19 Eco-Friendly Camping Gear Essentials For The Green Outdoors

Outdoor lovers perhaps have more reason than most to demand planet-friendly products.

Yet surprisingly and until fairly recently, camping gear was anything but sustainable: chemical PFCs and synthetic fabrics galore.

Fortunately, several camping gear brands have emerged, making use of sustainable materials and environmentally friendly business practices.

Let’s take a look at how these brands are making your exploration of the great outdoors a little greener—or at least keeping it green.

About Kammok’s Tent

An eco-friendly tent is about as essential as your eco sleeping bag. Though not an easy item to source.

Which is where the Kammok Mantis all-in-one tent that’s made with a 100% recycled and bluesign® approved materials comes in.

And it’s ready for all-weather too, and has an integrated (but optional) insect net and built-in rainfly shelter.

These hammock tents are designed to be the lightest and strongest on the market.

Kammok’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Like their other recycled and bluesign® approved hammocks, the Mantis is backed by an adventure-grade lifetime warranty.

Some of their leftover post-production materials are recycled into bags.

Workers in their factories get living wages and a clean, safe working environment.

Kammok is a member of 1% for the Planet, so part of every purchase also goes towards getting Austin’s youth outdoors and into transformational adventure experiences.

About NEMO Equipment’s Tent

No list of the best sustainable camping gear for the backcountry is complete without the inclusion of NEMO Equipment.

Their Dagger OSMO is a durable, dry one-tent-wonder that’s made from 100% recycled yarns.

With proprietary fabric and PFC/PFAC-free water repellency, it keeps you dry for 4x longer and meets fire retardancy standards, all without the dangerous global contaminants.

NEMO Equipment’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

All NEMO products (tents, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads) are designed to last, hence their lifetime warranty.

They hope to slash their emissions in half by the end of the decade.

They partner with Trove to sell their gently-used gear.

With sites and offices in the USA, EU, and UK, they provide some of the best sustainable camping gear in the UK too.

About Sierra Designs’ Sleeping Bag

A sustainable sleeping bag is a non-negotiable if your goal is to be an eco-camper.

Our first suggestion would be Sierra Designs’ Night Cap Series with three-season temperature ratings for men and women, an easy choice to maximise those zzz’s in this line up.

Made with 100% recycled water bottle insulation and wrapped in a recycled post-industrial fabric shell, it’s for our planet, too.

And you’d be forgiven for mistaking it for your bed at home, since it integrates a zipperless oversized comforter and sleeping pad—but will still fit in a backpack.

Sierra Designs’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices

All Sierra Designs products (backpacks, apparel, tents, and sleep systems) are backed by a lifetime warranty.

They have a Code of Conduct that covers ethical treatment of their factory workers, meaning legal wages and no child or forced labor.

1% of the company’s sales go to outdoor inclusivity-oriented organizations like LGBT Outdoors, Outdoor Asian, Women’s Wilderness, and SOS Outreach.

About Mountain Hardwear’s Camping Equipment

Featuring undyed and recycled fabric, insulation, trims, storage, and compression sacks, the Lamino Eco AF Sleeping Bag from Mountain Hardwear is, in fact, eco AF.

The recycled 20D nylon ripstop fabric and Thermal.Q™ 80% recycled polyester insulation keep it lightweight and super compressible into its recycled nylon compression sack.

It features an undyed shell to reduce the use of harmful dye chemicals.

Mountain Hardwear’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Using undyed or solution-dyed fabrics cuts down on manufacturing water requirements.

Additionally, MHW sells flame retardant-free tents and is increasing their use of bluesign®-approved, recycled, and responsible materials in their tents, backpacks, sleeping pads, and apparel.

Committed to diversity and inclusivity, MHW has refined its talent acquisition process to connect with more diverse candidates.

They use their platform to amplify BIPOC voices, match employee donations to social justice organizations and have a Richmond, CA climbing program that provides outdoor opportunities for BIPOC youth.

Whenever possible, they partner with BIPOC-owned companies for their outsourcing needs.

They also partner with non-profit organizations that advance the climbing profession and conservation of its environment.

About Rab’s Affordable Camping Gear & Sleeping Bag

100% recycled and affordable, the Solar Eco Sleeping Bag from Rab is hardwearing, fast drying, and dependable.

The interior is 100% recycled synthetic Stratus™ insulation.

Both the shell and lining feature Atmos™ recycled polyester ripstop fabric treated with a fluorocarbon-free DWR (durable water repellency).

With men’s and women’s-specific bags in temperature ratings ranging from 10° – 40°, they provide some of the best camping gear for three-season adventurers.

Rab’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Rab is cutting fluorocarbons out of their threads, zips, and DWR out of their product range: sleeping bags, shelters, apparel, and backpacks.

