Category
Camping
Trips, setups, and the gear that actually earns a spot in the truck.
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I'm Roger — I live in Orangevale, CA, and I'm usually either out camping, on my bike, or messing with some new project in the garage. More about me →
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TrixHub Rechargeable Flashlight, 2-Pack
This is a cheap light, don't get me wrong — but a guy camping next to me showed it to me, and it won me over. It zooms, so you can go from a wide floodlight to a narrow, focused beam that'll actually reach out and find whatever's making noise out past the fire. It's rechargeable over USB-C, so no scrambling for the right batteries, with an LCD screen that shows the actual charge level instead of guessing, plus 5 modes including strobe and SOS. Aircraft-grade aluminum, waterproof, drop-resistant, and it comes as a 2-pack — good, because one always seems to wander off to someone else's tent.
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Assark Solar Trail Camera
A camping neighbor talked me into this one after his caught a black bear so big it dwarfed the bike parked next to it — that was enough to convince me. Bluetooth wakes the camera and it switches to WiFi for a longer range, it charges over USB-C, and the battery lasts long enough that I've never bothered hooking up the included solar panel. I run it two ways at the campsite: watching for critters at night, or repositioned to quietly cover the entrance — if anything ever went missing, I could just review the footage. One annoyance: the power switch sits under a rubber cover on the bottom, right next to the tripod mount, so if it's tripod-mounted you have to unscrew it just to turn it on or off — not an issue when it's strapped to a tree. Like any trail camera, be ready to sort through a pile of false triggers.
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MCGOR Magnetic Motion-Sensor Light
These are magnetic, rechargeable motion-sensor lights I stick to the inside of the aluminum camper shell walls on my adventure truck. If I'm mingling around camp and walk by, or if anyone else does, it lights up — a cheap security light that takes up almost no storage space. The key thing with this one: it only triggers in the dark or low light, not during the day. I've had pricier motion lights before that also go off in broad daylight, which drains the battery and means taking them down every morning. These stay charged and mounted for the whole weekend since they're not firing off constantly in daylight — I just leave them stuck to the wall and forget about them until it's time to pack up.
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Warmco D4 Battery Powered Camping Fan
What I really like about this one is the huge battery — it runs a long time, and the LED light can stay on low all night as a nightlight in the tent if you need that. I originally bought it for the adventure truck, to go alongside two USB-C fans I modified with a magnetic base so I could stick them to the inside wall of my ARE truck shell. But I like this one so much I keep grabbing it out of the truck and bringing it into the house — just last night I used it to create a breeze to help keep the mosquitoes away, so it's earned a spot doing more than just camping duty. Aside from the battery and how quiet it is, the flat design has a swing-out leg built in, which also doubles as a small hook if you want to hang it instead.
See the magnetic USB fan I mounted in the truck shell → Check it out
FARADAY USB Desk Fan
I used JB Weld to glue magnets onto the base of this fan so I can stick it to the inside wall of my ARE truck shell. I actually bought two of these — one with the USB cable built in, and one where you supply your own USB-C cable — and I like the built-in cable version better, since I'm not hunting for a cable and I don't have to spend extra buying a longer one just to reach a power source. These barely draw any power, so a small USB power bank runs it easily. Thanks to the magnetic mod, I'll sometimes stick it upside-down on the tailgate when it's down, blowing air on me while I'm sitting nearby — keeps the tailgate itself free for camping gear instead of taken up by a fan stand. Mine's actually black; this listing defaults to blue, but it's the same fan.
See the fan/lantern I pair it with in the truck → Check it out
AYANICA Heavy-Duty BBQ Kitchen Scissors
These save me a cutting board and a knife at camp. Instead of pulling meat off the barbecue to slice it up, I just pick it up with a pair of tongs and cut it straight into strips with these — cleaner and quicker, and I use them to dice up other stuff too. Currently unavailable, but they'll show you exactly what to look for if you want to find a similar pair. I love them.
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