Few things in life help you escape the stresses of work and the daily grind like a getaway to the great outdoors. It’s a chance to breathe fresh air, soak up beautiful scenery, and recharge your internal batteries. Reconnecting with nature doesn’t mean disconnecting entirely from your devices. The right gadgets and accessories (such as our favorite portable power stations) can take your camping experience to the next level. We list five of our favorites below.
How this portable battery helps me go places with my dog
From coolers to blowers, it powers them all
5
UE Wonderboom 4 waterproof Bluetooth speaker
Rugged and portable enough to go with you everywhere
UItimate Ears Wonderboom 4
$22
This rugged, waterproof Bluetooth speaker offers impressive sound for its size and up to 14 hours of battery life. This means it can tag along on almost any adventure.
There’s nothing like kicking back in a folding chair around a roaring campfire with a cold beverage, jamming out to John Denver or Johnny Cash. A good wireless speaker can increase the vibes around the campsite and, if it’s rugged and portable enough, beyond. With this in mind, we like the UE Wonderboom 4 waterproof Bluetooth speaker.
We scored the Wonderboom 4 an 8.5, noting that it packs an unbelievable range of audio for its size and that its portable and rugged nature means you can take it anywhere. It’s dustproof and waterproof (up to 1m for 30 minutes) and even floats. It’s small enough to carry in one hand, has a built-in loop for attaching it to a backpack, and its battery is good for up to 14 hours of playback. This means you can take it with you hiking, fishing, and swimming, and it will have enough juice to keep the party going at the campsite.
4
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro Solar
Solar charging and a built-in flashlight
Garmin Fenix 7 Pro
$250
The Garmin Fenix 7 Pro is the ultimate smartwatch for the outdoors. It features a rugged design, solar charging, and support for SatIQ technology and TopActive maps to keep you on track, even when you go offroad.
If I were selected to be on one of those reality TV shows where they drop me off in the middle of the woods to prove I can survive for several weeks and allow me to bring a wristwatch, this is the one I would pick. This is an extreme example, and I would never wind up in this situation, but the point that this watch has features that lend itself to outdoor survival still stands.
The Garmin Fenix 7 Pro has everything you’d want in a smartwatch you intend to take camping. Large 1.3-inch display? Check. Rugged design with water resistance? Check. Built-in LED flashlight? You get the idea. The Fenix also utilizes multi-band GPS and SatIQ technology for more accurate positioning in complex terrains and supports TopoActive maps to guide you on hiking routes. Plus, it has solar charging. Three hours in direct sunlight can get you up to 22 days of battery life in smartwatch mode or 73 hours in GPS mode.
Why do Garmin smartwatch batteries last so much longer than Wear OS-based ones?
The battery life on a Wear OS watch can’t compare
3
Jackery Explorer 300 Portable Power Station
Enough power to go around
Jackery Explorer 300
Weighing just 7 pounds with a 293Wh battery, the Jackery Explorer 300 might still be one of the best portable and affordable power stations around. And thanks to its convenient carrying handle and plethora of ports, it makes a great camping companion.
Some camping purists might cringe at bringing a portable generator into the woods, but a portable power station is a must-have if you plan to use gadgets like a phone, tablet, or camera. Otherwise, you will need to charge your devices individually using a lower-powered car adapter or a low-capacity battery pack.
Numerous power stations offer a variety of price points and features to suit your needs, but for most people, the Jackery Explorer 300 is a solid option. It’s lightweight and super-compact, with an easy-carry handle, and it offers a range of ports: a 60W USB-C PD, a QC 3.0 USB-A, a standard 5W USB-A, a 12V car socket, and 2x AC 110V outlets. It also has a built-in display for viewing charging and battery status, support for Jackery’s (optional) solar charging kit, and a 293Wh capacity that can power most of your mobile devices for several hours.
2
DJI Flip drone with 4K UHD camera
Create the ultimate camping trip highlight reel
DJI Flip
The DJI Flip merges high-end features with beginner-friendly controls in an ultra-portable package. If you like the idea of capturing great photos and videos of your camping trip with minimal effort, you should seriously consider a small drone like this.
Whether you’re on a solo mission to capture images of a beautiful hiking trail or on a group retreat and want to take dazzling videos to commemorate the trip, a drone is the perfect camping companion. I’m not talking about the quadcopters of old, which were bulky and practically required a pilot’s license to fly. I’m talking about the drones of today, which are compact and smart enough to fly themselves. More specifically, I’m talking about the DJI Flip.
We reviewed the Flip earlier this year and gave it an 8.5 out of 10, calling it DJI’s best starter drone. It has a unique foldable design that makes it ultra-portable, plus a propeller guard and wire cage to protect it from damage and keep you flying. It features a 1/1.3-inch CMOS sensor that captures stunning 4K HDR videos at 60FPS (48MP photos), has an 8.7-mile range, and has over 30 minutes of flight time. You can fly it with the remote, using your Android phone for extra features, or take advantage of automated flying modes like Palm Takeoff, Auto-Return, subject tracking, and various Quickshot options.
1
Boruit V3 Mini 900 lumen flashlight
Those late-night wilderness walks are about to get lit
Boruit V3 Mini Flashlight
The Boruit V3 Mini is the ultimate camping flashlight as it offers up to 900 lumens of brightness and 12 light modes, and is about the size of two double A batteries. It’s also waterproof, charges via USB-C, and the transparent colorway glows in the dark.
It’s time to ditch that old, overweight Maglite for something with more flexibility and portability: the Boruit V3 Mini 900. This little torch is one of my favorite purchases over the past few years, and it’s been a mainstay in my EDC (everyday carry) kit, even though I don’t have a regular need for a flashlight. It doesn’t interface with your Android phone, so there is no companion app or voice control, but it has several features that qualify it for this list.
The most obvious one is that it is rechargeable via USB-C. That means you don’t have to bring extra batteries or different cables or adapters. The USB-C port is covered and sealed, meaning the V3 Mini is waterproof (IP65). It also has a tail magnet for mounting, a keychain hook for clipping, and 12 lighting modes, including three levels of flashlight brightness, an always-on lantern, a blue light, red light, flashing blue and red lights, and the transparent colorway glows in the dark for several seconds after the light is turned off.
6 ways to turn on the flashlight on your Android phone
You might be surprised by at least one of these options
Gadgets that enhance your time outdoors, not consume it
There are three schools of thought when it comes to mixing camping and creature comforts like portable electronics: leave everything at home and embrace the wilderness, bring any device you want, and whatever glamping is. I believe my camping gadgets should enhance my time outdoors, not consume it. That’s why there aren’t any phones or tablets on this list, only useful products that add joy, convenience, and peace of mind while out in the woods. For a little more peace of mind, install a weather app on your phone so that sudden showers don’t catch you off guard.
