Best camping gadgets: Stoves, chairs, tables and the top camping accessories for 2019

From the Swiss Army knives of the late 1800s to powerbanks and Bluetooth speakers today, gadgets have always had their place in the camping experience.

This comes with the caveat that camping gadgets have to do an especially good job. You don’t want to be wasting valuable rucksack or campsite space on something faulty or needless.

To help you pick the right kit, ES Best has tested 25 of the best camping gadgets available in 2019. We’ll look at stoves, furniture, tech, lighting, bedding and more – everything you need to upgrade your inventory.

Anker PowerPort Solar Charger, 21W

We’re in love with the PowerPort Solar Charger. It’s easy-to-use, a little bit geeky and ideally suited for sparking conversations about eco-friendliness. Simply place it in direct sunlight and once it’s had time to catch some rays you can charge a completely dead phone to full power in about three and a half hours. There is also an eyelet in each corner of the device, so you can safely pin it down with tent pegs.

Camping is definitely a time to switch off from the many daily devices we use but a portable solar charger is one of the smartest gadgets to invest in.

£60.98 | Amazon | Buy it now

LifeSaver – Liberty Water Purification Bottle

This incredibly clever water purification bottle can be filled with clean, potable water in one of two ways: either scoop water straight into the bottle and use its hand-pump mechanism to purify, or submerge its scavenger hose accessory into a water source and pump the water in. It’s surprisingly, impressively user-friendly – and yes, it might just prove to be life-saving for campers refreshing themselves from contaminated water supplies.

£89.99 | Amazon | Buy it now

Coleman – 360° Light and Sound Lantern

It’s not just an LED lantern: it’s a clear, crisp-sounding Bluetooth speaker that does a great job of playing all sorts of music. Its roughly cylindrical shape is ideal for placing at the centre of a ring of tents, offering good sound to the whole party. We enjoyed trying it out with a few acoustic Beatles tracks.

£59.99 | Norwich Camping | Buy it now

Primus – Kamoto Firepit

This really is an astoundingly lovely camping gadget from stove-maker Primus. Superbly well-built, easy to use and designed to pack down flat for storage, the Kamoto makes taking a firepit on your travels seem a simple proposition. Load in your firewood, light it up and let the tray at the base catch the ashes. Also includes a grill to cook food on top.

£133.95 | Outdoorgear | Buy it now

Vango – Jerrycan 10L

Taking a jerrycan camping can mean the difference between frequent trips to the tap and occasional ones. If you’ve ever been to a busy campsite, especially at a music festival, you’ll get a sense of the benefit this can bring. This ten-litre jerrycan from Vango is an especially fine example of the species, made from tough, lightweight plastic and featuring a handy tap for pouring.

£9.99 | Winfields Outdoors | Buy it now

Primus – Onja Stove Duo

Like many of the best camping gadgets, the Primus Onja is both object of beauty and functional tool. With two butane burners, it provides scope to cook dishes that would otherwise prove impractical. We’re thinking curry and rice. Be sure to read the instruction booklet and identify the gas valves on the front of the appliance before you attach a fuel canister.

£139.95 | Outdoor Gear | Buy it now

Eastpak – Springer Camo Bum Bag

There’s always a little something that’d be good to keep handy when you’re at the campsite, whether that be matches, plasters tent pegs or your phone. Eastpak’s Springer Bum Bag is a great solution for carrying camping essentials hands-free, with zippered compartments front and back.

£25 | Eastpak | Buy it now

Helinox – Chair One

The Helinox is a cut above the average camping chair. Thanks to its super-strong, lightweight DAC aluminium frame, we found it easy to put up and a dream to kick back in.

Another work of product engineering magic by Helinox, the Chair One is an outstandingly light, comfortable and practical camping chair. It’s even handier than the Savanna model, with a smaller profile that some users may prefer.

We’re in awe of how easy Helinox’s chairs are to set up. At first, the Chair One’s DAC aluminium frame looks like it may take careful assembly; but in fact, it pretty much puts itself up.

£80.54 | Amazon | Buy it now

Coleman – BatteryGuard Head Torch 250L

We couldn’t name an invention that’s both as useful and as unintentionally comical as the headtorch. This is an excellent example from Coleman, with a comfy headstrap and a 250-lumen light output that can reach up to 125 meters away.

A lifesaver for those midnight trips to the loo — a hands-free device such as this will come in great use when you least expect it.

£22.92 | Amazon | Buy it now

Go Travel – Hybrid Universal Pillow

The crook of your neck will thank you for buying the Hybrid Universal Pillow. This clever gadget combines a layer of memory foam with an inflatable chamber to create remarkably comfy support. You can pack it down into a tiny pouch when not in-use, provided you’ve squeezed all the air out.

