If backpacking is a minimalistic pursuit, car camping is a celebration of excess. Thanks to trunk space and truck beds, racks and rails, campers have room for all the essentials—plus the extras. For outdoor enthusiasts with outsized toy collections, there’s no better way to travel. Whether you’re chasing swell, singletrack, steelhead, or some other white rabbit, this top-rated, thoroughly-tested gear will ensure home is where you park it—and that you’re comfortable and ready to play when you do. At a Glance Editors’ Choice: Nemo Duffel and Tote ($170+) Rux Waterproof Bag ($150) Radius Outfit ..read more

Stooping in a lightweight, minimalist, backpacking tent while camping out of your car isn’t much fun. Neither is getting blown over in a flimsy, big-box-store mega shelter. With that in mind, we tested seven new larger camping tents this past year in a quest to find the most luxurious, well-designed, and storm-worthy camping tents for lounging in style, no matter what the forecast looks like. Be sure to also check out our picks for the best backpacking tents and our favorite camping cooking gear. At a Glance Best Overall: Big Agnes Bunk House 4 ($433) Most Durable: Snowpeak Alpha Breeze ($50 ..read more

Most quilts designed for the outdoors are created to be used as either throw blankets, or seriously ultralight insulation for backpacking. The former prioritize low prices over performance, while the latter sacrifice versatility in order to save a few ounces. But the traditional sleeping bag also brings limitations, mostly to your ability to spread out, get comfortable, and share a sleeping space with a partner. Surely, there must be a better way. At least that was the thinking that led to the Aeronaut Hoverquilt. The brainchild of Laura and Brandon Davey, the $500 Hoverquilt sets out to be a ..read more

I bought my first tin camping mug from a gift shop in Yosemite Valley at the end of my first-ever car camping trip. I was a senior in college and traded the U.C. Santa Barbara Halloween party scene for a fall weekend in the trees. From the moment I picked up that blue mug with its white speckles off the shelf, I loved everything it represented: the experience I’d had that weekend breathing in the pine trees and campfire smoke, the crisp air and fluttering aspen trees, the massive granite walls and flowing rivers. I was in love—with the mountains, with camping, with my new mug. I used that mug ..read more

Being a great gift-giver is fun. And when you can do it without overthinking and over-shopping, even better. Hydro Flask’s lineup of drinkware, coolers, outdoor kitchenware, and accessories makes gifting for everyone on your list incredibly easy. So easy that all you have to do is put a bow on it and you’ll have the perfect gift every time. Here’s a list of all the people and circumstances Hydro Flask will come through for this holiday season with gifts that always hit the mark. For Winning the White Elephant Party We all know that gift. The one everyone is eyeing before the White Elephant sw ..read more

In darkness, there is light, but I wouldn’t deign to carry one. Not since I saw the light. It dawned on me: Why lug around a cumbersome AceBeam or a Maglite dumbbell, even one of those cute mini keychains, when I can affix a beaming bright bulb to my forehead? They may not be as trendy as what’s slung around city women these days, but in fleece-clad circles they are equally fashionable: headlamps are the fanny packs of the face. The chef Wylie Dufresne once told me the source of his disdain for both to-go lattes and umbrellas: “I don’t like holding anything.” I agree. What’s a little drizzle ..read more

Even though I’m perpetually cold, some of my favorite camping trips have been in October and November. Sipping a steaming hot mug of coffee on a crisp fall morning while I’m still in my sleeping bag (fall camping always calls for coffee in bed) will forever be one of life’s simplest joys. Fewer crowds also usually mean it’s easier to roll in late on a Friday night and still get a campsite. And in many areas, fire bans are over (be sure to check locally) which makes all the difference when there’s a chance of frost in the forecast. Here are six cozy additions to your camp gearbox for when the ..read more

Why has overlanding boomed in the past few years? Simple: There’s no better way to explore America’s vast public lands. You can cover lots of ground, camp in remote sites with unmatched solitude, pack plenty of supplies to sleep and eat well, and the whole experience is accessible to anyone with a high-clearance, four-wheel-drive rig. “I started overlanding as a way to explore the places I love as affordably as possible,” says Andrew Muse, an adventure videographer. “Now it’s just a way of life. Right after I got my Ford Bronco Badlands, I headed to Baja for a three-month trip with my pup Kic ..read more

If you’ve never tried it, we’re here to tell you that sleeping outside in the winter is way more fun than it sounds. Today’s winter bags are constructed like mobile sleep spas: Our three favorites for 2024 are so technical and luxurious that they outpuff the comforters at most five-star hotels. With water-repellant outer fabrics and silky, breathable interior liners that keep damp—and stink—at bay, cozy hoods that cradle your noggin on a billowy pile of down, and roomy-yet-swaddling mummy shapes, these three bags put our testers into deep hibernation, even when temps dropped below zero. The c ..read more

I’ve spent years trying to find an effective, efficient, safe way to heat a tent while camping out of my truck. Finally, I think I may have found one. Ignik’s new Flipside Heated Bed Cover ($150) provides a level coziness never before possible, with only one major caveat—it requires an external power source. To fully explain the appeal of this new solution, let’s first recap the problems with other heat sources. Propane is very energy dense, and available in portable, refillable formats. You can carry a lot with you, without much effort or cost, and obtaining more is also easy. But, combustin ..read more