15 of Our Favorite Things for Outdoor Adventure

Since it’s time to start planning those summer adventures, an update to our outdoor gear list is in order. We also added some goodies to our van life gear recommendations and our road trip essentials guide. While a list of stuff is pretty contrary to all our talk about minimalism and letting go of things, even a minimalist needs some things. Plus we’re big proponents of thoughtful purchasing. We research the crap out of outdoor gear before buying and expect it to last.

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We use outdoor products daily and have found that many aren’t designed for such heavy use. The right outdoor gear can be the difference between a tranquil adventure or wishing you’d watched more survival videos on YouTube so you can whittle yourself a sanitation trowel. Seriously, have you ever tried digging a 6-inch hole in rocky soil with a stick? Easier said than done my friends.

This is our go-to outdoor gear. These items are versatile—great for everything from isolated backcountry trips to festival camping—and have withstood the test of time. Most of our gear has been with us so long that the manufacturers have since upgraded it, so the links are to the currently available versions. Happy browsing!

1. Sunglasses

These top the list and are on our van life gear list too because of sheer necessity. When you live mostly outdoors, you wear sunglasses pretty much non-stop (eye sunburn is real and nasty folks). I’ve been wearing a pair from Sunglass Warehouse for the last few months and they’re some of the most durable glasses I’ve ever had, plus super budget friendly. They offer 15% off and free shipping on orders over $25. There are tons of fun styles to choose from! Here are some of my favs.

2. Packable Down Blanket

This blanket is incredibly warm and lightweight. It packs down small for easy storage and transportation and will keep you nice and toasty on those cool evenings.

3. LifeStraw Water Bottle

Santa was good to me this year and brought this fancy water bottle. I say “fancy” because this is one of those items I consider a luxury in the outdoors. You can always use a pump or tablets to purify water, but this bottle is so wonderfully convenient. No more sweating away pumping water by the river’s edge after a long day of hiking. You just fill the bottle with water and drink out of the straw which is a filtration device. Brilliant! What’s even better is that for every product purchased, LifeStraw provides a child with safe water for an entire school year.

4. First Aid Kit

This is a must for any outdoor adventure or really any type of travel. It’s amazing how many practical things are packed into a small first aid kit. Just don’t forget about the pair of scissors and try to visit the Louvre. We learned that lesson the hard way. We love this kit because it’s so small and compact that it takes up minimal space in your pack.

5. Daypacks

That brings us to our next item. We use our daypacks…well, daily. This Osprey Pack that Tom has is our very favorite because it’s large enough to fit an ample lunch, snacks, water, sunscreen, maps, and that ever so handy sanitation trowel. One of the best features is the external pocket for a hydration bag so the interior stays nice and dry.

6. Coleman Instant Screen Tent

Our canopy succumbed to the Utah winds last summer. We didn’t want to spend a ton replacing it, so picked-up this screen tent before heading to Florida. We absolutely LOVE it! The whole thing simply unfolds and pops up in a few minutes. It’s much smaller, lighter, cheaper, and more flexible than our canopy. Also this tent totally saved our skins (quite literally😉).

7. Light My Fire Meal Kit

We’ve had these for many years so the version available now has a few more bells and whistles (and by that I mean an extra bowl) than ours, but still breaks down into the same compact size. We like that the new version has a harness so everything stays snugly together. These are great for backpacking and camping and take up little space when you’re storing them between uses.

8. Titanium Sporks

In lieu of plastic sporks (which tend to break), we prefer this titanium spork. It’s lightweight, durable, and fits right inside the Light My Fire Meal Kit.

9. Coleman Classic Propane Stove

This is probably our most prized outdoor gear item! Tom purchased our stove over 20 years ago (wow, that makes us feel old!) and it’s still going strong. We use it at least twice daily.

10. Collapsible Water Bag

We have a 7-gallon water container to hold the bulk of our H2O but it’s nice to have something smaller that’s easy to access and pour from.
TIP: You may be able to find this even cheaper at a local outdoor store. We picked ours up for 99₵. Yes, no dollar sign needed (well until you add sales tax…oh Oregon, we miss you.)

11. Collapsible Kitchen Sink

If you’ve ever wondered how one bathes in the desert without a solar shower? Here’s your answer. Oh yeah, it’s great for dishes too. Just of course give it a good scrub after your bath. I wasn’t kidding about that whole versatile uses thing.

12. Off-Brand Puffy Jackets

Yes, we know most people call them puffer jackets, but we prefer puffy. We intended to use these mostly for backpacking because they’re super warm and pack down tiny. We’ve found ourselves wearing them all the time though. Since campfire sparks and nylon don’t mix (and being our budget-minded selves) we opted for these non-name brand versions which are a fraction of the brand name prices.

   

13. Coleman Dome Tent

This is definitely a car camping tent, but we’ve packed it into walk-in sites on numerous occasions. It says 6-person, but 2-people with room to store gear inside or 4-people sleeping cozily is all we’d recommend. We love the quick easy set-up, hinged door, and interior light with a switch by the door. This is the tent we use when we’re glamping in comfort.

14. Therm-a-rest BaseCamp Sleeping Pad

These are super-fast to inflate meaning you only get slightly light-headed filling them. They hold air tightly and are easily flattened and rolled-up so you can hit the backcountry trails early.

15. Catan Dice Game

We love this portable version of Catan. We actually love it more than the board game because you can get through it in under an hour versus 3+ hours. Normal play on the board game is probably 2 hours but if you’ve ever played a game with Tom, you’ll understand why it takes us 3😉 Either way this dice game is super fun to play around the campfire and it’s small and light enough to take backpacking.

 

We hope you find something from this list for your outdoor adventures this season! What are some of your favorite outdoor gear items? Anything you never head into the woods without?

Related Posts:

• Top Van Life Gear List
• 13 Road Trip Essentials
• Ultimate Utah Road Trip Itinerary - 2 Weeks in the Mighty 5 National Parks
• How to Build a Camper Van on a Budget

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