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Clydes Outpost 10 Summer Camping Essentials Blog Post Header Image

10 Summer Camping Essentials

Apr 10, 2025

By Skyler Zahn

Last updated April 7, 2025

Camping in the summer can provide some of the most beautiful scenery and landscape, but the weather can be a burden. The heat, bugs, and dryness can put a damper in your plans if you don’t prepare. Here are 10 summer camping essentials that can help improve your experience and equip you for the sun and heat.

Cooling Towels

When the sun is just beating down on your skin, a cooling towel can help provide some relief. They are designed to retain moisture and give a cooling effect to your skin. Some of the benefits of a cooling towel include immediate relief, it is portable and reusable, and versatile!

Moisture-Wicking Clothes

You don’t want to be bundled up in hot, thick clothing while exploring in the heat. Moisture-wicking clothes are a great alternative to stay cool. They are light-weight, breathable, and odor-resistant. Moisture-wicking fabric pulls water and sweat away from your body, keeping you cool and fresh.

Lightweight Jacket

Though the summer day may be hot, those summer nights can get pretty chilling. Once the sun goes down, the temperature is likely to drop. While hanging out around the fire and relaxing for the rest of the evening you wish you would have brought a jacket to warm you up.

Hat for Sun Protection

Not only are hats important in making a fashion statement, during the hot, sunny days, they protect you and your skin against the harsh heat. The bill of the hat protects your face from harmful UV rays and helps reduce the risk of skin cancer. They also protect your eyes from the sun’s glare and help reduce the risk of cataracts. It’s smarter to wear a light-colored hat to reflect UV rays rather than absorb them.

Sunscreen

While wearing sunscreen is an essential part of everyday life, rain or shine, it is especially important during the summer. Sun exposure during the summer months is at its peak. When you are camping outside, it is inevitable that you will be in the sun at some point. Being exposed to too much sun can cause permanent sun damage, discoloration, and skin cancer. So it is best to come equipped with sunscreen and reapply throughout the day.

Bug Spray

One downside to the hotter season is the amount of bugs that seem to come out of hiding. To stop the bugs from bugging you, an insect repellent can do the trick. Bug spray is made to cover up the scent of carbon dioxide because that is what insect tracks to find food. If you are wary of the chemicals that are in some bug sprays, there are alternative, safe sprays you can buy instead.

Fan

A table top or personal fan can help cool you down when the summer breeze just isn’t cutting it. There are many portable fans that come in numerous sizes. You can even get a fan to hang in your tent, if you’re tent camping.

Food Cover

Not only will you want to protect yourself from the swarms of bugs, you will want to be sure your food stays safe, too. Food covers are a great way to keep your food protected from all the pesky bugs that also want a bite.

Water

While drinking water is a necessity everyday, it becomes even more crucial in the summer. Since you’ll be spending the majority of your day outside and in the sun, you need to fuel up more than normal. To avoid dehydration, be sure to take frequent breaks in the shade and be constantly drinking water.

Shade (Canopy, Tarp, or Umbrella)

Speaking of shade, reducing how much you are exposed to the sun is important for your health. Though the sun may feel nice, it can be harmful for your skin. If you spend too much time in the sun, you can get sun fatigue and sunstroke.

References

Clyde Sasquatch