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Base camp doesn't have to mean basic. Stock your wilderness comfort zone with blissfully bulky heaps of fun stuff.
Bed Down
A good night's shut-eye is often missing from fresh-air sleepovers. Not so with [1] The North Face's Airfloor 33 ($499) (REI.com: Airfloor 33). This three-person tent features an inch-thick, self-inflating floor that saves you the hassle of individual sleeping pads. To accommodate bigger crews, Eureka!'s 151-square-foot Blue Mesa 1610 ($470) (REI.com: Blue Mesa 1610) comfortably sleeps nine with three rooms, four windows, and two roof vents. Let Sparky stink up his own place in [2] Ruff Wear's Mutt Hutt ($88/$98) (REI.com: Mutt Hutt), a pop-up pooch tent complete with stakes, a rain fly, and a doggie door. When it's time to hunker down, big and tall campers can toss and turn freely in Big Agnes's Park Series sleeping bags ($129--$169) (REI.com: Park Series sleeping bags) and REM Hinman Pads ($39-$69). Choose from a 20-degree to minus-20 setup, and when you strike camp, pack it into [3] Big Ag's Road Bag ($39). [4] Kelty's Clear Creek Double Wide sleeping bag ($130) (REI.com: Clear Creek Double Wide) and [5] Therm-a-Rest's LE Tandem pad ($230) (REI.com: LE Tandem pad) nestle the couple who just can't stand being separated, or the children who probably should be. And if sleeping too close to the ground gives you the shivers, elevate with [6] Byer of Maine's TriLite Cot ($80) (REI.com: TriLite Cot). When it's finally time to turn in, be nice to your melon with a [7] Seattle Sports Camp Pillow ($25) (REI.com: Camp Pillow).
Chill Out
If you consider inflating air beds, rafts, and bike tires strenuous activity, rest easy with [8] Coleman's Inflate-All QuickPump ($50). When bugs and wind sweep in, take a time-out in Eureka!'s Breezeway ($400). Large enough for a picnic table, this screen house sets up easily and has wind flaps. The armrests, headrest, and full-body support of Travel Chair's Lounge Lizard ($160) (REI.com: Lounge Lizard) make it the ultimate campside La-Z-Boy. If beer is your responsibility, don't even bother with ice. Plug [9] Coleman's RoadTrip PowerChill 40-Quart Thermoelectric Cooler ($100) (REI.com: Thermoelectric Cooler) into [10] Brunton's Solo portable power source ($649) (REI.com: Brunton's Solo) and you'll have cold brews waiting. And when the good earth makes you smell bad, grab four D-cells and Zodi's Hot Tap HP 6122 ($240) for a hot shower, no flip-flops required.
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Chow Down
Good eats are vital after a long day of unpacking the car. L.L. Bean's Base Camp Kitchen ($129) offers a prep space that Mario Batali would envy. And with a 16-by-32-inch cooktop, Coleman's Outpost Stove ($180) (REI.com: Outpost Stove), housed in a wheeled carrying case, is as close to a Viking range as you can get. The [11] GSI Outdoors 14-inch collapsible Camp Gourmet Nonstick Fry Pan ($50) (REI.com: Camp Gourmet Nonstick Fry Pan) is essential for fine camp cuisine; Coleman's Camping Coffeemaker ($40) allows you
to leave the percolator at the antique shop. All that's left is to clean your plates—[12] GSI's stainless-steel-rimmed Red Enamelware ($51 for a 12-piece set) (REI.com: Red Enamelware)—and enjoy a cocktail mixed from [13] Platypus's Beverage Bar ($35) (REI.com: Beverage Bar).
Light Up
Don't be fooled by the diminutive [14] Black Diamond Moonlight headlamp ($30) (REI.com: Moonlight headlamp). Three AAA batteries light the trail, the page, or that shadowy figure for more than 70 hours. But if a headlamp seems a hassle for a bathroom break, trust CMG Equipment's Bonfire Blaze ($30) (REI.com: Bonfire Blaze). The water-resistant LED lantern is flame-free, comes with a lanyard, and has two settings—cozy-red and floodlamp-white.
Dress Up
The middle of nowhere doesn't excuse bad fashion sense. [15] Arborwear's Jacket ($110) is a hearty 12-ounce canvas piece with pockets to store tent stakes, a spatula, Band-Aids, and a Heineken. [16] REI's Prescott Tech Plaid Shirt ($44) (REI.com: Prescott Tech Plaid Shirt) is a quick-dry polyester-and-rayon blend that works equally well on hikes or around camp. Pair it with [17] Mountain Hardwear's Escalade Pant ($85) (REI.com: Escalade Pant) and Ecco's Arizona Clog ($98) and you'll be the envy of every mountain goat this side of the Rockies.
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