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Thanksgiving in Big Sur a couple years ago. Hands down, one of the best nights I've ever had outdoors.
Thanksgiving in Big Sur a couple years ago. Hands down, one of the best nights I've ever had outdoors.
Indefinitely Wild

Essential Party Camping Gear

Having a good time outdoors has gotten a lot easier thanks to technical innovations in the party camping space

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Don鈥檛 get me wrong: climbing mountains, paddling聽rivers, bagging a year鈥檚 worth of meat, and聽tackling聽challenging trails are fun, but sometimes all a weekend needs are聽a beautiful view, fun people, and a lot of booze. Partying is one of my favorite excuses to take people camping. Here鈥檚 the gear I use to maximize our fun.听

Bonus: All this stuff will also make camping at a music festival聽or going to the beach that much more fun.听

With thick aluminum runners for the legs and arms, ARB's camp chair is vastly overbuilt. But it's also damn near indestructible and an extremely comfortable place to pass an evening.
With thick aluminum runners for the legs and arms, ARB's camp chair is vastly overbuilt. But it's also damn near indestructible and an extremely comfortable place to pass an evening. (ARB)

Chairs

The last thing you want to do is go party camping without a comfortable chair. Whether you鈥檙e watching a campfire, a sunset, or the cook, you鈥檒l spend a bunch of hours sitting, and you don鈥檛 want to do that on the cold, hard ground.听

The Luxury Option: Australian 4×4 accessory maker ARB sells . If you鈥檙e large-framed聽or just want a big chair, this thing will hold you, no problem. It鈥檒l last a long time聽and endure much abuse, but the penalty for its overbuilt nature is that it鈥檚 heavy, expensive, and doesn鈥檛 pack terribly small. I opt instead for the . You sit lower to the ground, but it鈥檚 still a very strong, very comfortable chair, complete with bottle holder.听

The Portable Option: Therm-a-Rest makes these that pack into their own legs聽and look like an oversized pill. They鈥檙e too big and heavy for backpacking, but for anything vehicle-based, they鈥檙e a comfortable, robust option that will help reduce the size and weight of stuff you have to carry with you.听

If I鈥檓 carrying stuff on my back, my go-to is the . It鈥檚 light and聽indestructible, can be strapped to the outside of your pack, and is surprisingly comfortable, especially if you rig up a couple rocks to work as a backrest.听

The Cheap Option: Walmart and big-box stores sell folding camp聽chairs for about $10. They鈥檙e effectively disposable聽but will provide a comfortable seat for one or two trips聽if you鈥檙e careful with them. They鈥檙e a聽great option if you鈥檙e flying somewhere:聽grab a few when you land, use them during your trip, and then throw them out on your way back to the airport. Suitable for car camping only.

Fold-a-Flame's new flatpack grills are rugged and spacious. This one has room for standard-length firewood and enough grill space for a dozen or more burgers.
Fold-a-Flame's new flatpack grills are rugged and spacious. This one has room for standard-length firewood and enough grill space for a dozen or more burgers. (Fold-a-Flame)

Grill

Cooking meat over fire is half the fun of camping in the first place. A good grill will make that easier聽and can make fires possible in areas that might otherwise not permit them.听

The Luxury Option: My friend Andrew is a product designer during the week聽and a dedicated off-roader and camper most weekends. He just designed . Sized to accept standard 22-inch firewood (you can鈥檛 gather fallen wood here in California), the Fold-a-Flame聽is big enough to have a real campfire聽but also works as a grill with charcoal. It鈥檚 made from heavy-duty 11-gauge steel, so it鈥檒l hold up, but it packs down to just a 3/4-inch stack for easy transport.听

The Portable Option: UCO makes that packs into a single tube for storage. You can pair it with a fold-up fire pit if you can鈥檛 burn wood on the ground.听

The Cheap Option: Roll up tinfoil to make grill slats, or just spread out super-hot coals聽and sear directly on those. You can also wrap your veggies and meat into a single foil package聽and shove that in your fire. The juices are held in, so the food won鈥檛 burn.听

OK, two fridges are probably overkill.
OK, two fridges are probably overkill. (ARB)

Coolers

You need to keep beer and food cold, hopefully all weekend, hopefully without soaking everything in melt water. Your old Playmate is hopelessly outdated.听

The Luxury Option: ARB makes its in multiple sizes that are designed to fit anywhere from a pickup鈥檚 bed to a Subaru鈥檚 hatch. You dial in the temperature digitally, and the cooler holds it there for the duration of your drive. While the car is parked, an included battery monitor will shut off the fridge before it drains your battery, but you should be good running the thing nonstop for two days with your car off. Since you aren鈥檛聽relying on ice, you never risk your food getting soaked, and the fine temperature control helps聽you avoid spoiling tricky stuff like fresh oysters. Yes, a portable fridge means you can take fresh seafood camping in the desert.听

