Walmart is one of my favorite places to shop, and Walmart camping gear is my go-to when purchasing anything I need for an upcoming camping trip. I love the straightforward selection that you can find at pretty much every Walmart across the country. The convenience factor also plays a big part for me, since I know there is always a Walmart along the way. Even when we ventured out to the wilds of Northern Minnesota, or the less traveled parts of West Virginia, there was a Walmart to stop at. Even better, you can order most of these essential camping accessories online and pickup at any Walmart in the country!
I’ve gone ahead and compiled my favorite Walmart camping gear into this one post. I’ve either purchased and used, or considered purchasing, every single item on this list. Many of these items are part of Walmart’s trusty Ozark Trail brand, but a few are more “name-brand” items you could find elsewhere. So use this list to stock up for your next camping trip, and let me know in the comments where you’re heading!
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The Best Tents for Camping at Walmart
I’ve tried a number of different tents in my years of buying camping supplies at Walmart. The first tent is the one which we have found to be our favorite, thanks to the generous amount of space and features it has. The best of those features is it’s “instant cabin” style, which makes setup a breeze. It also comes with a built-in LED light system. I can’t tell you how many times that has come in handy in the middle of the night. The version we own can sleep a ton of people, which means plenty of space for a big air mattress and anything else we have brought! I promise you’ll love the Ozark Trail 12-Person Instant Cabin for $249.
This Ozark Trail 8-Person Yurt Tent (currently $129) was another one that we tried out and really liked. The setup was pretty quick and easy. However, it is definitely intended more for a number of campers in sleeping bags and less for two people on an air mattress. It held up well throughout an entire stormy night on a camping trip to Pickett CCC Memorial State Park in Tennessee, so that’s two thumbs up in my book.
Before we had a desire for maximizing our tent space when camping, we did own a few smaller two and three person tents. It’s been years since I had purchased one, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t looked at them. I’m a big fan of Ozark Trail, so my recommendation for a smaller tent would be this great Ozark Trail Three Person Dome Tent which is currently on sale for 30 bucks!
Air Mattresses for A Great Glamping Experience
Not every camping trip needs to involve sleeping on the ground. In fact, pretty much none of my camping trips do! That’s because we are almost exclusively an air mattress family. Not only do we use them when camping, but they also are handy for having all your family members over during the holidays. When space isn’t an issue, we go big with our air mattress. That’s why this Intex Dura-Beam 20″ Air Mattress (for just $59) is our primary camping option.
Now, I understand that not everyone is gonna go for the massive air mattress. One of the major reasons we do air mattresses is because sleeping on the ground doesn’t lead to a good nights sleep, which means we don’t do as much on our camping trips. In the past, we have used cheaper and smaller air mattresses which worked just a well. Another Intex Queen Mattress (with built in pump) is sold for $33 and makes a great space saving option.
While I will get into more car camping supplies below, I want to mention our preferred car camping air mattress in this section. We love the ease of camping in our Subaru Forester, and this air mattress was one of our best Walmart camping gear purchases when on the road. It replaced an old, leaking mattress we had been using after we got sick of the old one deflating while we were in West Virginia. The Bestway 12″ Air Mattress with a built-in pump was a great pickup for us, and it will be for all the car campers out there as well!
Super Sleeping Bags At Walmart
Not everyone is going to want, or need, a air mattress when camping. However, without an air mattress, a sleeping bag is certainly one of the more essential camping accessories. Fortunately, Walmart has got you covered there as well. When shopping for a sleeping bag, you’ll want to pay close attention to the “temperature rating” of the bag. This usually indicates the lower limit of what will be comfortable sleeping in this bag. It’s not gospel, but is a good way to judge if the bag is right for your trip.
As always for the best camping gear at Walmart, you’ve got the house brand of Ozark Trail available. They produce quite a few different bags, however, I really like these flannel lined ones for less than 30 dollars. These bags give you a nice soft interior. Plus who doesn’t like snuggling inside a flannel blanket? You can get them in either a 50° or 35° model. Both are great options for casual camping trips where temperatures won’t get below freezing at night.
If your camping trip is going to take you into colder temps at night, then you may want to go with a higher price bag with a lower rating. Coleman makes quite a few excellent bags. My pick for a colder weather bag goes to the Coleman Lassen 20-Degree bag. It’s also flannel lined for comfort and great for chilly nights. Another option for those who absolutely must be toasty is the Coleman OneSource Rechargeable Adjustable Heated Sleeping Bag. This bag has three heat settings which combined with the insulation can keep you warm for hours even in sub-freezing temps!
Finally, don’t forget that to maximize the effectiveness of your bags you’ll still need a sleeping pad. For convenience, one option is the Coleman Self-Inflating Sleeping Camp Pad. It’ll inflate when opened for a super easy setup. A much cheaper option is, again, Ozark Trail’s Foam Sleeping Pad. Either one will do the trick, and is among the best camping gear at Walmart if you’re getting sleeping bags.
