For decades, I have been an avid backpacker, car camper, and RVer. No one says that you have to pick one style of camping to enjoy the outdoors, and each of the three predominate forms has its own merits. For instance, if you truly want to enjoy the Appalachian Trail, backpacking is really the best way to go. If you have plenty of time to get where you are going, enjoy having all the comforts of home with you while you travel, then an RV could be for you. If you don’t want the expense of an RV or just want to fly out west to visit the great national parks, you can grab your camping gear, hop a flight rent a mini-van, and car camp to your heart’s content. 

We’re going to talk to some folks about the merits of each and look at some of the must-have,  or, even just wanna-have gear, available at Mast for camping "your way."

Backpacking

Erin Hyde is a former Mast Store employee who, as this is being written, is currently through-hiking the Appalachian Trail. Working in the outdoor department at the Mast Store in Roanoke and then Knoxville, Erin said she continually encountered Appalachian Trail Hikers and decided one day to do it herself.

“I was born and raised in East Tennessee. My grandparents would take us to the Smoky Mountains all the time,” Erin said. “We lived in the country, and I used to go hiking all the time. Then you get older, and life gets ahead of you, and you forget about the things that you enjoyed when you were a kid. When you come to a certain age, you feel that something is missing. That’s when I came to realize that I need to be out here.

“Hiking can be difficult to begin with, but then you add on weight and knowing that you’re doing this every day, there are days that are even more difficult. You’re walking through flooded trails, and your feet are soaked. But difficulties and the ability to overcome hard things are what allow you to grow. You build off that, and over time, you gain more confidence,” Erin said.

Unless hiking with a partner, backpacking requires that you be totally self-sufficient on the trail. That means carrying your food, water and water filter, sleeping bag, tent or hammock, clothes, and whatever accessories that you feel are necessary. 

Here are a few of our favorite backpacking items to get you started.

Men's 65 Liter Aether Backpack from Osprey 
Ideal for a week on the trail or a gear-intensive weekend, the Aether 65 is a customizable, perfect-fitting pack that has the ability to carry larger and heavier loads. Made with high-quality Bluesign-approved nylon and PFC-free DWR. Raincover included.

Women's Aura Ag 50 Backpack from Osprey
The Aura AG 50 is the best-fitting, most ventilated, and comfortable women's-specific pack ever made for traditional backpacking trips lasting a weekend or more.

Men's Trestles 30 Sleeping Bag from Marmot 
Ideal for the avid to recreational backpacker, this all-purpose synthetic insulated bag is great for backpacking, car camping, and mountaineering. It's pack with Spirafil synthetic insulation that's rated to 30 degrees, 3D hood construction with cinch cords to block out cold, and an improved fabric liner for increased comfort. If you're a bit taller, this bag is also available in a long version.  

Women's Sunbeam 30 Sleeping Bag from Big Agnes
Let the Women's Sunbeam 30 Sleeping Bag from Big Agnes wrap you in its FireLine ECO synthetic insulation for the ideal weight-to-warmth ratio, while ensuring peace of mind thanks to the post-consumer recycled materials.

Minimo Stove from Jetboil
Now you can still carry on with your high-falutin' foodie ways and satisfy your gourmand palate while roughing it in the wilderness. Winner of Backpacker Magazine's 2015 Editors' Choice Award, the MiniMo Stove provides excellent simmer control and usability for making gourmet meals on your backpacking trips. Starting with the innovative new valve design, MiniMo delivers the finest simmer control of any upright canister system on the market.

Car Camping

Car camping allows you to move quickly from place to place, carry more than you ever could while backpacking, including luxury items that backpackers only dream of such as drink-filled coolers and comfy folding chairs. You also have the ability fly somewhere, rent a vehicle, and begin your journey far from home. 

Take it from Ryan Robinson, Mast Store’s Community Relations Program Manager, car camping opens up a world of opportunities.

“Car camping opens many possibilities for those seeking nights under the stars. My wife and I have been car camping all over the country. When we travel away from our home in the Southern Appalachians, we often rent a minivan that doubles as our transportation and home on wheels,” Ryan said.

“During the day, it can carry our camping gear, bikes, and more, while emptying it to sleep inside at night. We usually bring a tent when we can take our personal vehicle on a camping trip. Either way, tent or no tent, a car offers mobility for visiting a vast range of places, and it enables the ability to carry food, equipment, et cetera.

“It’s not that I don’t like backpacking, but on our car-camping trips, we typically look for day hikes and mountain biking trails and enjoy having a few extra amenities. We have a two stove-top camp cook set, pots and pans, and a small kerosene tank. When traveling with a car, you can bring regular groceries and a larger cooler to keep items cold. Most of our meals are as good as what we cook at home,” shared Ryan.

“Another bonus of car camping,” Ryan added, “is that it serves as a vessel of refuge. We camp in any weather and any season because the car can keep us cool, warm, and dry. There are so many benefits to car camping!”