£9.99 | John Lewis | Buy it now

Helinox – The One Table (Hard-top)

If we said you could take a table on a camping trip and still pack light, would you believe us? The Table One pulls off the quite miraculous feat of providing a sturdily supported surface while weighing in at under a kilogram. It’s a teeny-tiny 36cm tall – a good match for the generally low-seated design of camping chairs.

£108.25 | Amazon | Buy it now

Vango – Shangri-La 10 Double Self-inflating Mat

If there’s one home comfort we’d always be glad to take camping with us, it’d be something sumptuous to sleep on. The Shangri-La 10 is just that: an exceptionally comfortable airbed with a pleasantly soft surface. It self-inflates in about 30 seconds, so you can leave your foot-pump at home.

£158.99 | Amazon | Buy it now

Also available from Winfields Outdoors.

Mountain Warehouse - Roll Mat

If you’re going camping, take a roll mat. You’ll sleep warmer and more comfortably, and if you’re struggling for space in your backpack, you can always loop the mat onto the outside. There’s nothing particularly high-tech or interesting about this mat from Mountain Warehouse, but it does an important job well.

£14.99 | Mountain Warehouse | Buy it now

Gentlemen’s Hardware BBQ Multi-tool

Open that bottle! Skewer that sausage! Baste that burger! We’re not so sure about Gentlemen’s Hardware’s gendered brand name, but we’re great fans of this top-notch multi-tool, stoutly made from wood and stainless steel. The burger flipper is detachable, so can be used for long periods without incurring arm-ache. A fun and useful camping gadget everyone will want to have a go with.

£35 | John Lewis | Buy it now

Moshi IonSlim 10K Portable Battery

It may not look like the most obvious of camping gadgets, but we can see plenty of people taking the Moshi IonSlim 10K on their travels. With two simultaneously-acting charging ports – one USB-A for devices up to 12W; one USB-C PD Port for 30W devices – it’s more than capable of keeping your devices topped up during a weekend away. We found it perfectly easy to use, straight out of the box. Keep it safe in a dry/wet bag.

£94.95 | Amazon | Buy it now

Gentlemen’s Hardware – Portable Barbecue Suitcase

This immensely likeable portable barbecue is perfect for the important business of campsite cookery. Open it out to grill a tasty supper, then fold away to a size not much larger than a piece of A4 paper. We thoroughly enjoyed using it with the BBQ Multitool.

£48.35 | Amazon | Buy it now

Go Travel – Wet or Dry Bag 5L

A good wet or dry bag can be a godsend on a camping trip. As the name suggests, you can use this gadget to keep stuff dry, or to quarantine wet items. Its rolltop closing mechanism, similar to those used with some daypacks, stood up comfortably to our testing.

£7.99 | John Lewis | Buy it now

Campingaz Party Grill 400 CV

Campingaz’ camp stove grill creates an impressively wide cooking area relative to its neat footprint, thanks to its flying-saucer-like design. It’s the most versatile cooking gadget we’ve tested, providing plenty of options with its grill and lid, the latter of which doubles up as a wok. Just the thing to get the party started.

£86.45 | Amazon | Buy it now

Vango – Sunbeam 450 Tent Light System

We can scarce imagine a better tent lighting system than the Sunbeam 450. Its tiny, durable LED lights produce 450 lumens of wonderfully warm light; the four beams that make up the set are impressively hard-wearing; and the whole system can be remote controlled, which means there’s no need to leave your sleeping bag to turn it off. The Sunbeam 450 does take a little time to set up, but that shouldn’t be a problem for you intrepid campers.

£99.94 | Amazon | Buy it now

Firemizer – Fire Fuel Saver

This ingenious gadget saves hard fire fuel by slowing down the rate of burn. It’ll help that campfire you never want to end last a little longer, and use a little less. We found it easy to use with both the Primus Kamoto Firepit and with a multi-fuel stove at home.

£19 | DIY at B&Q | Buy it now

Firemizer – Firebuilder

Another clever invention from Firemizer, Firebuilder acts as both firelighter and kindling. The device itself is a brick of recycled cardboard, which looks a little like a cross between a waffle and a really hench eggbox. We found that using half a Firebuilder brick made lighting our firepit blissfully easy.

£6.99 | Firemizer | Buy it now

Vango – Windshield XL

This could be a godsend on windy camping trips. The Vango Windshield XL is built to protect backpacking stoves from the elements. We found it a big help in getting a small stove lit – and keeping it that way. The bright orange colour could also help prevent stray feet from knocking stoves over when visibility is poor. Bear in mind that this item is built for use with smaller stoves than the Campingaz, Primus and Gentlemen’s Hardware options featured here.

£13.98 | Amazon | Buy it now

Verdict:

A combination of usability, build quality and eco-friendliness makes the Anker PowerPort Solar Charger our ES Best Top Pick. Honourable mentions go to Helinox’s camping furniture, Primus’ stove and firepit, and Vango’s SunBeam 450 tent lighting system.