The chill of autumn is in the air as summer comes to an end. But if you’re like us, fall marks a time for cozy camping trips and a lot of chilly weather adventure. After all, what’s not to love about autumn? Colorful leaves, lots of layers and quieter times in nature set a very nice vibe to play outside. As the season shifts, the gear we all rely on to stay comfortable does too. Changing the feather-weights to mid-weights, baseball caps to beanies.
We’ve created this round up of our favorite chilly weather camping gear of the year to celebrate autumn adventure! From gear you probably have heard of, to some new and exciting picks that our gear testers have come to love, you’ll likely be adding a few of these items to your arsenal of essential cozy camping gear.
Ready to cozy up this season? Keep scrolling to see our top picks for 2024!
Black Diamond Distance 1500 Headlamp
Autumn gets dark early, but that doesn’t mean that your cozy camp evenings need to come to an early end. It’s simply important to head good lighting! We really love Black Diamond’s Distance 1500 Headlamp for this task. This is a super bright headlamp that has a lot of brightness settings to choose from. The battery lasts an extremely long time that can last up to 40 hours, and it’s rechargeable with via USB. Something our gear testers have all noted about this headlamp is how comfortable it is, which is an important quality for a headlamp to have during short daylight hours.
See the Black Diamond Distance 1500 Headlamp
Sea To Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Kettle
A nice kettle goes a long way when it comes to a cozy camp. It makes morning coffee and evening tea a little more luxurious and lovely. The Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Kettle from Sea to Summit. It works for whatever way you like to camp. Whether that’s car camping, dispersed camping or backpacking. For car camping it’s awesome because it doesn’t take up much room in your kitchen kit. For all other styles of camping, it’s nice and lightweight on top of space saving. It’s made from EU food-grade silicone and a hard anodized aluminium base for rapid heat transfer. It also has two sturdy handles so you can pour your drinks without burning your fingers.
See the Sea To Summit Frontier Ultralight Collapsible Kettle
KUIU Super Down PRO Glommit
The quest for a perfect pair of camp mittens and gloves felt never ending until we learned of KUIU’s Super Down PRO Glommet. Glommet? Yes, glommet. A mix of a glove and a mitten! These things are nifty! They’re insulated with water-resistant Quixdown and made with Stunner Stretch fabric that traps warm air in and blocks cold air out. The glommet design makes for exceptional dexterity for camp chores, and the grippy texture of the fingers and palm helps with that too. The index finger has a slotted opening, so you can free your finger for added dexterity. These are very lightweight and because they’re down, they pack down super small.
See the KUIU Super Down PRO Glommet
REI Multi Towel Deluxe
A camp towel is always a must when the temperatures plummet. Spills happen, condensation happens and even snow happens! Being able to get yourself and your gear dry is important. REI’s Multi Towel Deluxe is up to this task! This towel can soak up to 6.5x its weight and can wring out totally dry. It even has a little hang loop so you can let it air dry. It’s available in three sizes, so no matter how you plan to camp, there is a perfect sized towel for you. While creating this article, one of our gear testers told me a story all about how this towel saved him from hypothermia when his only shirt became totally soaked and he used this towel to roll dry it before darkness fell.
See the REI Multi Towel Deluxe
HEST Camp Pillow
A good night’s sleep is so incredibly important to happy adventuring! And the pillow you choose to snooze upon can make or break that deep sleep. There are a lot of camp pillows on the market but none of them are quite as nice as HEST’s Camp Pillow. This is a camp pillow that feels more like a cozy pillow from your bed, yet it packs down nice and small. It’s crafted from a blend of shredded enhanced memory foam and polyester fill. This means it offers support and breathability, while retaining its shape after years of use. It has zipper access to the filling, so you can adjust how full or flat you’d like your pillow to be. This can be helpful for backpacking, as you can get the size of the pillow down for packing.
Therm-a-Rest Ramble Down Blanket
Sometimes a bit of luxury is in order for a cozy camp! And that’s what Therm-a-Rest’s Ramble Down Blanket is all about. This cuddly, fluffy blanket has 650-fill-power Nikwax Hydrophobic Down™ down to keep off morning dew and moisture of camp life. It packs up small for car camping and glamping situations, which is great because this blanket is an ultra cozy queen size! Our reviewers have raved about the Ramble Down Blanket for a while now. I’ve also put it to the test and it’s definitely the toastiest down blanket I have used for car camping. It has a nice burly feel, so it doesn’t feel weird using a luxury down blanket outside. All the materials are extremely soft too! So the durability to comfort ratio is pretty next level.
See the Therm-a-Rest Ramble Down Blanket
Kelty Low Loveseat
Simply put, the Low Loveseat from Kelty is wonderful. It feels more like a comfy couch than a camp chair. And over the years we’ve had our gear testers put this seat to the test and it’s held up great! It features a durable steel frame and adjustable armrests. It’s super quick to set up. And of course the Low Loveseat comes with a handy dandy roll-tote storage bag for easy hauling. Can you think of anything cozier than snuggling up on this loveseat by a bonfire with a big down blanket covering you and your partner or friend after a big day of adventure? Kelty’s Low Loveseat is one of those pieces of gear that can create core memories.
Scepter 5 Gallon Water Container
Having fresh, clean water available on adventure is key. There are a number of ways to carry water, and here at Backpackers we love Scepter’s 5 Gallon Water Container. It has a slim form factor and is lightweight, which makes it easy to pack. It also has a small spout that makes pouring from it very easy and spill free. Its carry handle is comfortable in the hand. During the chilly autumn months, a lot of campgrounds turn off water. And of course it can be a little cold to be filtering water from a stream. Packing in water can be a the easiest way to stay hydrated. Our gear tester Jon took a few of these on a paddling trip down the Green River in Utah and loved how easy they were to squeeze into his canoe. He also commented on the spill-free pouring, no water wasted!
See the Scepter 5 Gallon Water Container
Nocs Provisions Standard Issue Binoculars
It seems like over the past couple years birding has really taken off for campers. And we are so here for it! There is nothing more helpful to birding than good binoculars and our favorite pair is Nocs Provisions Standard Issue Binoculars. These are very high quality but wont break the bank! They have nitrogen-filled internal chambers that prevent fog formation on the interior surface of the lenses. When it comes to camping this feature is super important because mornings and evenings get chilly! These come with a lifetime no-matter-what guarantee, which is great. And the cherry on top? The eye pieces are designed to be used with a phone camera for clear images so you can share what you see!
See the Nocs Provisions Standard Issue Binoculars
Coleman Cascade 3-in-1 Camp Stove
Food! A cozy camp must have good food! Coleman’s Cascade 3-in-1 Camp Stove is the gold standard for cooking up a tasty meal at camp. And while you certainly wont be taking this stove backpacking, it’s ideal for any other camping scenario. It runs on propane and has wind shields on both sides of the burners the protect the flame from wind. It comes with grill and griddle accessories give you recipe options too! It has 24,000 total BTU of cooking power and can run for one hour on a single 16 ounce propane can. This stove is easy to clean and quick to pack up. It has a carry handle and locks closed. If you’re looking for a very reliable and effective camp stove, this is our top pick!
See the Coleman Cascade 3-in-1 Camp Stove
All images courtesy REI and respective brands, All Rights Reserved.
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