10 Budget Friendly Camping Items for Students

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Last Updated on March 29, 2025 by Paul Clayton

10 Budget Friendly Camping Items for Students

Being a student, you spend a lot of time inside, sitting down, reading, writing, or typing on your computer. With all the academic obligations, you hardly have any time for yourself. While this may seem like the typical student scenario, it shouldn’t be the norm. Students need to find activities they can do in their leisure time that are great for their body and their mind. One such activity is camping.

Camping offers everything—being outside, enjoying nature, being physically active, and mentally relaxed. Plus, if you do it with friends or family, you get an injection of socialization, which is another must. But to enjoy camping responsibly and stress-free, you need the right camping gear.

Key Takeaways

• • Camping is beneficial: It provides mental relaxation, socialization, and physical activity, making it an excellent break from academic stress.

  • Investing in gear is crucial: Proper camping equipment ensures safety, comfort, relaxation, and adventure.

  • Essential gear for students: Must-have items include a tent, rainfly, tent footprint, sleeping bag, sleeping pad, first aid kit, fire starter kit, small cooking stove, hiking boots, and bug spray.

  • Budget-friendly options: Many essential items are affordable, making it easy for students to camp without overspending.

  • Leisure is important: Bringing books can enhance the camping experience, combining relaxation with productivity.

Below, you’ll find our ultimate list of the essential camping gear items for college students and more useful tips.

Why Invest in Camping Gear?

You might think camping should be spontaneous, adventurous, and without overthinking. While you are supposed to take a mental break while camping, you still need to remain safe. 

Investing in camping gear is thus not a question of choice but a necessity. Without proper equipment, your camping adventure can soon become a disastrous attempt at having fun. Here are the main concerns that student campers need to be aware of and the main reasons to invest in proper camping gear.

• Safety

Safety comes first; you can be in serious trouble without the right camping gear. Your safety can be questioned from mosquito bites to other animal visitors, injuries, unexpected weather conditions, and additional surprises. The right gear will keep you prepared and protected for such situations.

• Comfort

To enjoy camping, you must go the extra mile and be comfortable. Sleeping on hard terrain, being too cold or hot, or being unable to cook a decent meal can turn any camping trip into a nightmare.

• Relaxation

If you find it too hard or complicated to set up your camping spot, get settled, and start having fun, you’ll never be able to relax. Proper camping gear will make it easy for you to start having fun as soon as possible and not waste any time in the preparation stage.

• Adventure

Finally, reliable camping gear gives you the confidence to stay out camping longer or explore your surroundings without worries. Being well-equipped is the best way to allow yourself to be truly adventurous.

Essential Camping Gear Items Every College Student Should Have

Now that you understand the importance of owning and bringing proper camping gear to your camping trips, it’s time to see the must-have items for every college student. Let’s break it down.

• Tent

We may be stating the obvious, but a solid tent is the first gear item you need to buy, and buy it carefully. If you dig deeper into buying a tent, you’ll find hundreds of different models and types you could buy.

So, how to choose the best fit?

We suggest you consider the following characteristics:

• number of people that will typically sleep in it
• seasons during which you’ll be using the tent
• activities you plan on doing inside the tent

This will help you choose your tent’s size, quality, and height. Students usually use a tent for two people for work. You probably won’t need a four-season tent if you’re not extremely adventurous. But it’s all up to you.

Once you choose your tent, you can continue down our list.

• Rainfly

Rain can catch you off-guard, no matter the season or the temperature during your camping days. It’s always best to buy a rainfly for your tent and keep it with you.

A rainfly is a separate protective cover for your tent that will keep you dry and prevent the rain from entering inside. It’s also protection against dew and gives you some extra resistance if it becomes windy. And, if it’s a super sunny day, your rainfly can protect you from extensive UV light.

Plus, it’s much easier to clean than the entire tent, so some campers use it to protect the tent from bird poop, dirty leaves, tree sap, and more.