The Portable Option: Even the smallest is too big to take backpacking, but its shoulder strap means you can easily carry it around an outdoor concert聽or even through an airport. 滨鈥檝别 had mine for two years, and its leakproof zipper has never dripped a drop, even when serving as carry-on luggage.听

The Cheap Option: Use the cooler you have already, but freeze as much of your food and liquids as possible before loading it up. How you use it is often more important than the cooler itself. Do you own a big chest freezer? Freeze both your cooler聽and its contents聽overnight聽before you leave.听

Japanese brand Snow Peak sells ridiculously over-the-top party camping gear. This setup is as nice as you'd find at a fancy restaurant, if that's what you need for your trip.
Japanese brand Snow Peak sells ridiculously over-the-top party camping gear. This setup is as nice as you'd find at a fancy restaurant, if that's what you need for your trip. (Snow Peak)

Tables

The Luxury Option: Snow Peak sells . They鈥檙e incredibly pricey, but they鈥檙e light, stable, and work great. Some even have fire pits built into the center, Korean barbecue style.听

The Portable Option: I try to keep the weight and size of stuff I carry off-road to a minimum聽so I get the best performance possible out of my Land Rover over difficult terrain. That also means I have more room for beer. REI Co-Op sells that, at eight pounds, is reasonably light and compact聽but gives you just the right amount of room to cook dinner for a small group.听

The Cheap Option: Put some plastic down and use your tailgate. Hanging a piece of cloth as a curtain will keep greasy food smells out of your car.听

Vehicle-mounted awnings are easy to carry, quick to setup, and extremely stable. If you use your tailgate as a kitchen, they're an ideal shelter from sun and rain.
Vehicle-mounted awnings are easy to carry, quick to setup, and extremely stable. If you use your tailgate as a kitchen, they're an ideal shelter from sun and rain. (AluCab)

Shade

The Luxury Option: A vehicle-mounted awning creates a large, easily deployed shade and rain structure聽without taking up space inside your car. And聽with your vehicle as an anchor, the awning will聽never blow away. These are especially great if you use your tailgate as a kitchen. , with enough accessories to turn them into totally bug-proof聽enclosed shelters. But, man, the offers just a ton of coverage from a very slim stowed package.听

The Portable Option: is built like a backpacking tent聽and packs up similarly small and light. Bonus points if you pair it with to create the ultimate party-camping hangout shelter.听

The Cheap Option: The is relatively affordable聽but can prove difficult to set up. It鈥檚 also vulnerable to blowing away in high winds, and its fabric tears easily.听

Therm-a-Rest's new Tranquility 6 provides standing-height interior room, along with walk-through doors. Here, it's paired with the Arrowspace shelter, which can attach to the Tranquility 6 to serve as a ginormous awning, or work on its own as a shade/rain shelter.
Therm-a-Rest's new Tranquility 6 provides standing-height interior room, along with walk-through doors. Here, it's paired with the Arrowspace shelter, which can attach to the Tranquility 6 to serve as a ginormous awning, or work on its own as a shade/rain shelter. (Therm-a-Rest)

Shelter

Tents focused on car camping used to be cheap and basic, but recently, more聽technical brands have been innovating in the space, bringing much-improved quality聽and vastly increased livability to car-camping shelters.听

The Luxury Option: The forms the basis of my radical rooftop-tent-on-the-ground overlanding solution. Pair it with to create an absolutely enormous home away from home. Therm-a-Rest has also just entered the party-camping sphere with . The is tall enough to walk through聽and pairs with an optional聽removable shade structure/vestibule. 滨鈥檝别 been car camping in the for a couple months聽and find it a reasonably spacious place to spend a night yet聽still cinches up very small. They鈥檙e both fun, comfortable tents that open up fully on both ends聽but seal up easily for solid privacy.听

The Portable Option: is a 2P backpacking tent body covered with the world鈥檚 largest awning. It allows you to sleep in a tight, cozy space, while still providing an ample outdoor living room. It鈥檚 probably not the right thing for backpacking, but it鈥檇 be perfect at a music festival.听

The Cheap Option:听罢丑别 is as close to free as a tent gets聽while still providing a comfortable, well-ventilated, bug-free home for two people. It won鈥檛 last multiple years, but it will last a summer鈥檚 worth of fun outdoor experiences. You鈥檒l find similar bargains, with similar limitations,聽at big-box stores.

