yr Auntie's Guide to Accessible Tent Camping.

After 10 years of Tent Camping While Disabled, I have a gear collection and my own setup down pat. And since I could use a new packing list after a forced two years away from the campgrounds, might as well make this blog content while I'm at it, right?

I should point out that this is the car camping in state campgrounds kind of camping. It's music festival camping (which is how I got into camping in the first place). It's kind of half between rustic camping and "glamping." And I'm also disabled in ways where I do nothing alone, so this is not a list intended for solo camping. It's also not "aesthetic" camping. If I'm already packing in all this stuff, I'm not about to pack a bunch of extra shit I can't actually use for anything practical. This may look like a lot, but it generally fits in a mid-sized sedan's trunk and backseat.

The following is my advice on the kind of gear to acquire, and where to find it. For a packing checklist, I have one of those, too - click here. It also includes a grocery list, and recipes for from-scratch, nutritious, generally allergy-safe camp food.

The Campsite Structure:

• Instant-up tent.

  • Yes, you do want to pay more for the "sets up in 2 minutes or less" tent (it's more like 3-5 minutes, but that's still absurdly fast for a tent). You also want to make sure you can stand up fully inside the tent, and don't have to stoop much to enter the tent. I have the version of this tent that Walmart sold 10 years ago, and I'm betting I get another 10 years at least out of it.

• 10x10' canopy.

  • While the ideal for me is having my own sleeping tent, each campsite only needs one canopy. So, if your friend has one they're bringing, you don't need one of your own.

• Your Camp Chair.

  • A crucial selection. You cannot sit in the cheap collapsible chairs if you have a bad back or are older than 35. Also needs to have enough of a recline for comfort (I'm not a fan of the Captain's Chairs, the backs are too straight), and armrests to lift yourself out of the chair. You may also want to bring a lumbar support cushion (and remember to return it to your tent if your butt isn't on it).

  • Optional: a folding side table. Much better than setting things in the dirt at your feet and risking stepping on them or knocking them over when you get out of your chair in the dark.

• A good camp lantern. Not as crucial in a place with campfires, but again, places like music festival tent cities get dark.

• A small butane torch. The kind you use to heat a dab nail. You can start a campfire with a standard lighter and some paper plates or cardboard/newspaper, but it's a hell of a lot faster and easier with a torch.

• A (fully charged!) waterproof Bluetooth speaker, and downloaded music playlists or an MP3 player.

Inside the Tent:

• An air mattress with a 2-3' rise and collapsible internal supports, or a camp cot with a standard bed height.

  • This is what usually keeps disabled people from camping - sleeping on the ground or even low to the ground is a no-go, because you can't get off the floor. The solution is pretty simple - bring a bed.

• At least one good sleeping bag. And don't expect the temperature rating to match the actual product performance. If it's going to be in the low 50's at night, you'll want the bag rated for sleeping under the stars in Antarctica. And you'll want at least one extra blanket on top of that. And don't forget your pillow!

• A waterproof bag or tote with your clothes, electronics, dopp kit, medications, etc.

• A large cooler for your food, and grocery bags or a tote of any non-chill perishables (crackers, bread, etc). Why inside your tent? Bears. Drunks. Kinda the same thing, really. Inside your car is even better, if you're allowed to have it at your campsite.

• A small, watertight tote (18-30 qt) stocked with non-perishable pantry items. Inside the tent or car for the same reason as above.

• A Camp/Compostable Toilet.

  • Yes, you can get a "shower tent" to pitch next to your sleeping tent for this. I still recommend getting a toilet setup you can keep inside your tent if possible, simply because if you pee multiple times per night, and it's raining (which it always seems to do on a camping trip), it's pretty miserable struggling with tent zippers in the rain while you're trying to hold your bladder.

  • Remember to bring whatever material your toilet needs to work (cat litter, cedar shavings, etc), and don't skimp on the trash bags you get for this purpose.

  • Need help getting on/off the toilet? Get a standard medical walker, and put it behind the toilet, so you're sitting inside the walker and can use the handles for support. That was one of the handier recovery tips I got from my nurse navigator at hip pre-op.

