Picture this: You roll into camp late Friday night after a long work week. Your car headlights illuminate your chosen patch of dirt at the campsite as the last of the sunlight dips below the trees. It鈥檚 a full-on race to unload the car, wrangle the tent poles, wrestle with the rainfly, and stake everything down before darkness swallows the site. Sound familiar?

As enjoyable as car camping is, there鈥檚 no denying that setting everything up can be a hassle, especially with kids and a dog (or two) thrown into the mix. The more you pack, the more you have to unpack, organize, and assemble. It鈥檚 a ritual every car camper knows too well: the delicate dance between convenience and chaos.

That鈥檚 why I鈥檝e started looking for gear that takes the headache out of setup without sacrificing comfort. And I think I might鈥檝e found the ultimate car camping luxury: the Thule Outset.

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Everything tastes better when you鈥檙e camping鈥攖hat鈥檚 just a fact. Unless, of course, you char the pancakes over an overenthusiastic stove, or the milk curdles in a cut-rate cooler, or you impale yourself on a flimsy, dull knife. You get the picture鈥攈azards abound. Invest in a smart camp kitchen, and you鈥檒l eat better, spend less time scrubbing, and keep all ten fingers intact.

Luckily, our fearless team of 14 testers put more than 60 pieces of camp kitchen gear on the chopping block to bring you the 16 best outdoor cooking gear we could find.

Updated September 2025: We鈥檝e added three new picks鈥攖he Opinel Nomad Cooking Kit, Drip EZ Prep Tub, and Yeti Three Course Bowl Set鈥攖o complete your camp kitchen setup. Other product and price info has also been updated.聽

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The first was patented in 1953. It was a big, insulated box that looked a lot like a Yeti, but without the handles. Early versions of the cooler were called a 鈥淟eisure Chest鈥� (great name) and promised cold groceries out in the wild, as long as you loaded them down with ice.

In the 75 years since, cooler design hasn鈥檛 changed all that much. Ice retention has certainly improved, but even with the best, most insulated coolers, you鈥檒l still need to restock it with ice over the course of a weekend camping trip. Then you have to try to keep your food out of the melting ice so it doesn鈥檛 get soggy. And when you get home, you have to dump the water, wipe down the cooler, and leave it open to dry out so it doesn鈥檛 get moldy. It鈥檚 all a hassle, and yet I鈥檝e been loyal to the old technology for decades, even when others insisted that an electric cooler was the superior option.

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Sleeping outdoors does not need to be uncomfortable. With the right gear, and a considered approach, lying under the stars can be just as nice as staying home. And no piece of gear is more important to comfort than your sleeping pad. Drawing from the 11 years and hundreds of nights I鈥檝e spent sleeping on luxury pads, here鈥檚 how to find the right ones for your unique preferences, budget, and environment.

I bought my first luxury sleeping pad way back in 2014, as I was recovering physically and financially from a really bad motorcycle crash. That justified its $390 price not only because it supported and cushioned my sore bones like nothing else, but also because it allowed me to turn camping trips into third dates.

Originally launched in 2011, the Exped Megamat was the first in this new generation of luxury sleeping pads. By housing pressurized air inside four inches of memory foam underneath a totally flat surface covered in a stretchy material that allowed the entire mattress to conform to your body鈥檚 shape, it delivered a level of comfort that was hitherto unprecedented outdoors. And, by blowing it up extra firm, then using the valve to 鈥渂urp鈥� air out of it as you laid on top, you could achieve a perfect, tailored level of support and cushion each and every night.

I鈥檓 not the only person whose enjoyment of the outdoors was transformed by the Megamat. As in all other successful product categories, rivals showed up promising new features and approaches.

perforated the interior foam and added a pad coupling system. Together, those changes reduced packed size and made it possible to draw two one-person (1P) pads tightly together to form a unified sleep surface for two people.

The brought lower price points by cutting out middlemen.

And Therm-a-Rest brought made-in-America production to the category, along with high-flow valves, with .

Put 鈥渓uxury sleeping pad鈥� into the search bar on Amazon and you鈥檒l find a bunch of pads that look similar from discount brands no one鈥檚 ever heard of.

All of the above follow the same basic formula: Like the original Exped Megamat, they鈥檙e about four-inches thick, contain both foam and air, and feature totally-flat sleep surfaces, vertical sidewalls, and stretchy sleep surfaces. R-values (a measure of insulation) for all of those exceed 6.0 and they sleep in utter silence. All are also big and heavy, limiting them to car camping trips. While they鈥檙e all extremely comfortable, there was still room for alternative approaches.

Exped itself did that by offering and 聽versions, plus . I鈥檝e tried all of them, and still find myself going back to the original (now called the , available in multiple lengths and widths for both one and two sleepers) for a just-right answer to most nights.

Last year, Therm-a-Rest aimed to bring equivalent comfort to backpacking with the launch of . Its inflated size and shape replicate those of the luxury car camping pads, but it ditches the heavy, bulky foam insulation for the same crinkly foil used in the brand鈥檚 ultralight pads. It鈥檚 more comfortable than any other backpacking pad, but at 30 ounces, it’s also more than twice the weight of something like , itself already very comfortable. That outweighs (har) the other benefits to my mind, at least for true backpacking, but the NeoLoft is so much smaller than other luxury pads when packed鈥攁bout the size of a basketball鈥攖hat it opens up means of transport like canoe, bush plane, or motorcycle, with more comfort than you could have taken along on those adventures previously.

