Camping is a great outdoor activity fun for all ages. One of the best parts about camping is the versatility. There’s no right way to go camping, each person has their individual taste and preferences. That’s why it’s important for camping gear to reflect this same versatility. The ability to choose from an array of camping gear is the best way for each individual to find the gear that bests suit their particular needs. Not only that but having camping gear that is extremely adaptable will give the individuals themselves flexibility in the style of camping they choose to go on from trip to trip. In this article I’ll give a run through of some of my personal favourite pieces of versatile camping gear that may not be essential but are certainly a great way to make the most out of your time away.

My first piece of adaptable camping gear is a hammock. Now I know hammocks are certainly not an essential piece of camping gear. They do however feature many great uses and thus are a true luxury to have at camp. Hammocks are truly a great way to unwind.  If you want to know the best way to enjoy a good book a hammock is certainly it. However I personally find it hard to read in a hammock as the slow gentle swinging usually puts me straight to sleep. So alternatively for a quality day nap forget the book and jump in a nice comfy hammock. To make sure your hammock is as comfy as possible look for a model that is at least sixty five percent cotton and preferably the remaining thirty five percent be a polyester blended material. This will ensure you have enough stretch to create a super comfortable hammock. That way you’ll be swinging away on cloud nine. Not only is this mixture of material comfortable but it’s also incredibly durable and strong.

Durability is very important when it comes to a hammock construction. This is to assure your hammock last as long as possible. This is particularly important as a hammock is an outdoor product, and some people choose to leave their hammocks permanently setup. This means the model of hammock you choose must be capable of withstanding all the elements.  

Strength on the other hand is also extremely important, trust me the last thing you want is for your hammock to come crashing down with you in it. Particularly because of the swinging component a hammock not only needs to be statically strong but also strong in motion.
So, for a good quality single person hammock you’d want a weight rating of around one hundred and twenty five kilo grams. Then for a double hammock it only makes sense you’d want a weight rating of at least two hundred and fifty kilograms.

My personal preference is a double hammock, as just because it’s a double hammock doesn’t mean it has to be. You can just as easy go solo, and enjoy the comfort of some extra wiggle room.

Next up on my camping gear list is music, and by music I mean a portable Bluetooth speaker. Gone are the days of having to carry around a massive boom box if you want high quality music on the go. These days like most thing speakers have become more powerful whilst also becoming smaller in size. A portable Bluetooth speaker is a prime example. These little things pump out a huge amount of noise for there impressive size. However, if you’re still not feeling enough base in your drops then lucky for you. These portable Bluetooth speakers are paring compatible. What that means is that if you’ve got a couple of mates that also have one, you guys can join forces like the power rangers and create one big sound system. You don’t even have to go searching for pesky batteries as most portable Bluetooth speaker are rechargeable. If it does happen to run out while you’re at camp or out and about not to worry just plug it in to your nearest 12 volt outlet.

If you want to drift off to sleep with ease whilst you’re at camp, then a self Inflating Mattress is certainly the right piece of camping gear for you. Sure, your standard foam mattress will do just fine, by why be comfortable when you can be extremely comfortable. Is it just me or have I never heard the saying I’m too comfortable. The best part about a self Inflating Mattress is they do just as the name suggest, self inflate. Once you unroll the mattress rather then standing around waiting for the pump or even worse slaving over the foot pump. All you have to do with a self Inflating Mattress is undo the valve and wait. Go grab yourself a snack and by the time you come back your mattress will be good to go, that’s why I truly love this piece of camping gear. If you tried to find a standard foam mattress with a similar comfort level to a self Inflating Mattress it’d be quite thick.  This is all well and good for your mattress at home but when it comes to camping gear you need to remember portability. Hence this is the other great benefit of self Inflating Mattresses. Due to the fact self Inflating Mattresses of course also deflate, they can therefore be easily rolled up into a manageable size. That makes a self Inflating Mattress a perfect piece of portable camping gear. Small for transport but then nice and thick for sleeping, you truly get the best of both worlds.

So, as you know camping is a fantastic outdoor and adventurous activities fun for both the really young and incredibly old. However, this doesn’t mean it can’t be improved, as you can see with a little help from some quality camping gear, you’ll truly never want to come home from camp.