If you have a larger group or your smaller group is headed for a longer camping trip (or trekking trip) then you need to be prepared with a comprehensive and well-stocked first-aid kit, and that’s what this kit from HART Outdoor is. And within this large first aid kit that comes stocked with multiple types and shapes of bandage, support hardware for injured limbs, myriad types of wound cleaning and sterilization applications, medicines, and more, you’ll also find a compact prepared grab-and-go first aid kit that’s only about the size of a wallet and that’s perfect for shorter trips away from the campsite (or home).

As the name suggests, this kit was designed with hikers in mind, so you can count on it being lightweight and portable, yet it’s still more than well enough stocked for a family camping trip. It has bandages of every kind of wound right up to those for which you’ll probably need a paramedic. It has antiseptics and topical antibiotics. It has basic medication for pain and upset stomachs. It has gloves and scissors. And it has some handy literature you should read through before you head to the woods.

A great little first aid kit for shorter day hikes with the kids, this Welly first aid kit has various shapes of colorful “bravery bandages” that will help take the sting out of cuts and scratches. It also comes with some antiseptic ointments, athletic tape and a non-stick pad for larger injuries, and some ibuprofen that can help with swelling and pain.

With this compact water filter on hand, you can pump clean water out of everything from ponds to streams to lakes to pots of melted ice and snow, and every drop of it – whether used for drinking or brushing or cooking – will be pure and safe. The long tube and the floating tip of the intake system make it easy to get to the source of the water, and while the pump takes some elbow grease, it’s simple to operate, and the long clean water output tube lets you easily set up your water bottles, pots, reservoir, or whatever is collecting the water wherever you need. It’s a must for long campouts or treks where your fresh water stores will run dry.

A LifeStraw can be a backup you hope to never use if you’re hanging around camp (or home) or it can be your go-to water source if you’re hiking fr miles through areas with plenty of fresh water. You can quite literally jam this water filtering “straw” into a pond, a puddle, a stream, or any other source of non-salty water and drink deep, knowing the LifeStraw will capture any impurities. When not coming along to the backwoods, keep your LifeStraw in your car or easily accessed in the home, because you never know.

Look, you will almost surely never need iodine water purification tablets. But that said, these are an affordable way to ensure that, in an emergency at the campsite or even at home, you can create clean drinking water. It might taste a bit medicinal, but you won’t need medicine to fight off a stomach bug later. (Also, you can always spring for tablets that come with a taste neutralizer, too.)

Hand sanitizer is great and all (and we all got quite used to it in the years 2020 and 2021 in particular) but ultimately there’s no substitute for a real hand washing with soap and water, not in terms of how clean your hands get and how clean they feel. This two-in-one soap and water dispensing station makes it easy for you to wash your own hands and, more of note, to wash those grubby kid paws anytime and anywhere.

A few pumps of this pleasant-smelling and non-drying hand sanitizer spray will have hands clean enough for safe eating when a full hand washing isn’t in the cards. Its formula is 62% ethanol, and the sanitizer also has several moisturizing oils. It can be used to clean knives, forks, and spoons in a pinch, but always give everything a thorough and proper washing as soon as you can.

These 65% alcohol-infused wipes are perfect for use on kids’ hands. And on things those hands are bound to touch, like utensils, toys, walkie-talkies, water bottles, tablet screens, binoculars, and the list goes on. These sanitizer solution-infused wipes make it easier to ensure the needed sanitizing solution gets spread all over the surface it needs to clean, be it a child’s hand or any of the aforementioned objects or beyond. Keep a packet of them in the car, in the hiking pack, in the tent – in other words, always have them on hand, as it were.

It’s impossible to put a price on the safety of yourself and your loved ones, of course, but the cost of a can of bear spray might do just that. This powerful bear deterrent blasts a scorching beam of bear spray out a full 35 feet, keeping plenty of distance between you and your ursine foil. And a single can will put out multiple blasts of peppery spray, so if the bear doesn’t get the clue the first time, hopefully the second or third wave will convince it to saunter off. It’s a good idea to also invest in a can of inert practice bear spray so you’re ready for the real deal, and it’s a great idea to bring a can of bear spray along with you any time you are hiking, camping, climbing, biking, or paddling through territory you might end up sharing with bears who decided not to sleep through winter.

This multi-function device can serve as a flashlight, a portable power bank suitable for charging a phone, and of course as an emergency radio. It can pick up even remote radio signals sent out in time of weather, natural disaster, or civil emergencies, so you can stay safely informed even when out at a campsite — or when the power is out at home. (And the internet and cell service, too.)

With this rugged little tube tucked in with the rest of your camping gear, you’ll be ready for myriad little gear and hardware mishaps that happen at the campsite, like a tear in the tent or a severed guy wire and such. It comes with different thicknesses of cordage, a blade, sewing supplies, zip ties, and more. And you can add a few more little bits of repair supplies, too.