HEST, a new brand based in Seattle, launched in 2019 with exactly the opposite approach. ditches the air in favor of all-foam construction. And that鈥檚 remarkable, given that it doesn鈥檛 pack down any larger than one of the original luxury pads with the same dimensions. The four-inch thick memory foam is split into two densities. The one on top is soft, conforming to your body, while the firmer one underneath provides support. The foam is then encased in a shell that鈥檚 rugged and waterproof on the bottom, and stretchy and breathable on top. While foam will never puncture or lose air, it can鈥檛 achieve the same degree of firmness as one of the inflatables.

Which Luxury Pad Is Right for You?

All of the pads I’ve highlighted so far are available in multiple dimensions, with most also available in at least one size suitable for two sleepers. The ability to precisely size a pad to your body, preference, shelter, or surface (Exped even makes ) is a major advantage offered across this category. Before cross shopping price, consider first the dimensions, and any special use you want to prioritize. Exped鈥檚 MegaMat ranges from $170 to $520, and most of the competitors are within that ballpark too.

While all of these pads offer impressive comfort, there are some major differences as you dive into the specifications. The Nemo Roamer, for instance, has an R-Value of 6.0, the lowest of the air-and-foam pads, due to the perforations in its foam. It packs considerably smaller as a result, but is most applicable to camping in temperatures of 20 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer. In contrast, the Exped Megamat Max鈥檚 six-inches of foam delivers an R-Value of 11.0, meaning that, paired with the correct clothing and sleeping bags, it could keep you comfortable down to a positively ridiculous -76 degrees Fahrenheit.

When investing in comfort, it鈥檚 also worth considering warranties. Therm-a-Rest, with its factory in Seattle, Washington, is famously able to offer a generous lifetime warranty for all of its sleeping pads. Nemo offers the same. Exped and HEST offer five years. REI allows members to return products up to one year from the date of purchase.

I can speak somewhat to the longevity of these pads. That original 2P Exped I bought way back in 2014 is, with the exception of a large hole I tore in it and repaired in early 2016, still as good as new. I鈥檝e gotten two years of use on a one-person Therm-a-Rest Mondoking, and managed to kill a Nemo Roamer after three years by melting it on a hot ATV exhaust pipe, which was no fault of the pad鈥檚. I think expecting a decade out of any of these pads is reasonable.

Accessorize for Comfort, Durability, Convenience

Within the context of a decade full of newly-comfortable camping trips, you’ll want to get the most from these pads. Their popularity has created a market for dedicated accessories, while their size means they pair well with some common home goods, too.

One item I now consider essential is the , which starts at $420 and is sized for 25-inch wide pads. It鈥檚 made from an extremely robust, hand-stitched fabric that protects your sleep system from weather, dust, and punctures. Stuart Born, the company鈥檚 founder, tells me that in the company鈥檚 eight-year history, he鈥檚 never heard of a mattress being punctured inside one of these shells. In addition to protection, the Badger Bed helps unify your sheets and insulation layers into a single unit that rolls and unrolls altogether, for easy storage and transportation.

The premise here isn鈥檛 necessarily insurance for your pad, which probably costs less money than the shell, but rather the ability to rely on its comfort while traveling and camping. With the Badger Bed you can sleep on even the bare ground without worrying about sharp rocks, sticks, creepy crawlies, burrs, or dirt damaging or invading your sleep system. The Badger Bed fits any 25-by-78-inch or 30-by-82-inch pad鈥攐r anything smaller than those dimensions.

You may also want to take advantage of the pads’ generous dimensions by ditching your sleeping bag. and both make fitted sheets that fit these pads, which boost comfort and help keep them clean. On top of those, blankets and quilts can be stacked to achieve the desired level of both insulation and flexibility. , , and all make their own puffy quilts sized just to these pads, and there are many options on the market. I like to run a Born top sheet, followed by a heavyweight fleece blanket I bought years ago at a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, then a down quilt. By using Born items, I can attach them to toggles within the shell, so they don鈥檛 get rucked up or moved out of the way while I sleep.

If you choose one of the inflatable options, you鈥檙e also going to need to blow it up, and these things鈥攅specially the 2P options鈥攈old a lot of air. Recent innovations in battery density have resulted in electric pumps that are smaller than a soda can, and which will save your lungs a lot of effort. I鈥檝e by no means conducted exhaustive testing across every pump out there, but holds enough juice to inflate and deflate a 1P Megamat ten times, and ships with adaptors that have connected it to every mattress I鈥檝e ever tried. Note the deflation thing. By sucking the air out of the foam inside these pads, you can get a drastically smaller packed size. this is no small feat if truck or truck-bed space is tight.

It鈥檚 also nice to get off of the ground. All of these accessories work on appropriately sized cots as well as they do on the ground. Back in 2018, I asked myself why I wouldn鈥檛 want to take advantage of how flat and stable the pads are and use a real bed frame. perfectly matched the dimensions of my Megamat Duo, elevating that 14 inches off the floor of the giant canvas tent I put up for hunting camp each fall. That way, warm air from the wood stove is free to circulate around me, I get bed-like comfort, and I don鈥檛 have to lower or raise my sore muscles all the way to the ground or back up. As a bonus, it splits in half, into two 25-inch wide bed frames that are just the right size for a 1P pad (the smallest stand alone size, twin, is 39 inches wide), so now a buddy and I both get one.

And that鈥檚 how I鈥檒l be sleeping most nights this fall, way out in the mountains. I鈥檝e got my new HEST Foamy all wrapped up in a Badger Bed, complete with fitted sheets, and a cozy insulation layers, ready to ride in my truck up there, where the bed frame is already waiting from last year.

Is my setup excessive? Yes. But talk to me when you鈥檝e just leapt out of bed after a full, restful night鈥檚 sleep, fully recharged and ready to tackle another challenging day in the mountains. Or as you鈥檙e hiking back to camp after dark, totally exhausted, but feeling reassured in the knowledge that you have the most comfortable bed possible waiting for you to collapse into it.