All Your Outdoor Cooking Supplies
If you’re going camping then you’re gonna need to do some cooking while you’re out. That being said, there is a huge number of options in HOW you actually do that cooking. I’ve become a big fan of simple to use propane grills. No matter what kind of camping trip we take, we bring our Coleman 3-in-1 Camping Stove. It is extremely easy to setup, can be used without pans, and takes up very little space. We’ve toted that exact stove all over the country on road trips, including down the Mississippi River, around West Virginia, and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. It’s among the best camping gear at Walmart I’ve ever purchased.
Once you’ve got something to cook on, you’ll need something to cook with. I’ll fully admit that we have used old pans from the house for years. They might be too beat up for the kitchen, but they’ll do just fine at the campsite. However, you’ve coming looking for the best Walmart camping gear and that’s not going to be beat up old pans. One good option is a simple cast iron skillet like this 8″ Lodge Cast Iron skillet. You can also go for a bigger setup, like this Coleman Steel Mess Kit, which features three separate pots/pans.
Even if we weren’t doing so much cooking at camp, we still need places, bowls, etc. I hate using paper plates or plastic cups while at camp because of the amount of waste it creates. Over the years we have purchased a variety of sets like this Four Person Table Set, to use as our dishes when at camp. We also have used tumblers similar to these Ozark Trail 22oz Tumblers for those chilly mornings when we make coffee.
Walmart’s Best Essential Camping Accessories
One thing I find every time we go camping is that we forget something at the house. It’s never a major item, like our tent or stove, but something small. One of reasons I love Walmart camping gear is because I can find it pretty much anywhere on a trip. It also means that when I do forget one of our essential camping accessories at the house, I can swing in and grab those forgotten camping supplies at Walmart.
One item that we have continually forgotten in the past is our camp chairs. You’d think that these are a big item, yet, I’ve left them in the shed or on the porch (they make great porch furniture) many times. To solve this problem, its quite easy to simply pick up one of these Ozark Trail camp chairs for under $10. Alternatively, you can solve the problem of forgetting them by buying more expensive ones! We really enjoy these Ozark Trail High Back camp chairs. So much so they aren’t just Walmart camping gear but porch furniture as well!
Coolers are another piece of essential Walmart camping gear. We actually prefer to have both a traditional hard sided cooler, and a “lunch box” style cooler on our trips. That makes it easy to have a cooler which can stay at camp, as well as one which we can take on the go with us. For our on the go option, we use this Arctic Zone 9-Can Cooler. It has a hard internal plastic liner and is perfect for packing lunch in. The cooler we leave at camp also is pretty simple and straight forward. It’s hard to beat a nice Igloo cooler. We use this Igloo 48-qt Cooler for all of our extended camping trips. It holds ice for plenty of time and is super cheap at under $40!
The final bits of Walmart camping gear I suggest are all small items. For pretty much any trip, you need to make sure you’ve got bug spray of some kind. I recommend one that wards off more than just mosquitos if you’re hiking at all. For the flying bugs, you can grab a few citronella candles as well. Plus, they bring some ambiance to your trip. While, you should get wood for your campfire locally, these Duraflame Firestarter Cubes have come in clutch many nights when I struggled to get the fire going. Lastly, make sure you get some sunscreen. Being outside all day, it can be surprising how easy it is to sunburn, even on cloudy days!
Suggestions for Where to Camp With All This Stuff!
Now that you’ve gotten all your camping supplies at Walmart, you need to find a place to take it camping. Lucky for you, I’ve got a few fantastic suggestions for making the most of your new Walmart camping gear. These are all suggestions from the many camping trips I’ve taken across the country, but if you’ve got more ideas then drop them in the comments below!
West Virginia is a state which has a number of fabulous campgrounds. During our fall road trip through West Virginia we stayed at both Babcock State Park, Blackwater Falls State Park, and Watoga State Park. These parks have excellent campgrounds with great amenities. All three are also some of the most scenic campgrounds in the entire state, so you’ll want to spend plenty of time at camp too!
Our road trip down the Blue Ridge Parkway also featured a number of awesome campsites. Along the parkway in Virginia, a couple great options include the Blue Ridge Campground at Explore Park or Fancy Gap Cabins & Campground. If you’re looking to camp on the Parkway in North Carolina, then you could setup camp at Julian Price Memorial Park, Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area, or Smokemont Campgroun inside Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
In my trip to see most of Utah’s Mighty Five, we did some van camping along the way. There is a ton of wonderful campgrounds (and free BLM land) to camp at if you’re trying to visit all five national parks. Many of these supplies work really well, even when you’re disconnected in the great American west!
Final Thoughts on Walmart Camping Gear
You can certainly find more camping supplies at Walmart than the ones I’ve listed here. I tried to keep the focus on items which I know you can find in stores, either because I’ve bought it or seen it on shelves. However, Walmart also has a pretty extensive selection online as well. If you can’t find the item in the store, you can simply order it online and have the best camping gear at Walmart shipped to you. If you’re a Walmart+ member, then you can often get it in two days or less!
I love Walmart camping gear thanks to it’s affordability, quality, and no-frills nature. It’s also a brand that I trust because it’s served me well time and again. You can find plenty of similar items on Amazon or other websites, but good luck finding out who is actually selling it or if the item is actually what you intended to purchase. Walmart is my go-to for essential camping accessories, and that’s certainly not changing anytime soon.
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