Gear Guide: Make the great outdoors as comfy as your living room

Article content

With just some comfortable seating and dimmable lights, you can take campsite and tailgate-style lounging to a new level of R&R. Add a down- or synthetic-filled outdoor blanket from brands like Rumpl or Kammok and you’re good to go.

Article content

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Try refreshing your browser, or
tap here to see other videos from our team.

Gear Guide: Make the great outdoors as comfy as your living room Back to video

GCI Road Trip Rocker

GCI’s new RoadTrip Rocker offers smooth Spring Action in a comfortable full-size rocker with padded armrests and a mesh backrest. The sturdy powder-coated steel frame weighs about 13.2 lb (6 kg) and seats up to 250 lb. And it comes with an all-important beverage holder located in one leg instead of the armrest, leaving both armrests free. Fold the rocker into its own carry bag to stow in the RV or car trunk.

GCI Road Trip Rocker, $60.00USD, www.gcioutdoor.com

Princeton Tec Helix Backcountry Collapsible Lantern

Princeton Tec has come a long way since its origins as the maker of one of the world’s first inexpensive underwater flashlights, the Bottom Light. The company’s product lines have expanded with different lighting options perfect for overlanding, bike-touring, camping, hunting and fishing at dawn and dusk, or just for keeping in the trunk’s emergency supplies kit. Space-saving Helix Backcountry resembles a collapsing/expanding Chinese lantern: when fully expanded, it can either sit on a picnic table or hang from a tent pole. Instead of traditional on-off buttons, an intuitive swipe system controls two dimmable lights: a 150-lumen white light and red Maxbright LED that burn for up to 60 hours on battery power. The ‘legs’ fold under the lantern, minimizing its footprint when packed.

Article content

Princeton Tec Helix Backcountry Collapsible Lantern, $34.99, www.princetontec.com

Kammok Roo Jr. Children’s Camping Hammock

The Roo Single meets its diminutive match in a tear-resistant, water-repellent hammock for kids designed to go ‘elevated camping’: a trendy alternative to the classic ground-level fun. The Roo Jr. is a shorter version of Kammok’s Roo Single and offers a no-tipping design that keeps those under 54 inches safely inside. Pair it with Python 10 straps, a 13kn Mini Kanga Claw carabiners and Dyneema Racer Slings for a secure suspension that can handle a Sumo wrestler’s-worth of weight. Roo Jr. packs to an apple size in its own stuff sack, making it both trunk- and luggage-friendly. You can find the kids’ version at Kammok’s online U.S.-based store, or settle for Kammok’s adult-sized single and double hammocks available in Canada from MEC and other camping stores.

Article content

Kammok Roo Jr. Children’s Camping Hammock, $64.60, https://kammok.com/products/roo-jr

Helinox Savanna Chair

The new “Savanna” from Helinox has all of the bells and whistles in a lightweight, collapsible aluminum-framed camp chair, starting with its higher and wider profile offering plenty of room for relaxation. Savanna has a full-height back with an adjustable headrest, winged armrests, built-in cup-holder and breathable mesh seat that’s well-ventilated for hot summer days. The chair weighs 4.3 lbs and packs compactly into a 6”x 6.5″x 21.5″ stuff sack doubling as a pillow, so it’s an easy carry. Weather and UV resistant, and backed by a five-year warranty, its durable design holds up to 320 lbs. Savanna sits quite a bit higher than the “Playa,” another new camp chair from Helinox that’s designed more for seaside lounging.

Helinox Savanna Chair, $265, https://helinox.com/