Wes Siler, our longtime outdoor lifestyle columnist, is a total wimp who obsessively pursues comfort in extreme environments. You can ask him for help dialing in your own system, or with anything else , where he helps readers lead more exciting lives outdoors.聽

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Every year, 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 gear team heads to Outdoor Market Alliance in Lakewood, Colorado, to get a glimpse at the new gear headed to the North American market. Much of what we get our hands on is headed for shelves in a few months for the fall season. Some of it, though, is a glimpse at next summer鈥檚 offerings, giving is a peek into the crystal ball of outdoor gear. Our favorite finds this year? Batteries that work like alkalines but perform like lithium, serious mountain biking packs for little shredders, and the much-delayed release of Thule鈥檚 anti-rooftop tent.

Coulee Coffee

For those who aren鈥檛 quite convinced of high-end instant coffee (but honestly, it鈥檚 not bad!), Coulee Coffee recently launched its single-serving, fully-biodegradable pour-over filters. Similar to the Kuju filters we鈥檝e seen on the market, but with a less flimsy design, each bundle comes pre-filled with 14 grams of grounds; So far, the company offers four different roast options. The filters have a sturdy platform that fits on the rim of most standard mugs without fear of tipping or collapsing when pouring in water to brew. You can also buy $20 packs of empty filters to fill with your favorite grounds. 鈥擜dam Trenkamp, gear lab editor

Coast Zithion-X Batteries

There are plenty of rechargeable lithium batteries on the market, but these are special. Coast鈥檚 new batteries have something called ZX Optimized Voltage technology that supposedly delivers the same steady output as alkaline (traditional AA and AAA), making them compatible with 鈥渓ow drain鈥� devices鈥攖hink headlamps and two-way radios. Apart from keeping alkalines out of the landfill, this gives you the performance benefits of lithium鈥攍onger run time and increased performance in extreme temperatures鈥攊n a truly alkaline-compatible package. We asked if the Zithion-X batteries are safe for use with avalanche beacons, which could be big for winter backcountry travel, but haven鈥檛 received confirmation. 鈥擜dam Trenkamp, gear lab editor

Osprey Raptor Jr Hydration Pack

Finding specialized outdoor gear that truly fits kids can be a challenge鈥攎ost technical equipment is designed with adults in mind. Osprey has taken the lead in changing that narrative by focusing on redesigning some of its adult-size packs for kid-specific fits, like the Raptor Jr, a fully-featured hydration pack for young mountain bikers. It doesn鈥檛 lack on any of the technical bells-and-whistles that the full-sized pack includes, like a stretchy front sleeve pocket, an internal tool organization, stabilizing upper compression straps and dual mesh hip belts, and a LidLock helmet attachment clip on the front of the pack. It also comes with a 1.5-liter reservoir that fits snug inside. 鈥擡rica Zazo, Backpacker contributor

Nestout FAN-1 Portable Fan

I鈥檓 not afraid to deck out my campsite for the sake of comfort, but I鈥檝e never found a worthwhile portable fan to pack on my car camping adventures. They鈥檙e either too noisy, too bulky, too weak, or unable to hold a charge overnight. Nestout鈥檚 FAN-1 solves almost all of these problems. You can choose between four different fan speeds and adjust it to swing at 40掳, 70掳, and 100掳 for customized airflow. Built-in tripod legs let you find placement on uneven surfaces, or you can remove the legs and hang the FAN-1 on a tree branch using mounting hooks. I found it particularly useful to blow away pesky mosquitos on windless nights. 鈥擡rica Zazo, Backpacker contributor

Thule Outset Hitch-Mounted Tent

[Launching August 26]

We first saw Thule teasing its a few years back. After quite a few delays (pesky North American compliance), the roof rack brand鈥檚 rooftop tent alternative is finally hitting the market. The new Outset mounts to a standard 2-inch hitch, giving campers a home on wheels that can easily be attached and detached, simpler to set up, and doesn鈥檛 tie up roof space. The best part: You can leave the tent freestanding when parked, which makes quick trips to town or the trailhead a lot easier than with roof-mounted models.

Inside, the Outset offers a raised platform, a built-in mattress, and big windows for ventilation鈥攆eatures that should appeal to anyone who wants a more comfortable camp setup without sleeping on the ground. In general, the design seems geared toward weekend campers who want convenience without a ton of fuss. No doubt, the Outset is something that will only appeal to a small group of campers, especially with a $4,700 price tag. 鈥擩enny Wiegand, associate gear director

La Sportiva Sender Ski Boot

[Available Fall 2025]

La Sportiva built its backcountry rep on lightweight, uphill-focused touring boots, but the new Sender marks a clear push into freeride territory鈥攁nd brings a first for the brand: GripWalk soles. That means seamless compatibility with both tech and alpine hybrid bindings, something La Sportiva hasn鈥檛 offered until now.

At just under 1,500 grams and a 130 flex, the Sender targets skiers who want real downhill power on big skis but aren鈥檛 willing to sacrifice uphill efficiency. A carbon-loaded Grilamid cuff, Pebax shell, and a Force Wrap liner lock in support, while a 63-degree range of motion in walk mode that should keep skinning practical for big days out.