They encourage repairs over replacements and have a service center to return gear to like-new condition.

They also offer a gear rental service, though this is only available for the UK currently.

The Climate Neural sustainable camping gear company uses renewable energy in 91% of their global owned and leased facilities, recycled poly bags, and more recycled than virgin materials.

As a Fair Wear partner, they use BSCI standards and Fair Wear Code of Labor practices for the people that work in their Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Philippines, Vietnam, and UK factories.

About NEMO Equipment’s Sleeping Pad For Camping

To level up your eco-comfort game in nature, the 100% bluesign® certified, recycled 20D polyester, Tensor Ultralight Sleeping Pad from NEMO Equipment is one of the greenest sleeping pads around.

Choose between Mummy, Long Wide, Regular Wide, and Regular shapes and sizes.

Proprietary Spaceframe baffle construction keeps it light and supportive for a good night of shut-eye.

An (optional) ultra-lighter inner layer adds R-value, to keep you cozy on cold nights in the forest.

NEMO Equipment’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Like many of their other products, this sleeping pad comes in recycled and recyclable packaging.

As always, it’s backed by a lifetime warranty, too.

About Patagonia’s Camping Backpack

One of the most loved eco friendly camping gear brands, Patagonia is known for its sustainable backpacks.

Like its more travel-friendly Black Hole line, rugged and 100% recycled nylon and polyester go into the Altvia 36L Pack, with additional design features–like a contoured back and hip belt—to make it backpacker friendly.

Patagonia’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Along with this backpack, 87% of Patagonia’s line of sustainable outdoor clothing, packs, and gear utilize recycled materials.

Everything is backed by their Ironclad Guarantee and they have repair options for wear and tear damage.

With traceability via their Footprint Chronicles, you can trace products back to which fair trade certified and/or bluesign®-approved factory it came from.

In addition to a range of impressive social and environmental programs and activism (read: 39% of factory workers get living wages, they pioneer regenerative agriculture, etc.), Patagonia is the founding member of 1% for the Planet.

About Mountain Hardwear’s Camping Backpack

For a little more eco-conscious carrying capacity, the PCT Backpack from Mountain Hardwear offers a 55L capacity.

The exterior features gear loops for trekking poles or ice axes.

The superlight backpack is made with a 100% recycled nylon ripstop shell that is tough for you, but gentle on our planet.

About MSR’s Camping Supplies

Tools to cook are a key part of your eco friendly camping essentials.

With mess kits, utensils, knives, cups, coffee filters, backpacking stoves, fuel bottles, and water filtration systems, MSR is a go-to sustainable camping gear brand for trailside feasts.

100% BPA-free materials, efficient-cooking (and recyclable) aluminum, lightweight titanium, and durable stainless steel are used.

Lids and handles feature some additional materials (like silicone) but to prevent unnecessary use of these, their cookware sets are efficiently designed so that one handle and lid can detach and fit all pots and pans.

MSR’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

MSR (short for Mountain Safety Research) offers a limited warranty on all products, which are designed for longevity.

They can be sent to their Seattle repair shop for a spruce up.

You can also recycle notoriously hard-to-recycle single-use fuel canisters (from any brand) there.

Their Seattle manufacturing facility uses 98% renewable energy and is nearly zero waste.

Their MSR Global Health team has provided 500,000 people with safe drinking water, partially through their nonprofit Impact Project.

About BioLite’s Camping Equipment

While MSR provides refillable fuel bottles and a way to recycle single-use fuel canisters, it’s better to avoid them entirely—which is where BioLite comes in.

The CampStove 2+ combusts sticks and twigs, creating a focused vortex of smokeless flames that can be used to cook food efficiently.

Not only that, but it converts heat energy to charge its 3W internal battery. The USB port allows you to charge lights, phones, and more no matter where you are.

BioLite’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

The purchase of BioLite’s range of portable solar panels, power stations, headlamps, lighting, and other cooking accessories, helps the brand invest in the team, engineering, and programs required to design solutions for the entire business.

This “Parallel Innovation” business model makes it possible for BioLite to provide affordable access to solar power and cookstoves for families living in energy poverty.

Through this, the Climate Neutral Certified Company has supported nearly four million people in Africa and Asia with 4,812,600 kWh of green energy.

About Klean Kanteen’s Water Bottles

Plastic-free water bottles are a necessity, for life in general, but especially out camping.

With caps that can be swapped out for sporting adventures and sips of coffee, Klean Kanteen’s large line of Insulated Bottles are versatile for all your outdoor (or indoor) escapades.

They’re made with 90% recycled stainless steel—which reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 50%.