Sleep

You don鈥檛 have to be uncomfortable outdoors. With the right sleeping pad and bag, you should be as鈥攐r more鈥攃omfortable and warm than you are at home. And some of these models even support vigorous nighttime activities.听

The Luxury Option: 滨鈥檝别 written about it before, since it delivers the best sleep聽and best sex 滨鈥檝别 ever had outdoors, but the remains totally unique in the luxury camping market. A memory foam outer surrounds an inflatable inner core, creating a 2P bed that鈥檚 more supportive聽and more comfortable than the expensive Tempur-Pedic mattress I use at home. Paired with full-size flannel sheets聽and a big down technical comforter, you will never be warmer or more comfortable outdoors.听

The Portable Option: Big Agnes has 聽that pairs perfectly with its to create a package that鈥檚 supercomfortable for two聽but weighs less than three pounds per person. I鈥檓 going to write a separate article in which I tell you how to shave weight for backpacking by working as a couple, but this is the sleep system that forms the core of that approach聽and does that without being constrictive聽or making you sleep separately.听

The Cheap Option: Please don鈥檛 use one of those uninsulated air beds they鈥檒l sell you at Walmart. They sag, they leak, and because they lack insulation, they make you sleep cold, even in mild temperatures. Adding a bunch of blankets and pillows to your backpacking setup will help you party camp much more comfortably. If you have the budget for just one camping setup, make it a decent, light, backpacking arrangement. I like the (trust me, your back will thank me)聽and the .听

Camping cocktail of choice for me and RYP.
Camping cocktail of choice for me and RYP. (Robert Young Pelton)

The Bar

Because warm beer is for suckers.

The Luxury Option: The best addition to my camping arsenal in the past year has easily been the . Available with two or four insulated聽stainless-steel tumblers, this shaker聽will mix your margaritas (per drinker: juice of one lime聽and one lemon, one shot of orange liqueur, two shots of tequila) like a champ, while keeping your drinks cold. The best part? It鈥檚 only $30.听

The Portable Option: Platypus makes 聽perfectly designed to store a bottle of wine. In my extensive product testing, it has聽proved equally adept at housing whiskey.听

The Cheap Option: A is just $7. 滨鈥檝别 had mine for a decade, and it鈥檚 never leaked. A friend stole it, took it on a yearlong聽worldwide tour with his band, and brought it back no worse for wear.听

Sure, you can just squeeze coffee through an AeroPress. But take the time to learn to use one, and you'll develop the ability to make any kind of coffee you'd like, quickly and easily. Even lattes and other fancy drinks. And cleanup couldn't be easier. A dedicated coffee setup like the one pictured here is also a great travel companion鈥攜ou'll never stop for a bad cup of coffee at a dirty truck stop again.
Sure, you can just squeeze coffee through an AeroPress. But take the time to learn to use one, and you'll develop the ability to make any kind of coffee you'd like, quickly and easily. Even lattes and other fancy drinks. And cleanup couldn't be easier. A dedicated coffee setup like the one pictured here is also a great travel companion鈥攜ou'll never stop for a bad cup of coffee at a dirty truck stop again. ()

Coffee

Something to make you feel better the next morning.听

The Luxury Option: There are聽all manner of expensive, complicated devices for portable coffee brewing, but none has yet surpassed the simple efficacy of the humble . Replace its fussy paper filters with 聽and have some good espresso beans ground for a French press, and you鈥檒l be onto the best coffee of your life, regardless of location. It鈥檚 simple, light, and easy to clean, and it will last you decades. I pair my AeroPress聽with a couple to keep coffee聽hot on cold mornings. This setup is so good聽and so robust聽that it鈥檚 replaced all the other coffee makers in my home, too.听

The Portable Option: We鈥檙e all familiar with the little single-serve packs of Starbucks Via. But those are pretty awful. These days, offers a much nicer brew in an identical format鈥攖hat鈥檚 what I鈥檇 recommend if you don鈥檛 want to take your AeroPress backpacking. Whatever you do, avoid the Trader Joe鈥檚聽single-serve coffee packs鈥攖hey鈥檙e the worst 滨鈥檝别 ever tasted.听

The Cheap Option: There鈥檚 not a lot wrong with . It even looks nice around camp聽with its vintage enamelware design.听

Make sure you ask a few friends to download offline playlists. The last thing you want is to get stuck listening to your own limited selection on loop.
Make sure you ask a few friends to download offline playlists. The last thing you want is to get stuck listening to your own limited selection on loop. (Dreamweave)

Music

The last piece of the puzzle is taking your music camping with you.听

The Luxury Option: The delivers robust, full, and very loud sound, along with a very long battery life. Fifteen聽hours of music should be more than enough for a long weekend鈥檚 worth of listening, and this speaker delivers home-audio quality in a weatherproof package.听

The Portable Option: I bring along an . It offers great sound for such a small package聽and has good battery life (16 hours). Choose a bright color so you don鈥檛 lose or forget it.听

The Cheap Option: Amazon Basics will sell you . It gets the job done, but not much more.

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