The Sender is exciting because it鈥檚 La Sportiva鈥檚 most freeride-focused touring boot yet, and the brand鈥檚 first shot at a true crossover model built for skiers chasing big descents without ditching the climb. 鈥擩enny Wiegand, associate gear director

Marmot Wraptor Sleeping Bag

[Available Spring 2026]

We鈥檝e seen a few 鈥渨rap鈥� style sleeping bags in recent years, most notably the Wrap Sack from Rumpl. Marmot鈥檚 take uses a more traditional mummy style, and foregoes zips for magnetic closures. Available in synthetic and 650-fill down and in 15-to-20-degree ratings, the Wraptor lets you regulate your warmth by choosing between one or two layers of sleeping bag, and utilizes an聽 鈥渆nvelope-style鈥� footbox, which lets you stick a foot or two out when you get hot. The magnetic closure at the collar only opens when it鈥檚 pulled down, which Marmot says should keep it from popping open in the middle of the night. Bonus: it鈥檚 made from 100-percent post-consumer recycled materials. 鈥擜dam Trenkamp, gear lab editor

Fjallraven Kajka X-L盲tt 45

[Available Spring/Summer 2026]

The trendy Swedish brand, best known for its durable, sturdy hiking gear, is making a concerted effort to lighten the load of its packs and apparel across the board. Its new 45-liter Kajka X-L盲tt pack, built for short backpacking trips, weighs only 2.4 pounds, which is quite light for Fjallraven, but just about average for most other pack-makers. But the X-L盲tt stay true to its robust design roots with the brand鈥檚 Vinylon F (a burly synthetic fabric with the feel of canvas) and sturdy birch stays. We鈥檒l be curious to see how the pack actually carries after a season of testing. 鈥擝enjamin Tepler, senior gear editor

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While it鈥檚 ironic to discover the best new outdoor gear while walking the floors of a windowless convention center, I was excited to attend the inaugural Switchback show in Nashville, Tennessee, earlier this month. After two days of pounding the sticky trade show floor, here鈥檚 the gear that got me most excited.

Lifestraw Escape Purifier

[Launching August 5, 2026]

You can find tons of different water filtration tools for backpackers but none for the car camping/overland crowd. Lifestraw is about to launch one. The Escape is a 5-gallon jug fitted with a purifier inside and a pressurization pump up top (sort of like a beer keg). You can fill it with water from any source鈥攁 river, a pond, or a stock tank鈥攑ump it up, open the nozzle, and it will provide clean water at a flow rate similar to your kitchen sink. Because it鈥檚 a purifier and not just a filter, it gets rid of viruses in addition to bacteria, microplastics, silt, and more. Those worried about the end times will also love this unit and will keep it in their basement near the canned food cache.

Mimikai Mosquito and Tick Bug Spray

Deet and Picardin have long been the go-to ingredients in bug sprays even though both are pretty nasty. The natural bug sprays usually don鈥檛 work very well. But Mimikai, a brand new company, says they鈥檝e found a much more friendly anti-bug ingredient that鈥檚 derived from wild tomatoes and is just as effective as the harsher chemicals at repelling mosquitoes and ticks. We have yet to put it to the test, but the spray has been years in the making and is the first new EPA-registered repellent in 25 years, so it can鈥檛 be total snake oil.

Gossamer Gear Piku Sling

Most sling bags are fashion accessories or only made to hold your everyday carry. The Piku, on the other hand, is a full-on adventure pack. Thanks to the roll top, it can hold enough gear for a full-day adventure in the backcountry and comes with a little pad you can pull out and sit on for lunch. On a civilized vacation, it will hold your water bottle, a rain jacket, and other necessities, and then expand to hold whatever treats or souvenirs you buy during your day. Two included straps allow the Piku to mount on your handlebars for bikepacking adventures. Made from 100-denier recycled nylon, it鈥檚 tough as nails but only weighs 8.9 ounces.

Neve Smoothie Pouch

Neve founder Nora Fierman, an adventurous skier and mountain biker, was always looking for the best way to quickly and efficiently fuel on long backcountry adventures. Gels were fine but kinda gross, and regular apple sauce packets didn鈥檛 pack enough punch. To fill the gap, she invented her own smoothie pouches that are loaded with all the stuff you need for big, all-day outings like naturally sourced carbs, fats, and sodium, plus tons of other beneficial ingredients found in beets and boysenberries. We tried a few pouches at the show, and they are delicious, so no one should have a problem downing a couple to prevent bonking.

Akaso Seemor-200 Night Vision Goggles

These see-in-the-dark goggles aren鈥檛 intended for bad-guy hunters but for nature lovers. A variety of technologies, including infrared, let you scan a forest and immediately see things that otherwise would be hidden in the dark. Bird watchers will love using them to track owls, and I can absolutely see my kids spending hours tracking creatures in the woods after dark outside the house or on a backpacking trip. If you do see something poke through the trees, it鈥檚 easy to record the animal in 4K video so you can share your experience.

Birkenstock CT

[Launching August, 2025]

The Birkenstock Boston Clog has had more than a moment for the past year or so. Aging boomers down to high school students are now rocking these sandals, and stores can鈥檛 keep them on the shelves. Now the company is about to launch the same style of clog but with an off-road PU sole so that you can wear them to work, on vacation, and even up a trail. They鈥檙e not full-on hiking shoes, but the meaty sole will provide enough grip to get you off the pavement, and Birkenstock aficionados will undoubtedly love the chunky look. Like all Birks, the CTs come with a wildly comfy, contoured footbed and a high-quality leather upper.

GiantMouse Ace Jutland Slipjoint Brass Knife

Most knives these days are packed with as many features as possible: locking mechanisms, innovative blade designs, and more. We loved this knife from GiantMouse because it relies on simplicity and quality. Instead of a lock, there鈥檚 a slipjoint that provides a little resistance when you close the blade but still allows you to snap it shut (like your grandpa鈥檚 old knife that you played with as a kid). There鈥檚 no clever way to open the knife, just a small slit for your fingernail. It isn鈥檛 cheap at $225, but you get high-quality components, including a beautiful brass handle and an edge-holding S90v steel blade.

