When camping season slows down, it’s tempting to store your gear and forget about it until spring. But the off-season is actually the perfect time to take care of your equipment—and make smart upgrades that will improve your next trip. A little attention now can extend the life of your gear, save money, and help you start the next camping season fully prepared. Start with cleaning and maintenance. Tents, sleeping bags, and backpacks should always be cleaned before long-term storage. Dirt, sweat,...

For many campers, Winter is often seen as the off-season—a time to pack away the gear and wait for spring. But for campers willing to prepare and embrace colder conditions, winter camping can be one of the most rewarding outdoor experiences of all. One of the greatest benefits of winter camping is the quiet. Popular campgrounds and backcountry areas that buzz with activity in summer become calm and almost silent once the temperatures drop. This solitude creates a deeper sense of immersion in nat...

January is the perfect time to start planning the upcoming new camping year. Popular parks book months in advance, and early planning gives you better choices and fewer surprises. For RV campers: Look ahead to reservation release dates for national and state parks, especially those with full hookups. Planning routes early also helps you schedule maintenance stops and avoid peak fuel prices. Consider mixing popular destinations with lesser-known parks to balance crowds and availability. For backp...

There’s something wonderfully adventurous about celebrating Christmas in a tent. It’s the kind of experience kids remember forever—the glow of lanterns, the sound of the wind through the trees, and the thrill of waking up on Christmas morning zipped inside a warm little nest. [READ MORE] Tent camping brings out the best of simple family traditions. Decorations stay minimal but meaningful: a string of lights around the tent door, a homemade campsite wreath, or a “Christmas tree” built from gather...

If your family loves life on wheels, Christmas in the RV might just become your new favorite tradition. There’s something amazingly cozy about celebrating the holidays in a warm, snug home-on-wheels, decorated with twinkle lights and smelling like cinnamon. One of the perks of RV Christmas? You can bring just enough of home with you—stockings hung from cabinet handles, a mini tree on the counter, maybe even a small string of lights along the awning. Kids love having their own little corners to d...

There’s something extra sweet about spending Christmas outdoors with the family. Maybe it’s the crisp air, or maybe it’s the way the kids bounce out of their sleeping bags a little faster when they know hot cocoa is waiting by the fire. Either way, a Christmas camping trip has a way of bringing everyone together without all the usual holiday chaos. You don’t need much to make camp feel festive. A strand of battery lights hung between trees, a tiny tabletop tree, and a few handmade ornaments from...

Cold-weather camping has a special kind of magic Think quiet forests, crisp air, and the satisfying crunch of frost under your boots. But it also has a ruthless way of exposing every piece of gear you cheaped out on. Nothing teaches faster than a night below freezing in the wrong equipment. I've identified three big regrets almost every winter camper wishes they’d fixed before stepping onto the trail. The Gore-Tex You Told Yourself You Didn’t Need You know that moment: freezing rain turns to sle...

There’s something refreshing, almost restorative, about bringing Thanksgiving out of the dining room and into the open air. For campers and outdoor lovers, celebrating the holiday at a campsite blends tradition with the invigorating benefits of nature. Fresh air sharpens the appetite, lifts the mood, and makes every familiar ritual feel a little more vibrant. Cooking outdoors becomes part of the adventure. Dutch-oven stuffing simmering over coals, roasted root vegetables, or even a camp-friendly...

kbcampingtools/11-14-2025

If you live in Colorado, chances are your group chats, social feeds, and late-night drives have had a single theme this week: “the northern lights” or Aurora Borealis. A rare and powerful series of solar storms lit up our skies for three incredible nights, turning the State and the Front Range where I live into an impromptu aurora-watching festival. And for those of us in Boulder, it felt almost surreal—like the sky was auditioning for a cosmic art show. I spent the second night of the storm in ...

Across campsites and forest trails, a quiet revolution is reshaping the way people eat outdoors. Sustainable camping, once focused mainly on reusable gear and leave-no-trace ethics, now extends to the campfire kitchen, where responsibly sourced foods are taking center stage. Outdoor recreation often has a big impact on the environment. It doesn’t have to be that way. More campers are trading in freeze-dried meals and plastic-wrapped snacks for local produce, ethically raised meats, and homemade ...