photo by eclipse_images via iStock
In many cases, camping is no easy sailing. There are times when we’re faced with unexpected situations that need solving on the spot.
We certainly can’t foresee everything that might happen; however, we can think of the most possible and common situations and set up an overlanding camping gear inventory that can help us overcome most events and continue on with our journey.
This article covers some common problems campers may face and the overlanding camping gear needed to overcome those situations.
Table of Contents
- Not Having Enough Space to Prep Your Food
- Overlanding Camping Gear to Deal With Unexpected Weather
- Washing the Dishes
- Overlanding Camping Gear to Tackle Navigation Issues
- Getting Stuck While Traveling Solo
- Overlanding Camping Gear Final Thoughts
- Other Recommended Overlanding Gear
Not Having Enough Space to Prep Your Food
Prepping meals for a whole family requires a lot of space. In many cases, normal camping tables are not enough to accommodate all the ingredients, cooking equipment, and the preparation of everything before cooking.
We suggest adding the Tailgater Tire Table to your overlanding camping gear list to solve this problem.
This table mounts onto your tire and provides some extra space for prepping food, dining, or just sitting around. Because it is made of aluminum, you don’t have to worry about damaging it with hot pans like you would with a plastic table.
Furthermore, since it mounts to the tire, it remains stable regardless of the ground conditions, which again is helpful both while cooking and prepping. The table can easily hold 50lbs, which gives you the sturdy, stable work surface you need to get everyone in camp fed!
In the video above, get a look at the Tailgater Tire Table and a few other must-have items for tent camping!
Overlanding Camping Gear to Deal With Unexpected Weather
Unexpected weather can involve rain, snow, or even scorching sun and heat. Whatever the case, you’ll need some kind of shelter to sit under to stay cool or dry.
For that, we recommend adding an awning to your overlanding camping gear list. An awning like the ones from ROAM Adventure Co provide the shelter you need for many years due to the great build quality of their products.
This awning is made of waterproof PU-coated 280g poly cotton ripstop fabric and an adjustable aluminum frame and joints. To protect it while closed and on the road, a durable 720GSM PVC road cover is included.
Depending on your needs and vehicle, you can choose the size that fits you the best out of a variety of options available by ROAM Adventure.
Editor’s Tip: Sleeping on the ground often presents many challenges, like finding level ground, clearing a site for your tent, and worrying about predators. A rooftop tent like my SMRT Summit Suite solves those issues! Add it to the top of your vehicle or your trailer (as I’ve done) and you can rest comfortably in a rock-solid hardshell tent!
Washing The Dishes
Washing dishes or clothes while overlanding can be a bit of a pain mainly because taking large buckets takes a lot of space. However, there are a few items available on the market that eliminate this issue.
By using an item like the Goderewild collapsible bucket you will be able to get all your washing done while wasting very little space in the back of your car. These are relatively cheap, so you can purchase a couple of them and use one for washing clothes and the other one for dishes. Just make sure you’re using biodegradable soap that won’t damage the environment!
Overlanding Camping Gear to Tackle Navigation Issues
Navigation is one of the most important items on any overlanding camping gear list. As people who love to head into the woods or tackle off-road trails, we need to make sure that we have a way to find our way out or communicate with help at any time.
This is where a device like the Garmin Overlander can be extremely helpful…
It can function as a normal on-road GPS but can also display offline off-road maps that you can follow on your adventures. Best of all, it has an inbuilt SOS function that you can use to access help in case you need it in an area with no phone signal.
The cleverly packaged all-in-one device can save your life while also being able to guide you to some of the prettiest locations you have ever seen.
Getting Stuck While Traveling Solo
Getting stuck is one of the biggest fears of any solo traveler and that is for good reason. Finding yourself in a situation with a stuck vehicle and no way to recover can be scary and this is why it is a good idea to carry some basic and affordable recovery overlanding camping gear with you.
The expensive and most effective option is to go for a winch; however, if that isn’t attainable, you can opt for some traction boards. Traction boards are used as a surface on which your vehicle can grip to lift itself out of deep mud, sand, or snow. They actually work great and can be very effective.
We would suggest going for a good quality product like Maxtrax as these are far stronger than the cheaper options available; therefore, they can also be used as small bridges when crossing ruts or deep holes.
Overlanding Camping Gear Final Thoughts
Photo by CasarsaGuru via iStock
Challenges are a part of overlanding and camping. The gear we use can play a huge part in how easily those challenges can be overcome.
By investing in quality tools like the gear discussed above, you’ll set yourself up for successful adventures. And, since most of these items are very affordable, you can do it without breaking the bank!
If you have any questions regarding overlanding, camping, or anything else off-road-related, head over to the forum section of our page where you can ask or answer questions!
Other Recommended Overlanding Gear