DO YOU HATE CAMPING… OR DO YOU JUST HAVE CRAPPY GEAR?

A few days ago, Sara and I were sitting around talking about camping, gear, and some of the stories we've heard over the years.
You know the ones...
"I went camping once. NEVER AGAIN!"
Then you hear the rest of the story.
They froze all night because their sleeping bag wasn't warm enough.
Their tent leaked and everything they owned got soaked.
Their stove wouldn't work, so they couldn't cook dinner.
Their air mattress went flat at 2 a.m. and they spent the rest of the night sleeping on the ground.
After sharing a few stories back and forth, Sara finally looked at me and said:
"Do they really not like camping... or do they just have crappy gear?"
😂
You know what?
That's actually a pretty profound question.
Because crappy gear can absolutely ruin an otherwise awesome camping trip.
Now, I've never been a huge believer in the whole "Buy Once, Cry Once" mentality.
Really good camping gear can get EXPENSIVE, and I don't believe you have to spend a small fortune just to get outside and have a good time.
But there's another side to that...
CHEAP and INEXPENSIVE are not necessarily the same thing.
There's some fantastic budget-friendly camping gear out there.
But there's also some downright junk.
There has to be a happy medium.
One of my biggest rules of thumb?
Don't gamble on critical camping gear just because you found it ridiculously cheap on a bargain marketplace.
If you're looking at a tent that's a fraction of the price of everything else and thinking, "Wow, that's cheap!"
You're probably right.
And maybe not in a good way. 😂
The same goes for online reviews. They're useful, but I wouldn't make a buying decision based solely on a star rating. Reviews can be manipulated, incentivized, or simply written by someone who uses their gear completely differently than you will.
So how DO you find good budget camping gear?
Do a little homework.
Look for reputable gear-testing and comparison sites like OutdoorGearLab, Switchback Travel, and CleverHiker.
Watch YouTube channels that actually USE and TEST the equipment they're talking about. Channels like The Outdoor Gear Review, Gear Test Outdoors, Dose of Dirt, and plenty of others can give you a much better idea of how something performs outside of the manufacturer's advertising.
Reddit can be useful too...
Sometimes. 😂
And don't overlook Facebook groups dedicated to camping, backpacking, hammock camping, bushcraft, and outdoor gear.
Those groups can actually be one of the better resources because you can ask:
"Anybody actually used this thing?"
Then talk directly with people about the pros, cons, failures, and whether they'd spend their own money on it again.
At the end of the day, you don't need the most expensive gear on the market.
You just need gear you can depend on.
Camping definitely isn't everyone's cup of tea.
Some people really do try it and decide they'd rather be sitting in the air conditioning with a cold drink and absolutely ZERO mosquitoes.
And I respect that. 😂
But before you decide...
"I HATE CAMPING!"
Maybe ask yourself one question:
Did you really hate camping...
or did you just have crappy gear?
🔥 Just a thought from around the campfire.
Shaun & Sara Strickland
Rewyld Outdoors
Stay Wyld.