10 Surprisingly Useful Items to Bring Camping That Aren't Camping Gear

Beyond standard camping gear, there are quite a few items that are surprisingly subtle and easy to overlook, but are essential for camping or prove very useful to have.

I decided to compile this list because I think it would be helpful for people to know this kind of information before going on their first camping trip.

Actually, I just wish I had known this before my first camping trip...

Since I'm at it, I've ranked them in order of how useful they were.

10th Place: Mobile Battery

Basically, there is no power supply at a campsite.
If you are shooting camping videos, playing music constantly, or playing Dragon Quest Walk, your battery will run out in no time.
Car campers can charge in their vehicles, but it is essential for hikers/backpackers.

9th Place: Outdoor Seasoning

There are savior-like seasonings in this world that make anything taste delicious just by adding them.
Sprinkle it on grilled meat, and it's already perfect.

In a group camping setting, it's fun to lend and borrow each other's seasonings and try various samples. It's like killing two birds with one stone because you can find your favorite flavor while having fun.

Famous outdoor seasonings or spices sold at Kaldi are all fine.
I've included my impressions for reference since I was able to try various ones.

■ Maximum
Because it contains cumin,it has a Japanese-style spicy salt and pepper flavor with a faint, airy hint of curry.This is what I brought this time. It's convenient because it can also be used for everyday cooking.

■ The most famous one, 'Horinishi'. It's delicious with a strong garlic flavor, but it's hard to get.

■ Mala Pepper for those who love spicy food.
You grind chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and dried ginger with a mill.
Surprisingly, the ginger is quite strong.It's very tingly and numbing.
Futari Solo CampIwa's favorite spice.

■ The dark horse is Aeon's blend spice.
A salt and pepper blend with a strong soy sauce flavor.It's popular with people who don't like strong spices like cumin or ginger. It's easy to get and the affordable price is also a plus.

8th Place: Blanket

Beyond its normal use, you can lay it over your chair to protect it from ash and sparks flying from the campfire, or use it as a cushion.

You spend a surprisingly long time sitting while camping, so those prone to lower back or knee pain should take note. Be kind to your back and knees with something like a cushion.

7th Place: Hydrocolloid Bandages (Kizupower Pad)

Experienced campers likely have a serious first-aid kit, but if it's your first time camping, even just having bandages makes a difference.

For autumn and winter camping, you are more likely to get weeping wounds like burns or scrapes, so hydrocolloid bandages are recommended.They protect the wound securely for several days and help it heal faster.

6th Place: Work Gloves

Assembling and dismantling large tents often requires a lot of force or holding things in place, so it's safer to wear work gloves.

They are also handy for adding firewood to the fire without worrying about splinters, or for opening the hot lids of cookware.

5th Place: Earplugs

For bear protection at the campsite (lol).
Not for real bears, but they are useful for shutting out bear-sized snoring.

According to experienced campers, there seems to be someone snoring loudly at almost every campsite. I didn't know that.

Also, when you're sleeping in a tent in the morning, it's easy to be woken up by the sounds of other campers moving around.

If you are sensitive to sounds like tent zippers, rustling, or quiet chatter, I think you should bring them. I didn't bring any this time and regretted it, so I've added them to my 'must-bring' list for next time.

4th Place: Flashlight

Campsites often have toilets and water stations far away, so a light to illuminate your feet when walking at night is essential.It's easy to trip over tree roots when it's dark underfoot. Of course, a headlamp or your iPhone's flashlight is fine too.

3rd Place: Frozen Plastic Bottles

A frozen 500ml plastic bottle of water is quite useful as a substitute for an ice pack.On a day with a temperature around 20 degrees Celsius, it stayed frozen until night and kept my food cold.

Also,I burned myself while cooking this time, and it was extremely useful for cooling the burn.Even a soybean-sized blister is surprisingly painful.

A frozen plastic bottle can also serve as an ice pack to suppress throbbing heat.I kept it cool all night, and the heat from the burn subsided in no time. I was glad I brought it.

2nd Place: Sacoche

A sacoche is convenient for keeping valuables on you at all times while staying light and keeping both hands free.

A tent is like a house with the front door left open, so it's worrying to leave valuables there and walk away from your campsite.

If you're group camping, someone can keep an eye on things, but if you're going solo, you should definitely keep your valuables in a bag on your person.

1st Place: Leisure Sheet for Storing Items

This is something you surprisingly tend to forget.You need a leisure sheet to place your bags or suitcases on when setting up or packing up your tent.

Without one, when you arrive at the campsite and try to take out your tent or chairs,

you end up thinking, 'My luggage... oh! Where should I put it!?'like that.

I don't have the courage to open my suitcase wide on the dirt.

Even a flimsy 100-yen shop leisure sheet will do, so bringing one along is very useful.

Summary

I put this together because I thought it would be surprisingly helpful to have information on these unsung hero-like camping items.

However, realizing things once you're on-site and thinking about what to do next time is fun. In fact, that's what drives me to go on my next camping trip.

Perhaps one of the joys of camping is that even failures and inconveniences can become fun.