• Tent Footprint

Another item that adds to your tent is the tent footprint. This protective fabric fits under your tent floor and protects you from moist surfaces, wet weather conditions, or the tent floor wearing out.

Not every college student needs one of these, but here’s when to buy it:

• if your original tent floor isn’t super durable
• if you camp a lot and often
• if you spend a substantial amount of time inside the tent

The best thing about a footprint is that it costs way less to replace once it is damaged than to replace the entire tent.

• Sleeping Bag

Speaking of essentials, a sleeping bag is a must regardless of where you camp or how high or low the temperatures get. 

Luckily, simple but comfortable sleeping bags can be found at affordable prices, so you won’t have to spend a fortune on them. Just make sure there’s enough space for moving around and sleeping comfortably.

• Sleeping Pad

If you value comfort, you need a sleeping pad with a soft and cozy surface. This is especially true for campers who don’t move around much, so carrying all the extra gear isn’t a problem.

Manual and self-inflated ones are in different sizes, thicknesses, and shapes. Choose based on your sleeping habits and tent size.

• First Aid Kit

You never know what can happen in nature, far away from your home or any sign of civilization. It’s best to be prepared for an emergency, so ensure you have a solid first aid kit.

Gauzes, bandages, a tourniquet, medical tape, povidone-iodine, alcohol wipes, and other similar items should be found in every first aid kit. This way, if you scratch, cut yourself, something bites you, or you get more seriously injured, you’ll be ready to give yourself the necessary first aid treatment.

• Fire Starter Kit

Starting a fire can be tricky, especially for inexperienced campers. But there’s nothing like lighting that evening’s fire in your camping spot and hanging out with friends, good food, and the smell of nature.

So, unless you have scouting experience and know how to light a fire alone, it’s best to bring a fire starter kit.

These kits contain all the things you need to light a fire quickly and keep it going:

• matches
• tinder shreds
• fire lite fuel cubes
• lighting nuggets

But beware that human ignition causes 84% of all wildfires in the United States. So, make sure you create a solid fire pit and put down your fire when going to sleep. 

• Small Cooking Stove

If you plan to spend a few days in nature, you’ll need a small camping cooking stove. It will allow you to prepare your morning coffee or cup of tea and keep you warm.

It’ll also be great for cooking simple camping meals like scrambled eggs, frittata, soups, stew, or anything else you enjoy.

You should choose the size and capacity of the stove based on your needs and what you plan to prepare during the camping trip.

• Hiking Boots

Hiking is a great form of physical activity, as well as a way to relax your mind, reduce stress, and energize your body. It goes hand in hand with camping, and that’s why camping boots are the next essential item on our list.

If you’re not wearing proper shoes, your hiking outing can be uncomfortable and dangerous. You could get injured or be extremely uncomfortable with your clothes. Hiking boots will help you enjoy this healthy lifestyle to the fullest. You should also find out other ways of keeping your body and mind healthy. 

• Bug Spray

Bring bug spray to keep the little menaces away from your tent and your camp spot. Not bringing bug spray can make your camping trip a disaster since you never know what kind of insects can crawl into your tent when you’re not looking.

So, choose a bug spray that’s not filled with chemicals so that you don’t harm your body, and spray it occasionally, even when you’re moving, hiking, riding a bike, or just relaxing in your tent. 

• Books

Finally, the last item on our list isn’t exactly camping gear but more of a camping leisure time necessity. If you’ve never tried reading in the silence of nature, this is your chance to try it.

We recommend you bring at least one book on your camping trip. You may have some literature for school to catch up on or write an essay about. GrabMyEssay can step in if you’re close to missing a deadline. You could also bring something of your own choice and treat yourself to a nice round of quiet reading daily.

Final Thoughts

Camping is an excellent way for students to disconnect from academic stress and reconnect with nature. While spontaneity is part of the adventure, having the right gear ensures a safer, more comfortable, and enjoyable experience. By investing in budget-friendly essentials, students can make the most of their camping trips while staying within their financial limits.

Our list of essential camping gear items for college students will help you prepare well and confidently for your next adventure. Use it wisely!