The Camp Mess:

• A potable water container.

• A gas camp stove + fuel.

• A campfire grill, or small propane or charcoal grill.

  • with charcoal & accelerant, which you'll likely want on hand regardless if the campsite comes with a grill.

• An 18-30 qt tote filled with the following:

  • The longest pair of BBQ tongs you can find.

  • A skillet, a sauce-pot, and a kettle or percolator.

    • Preferably cast iron, or stainless steel. They sell camp mess kits for this purpose, but around 98% are cheap non-stick. I recommend a collection of thrifted or inherited misfits instead.

    • If you get a kettle without a percolator for coffee and you don't drink instant, you'll want a non-electric way to brew your morning coffee, like a pour-over system in a sturdy material.

  • Pot holders, and both silicone spatulas and flipping spatulas.

  • A cutting board, and all-purpose cooking knife with a blade guard.

  • Measuring spoons and cups.

  • A can opener.

  • Tableware.

    • Wheat Straw Dinner Wear Sets are more affordable, lighter, and more durable than most mess kits sold to campers.

    • Just assign a spare travel coffee cup to your camping gear, it's one of the easiest things to forget.

    • Same for an insulated wine glass, if you're a wine camper.

  • One of those sponges on a wand you fill with dish soap.

  • Paper towels, disinfectant wipes, antibacterial hand soap & dish soap

  • Containers for leftovers.

  • Heavy-Duty Aluminum Foil and parchment paper.

  • Trash bags.

• Optional: a 5'-6' folding table. If you're at a campsite, they usually come with a picnic table. If you're at a music festival, you may want to consider a table for your mess setup.

For CPAP Tent Campers:

I'm not a CPAP user myself, but from the folks I know who do camp and use a CPAP, you seem to have three options:

1. Invest in or borrow a camp generator. They are a hefty cost ($200-500 on the low end), but very worth it if you're a frequent camper or music-festival goer with a CPAP and can't RV.

2. Run an extension cord to your car's battery. Most modern tents have special ports for this purpose, so you don't have to keep a door or window cracked to let the rain in with the juice.

   1. You can also get a car camping kit so you can sleep in your car, instead of in a tent.

3. Set your tent up in the RV side of the park. The spaces are significantly more expensive per night, but each comes with electrical hookups (and your own water spigot).

Where to get all of this stuff?

If this is you reading this list:

Legit. It's a lot. There's a reason most campers got into it because they came from a camping family. Unless you're a backpacker, there's a ton of gear involved... not like backpacking doesn't involve a ton of gear, too, they're just not packing in an entire functional kitchen. So. Back up to the question in the section title. I promise, you don't have to get it all right away, or buy it from some boutique sporting goods store for big cash.

• Chances are, you're camping with a more experienced camper your first few times out, which means you only really need to worry about bed and bedding, food, light, and your clothes and personal supplies - they likely have everything else, and you can collect your own gear slowly. The smartest first gear purchases are an air mattress or cot, a good sleeping bag, a good camp chair, and a headlamp.

• Ask around your friends and family. They may have equipment they can loan you, sell to you, or just give you to get it out of their garage.

• Many libraries have a "Library of Things," a loaner program for useful items most people don't invest in to keep around and store between uses - like camping equipment. Check with your library, and see what you can borrow.

• Check Facebook Marketplace, or your local classifieds for sales on used equipment. Especially check end of season, and after any particularly cold, rainy summer weekends in your area to catch the "fuck it, I'm done" sales.

• I know, it's Walmart... but Walmart's Ozark Trail camping and outdoors brand is widely known as some of the best performing camping equipment out there, even though it's also usually the lowest priced. Especially check out Labor Day and winter holiday sales.

• I highly recommend NOT buying camping equipment from Shein or Temu... but if you have a source for legitimate Asian-made camping equipment, especially those inflatible tents, do it - and please share your source with me!

And if you were wondering where the ice and firewood was on either of these lists - you buy ice when you gas up to hit the road to the campsite, and you buy the firewood when you get to the campsite - it's illegal in most places to transport firewood, thanks to transporting invasive species along with.