鈥婥raggy Portable Metal Ring Toss Game

The ring toss game has been around for a long time, but this version is made from metal and folds down for easy transport. That means it can live in your car at all times and get pulled out during every camping trip or tailgate. If you鈥檝e ever played this game, you know how addicting it can get, for kids and adults鈥攊t鈥檚 easy to spend hours battling back and forth as you perfect your technique. Seventy bucks is a lot for a game, but after it鈥檚 been used for hundreds of hours of fun, the cost will seem like a pittance.

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If you鈥檙e a regular reader of this column or have followed my adventures over the years, you鈥檝e no doubt realized that I have a habit of changing adventure rigs quite often. My wife says I have a problem, but I think it鈥檚 fun to try new camping rigs and, as with most other outdoor gear, constantly tweak and dial them in.

Our latest rig is a camper van. Sarah and I tested a Wayfarer Vans Walt conversion last summer, and we liked van camping and traveling so much that we pulled the trigger on a van of our own late last year. After five months with it, I have a better sense of how a van compares to different types of rigs, and thought I鈥檇 break down why we made the switch.

Watch: Inside a Wayfarer Vans Conversion

Why We Made the Switch

First, some quick background. I spent six weeks last summer riding the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route (GDMBR), and Sarah joined me in the Wayfarer test van for the last two weeks of the trip. While planning the adventure, we began discussing logistics and what vehicle she鈥檇 take. The natural choice, to me, was to take our Tundra and 19-foot Airstream鈥攂ut after talking it through, it became clear that towing the trailer would be too much work and create a lot of unnecessary headaches. I suggested she just camp in the Tune M1 that lives on the back of our Tundra, but we haven鈥檛 built out the inside, and she rightly pointed out that living and working out of it for several weeks wouldn鈥檛 be comfortable.

All of that led to our interest in trying a van. We quickly learned that a van was not only the right rig for that particular trip鈥攚hich involved moving to a new location every day and lots of highway driving鈥攂ut it made more sense for the majority of our trips than the Airstream. Here鈥檚 why:

1. We averaged 20mpg over a couple thousand miles, which is nearly double what our truck gets pulling the trailer.
2. Navigating cities, small towns, and even gas stations was infinitely easier with a van half the length and with a better turning radius. While the Airstream was only 19 feet long, when you add it to the truck鈥檚 length, you鈥檙e piloting a 38-foot rig versus a 19-foot van.
3. We worried significantly less about getting stuck or having to back up for long distances on Forest Service roads. Even though our trailer has a 3-inch lift and all-terrain tires, the whole rig was much more difficult to fit in tight spaces than a self-contained van.
4. The van, despite being front-wheel drive (FWD), proved quite capable and went anywhere we needed to go. The GDMBR is made up of mostly dirt roads, some of which get pretty gnarly鈥攅specially in New Mexico and Montana. There were some particularly rough, rocky, and rut-strewn sections of Forest Service road between Seeley Lake and Whitefish that the van probably had no place being, but Sarah took it slow and made it through without issue.
5. The build was simple, high quality, and offered most of the amenities we were used to with our Airstream, such as running water, lights, a heater, and a fridge鈥攋ust with much less required maintenance.
   

   

Choosing the Van

When we got home from that trip and returned the test van, we were surprised by how much we missed it. We didn鈥檛 just miss camping out of it鈥攚e missed all the little advantages that come with having a campervan, like the passthrough from the cab to the living area and ability to make quick snacks in the kitchen on the road. So, we decided to sell the trailer and look for a van.

We were set on a Wayfarer conversion after spending so much time in one, which limited our van choice to either a Ram Promaster or Ford Transit. I labored over the decision mainly because the Transit is available in all-wheel drive, and I thought that might be necessary for some of the places we go. Ultimately, we decided that a van with all-wheel drive would still be nowhere near as capable off road as the four-wheel-drive Tundra in our driveway. The low clearance, limited suspension travel, overall size, and lack of low range really limits where an AWD van can go compared to a truck, so we decided to skip it. Besides鈥攚e鈥檇 already found the Promaster鈥檚 FWD to be capable of getting to most places we wanted to visit on our trip along the Divide.

Promasters can cost significantly less money than AWD Transits: A brand new, starts just over $50K, while a starts around $57K (though when you dig into it, it鈥檚 very difficult to find a 148鈥� High Roof, AWD Transit for less than $65K). Used Promasters are even less expensive, and when we were shopping it was easy to find a slightly used Promaster with 30,000 to 40,000 miles on it for $30K, which was a big factor in our decision. What really sold me on the Ram was . First of all, Promasters are more square inside and feel much more roomy to me than Transits, which get narrower toward the roof. At their widest points, Promasters are about 7.5 inches wider. A high-roof Promaster has about 6 feet, 2 inches of standing room inside after a Wayfarer conversion, but its exterior height is a full 8 inches shorter than a high-roof Transit (which, despite the tall height, only offers 2 more inches of interior head room). That might not sound like a big deal on paper, but I can assure you it makes a difference in high winds on the highway, low overhangs around town, and low-hanging branches on dirt roads. Heck, a mid-roof Transit, which only offers 5 feet 8 inches of standing height, is only 3 inches shorter than a high-roof Promaster.

There isn鈥檛 really enough of a difference in payload and towing capacity between the two makers to really matter, but Promasters get better fuel , which was important to us (we average around 18 to 20mpg in ours, while the AWD Transits usually average 13 to 15mpg). They also have about two more inches of ground clearance from the factory than the Fords.

