Often times, when campers are just getting started camping their first inclination, is to run out and buy a bunch of brand new camping gear to use around the campsite.
Before you buy a bunch of new camping gear though make sure to look around your house first to see what you already own that might work great around the campsite.
People are often surprised once they start looking around their house at how easy it is to come up with genius camping furniture ideas.
Below is a list of camping furniture ideas to help get those creative juices flowing.
Storage Totes
Perhaps one of the most common items around everyone’s house that can serve multiple uses around the campsite is the storage tote. Not only does a storage tote make a great storage system for bringing all your essential camping gear with you but once your there it also can double as a piece of furniture around the campsite.
Storage totes can be turned into all kinds of pieces of furniture while camping such as a seat or bench, a table, or even a food prep table while cooking around the campfire.
For the best results, you want to ideally use a storage tote or bin that is at least 10 Gallons or larger like this one on Amazon, as smaller storage totes are usually not big enough to comfortably sit on or a too short to make any kind of a useful table.
Folding Patio Lounge Chairs
Instead of going out and buying a purpose-built cot for sleeping in a tent instead lookout in your backyard or on your patio to see if you have any folding patio lounge chairs.
Patio lounge chairs can actually make great cots for sleeping on while camping. For starters, they are typically made from an aluminum frame and have a nylon net making them super light to transport and also very resilient to outdoor weather.
When using a patio lounge chair as a cot for camping though make sure that it can be folded up for easy transport and that it lays completely flat so that you can get a good night’s sleep.
One more tip for using a patio lounge chair to sleep on is to place some kind of mat or cushion underneath you for added comfort and support as the nylon mesh can be kind of hard to sleep on all night unless your sleeping bag has a lot of padding in it.
Bag Chairs
Almost everyone has a few bag chairs laying around the house or in the garage they use for sporting events or tailgating but these handy chairs can also make great chairs for sitting around the campsite.
For starters because they collapse down into a bag they are super easy to transport and set up while at the campsite and because they are usually made from rugged rip-stop nylon they are more than durable enough to hold up to the rigors of camping.
The great thing about bags chairs while camping is that they can also perform more than one job because many have built-in cup holders and storage pouches eliminating the need for a table nearby to hold all your stuff.
TV Trays
While TV trays can be great for eating a meal in front of the TV while at home, they can also make great small tables around the campsite.
As most TV trays will fold down making them easy to store and transport and they are also just the right size to eat a meal on or hold a few items that you want to keep close by while you are camping such as a lantern, a small Bluetooth speaker, a good book, or your cell phone.
Keep in mind though that because TV trays were intended for indoor use it is a good idea to keep them covered or bring them in before it rains as they are not designed to stand up to outdoor elements and rain.
Patio Side Tables
Another great option for a small table around the campsite is the common patio side table. Patio tables can be made from many different materials such as aluminum, rod iron, wood, and glass but no matter the materials they all can make a great little table to have around the campsite.
As a word of caution though while all patio side tables are typically light enough for transport. Unless you have a really good way to secure or pack a patio table with a glass top you might want to opt to leave it at home out of free of breaking the glass while transporting it to and from the campsite.
In my opinion, the patio tables that make the best side table around the campsite are the wooden ones as they typically fold flat making them easy to move and tend to be pretty durable being made from wood as opposed to light metal or glass.
Small Gas or Charcoal Grill
While there is certainly something romantic about cooking over a campfire while camping. Many times from a practical standpoint it is much easier and quicker to cook with more modern methods of cooking.
So bringing your small gas or charcoal grill with you can provide a very convenient and easy cooking surface while cooking around the campsite.
Because with both gas and charcoal grills, you will have a much more even compared to campfire cooking.
Also, using a standard grill will allow you to cook and prepare meals much faster. Because if you plan to cook over an open fire you not only have to spend the time starting and building the fire you also need to usually wait at least 15 minutes to a half an hour before the fire is established enough to cook over.
Folding Tables
While we have already talked about a few different kinds of small folding tables above that make great side tables for camping. The type of folding table we mean hear is the old stand by card table or large folding table.
My guess is that you might even have several card tables in the garage, up in the attic, or down in the basement just collecting dust only to see the light of day when you have a family get together and need a place for a few extra people to eat.
Why not breathe some new life into those tables and bring them with you for camping. They can make great tables for meal prep and cooking, eating, or just a catch-all around the campsite when you want to keep something off the ground.
Also if you happen to have a folding table with adjustable legs that can be the ultimate luxury while camping as these tables can serve more than one purpose because of their adjustable height.
For example, you can use the table as a stand-up table for meal prep and then lower the table down for everyone to sit around while the enjoy the meal that you just prepared on the same table.
Metal Folding Chairs
While metal folding chairs are not as popular as they once where they used to be a staple at every family get together or event to provide additional seating for the guests.
In fact, they were so popular that I bet you still have a few of those old metal folding chairs around your house somewhere which is great because they can be a great source for extra seating around the campsite.
Also, the nice thing about using metal folding chairs for seating around the campsite is that they were made to be virtually indestructible and stand up to really hard abuse. Which is why you still have those folding metal chairs around because they are really hard to break.
