The days of carrying lots of gadgets and a few maps to help you get the most of your camping trip are over.
Today smartphones gives us all we need in camp in one place. For many camping is a way to get away from technology and escape from the world, but having a few apps that can help your experience be the best possible never hurt anyone. Here are some must have camping apps for your campout.
1. Camp Where – $4.99
Camp Where App helps you locate public campgrounds anywhere in the US or Canada. It has over 11,500 listings so you can find the best campground for your needs. You can view maps, directions, info for RVs, weather and elevation reports.
2. Camping Glossary – $0.99
Not everyone is an expert camper. This glossary gives you camping terminology you may need during your adventure.
3. Rest Stops Plus – $0.99
Part of the camping adventure is the road trip it takes to get there. The Rest Stops Plus app helps you locate rest stops along the way. You no longer have to worry about seeing the next sign to locate the closest restroom and recreation area.
4. 100 Horror Stories, Sounds & Scares – $0.99
Telling ghost stories camping is not only fun, but also just might keep you up all night listening for the man with a hook hand. The Horror Stories app brings you a selection of 100 scary stories. You can choose from novels, short stories and pair them with scary sound effects. It might also be fun to use the sound effects in the middle of the night after everyone is asleep!
5. iLantern Flashlight – $0.99
The iLantern app isn’t your everyday flashlight app. Turn it on as you tell ghost stories for an eery effect. The iLantern Flashlight has the look of a lantern combined with the sound of a lantern.
6. Coleman Cookbook – Free
One of the most fun things about camping out is getting to eat like wild animals. The Coleman Cookbook gives you fun recipes you can sort by type of meal, cooking method or simply by the ingredients. It can tell you what to throw together if you only have ham, graham crackers and bread on hand!
7. The BBQ & Campfire Recipe Cookbook – $4.99
Campouts don’t usually involve huge, beautiful meals. S’mores, hot dogs and hamburgers are the usual, but this cookbook will come to the rescue if you’re tired of the “usual” campout food. This cookbook app gives you specific recipes that are easy to cook over a campfire or throw on the grill.
8. Campfire Songs – Free
Singing around the campfire is essential for the overall camping experience. Campfire Songs gives you 200 classic songs to sing as you harmonize around the fire. It’s perfect to get the entire family involved in the singing fun.
9. Ultimate SAS Survival Guide Lite – Free
Camping isn’t usually too hard to survive, but this guide gives you all the information you need just in case. It’s fun and full of advice. It helps you know what to do if you are lost or injured. It offers over 400 pages of survival skill help. There are even compass devices, first aid and Morse code lists.
10. Knots, Splices & Ropework – $0.99
You never known when you need a good knot to help you get out of a jam. This app is the 1917 book by A. Hyatt Verrill. It helps you learn how to tie knots or do ropework easily.
11. Star Walk – $3
Gazing up at the clear night sky is part of the camping experience. The Star Walk app helps you located planets, stars and even satellites. Our friend Caitlin from Colorado was also kind enough to comment and recommend SkySafari as an alternative to Star Walk. Another recommendation from the comments Spyglass via Aliona Leontyeva
It’s a navigational app that looks like the cockpit hud, but besides gyro horizon you can see all your current location data: gps coordinates (both geo and military), current azimuth, altitude, speed and estimated time of arrival. It works without cell signal, you can predownload areas of the map which you will need later and use them when offline. You can also take pictures with all the info overlaid and share your location with friends.
Bonus App! If you are Hammock Camping you need to get the Hammock Hang Calculator by Derek Hanson the author of The Illustrated Guide to Hammock Camping.