There seems to be a consensus on the internet that Transits are more reliable than Promasters. While data from does sort of back that up, the Ram鈥檚 listed annual cost of ownership number is only $200 more, which wasn鈥檛 enough to sway me in the Ford鈥檚 direction given the Transit鈥檚 higher purchase price and lower fuel economy. I also asked the folks at Wayfarer about their experience with both vans, and they said from what they鈥檝e seen and heard from customers, there really isn鈥檛 that much of a difference between the two in terms of reliability. Both vans are sold all over the world, and there are plenty of examples of people traveling extensively out of each van with great success.

Ultimately, we chose to buy a used, 2023 159-inch wheelbase, high-roof Ram Promaster 2500. We opted for a 2023 because that model year came with a new, nine-speed transmission, which helps the van鈥檚 3.5L V-6 on the highway and in the mountains. We really appreciated the amount of space it had inside over the Transit, and were able to save a bunch of money by finding a great deal on a used van. Side note: Wayfarer is one of very few van conversion companies that will actually convert used vans.

The Build Process

Wayfarer Vans is based in Colorado Springs, and they have their conversion process down to a science. They can help you source a van, and once you鈥檝e got one, lead times vary from two to eight weeks for scheduling your install. Installs themselves usually take just two to three days.

Each is based on the van model you bring them, so our high-roof, long-wheelbase Promaster meant we鈥檇 be going with the same Walt conversion we tested. We optioned ours a little differently than the test rig, but it鈥檚 quite similar overall. The biggest-ticket options we wanted were the windows, bug screens, and heater.

Because we were moving from a 19-foot Airstream to a van, we really appreciated the Walt鈥檚 extra storage space for gear and extra seating. The Walt has one extra 鈥淏oot Box鈥� in the back compared to the Transit models and a larger galley cabinet for more storage. We often camp with friends, and being able to easily seat four or five people for dinner or board games inside the van if it鈥檚 nasty outside is awesome. As a side note, you can also spec either van with a if you have kids or travel with more than two people.

You can read a more detailed account of the van鈥檚 interior build in this article I wrote last year, but the moral of the story is that Wayfarer builds simple, high-quality camper vans that are completely modular and allow you to change the layout of the van depending on your needs.

Top Takeaways

We鈥檝e had the van for nearly five months now, and it鈥檚 already gotten more use than our Airstream did in the several years we owned it. That鈥檚 because now, in addition to a sweet camper, we also have a supremely practical vehicle that we use for other things than just camping trips. We鈥檝e hauled appliances and kitchen cabinets, driven to visit family across the country, used it as a production vehicle for my video business, and even used it as a daily driver because it gets better fuel economy and is easier to park than the truck.

I was also used to constantly working on the various systems in our Airstream, given it was 20 years old: I ripped out the black tank and replaced the toilet with a composter, lifted it and added bigger tires, added lithium batteries and a solar system, and more. With the Wayfarer build, we still have running water, a heater, lights, vent fans, solar-powered electricity, and even a portable composting toilet, but it鈥檚 all simpler and everything just works. It has a hand pump that pulls water from a 5-gallon jug, so there’s no winterization required. The electrical 鈥渟ystem鈥� consists of a , which works flawlessly and is simple to replace if it somehow wears out. All of the cabinetry is high-quality, Baltic birch plywood that鈥檚 completely modular and can be easily repaired or replaced if necessary. In practical terms, that means I now spend a lot less time futzing with systems and more time planning trips and actually camping.

We鈥檝e also found that it鈥檚 an infinitely better winter and ski camping rig than the trailer, due to the superior insulation, lack of plumbing to freeze, maneuverability and the fact that we are no longer dealing with trying to tow a trailer on snowy roads. The front wheel drive, paired with the I ran on it this winter, have proven to be totally capable of getting us to our favorite ski hills.

I鈥檝e already mentioned how practical the van is for more mundane tasks like moving furniture, but we鈥檝e also found that it makes for the perfect dog palace at trailheads or when running errands around town. The fans and windows allow us to keep it cool inside if we need to leave the pup in the van for a bit, and he鈥檚 got a comfy bed and a full bowl of water at his disposal. Bonus: The fact that there鈥檚 a always inside means we can keep groceries cool if we鈥檙e in town for the day, or just have cold drinks waiting for us after a mountain bike ride.

Off-Road Capabilities

But what about off-road stuff? You can鈥檛 do that in a Promaster! While the Promaster is an exceptionally practical vehicle, it鈥檚 also true that a huge, front-wheel drive, box on wheels is not an off-roader. But honestly, that鈥檚 part of what I love about it鈥攊t doesn鈥檛 pretend to be one, unlike some other vans out there. Despite that, it will absolutely get you down a gravel or moderate dirt road, which, if we鈥檙e honest, is really what most of us do with our built-out trucks, anyway. I do plan to modify mine just a bit to make it more dirt-road capable, which I鈥檒l cover in an upcoming article.

If I know I鈥檓 going somewhere that the roads will be really rough, I鈥檒l take the truck and sacrifice some camp comfort. I also love that the van also gives me the option to bring my e-bike or tow a four wheeler for further exploration (both of which will get further off road than my truck ever could).

Gear Hauling and Practicality

One other point in the win column for the Promaster is its gear hauling ability. Our van can not only tow more than 6,000 pounds, but has a payload capacity of 3,994 pounds. After the lightweight Wayfarer build, that means we still have plenty of payload leftover for toys and never have to worry about overloading the rig, which is something we鈥檙e constantly mindful of with our truck. If you鈥檙e an overpacker like me, a 戮-ton Promaster is a great option and can usually be found for significantly less money than an equivalent 戮-ton pickup truck.