Something to keep in mind though is that while they are usually painted metal and it wouldn’t be the end of the world if they got wet. They are not meant to be left outdoors and they will rust if left out in the rain over and over again. So if you forget to bring in your metal folding chair when it rains make sure to dry them off before they start to rust.
Outdoor Fire Pit
While most campsites will have a fire pit or fire ring bringing your own is not a terrible idea especially if you have small kids. As the fire pit, you have at home can be a much safer fire to have because it is off the ground and usually has some type of wire mesh over the top of it to prevent little hands from getting to close to the fire.
Even if you’re not camping with kids though bringing your own outdoor fire pit with you can be a good idea in case the campsite doesn’t have a fire pit or you want to have your campfire in a different location than where the fire pit is located at your campsite.
Bean Bag Chairs
While you might not think to look in your kid’s room for camping furniture, one item you might find in there that is both a fun and interesting piece of camping furniture is the bean bag chair.
Even though bean bag chairs can be a little cumbersome to get to the campsite and are definitely not weather or waterproof they are a really fun chair to have around the campsite or inside the tent while camping.
Also while kids will definitely love bean bags chairs around the campsite don’t be surprised if you catch a few adults hanging out in one of them from time to time because really who doesn’t love a good bean bag chair for relaxing.
Blow Up Air Mattress
Most people use a blowup air mattress for an overnight guest to spend the night but a blowup air mattress can be a lifesaver while camping and makes a great makeshift bed.
Let’s face it there are many great things about camping but sleeping on the hard ground is certainly not one of them which is why bringing the air mattress can instantly up your sleeping arrangements while sleeping in a tent.
There are all kinds of benefits to using an air mattress for sleeping while camping such as providing an elevated sleeping position which makes it easier to get in and out of bed, providing insulation from the cold ground when sleeping in colder weather, and most importantly providing a cushion of air to sleep on instead of the hard ground.
Cooler Chest
The great thing about bringing a cooler chest with you while camping is that it can serve dual purposes while around the campsite. While obviously it makes a great refrigerator to keep all your food and drinks cold while camping it also can double as either another seat around the campsite or a makeshift table.
As was the case with the storage totes or bins from above the bigger the cooler chest the better when it comes to using it as a piece of furniture.
Ideally, you want to use a cooler chest that is at least 40 quarts in size or above.
Beach Chairs
Most of us have been on a few beach vacations over the years where we picked up those handy beach chairs but more than likely they have been collecting dust ever since you came back from that beach trip.
Going camping though can be a great time to break out those beach chairs again to provide extra seating while around the campsite.
While beach chairs can be a little hard to get in and out of because they typically sit so low to the ground they are certainly a cheaper option as opposed to going out and buying brand new camping chairs.
Also, beach chairs can make great camping chairs for little ones as they are so low to the ground. In fact, beach chairs often look very similar to the chairs they actually sell for kids with the exception of them being a little wider, but that just means two best friends can sit really close together while camping.
Patio Hammock
At first, you might think the patio hammock is too bulky and cumbersome to bring along with you while camping as most patio hammocks have large metal stands that hold the hammock up.
Don’t forget though that you are camping in nature with an abundance of trees that you can hang your hammock from without the use of the stand and often times with just a few simple modifications to the mounting points of your hammock.
If you are looking to modify your patio hammock so that you can bring it with you to hang between two trees you might want to look into getting a set of hammock straps that will mount to your existing hammock such as these that you can check out on Amazon by clicking here.
Patio or Lawn Furniture
While we have mentioned a few individual pieces of patio furniture above if you have the room you might even want to bring all or part of your patio set with you while you camp.
While this might not work for most because of space constraints if you have the space to transport even a few pieces of your patio furniture it can be really nice to have it around the campsite for comfortable sitting and lounging.
As a word of caution though if your patio furniture is typically covered and not meant to be rained on directly you might want to pass on bringing your patio furniture with you to the campsite so you don’t ruin your patio furniture while camping.
Plastic Organizers
A plastic organizer can make a great closet or storage system around the campsite, especially ones that have individual sliding drawers.
Because one of the hardest things about camping can be staying organized and knowing where your gear is when you need it.
Just make sure if you’re planning to bring your plastic organizer from home that it’s made from sturdy plastic and has a good solid feel so that it doesn’t get damaged when moving it to the campsite.
Pop Up Canopy Tent
While we usually think about using pop up canopy tents while at sporting events or tailgating, they can also be just at home around the campsite.
A pop up canopy tent makes great additional covered space to get out of the rain or the elements while camping and if you happen to have one that has bug netting around it can be a great place to escape the bugs especially while you’re trying to eat.
Personally, I bring my pop up canopy tent with me every time I go camping and couldn’t imagine going camping without it.
Metal Shelves
Last on the list are sturdy metal shelves, while metal shelves come in all shapes and size the ones that are best for camping are the ones on the smaller side.
While there is no doubt that the large metal shelves you have out in your garage would be great to keep you organized while camping, from a practical standpoint they are just going to be too big and heavy to be able to get them to the campsite.
But if you happen to have one or a few metal shelves that are two to four foot tall around the house they can make great storage systems for the campsite to help keep you organized while camping.
