If there's one conversation topic the HEST team loves to circle back to, it's GEAR. Whether it's the latest innovation in ski technology or comparing the staples of our camping gear bins, the HEST team is well steeped in tech talk. With camping season upon us we thought we'd compile our HEST team favorites! Here are our top 6 camping essential picks for the 2022 season.
From a hot cup of coffee on a cold morning to a warm meal after a long hike, having a camp stove at your campsite is more of a necessity than a bonus. Our favorite stove is the flash cooking system by Jetboil because it can warm up a cup of water in 100 seconds.
Unless you are camping at an established camp ground you might need to bring your own fire pit or build your own. Why? Especially in states like Colorado, fire restrictions and guidelines are strict and a contained fire is both safe and responsible. Don’t be that individual that builds an illegal fire and ignores the rules. It’s easy now to buy a portable pit like a Solo Stove Ranger and bring it with you. And as a bonus, portable pits like Solo Stove are smokeless so you can enjoy the fire more and not get the ‘white rabbit’ smoke.
No need to still use the uncomfortable sleep pad you purchased for your backpacking adventures after college. Outdoor sleep technology has come a long way especially with your camping sleeping pads. A HEST mattress will help you sleep thanks to our proprietary temperature regulating memory foam. Each HEST mattress has two layers of enhanced memory foam, with billions of microscopic air cells. This maximizes comfort by separating air & foam. Just like your home mattress, the two layers of enhanced memory foam helps relieve pressure points for individuals with injuries or chronic back pain. Additionally, our memory foam has a high R-value and is temperature regulated for the outdoors so it will perform in both hot or cold climates.
Every base campsite needs a hammock. Might not be used every minute but it is essential for the environment and mood. No one has ever said, ‘Who brought the hammock? What a pointless item to bring”. It is usually, “Who brought the hammock! THANK YOU!”. The Eno packs down so small, when deciding to bring it always lean towards yes.
A cooler is of course a must, something like a Yeti to keep the beers cold all weekend. But have you tried a powered cooler yet? The technology and efficiency for electric powered coolers has come a long way over the last 5 years. The Dometic CFX3 45 Powered Cooler can be controlled by your phone so you can monitor the performance. No more wet bread when the ice melts.
Let’s stop stuffing clothes into a stuff sack to make a pillow. We are better than that. We can bring our home pillow on the trip but 100% of the time it will get dirty in the travel shuffle. Consider a camping pillow like our HEST Pillow that packs and stuffs into itself to protect the sleeping surface from getting dirty during travel. A comfortable pillow is an essential so why not bring one that stays clean during travel so your face can sleep on a clean surface at night.