If I鈥檝e learned one thing in all the years of testing rigs, it鈥檚 that no adventure vehicle is perfect. I always shied away from vans mainly because I assumed you needed at least $150K to buy one. Downsizing from a 19-foot travel trailer to a Promaster and Wayfarer conversion taught me otherwise. It鈥檚 also teaching me that, as with most things in life, simple is better.

More Gear Reviews

The Best Trailers, Truck Campers, and Van Conversions of 2025
The Most Exciting New Gear at Overland Expo West 2025
The 7 Best Sleeping Bags for Car Camping

The post Takeaways from Camping and Traveling in a Van Versus a Trailer appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

In 2014, Scott Brady, the founder of Overland Journal,聽became the first person to cross all seven continents by four-wheel drive鈥�a frequently off-grid endeavor that had him tackling some of the most extreme terrain on earth. In 2018, Brady went on to complete the first 4WD crossing of the Greenland ice sheet, south to north. While these kinds of聽 objectives might seem out of reach for the average car camper, Brady begs to differ: He says it鈥檚 way simpler than you think.

Brady has distilled everything he鈥檚 learned about vehicle-based adventure travel into his first book: Overlanding 101. It鈥檚 a collection of practical guidance around skills and equipment, mixed with tales of the real-life experiences that taught him all those lessons.

鈥淩ead this and go,鈥� says Brady, who also publishes the magazine and podcast, and聽. The book provides the practical knowledge you鈥檒l need along the way, along with plenty of inspiration聽for trips of your own.

While 256 pages of tips are great, I wanted to see if Brady could simplify his advice. So, I called and asked him for his best tips for new travelers. Here are the five he gave me.

Go As Soon As Possible

鈥淚 think people are afraid to fail or afraid to have mishaps,鈥� says Brady. 鈥淏ut I think that鈥檚 what the definition of adventure is: It鈥檚 when something has gone wrong.鈥�

Brady鈥檚 first piece of advice is that, if you want to start having adventures, the best way is to just pick up and go. If you wait until you鈥檙e able to buy a certain vehicle, or equip it with just the right gear, or think you need to learn some specific skill before taking off, you鈥檙e going to spend time waiting rather than traveling.

鈥淵ou don鈥檛 need to have the entire REI catalog,鈥� he explains. 鈥淕o lighter, go less expensive, and go now. You鈥檙e often better off without all the crap anyways.鈥�

In Overlanding 101, Brady tells the story of the very first overlanding trip he took when he got out o the Air Force in 2002. To tackle Arizona鈥檚 Camino del Diablo鈥攁 140-mile off-road route along the Mexican border鈥攈e geared up with both a roof rack and trailer to carry all the equipment he thought he needed. But it turned out that bringing a portable shower, gallons of extra gas, and enough water to survive out there pretty much indefinitely actually did more to frustrate him than to ease the journey.

鈥淚n all the buying and grasping, I missed the point of going in the first place,鈥� he says.

Get Buy-In From Your Travel Partners

鈥淲hat I think people get wrong often, which usually results in the experience going poorly, is that they don鈥檛 talk to their travel companions,鈥� Brady says. 鈥淪ome dude will get it in his mind to drive the TransAmerica Trail, and drag his wife and kids along without ever having a conversation with them about what they want to experience along the way.鈥�

鈥淟ike maybe his daughter鈥檚 super into geology, and she really wants to understand the rocks and the history, or his son really wants to learn how to drive, and if you don鈥檛 have those conversations, then you don鈥檛 have their buy-in,鈥� he continues. 鈥淧eople usually fail pretty quickly as a family when that happens.鈥�

Throughout the book, Brady reiterates that it鈥檚 the people鈥攂oth the ones in the car with you and the ones you meet along the way鈥攖hat are the point. Plan trips around them, not around some artificial goal or empty accomplishment.

Focus on the Trip, Not the Gear聽

Overlanders tend to be overpackers. But in reality, only a few pieces of gear really matter. 鈥淵ou need some form of identification, some form of communication, and some form of commerce,鈥� Brady says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 truly need anything else.鈥�

Not only do people spend way too much time getting wrapped up in equipment, Brady says, but that investment can ultimately get in the way of the experience as stuff starts to break, get lost, or get stolen. But if you have a passport, a credit card, and a cell phone, you have the tools you need to solve pretty much any problem, no matter where you are in the world.

鈥淚 see people get really bummed out when they lose stuff. They let it ruin their trip. But in the grand scheme of things, if your laptop gets stolen, it鈥檚 OK. Learn to let those things go and focus on the journey.鈥�

Slow Down

鈥淎nd after you鈥檝e done that, slow down some more,鈥� says Brady. That鈥檚 both a philosophy, and practical guidance. Slowing down will make tackling obstacles both easier and safer, while giving you time to enjoy the experience.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 one thing I struggle with,鈥� Brady continues. 鈥淚鈥檓 always in full attack mode. I鈥檝e always wanted to accomplish goal after goal after goal, and a lot of times, I don鈥檛 remember what I did afterwards.鈥�

鈥淪o if I was to give someone advice, it would be to plan a little less,鈥� he says. 鈥淧lan fewer miles, spend more time in that little village. Take an hour to sit in that cafe and just watch people go by.鈥�

Find a Way To Give Back

鈥淭hese experiences give us so much,鈥� Brady says. 鈥淚鈥檝e changed significantly by seeing the rest of the world. Strangers are聽no longer 鈥榦ther鈥� anymore鈥攖hey’re someone I had lunch with, or someone that helped me on my journey. Once you start to spend time with people in other places, you start to be a lot more understanding of the fact that they are different, but in the best ways possible.鈥�

In that spirit, it’s important to respect the communities and ecosystems you travel across, Brady says. 鈥淭read lightly, leave no trace, find ways to minimize your impact,鈥� he suggests. 鈥淚nstead of leaving that campsite super early in the morning, take five minutes to police it for trash.鈥�

If you can, do more than just erase signs of your passing鈥攍eave the place better than you found it.聽Brady says adding value to the people and communities you visit can be as simple as buying someone a beer, then taking the time to enjoy it with them. Or, it can be more involved. On one of his first forays into Baja, Mexico, Brady met some people who run an orphanage in Muleg茅, a small town on the Sea of Cortez. The next time he drove through, he made time to stop by the Costco in Los Cabos, and bring them weeks鈥� worth of shelf-stable breakfasts for the kids. Now he has positive memories of a positive contribution, not just a fun trip.

