Top 6 Must-Have Tent Accessories

Going camping doesn’t mean you have to rough it. Sure, minimalism is easy. But a few awesome tent accessories can go a long way towards making your tent camping trip more enjoyable.

Of course, you don’t need every tent accessory out there. Packing is already a pain, and you don’t just want to keep adding onto the pack list.

So I’ve compiled a short list of must-have tent accessories for you. These items are ones that you will actually use instead of throwing them into your closet and forgetting about them. (It happens more often than I would like!)

Note: A tarp and tent stakes are NOT included in this list, because those are non-negotiable essentials.

1. Fan

If you live in the South like I do, the summers are hot and muggy. And, unlike drier parts of the country, it doesn’t cool down at night. It is not uncommon for the temperature to still hover around 75 or 80°F at midnight.

Which is rather stifling, especially if you have several people in a tent. All those bodies generating heat, plus the tent trapping the heat inside…do I really need to keep painting the picture?

When camping in the summer, a fan is your best friend. I recommend buying a battery-operated fan, because most tent sites don’t have electric.

If you want to really up-level your camping experience, you can buy a battery-powered fan with an LED light included!

2. Battery Pack Charger

You don’t want your phone battery to run low, do you? A battery pack charger is a must-have tent accessory. Sure, you can charge your phone in your vehicle. But if you are tent camping for more than a couple days, it is much more convenient to simply charge your phone in your tent. You can hike all day, charge your phone at night, and be all set for the morning.

Personally, I use the Miady portable chargers from Amazon. They come in a two-pack set, so I can keep one in the tent and one in my backpack or the car. I can charge my phone at least twice with each battery pack, and they charge quickly.

For a more heavy-duty charger with a longer battery life, try the Ekrist phone charger, which can charge your phone 6-8 times. This might be a better choice if you are going to be tent camping for a week or more.

3. LED Lantern

When I first started camping, my family lugged around a giant propane lantern. Thankfully, lighting up your campsite is a lot easier now!

One of my favorite tent accessories is my LED lantern. While there are quite a few lanterns to choose from, I like to pack as lightly as possible. So I opt for a small collapsible LED lantern that is small enough to pack anywhere. It’s bright, it lasts for a long time, and it only takes AA batteries. So, just pack a few extra batteries, and you will be all set!

For family camping, I suggest buying several of these little lanterns. You can use them to line walkways, light your picnic table, or hang in your tent.

4. Storage Strap

A storage strap is a handy tent accessory that you can either string up inside your tent or outside between a couple trees. It’s perfect for hanging lanterns, wet clothes, snack bags, or other items you like to keep around your campsite.

Is a storage strap really necessary? No. But it’s very small and easy to pack, so if you’re looking for tent accessories, it definitely makes the list.

If you don’t want to buy a storage strap, you can always just bring a clothesline. Either way, having some sort of line you can string up is very helpful.

5. Hanging LED Light

LED lanterns are great, but so are little hanging lights, especially if you have a storage strap. Even if you don’t have a storage strap, most tents have little loops on the inside where you could hang a light.

I love using a hanging tent light because I like to read a few chapters before going to bed. It’s definitely a lot more convenient than using my phone flashlight or trying to use a LED lantern next to me. Plus, if you have any bugs in your tent (which happens more often then you’d like), having the lantern hanging above you keeps the bugs out of your face.

Most hanging tent lights have multiple light settings, so you can toggle between dim and bright lighting modes. Overall, hanging lights are a great tent accessory to have.

6. Pole Repair Kit

Tent camping is a lot of fun. But if one of your poles snaps, you’re done for!

So, it’s a good idea to bring a pole repair kit with you, just in case. You never know what will happen. If you’ve read my post about camping in Big Bend National Park, you know how I was caught unprepared by the high winds at the Chisos Basin Campground. I actually took our tent down, because the wind was so strong that the poles were in danger of snapping.

Tent pole repair kits are pretty cheap as far as tent accessories go, and they can save you a lot of trouble. Otherwise, at least bring a lot of duct tape that you can wrap around a broken tent pole.

For more tent camping tips, go to my blog on camping kitchen box essentials!