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Camping can be a year-round hobby. However, the idea of winter camping does not appeal to many people. It can get frigid and sometimes a bit uncomfortable, depending on the area of the country and weather conditions. However, especially in colder climates near backcountry areas, it’s not uncommon to find people camping in insulated travel trailers, impressive rooftop tents, and even the more common ground tents without any issues.
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To ensure you have a great time winter camping, there are several products to help. Many of these items tend to be heated camping gadgets or backcountry technology to ensure you stay safe while out in nature. Based on high ratings and positive reviews from users, here are five gadgets to help make winter camping a more enjoyable experience, whether or not it’ll be your first time camping in the snow. The methodology we used to select these gadgets will be explained in more detail at the end of this article.
Heated Camping Chair
One of the more tiresome issues of having a campfire while it’s cold is not being able to keep your whole body warm. You may find yourself rotating just to ensure there is equal warmth. However, with a heated camping chair, you can admire the fire, talk to friends, and roast a few marshmallows, all while keeping your backside toasty as well. The Homcosan Heated Chair lists for $100 and comes with a 4.5 out of five-star rating from over 1,200 users.
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There are two heated sections, which include the back and the seated area. These areas’ temperatures can range between 104-132 degrees Fahrenheit with three temperature settings and can heat up in 10 seconds. The amount of time for the heated chair to stay on depends on your choice of battery pack — the chair does not come with one. As long as your battery or portable charger has a USB port, though, you’ll be able to keep the chair toasty.
Furthermore, other than heat, this chair comes with another feature perfect for camping — the non-slip rotating feet. These bottoms allow the chair to sit on all different terrains. It also has a side pocket, cup holder, and padded armrest. However, keep in mind that it’s not small or light enough to take backpacking comfortably.
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Rechargeable Hand Warmers
There’s nothing worse than cold hands when trying to set up a campsite, and unless you’re sporting snow gloves, there’s a chance they may start to feel a bit numb in the fingertips. For $40 and with a 4.5 out of five-star rating from over 1,400 users, the Jmostrg Rechargeable Hand Warmers is one of many great options found on Amazon — however, this brand has a couple of nifty features that aren’t found in some others.
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The most appealing aspect of these hand warmers is that they are dual-sided, meaning you can feel warmth around your whole hand — a few of the company’s competitors only do one side. However, you do have a single-sided option if you’d rather save battery life. At the gadget’s highest temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit, you can get six hours on dual-sided and nine hours on single-sided. At 108 degrees, its lowest temperature, they’ll last 13 hours on dual-sided and 16 hours on single-sided.
There’s a USB-C input for charging the warmers, which can fully charge in 3.5 hours, and a USB output. This means that you can also treat these warmers as small power banks to change small gadgets like your phone. Just be aware that they’re only 7000 mAh, so you shouldn’t treat them as a primary charging source.
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Anker 300W Portable Power Station
Whether you’re trying to heat up an electric blanket or charge your laptop, you’ll want to bring some kind of reliable power source with you, even if just for safety purposes. The Anker 300W Portable Power Station lists at $220 and comes with a 4.4 score from over 2,300 consumers.
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It comes with six ports (two AC, two USB ports, one USB-C port, and one 12V) and can charge up to 80% from zero in 1.5 hours using the USB-C port. It also comes with solar charging capabilities. Furthermore, it has a 256Wh capacity which enables you to get approximately 20 phone charges or 3.5 laptop charges. Depending on your winter camping necessities, it should last you all weekend on one charge.
We do want to point out that the product description states that it can power appliances up to 600W. The 600W is for peak, or starting wattage, meaning the gadget requires a lot more power to start than to run. In other words, it’s not lasting power. The running wattage of the Anker power station is 300W, so the appliance either needs to come back down to that wattage after starting or it will shut off. Appliances that do this tend to have compressors, like air conditioners and mini-fridges. It would be best to stick to gadgets with lower watt usage to ensure you’re getting the most out of the power station.
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Raynic Emergency Radio
There are several dependable emergency radios on the market, and having one of them during winter camping could be the thing that gets you ahead of a potential threat like a snowstorm. The Raynic Emergency Radio is an affordable option at $43 and has a 4.5 rating from over 15,000 users. It also comes in a few different colors, like green, orange, and black.
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This radio comes with six ways to charge. You can use an AC adapter, USB-C charging, three AAA batteries, or the installed solar panel on top. You could also take out the 12000 mAh rechargeable battery and charge it separately or use it as a small power bank. However, if those charging sources aren’t available, you can also use the hand-crank option to get it going.
This radio will automatically scan seven NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) channels and lock in on the strongest single, and even in standby mode, it’ll alert you when the NOAA issues a weather warning. However, it’s also an FM/AM/SW/WB radio, so you can listen to local stations for reports and music as well. The hope is that an emergency doesn’t occur while you’re spending time camping and relaxing, but it’s better to be safe than stuck.
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Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector
Comfortable can be more than a physical feeling — sometimes it can refer to an ease of mind as well. If you’re using a gasoline or propane heating source in an enclosed space, like a Mr. Heater Buddy, you’re going to want safety precautions. Lunarlipes Portable Carbon Monoxide Detector is a sensible and lifesaving gadget, which costs only $40 and has a 4.3 score from over 1,000 users.
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What makes this monoxide detector so nifty is that it’s a three-in-one device that detects CO concentration as well as temperature and humidity levels in the air all at once. It also has a 10-year lifespan, so you’ll be able to use it for multiple seasons year-round. Additionally, unlike other monoxide detectors that need to sit on a flat service or be nailed to the wall, this one comes with a small carabiner hook, so you can conveniently hang it.
It also has a three-stage visual and audible alert system in place. Stage one (safe) is green and silent at 0-49 PPM, or parts per million, which is the unit of measurement to explain the CO2 concentration. Stage two (warning) is yellow with a low-frequency alarm at 50-99 PPM. Stage three (danger) is red with a high-frequency alarm at 100-500 PPM. This little gadget also comes with a rechargeable battery and can fully charge within one hour.
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Our methodology for selecting these winter camping gadgets
The products discussed in this article were selected based on high ratings and positive reviews from an appropriate amount of users. This ensures that the rating is justified by more than a handful of people. We made sure that several of the reviewers had actively used these products while camping, so the gadgets used were in similar environments you may find yourself winter camping in. Each item has at least a 4.3 out of five-star rating.
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Because necessary cold-weather camping gear can get pricy, we ensured that these gadgets were affordable as well. Each item has a list price of no more than $220, with a few below $45. However, we do encourage you to do more research to make sure that each item will work for your camping style and environment. For example, if you want hand warmers that fit inside your snow gloves, you may want to go smaller or use the disposable type.