Here are a few of our favorite car camping items to get you started.

10-Ounce Rambler Wine Tumbler from YETI
These wine tumblers are great for keeping your favorite whites chilled to perfection or allows for your reds to maintain just the right temperature as you casually sip.

Eazy Chair from GCI Outdoor
Designed to keep you comfortable at the tailgate, campsite, or picnic, the Eazy Chair from GCI Outdoor features a folding bag chair that puts you on "Eazy Street" with hard armrests, a broad backrest, and a wide tension seat. 

Moji R + Lantern from Black Diamond
Compact and lightweight, the Moji R + is a lantern that can go and charge anywhere. Using Black Diamond's two-button interface with 150 lumens of solid or strobing white light, a full rainbow spectrum of color, a relaxing campfire lighting mode, and 4 magnets for quick, on-the-go attachment, the Moji R + is the rechargeable lantern to always keep with you.

Shadecaster 4 Person Sunshade from Grand Trunk
There’s plenty of room under the ShadeCaster 4-Person Sunshade from Grand Trunk for lots of “guests” to relax in the shade at a local park, outdoor festival, or anywhere else you want to gather.

RV-ing

Now you’re the king of the road and you’re bringing your castle with you, even if you pull your castle behind a Subaru. Of course, we’re talking about RVs, and they come in many shapes and sizes from a pop-up tent trailer to the behemoth Class A, which resembles a tour bus. 

Regardless of the size, all RVs have a few things in common which set them apart from all other methods of camping. Chiefly, you are self-contained, carrying your bedroom, kitchen, dining area, and often full bathroom with you wherever you go.

Mike and Debbie Galleher were led into RVing during Covid.

“My father passed away in Boone and made me promise to get his ashes to the Nation Cemetery in California to be with his wife and my two brothers as soon as possible,” Mike recounted. “It was the absolute height of Covid, and vaccines weren’t even readily available yet. We didn’t want to fly and stay in hotels, and we didn’t want to drive and stay in hotels and eat in restaurants, so we decided that if we rented a trailer, we’d be safe. All we’d have to do is buy gas, and we could prepare our own food.”

“I told him that I didn’t think that was a very good idea because I surely did not want a trailer,” added Debbie.

“But we went and looked at them, and it became more and more intriguing,” Mike said. “So, we ended up buying one.”

“And I fell in love with it,” Debbie chimed in. “We took a leap of faith and very quickly into I thought, ‘Oh, this is fun.’ I can’t wait to keep going and see where we can go with it.”

Mike’s favorite aspect of traveling with an RV is the fact that it is self-contained.  

“Being able to go to some of these beautiful campsites from the Corps of Engineers to National Parks and even RV parks that we’ve stayed at are beautiful” Mike said. “I’m not setting up a tent, and I’m not sleeping on the ground. I can pull over at a rest stop to make lunch or take a nap if I’m tired. And we can bring stuff with us that normally you’re not going to pack. It allows us to leave home and have a sense of freedom yet have the necessities of life all around us. You have the comforts of home, but you’re out in the woods, in a sense, at the campgrounds.”

Here are a few of our favorite items that you can load into your camper and hit the road:

Southern Appalachians Road and Recreation Atlas from National Geographic 
Let the Southern Appalachians Road & Recreation Atlas help you plan and execute your next adventure in America’s historic mountain frontier.

Classic Perfect Brew Pour Over Set from Stanley 
Coffee doesn’t get any better than this. Whether you’re in the backcountry, the RV, or your own backyard--this durable, stainless-steel set makes it a cinch to brew some mighty fine joe.

Roadtrip Rocker Chair from GCI Outdoor
A folding rocking chair that combines comfort, innovation, and convenience. Rock, relax, and keep cool on any adventure, then easily pack it up when it’s time to roll. Wherever you're trying to relax, the Roadtrip Rocker Chair is there to support you.

4-Quart Cast Iron Camp Dutch Oven from Lodge
The Lodge 4-quart portable Camp Oven is the pot that does it all. The flanged lid, purportedly designed by Paul Revere, holds hot coals and inverts for use as a griddle. The integrated legs allow the oven to sit perfectly over hot coals. Includes a FREE Camp Dutch Oven Cooking 101 instructional cookbook.

There you have it, if you are inclined to spend more days outside, surely one or more of these methods will help you get there. So, stop by a Mast Store and let one of our friendly experts in the Outdoor Department help you pick out the gear and get started.

 

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About JD Dooley
JD Dooley works in the Mast Store Marketing Department as webmaster, radio and TV guy, and resident Renaissance Man. He is Leave No Trace certified and in one of his many former careers taught outdoor skills at summer camps. He shares, “I’ve always been a strong advocate of being outside. Camping, whether it be in an RV, from a car, or in a tent, really gets you up close and personal with the natural environment. I truly believe that, no matter who you are, we all benefit greatly from the time we spend in the outdoors.” 

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