Camping has been with us since the time when home was not that far removed from roughing it. Ernest Hemingway even praised its virtues. There has always been a desire to escape and challenge one's self-reliance with the bare necessities. Be those necessities may be as bare as a single survival knife in the wilderness or what one can pack into a car and trailer pulling up into a fully powered RV park slot. Everyone has their own tolerances of roughing it, but what they choose as equipment has common elements.
All camping equipment has three common denominators- they must be multi-use, lightweight, and compact.
Camping Knives Tools
Perhaps the first multi-use camping equipment that comes to mind is the quintessential outdoorsman gear. That is the Swiss Army knife. The concept of many tools pushed into one device. That has even evolved into a formal device even called the multi-use tool. Essentially, it is a folding pair of pliers with Swiss Army type devices (including knife) put into it. This concept has expanded all areas of camping equipment like sporks, a combination of a spoon and fork that one may be familiar with from fast food restaurants. Even outdoor wear has many uses now with pants where the legs can zip off to make shorts. Not all multi-use equipment is a product of camping equipment manufacturers, some are simply the ingenuity of campers. A long time example is using a Frisbee as a plate. Serves both as dinnerware and a recreational toy.
The other side of camping equipment is the pursuit of less weight. This is a big break from the past where one went camping with cast iron pots and heavy wool blankets, not to mention wooden posts as tent poles. So, the camping equipment manufacturers use the latest in lightweight but durable materials. Polymers, alloys, and microfibers make all form of equipment. The above mentioned multi-use tools are often made with aluminum alloys to make them lighter than steel. The sporks are made with rugged and heat resistant plastic polymers. And even cloth is made with microfiber synthetics to make clothes, sleeping bags, and towels. All this is designed to make traveling with less even lighter.
Finally, camping equipment makes an effort to be compact. Saving space is essential when packing and transporting equipment. Multiple pieces are broken down to be able to be placed into each other or itself. Many cooking and eating pieces are designed to packed into each other. Another food related item has been designed to fit itself in the collapsible cup. A cup that can be collapsed into itself making it smaller. There are buckets, containers, and basins made from various materials designed to collapse flat for easier packing.
As one can see there are a lot of advances to make camping more enjoyable with better equipment. This equipment even makes getting to and from campsites easier.
The Qualities of Modern Camping Equipment
Not all camping equipment has to be bought in a sporting goods store nor does it have to be only used for camping. One can find a good microfiber camping towel in a ShamWow. A ShamWow is essentially a synthetic fiber towel that stands up to the rigors of outdoor use. One would find that same essence in a pricier, specialized camping towel.
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