Looking for the best budget camping gear for 2025? In this video, I’m sharing 12 affordable camping items I won’t camp without — all practical, proven, and easy on the wallet. These are the exact pieces of gear I pack for every trip — whether I’m camping out of a small camper trailer, car camping, or heading into the backcountry for a simple tent setup. I’ve tested them in the rain, heat, cold, and everything in between — and they’ve earned a permanent spot in my kit.
You’ll see space-saving tools that help you pack smarter, essential camping gear under $25 that makes camp life more comfortable, a few of my favorite Walmart finds, and budget-friendly items that work just as well for seasoned campers as they do for beginners. If you’re wondering what camping gear do I need? — this is a great place to start. These are the simple tools that make every trip easier, faster, and more enjoyable. And if you have budget gear of your own that you take out on every trip that I didn’t mention in this video, make sure to let me know in the comments.
✅ If you want to see all the camping gear we use and abuse on a daily basis you can find it here:
🔽 Gear shown in this video:
🟢$7 Backpacking Stove :
🟢$20 Backpacking Stove:
I find the most affordable fuel for the backpacking stove is at Walmart
🟢Headlamp Pack of 5 for $22:
🟢Nebo Mycro Headlamp (2 pack):
🟢First Aid Kit Camping:
🟢First Aid Splint:
🟢Tourniquet:
🟢Gerber Stakeout:
🟢Tablecloth: On Amazon they are like $25, but I saw them this week at Walmart for like $4 I believe. Also, look at this neat product. I have never used it, but I would like to try:
🟢Small oven mitts:
🟢Leather Gloves: also have the Sam’s Club 2 pack: and the Costco 6 pack:
🟢2 pack collapsible wash and rinse dish basins:
🟢Collapsible Bucket:
🟢Collapsible Dish Drying Rack:
🟢Solar Shower 2 pack:
🟢Large Body Sponge 2 pack (But cleaning or car washing sponge holds more water):
🟢Camp Fan:
🟢Camp Shovel Survival:
🟢Camp Shovel Small Folding:
🟢Lifesaver Straw ($9.99 at Walmart):
🟢Sawyer Water FIlter:
🟢Collapsible Stool:
👉Want to see more similar videos with camping gear that will make life easier on the road? Check out this playlist:
By purchasing items through these Playing with Sticks links there is no additional cost to you. Our family gets a small kickback from amazon for any purchases you make using these affiliate links.
2:25 if you flip one of the batteries the wrong way, you’ll save power until you need it.
12:29 I’m 220lbs and one of those broke on me after only a couple months of infrequent use lol
I have found the batteries corroding is a consistent problem with Duracell batteries. I used to be a big fan of Duracell, and used them exclusively. They seemed to last longer than all the other brands and I didn’t have a problem with corrosion. Some years ago, something changed and nearly every thing that i put them in ended up being damaged from corrosion in a very short amount of time. After having them corrode and ruin several products, I refuse to purchase them anymore. I have switched to Energizer brand, have been using them for several years now, and haven’t had the same problem with corrosion so far. This is just my personal experience, not an endorsement of any brand.
We just purchased a trailer! Overland Adventures “Horizon”. So excited to finally have a place for everything. We were pretty organized before, but it was all the last minute things, or things that we also used at home, that were the issue. We’re binge watching! I like when you put the brand name on the screen instead of “details in description” (the Amazon links don’t always work in Canada). This way, I screenshot the video, with the own and it’s name, so I can remember to check it out later, and keep watching
Thank you!