鈥淥verlanding 101鈥� is available this week in paperback, audio, and Kindle formats.

The post With These 5 Tips, You Can Overland The Entire Planet appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

I, like many, feverishly guard my Yeti gear. My water bottle cabinet is stacked with Ramblers and my garage has four different-sized coolers neatly stacked and waiting for my family鈥檚 next adventure. The cooler and drinkware brand鈥檚 stuff is so good that it鈥檚 found a permanent place in my rather large but ever-rotating gear collection that鈥檚 fed by my job as a gear tester.

That said, there鈥檚 one piece of Yeti gear that I was rather happy to give away to friends. After lugging the Yeti Trailhead Camp Chairs on several camping trips, I decided that I wanted them gone and gladly shuffled them off to other garages. Those chairs, I will admit, are more comfortable than any other camp chair on the market. But they鈥檙e also the heaviest and bulkiest camp chairs I鈥檝e ever tested and were a royal pain in the ass to lug around. Their bulk took up an absurd amount of space in my truck bed, and hauling two around a campsite felt like lugging sacks of stones. Bottom line: The comfort was not worth the effort.

Given that experience, I was curious鈥攁nd skeptically hopeful鈥攁bout Yeti鈥檚 new beach chair. I鈥檝e now been testing the Hondo Beach Chair for a few weeks, and, thankfully, it is exactly what I鈥檝e been hoping for and will absolutely become part of my permanent Yeti gear collection.

Yeti Hondo Beach Chair Wear-Test Review

Made from a powder-coated aluminum and slung with a breathable and UV-resistant mesh, the Hondo is rated to hold 350 pounds. Weighing 11 pounds, it鈥檚 not (their Chair One comes in at 2.25 pounds), but it is two pounds lighter than the Trailhead, which is noticeable when walking around a campsite or from your car to your kid鈥檚 soccer game. It also comes with a removable padded shoulder strap that makes carrying two or three at a time a total breeze.

The biggest difference, however, is in the bulk. Like most beach chairs, Yeti鈥檚 version folds flat and, packed down, is only about 2.5 feet on its longest side. You can stack two or three into your car and only take up a few cubic feet of space. In my truck, the chair disappeared against the side of my bed, unlike the Trailhead, which squeezes down into an awkward cylindrical shape that never fits anywhere well because of its girth.

Like all beach chairs, the Hondo sits closer to the ground on two lengthwise braces instead of four individual feet so that it鈥檚 more stable in sand. People accustomed to taller camp chairs might balk at the lower-to-the-ground design, but I鈥檝e found it to be an advantage. By sitting closer to the ground, I鈥檓 actually closer to the coals of the campfire, which is where the heat is. The chair doesn鈥檛 sit so low that it feels awkward to get out of, at least for someone like me, still relatively young and spry. In terms of seating height, the Hondo feels similar to the Helinox Chair One, so you won鈥檛 be a total outlier. When I hauled the chair to my son鈥檚 soccer game, I found that I had to scoot a little forward to not be blocked out by other spectators in taller chairs, but that was no big deal.

Beach chairs are also built to recline so you can sunbathe, and I鈥檝e found this to be an advantage for camping as well. When the stars come out at night, it鈥檚 been fun to haul the chair to a dark spot, recline it as far as it will go and stare up at the constellations. During the day, leaning the chair back has also facilitated great naps.

I have yet to take the chair to the beach, but it will obviously do its job well when placed in the sand and next to the water. There鈥檚 a sturdy cup holder, and plastic tabs on both arms are designed to integrate with other Yeti products like the SideKick Dry one-liter gear case that will hold daily items like sunscreen and car keys.

Like all Yeti products, the Hondo is pricey at $300, but as we always say about the brand, the investment is worth the initial pain. I know that I鈥檒l gladly haul this chair around to camping trips and beach outings for the next 10 years, toss it around in my truck, leave it out in the sun, and generally abuse it without ever worrying that it will break or not be the most comfy seating option during every adventure.

See our full gear guide to 2025 camp chairs.

The post Yeti鈥檚 New Hondo Beach Chair Tested and Reviewed聽 appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.

Few things can tank morale on a camping trip like a bad night鈥檚 sleep. Fortunately, with so many stellar sleeping pads available, there鈥檚 no reason your gear should keep you from getting your beauty sleep, especially when you鈥檙e car camping and you鈥檝e got the room to go big. We spent 50+ nights testing every type of sleeping pad for camping (and even cots) that prioritize comfort over weight and packability鈥攆rom smart options designed for literal car campers to plush camping sleeping pads that can double as a guest room mattress. The options below delivered our best nights of sleep.

Updated August 2025: We added two new picks to this list, including the game-changing Zempire Monstabed Twin, a tall camp bed that鈥檚 as comfy as it gets. We also added the Sea To Summit Pursuit Plus鈥攁 do-it-all option for car campers who occasionally backpack, too.

The post The 9 Best Sleeping Pads for Camping appeared first on 国产吃瓜黑料 Online.