3 Of The Most Useful Mini Gadgets For Any Camping Trip

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You only have so much room to pack for your camping trip, but setting a small amount of space aside for these handy mini gadgets can be worth it to keep you safe and informed. Whether you’re into roughing it in tents and sleeping bags or glamping in a cozy camper, these mini gadgets are worth considering for the safety and convenience they provide in such compact packages.

Starting with the Midland E+Ready Compact Emergency Crank Radio, this 0.65-pound radio keeps you up to date with the latest weather developments so you can stay ahead of rain, sleet, snow, and more. That alone is a vitally important function, but it also comes equipped with a number of other quality of life features, including an LED flashlight and emergency SOS beacon. Similarly, the Garmin inReach Mini 2 is a tiny satellite communication that gives you the peace of mind of knowing you’re never away from a reliable source of communication.

And if you’re prone to losing things and leaving them behind – or you worry about it often – look into Apple AirTags (2nd gen), which are coin-sized Bluetooth trackers that you can slip into a wallet, attach to a set of keys, or toss into a backpack for easy tracking from your phone.

Staying up to date with current weather developments is important because you never know when you may need to prepare for rain or seek shelter from severe weather. It’s not always feasible to stay informed when you’re away from electricity and an internet connection, though, which is why emergency radios like the Midland E+Ready Compact Emergency Crank Radio exist.

You can power Midland’s emergency radio using three different methods: solar, crank, and rechargeable battery. So even if there’s no outlet or Wi-Fi router in a 50-mile radius, you still have access to AM/FM radio and NOAA weather alerts while you camp. Weather alerts are the Midland E+Ready Compact Emergency Crank Radio’s main function, but they’re not the only one. It also comes equipped with a 1,400 Lux brightness LED flashlight, which doubles as an emergency SOS beacon if you’re ever stranded and need to be easily located.

Plus, at just 0.65lbs and 2.20 x 7.70 x 5.60in, it’s tiny and featherweight, making it the perfect accessory for car camping or slipping into a backpack for peace of mind. At $59.99 when you shop at Walmart, the Midland E+Ready radio offers peace of mind for well under $100.

The Apple AirTag is a pretty ingenious little product that helps you keep tabs on anything and everything important. At its core, it’s a Bluetooth tracker that syncs up to your phone. When you’re taking valuables or keepsakes with you on your next trip, consider slipping one of these into the bag or attaching it with a keychain so you’ll always know where it is. You can pop one of these into a rucksack or wallet, add it to your key ring, or simply keep it on your person so that other people are able to locate you through Apple’s Find My. You can also turn on separation alerts so the tag will notify you if you accidentally leave it (and its attached item) behind.

Apple’s trackers weigh just 11.8g and measure in at only 1.26 x 0.31in, so you’ll barely even know they’re there. They’re also IP67 water and dust resistant, which is important for hiking, biking, and water activities like fishing and kayaking. As for the tracking itself, you can locate the lost item in the Find My app, and you can also play a sound from the AirTag’s built-in speaker (like AirPods). Apple’s 2nd-gen AirTags are $29 at Amazon, but regularly go on sale (including a discounted price of $27 at the time of writing).

The Garmin inReach Mini 2 also landed a spot on our roundup of the 4 most useful camping gadgets you can buy, and for great reason. It helps you keep in touch even when you’re in the middle of nowhere – so if you like adventures and remote excursions, this tiny but robust satellite communicator is definitely worth a thought. At just 2.04 x 3.90 x 1.03in and weighing in at 100g, the inReach Mini 2 can fit comfortably in the palm of your hand or a small pocket of your backpack.

Garmin’s inReach Mini 2 enables two-way messaging via satellite communication, offers a quick way to send SOS alerts to Garmin Response (a 24/7 emergency contact service), and provides live tracking for friends and family to follow your journey. Despite its small stature, though, the inReach Mini 2 features a durable design that will have no problems accompanying you on your camping trips, complete with IPX7 water resistance for puddles, rain, and snow.

Aside from its primary communication function, the inReach Mini 2 also has a few nice quality of life features out of the box, including weather forecasts and updates through the inReach Weather Forecast Service, a digital compass for navigation, and trip planning and route storage. The inReach Mini 2 runs for $399.99 at Amazon, though it’s marked down to $349.99 at the time of writing.

We chose these mini camping gadgets based on a number of key factors, including price, design, availability, feature set, and portability. We analyzed expert and user reviews, placing particular emphasis on how well these products actually performed in real-world settings, as well as relevant roundups like the most useful camping gadgets you can buy and useful camping gadgets that you can use year-round to compare similar gadgets. As this is a list of mini camping gadgets, we set a weight limit of one pound.

We then narrowed the picks for this list down based on how well the products perform in each of the key categories mentioned, as well as which are most applicable to the majority of campers. In other words, do we believe the product is genuinely worth recommending to most people in the market for new camping gear? If so, we listed it here.