Campground and reservation news, public lands access, recalls and safety, and camping gear worth buying, without the noise.
CPSC announced recalls in 2026 for camping-relevant gear including a rechargeable lantern, a portable power station, portable generators, a camp chair, a cooler, a camping knife, insulated food jars and bottles, a portable camping shower and a propane fireplace insert. Each recall covers only the specific models listed by CPSC. Check your gear against the official CPSC notice before your next trip.
CDC calls boiling the best way to kill germs in water, including viruses, bacteria and parasites. Filters, chemical disinfectants and UV light each cover some germs but not others, and each has limits with cloudy water, cold water, contact time or batteries. CDC recommends filtering water and then disinfecting it to cover more types of germs.
Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas made by anything that burns fuel, and it can build up quickly inside tents, campers and vehicles. CPSC and CDC guidance says to keep fuel-burning heaters, stoves, lanterns and grills out of enclosed shelters. Staying warm on a cold night is mostly about your sleep system, dry layers and food, with a battery CO alarm as a backup, not a permission slip.
Hypothermia happens when the body loses heat faster than it can make it, and CDC calls it a medical emergency. The early signs include shivering, exhaustion, confusion, fumbling hands and slurred speech. Staying dry, dressing in layers, blocking the wind and eating and drinking enough are the main prevention steps; if you suspect hypothermia, call 911.
Bears treat anything with a scent as food, so parks and forests require campers to store food, trash and toiletries in lockers, approved containers, hard-sided vehicles or hangs, depending on the place. The rules are not the same everywhere: a method that's required in one park can be illegal in another. Check the rules for the specific park or forest before you go.
Your first winter night comes down to a warm sleep system, smart layers, enough food and water, and good ventilation. Most of the cold reaches you from the ground and from damp, so the pad and dry clothes matter as much as the bag. Never bring a fuel-burning heater or stove into your tent or vehicle.
Good stocking stuffers for campers are small items that fix problems on the trail, such as a backup way to light the stove, a way to patch a torn tent, or a dry pair of socks. Several of them appear on National Park Service packing checklists. This guide covers ten product types and what to look for in each.
Most sleeping bags sold today carry temperature ratings from a lab test defined in ISO 23537, which replaced the older EN 13537. The comfort rating is the most useful number for planning, and the extreme rating is a survival figure, not a target. Your sleeping pad, clothing and the bag's insulation type all change how warm a bag feels in practice.
Several of the country's most sought-after hikes and backcountry trips are allocated by lottery months before the season starts. As of November 1, 2026, most agencies haven't posted 2027 dates, but their recent schedules follow steady patterns. Here's what those patterns look like and which official page to watch for each one.
Leave No Trace's seven principles give campers a shared set of habits for protecting the places they visit. Car camping changes the details but not the ideas: you still plan ahead, stay on durable ground, deal with your waste, leave things as you found them, handle fire carefully, keep food from wildlife and respect your neighbors. This guide translates each principle into concrete steps for campground and dispersed car camping.
Many campgrounds on Recreation.gov use a rolling six-month booking window, so a new day of availability opens each day. Some popular parks, including Yosemite and Acadia, release sites in monthly blocks instead, and state park systems set their own windows. This guide explains the common patterns, the general cancellation rules and how to prepare for a booking day.
Car camping is a forgiving way to start, because you can bring more than a backpacker and your car is close by. A short, grouped checklist keeps you from forgetting the basics that make a first night comfortable and safe. This list covers shelter and sleep, kitchen and water, light and power, layers, safety and a few campsite extras.
The best camping gifts are practical items people reach for on every trip, such as a headlamp, a water filter or a warm layer. This guide covers 12 product types where many options are typically priced under $100, and explains what features to check. It names categories, not specific models, so you can match the gift to the camper.
At campgrounds with a rolling six-month window, a June 1, 2027 arrival opens on December 1, 2026, and each day after that adds one more summer date. Some popular parks release sites on different schedules, and state park systems use different windows. Here's how to work out your date and what to check before booking day.
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