GSI Outdoors: Car Camping Essentials

By Aaron Bible

What’s not to love about car camping?

All the comforts of home rolled out into the woods, plus your favorite gadgets and techy tools to boot? You get breathtaking views, all the fresh air you want, and if the weather turns or things get weird, you’re only a car ride away from a Denny’s or Motel 6. And for most of us, car camping brings back all the child hood memories of camping with the family – both good and bad.

According to the Outdoor Industry Association, of the 43 million people who camped last year, 38 million of those were car, RV, or backyard camping, and manufacturers are taking notice of this fact.

When I’m heading out for a weekend of climbing or paddling, car camping frees me to focus on the gear and preparedness for my sport, not my camping gear. With that, here are a few Blue Ridge Outdoors picks for some must-have car camping favorites…

GSI OUTDOORS

One of the most trusted names in camping and still family held, GSI is especially known for their durable camp kitchenware and innovative accessories. And once you have a set of dedicated and reliable pots, pans, dishes and utensils for camping, you’ll thank yourself every time out. One of our favorites is the new 4.7-liter Halulite cooking pot ($44.95), featuring dual locking stainless steel bail handles, integrated straining holes (no need to carry a colander), silicone thumb pads for handling, and a spiral-turned base that helps it stay put. The enduring Destination Kitchen Set 24 ($49.95) gives you everything you need to serve a family of four and stays put in a handy carrying case. You’ll also want to add the Vortex hand-crank blender ($99.95) to the gear box, because eating good food and making fancy drinks is really what car camping is all about. GSI even has a new line of campground games designed to be packable and durable, even for backpacking. New items include Freestyle Bocce ($30), Table Tennis, Kubb, and classics like Chess ($12), Checkers and Backgammon. http://www.gsioutdoors.com