping is worth every penny. Alf B.

See our choice of camping chairs too

The Delta toaster

DeltaToast: The Toaster for Small Kitchens. Compact, Space-Saving, Works on stovetops. Does Slices &...

My favourite bit of camping gear is my Delta Toaster. I’ve owned every type of stove-top toaster and even imported a special bruschetta-maker once from Italy in my pursuit of perfect campsite toast! In my opinion, this is the only one that does the job.

It is expensive but it is a brilliantly engineered piece of equipment that will last a camping lifetime (it may even become a family heirloom). It only does one piece of toast at a time but it does it quickly and evenly. Cory P.

We've tested quite a few camping toasters. See what we thought.

A good night’s sleep

I think my favourite piece of camping gear is our Vango Comfort Grande self-inflating mat. My husband is 6’5″, so we have one each and it means we both get a great night’s sleep when camping! It’s also used for sleepovers in the house, so double use! Helen 

A real camp bed

Outwell Centuple Single Bed - Red, One Size

My favourite camping gear has got to be the Outwell Centuple campbed combined with decent Outwell sleeping bags. After rolling about (and off) an airbed it’s great to get a good night’s sleep. Not lightweight and not cheap but well worth it. Chris Vesey 

Click for our camping mat review.

Clean hair

Klorane - Extra-Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk - The Original - All Hair Types, 150ml

My favourite piece of camping gear is dry shampoo! I know it’s not flash, or particularly hard to come by, but I just feel so much more refreshed and happier knowing my hair isn’t stuck to my head with grease. Little things like looking good when camping really matter to me. Karen S. 

Dry shampoo is a great idea. In fact, it's in our best all-time gear recommendations

Old-fashioned heat

stoneware hot water bottle

Great tip from reader Dave Harding. These vintage stoneware hot water bottles (provided you check for leaks) are a brilliant way to keep warm. And no plastic!

More campervan heating ideas to keep you camping over winter

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