The exterior is mindfully powder coated for durability and the chip-resistant coat has been okayed by GreenScreen as safe for humans and the environment.

Klean Kanteen’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Klean Kanteen is a family and employee-owned company that is 100% Carbon Neutral, a Certified B Corp, and a member of 1% for the Planet (in addition to supporting local charities).

Within the coming years, 95% of KK’s product line—drinkware, lunch boxes, and food canisters—will be made of 90% recycled stainless steel.

Employees of KK’s solar-powered HQ receive a number of generous benefits and their global factories are audited to ILO, ISO 9001, and ISO/TS 16949 standards.

About Hydro Flask’s Camping Bottles & Tumblers

From the office to the trailhead, Hydro Flask’s bottles and tumblers can keep cold drinks cold and hot drinks hot for longer than most on the market.

They, too, come with different lids for different beverages but are all made with BPA-free 18/8 pro-grade stainless steel to ensure no flavor transfer.

Hydro Flask’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Hydro Flask also sells cups, jars, coolers, outdoor kitchen accessories—all nearly indestructible and backed by a lifetime warranty if the unlikely occurs.

Through their Parks For All program, HF supports nonprofits dedicated to maintaining, restoring, and improving access to parks.

About Anker’s Portable Chargers For Camping

Eco-friendly chargers are fast becoming a camping staple. For serious off-grid adventuring, Anker can supply the juice.

Their foldable 100W solar panel converts an impressive 23% of sunlight into solar energy.

Paired with a LiFePO4 battery-equipped portable power station, you can charge devices and small appliances.

Anker’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Many Anker products (chargers, cables, power stations) are backed by multi-year guarantees.

The company works to reuse electronic components and lithium-ion batteries and has a rechargeable eco-friendly alternative to conventional lithium batteries in the works.

About Goal Zero’s Camping Chargers

Goal Zero adds its take to sustainable camping gear with portable solar panels, power banks and solar generators.

Everything is designed to be as lightweight and durable as possible.

While some systems are larger and more suited for car camping, they have a number of flat or pocket-sized solar devices for backpacking.

Goal Zero’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

GZ works with manufacturing partners who adhere to (and are audited for) standards regarding living conditions, wages, benefits, child labor, health, and safety.

Carbon offsets cover the footprint of their HQ and shipping operations.

They recycle and refurbish returned products—saving more than 120 tons of material from entering landfills.

About Dr. Bronner’s Soap For Camping

Washing bodies, dishes, hair, veggies, and teeth, with one solution?

We’d be remiss not to recommend Dr. Bronner’s. When less is more on a camping trip, this soap can really go the distance.

Like their hand sanitizer, toothpaste, laundry detergent, lip balm, lotion, and other soap products, the 18-in-1 is made with Fair for Life, cruelty free, vegan, and organic ingredients.

Dr. Bronner’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

The Certified B Corp gives back in many ways through pioneering regenerative agriculture, using 100% post-consumer recycled packaging, paying workers fairly, and supporting psychedelic-assisted therapy and animal advocacy causes.

They’re Leaping Bunny and Vegan.org certified and source only responsibly harvested palm oil while also helping small palm farmers in Ghana convert to organic processes.

About BioLite’s Headlamp For Camping

With proprietary 3d SlimFit Construction, a low profile, and a minuscule weight of just 69g, this BioLite HeadLamp is going nowhere but on your forehead.

Moisture-wicking fabric will keep you cool and the rechargeable batteries help keep our planet cooler, too.

About Goal Zero’s Camping Lights

The Crush Light Chroma can be crushed or hung, or—because it comes in six different colors—used to create a campsite party.

The lightweight light can be recharged using the USB port or its built-in solar panel.

Goal Zero’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Like other Goal Zero products, the Crush Light Chroma is backed by up to a 2-year warranty.

About Patagonia Provisions’ Food For Camping

GORP no longer hitting the spot?

Then Patagonia Provisions and its collection of organic and regenerative foods will.

Their range includes meat + seafood, soup + chili, snacks, bars, beer, beverages, wine + cider + sake, and a regenerative organic certified line.

Blending a bit of everything, they have 2-day camp meals for two, which are shelf-stable, lightweight, and easy to prepare with just boiling water.

Every ingredient is Non-GMO Project verified, USDA-certified organic ingredients, grass-fed and ethically raised/caught (in the case of any meat), and free of preservatives and chemicals.

Patagonia Provisions’ Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Patagonia Provisions is a sub-entity within Patagonia.

The Certified B Corp and 1% For the Planet member uses recycled/recyclable shipping boxes, FSC-certified seafood boxes, and recyclable seafood chains.

About IGLOO’s Coolers

The ECOCOOL by IGLOO is the world’s first hard sided cooler collection made with recycled plastic.

Discarded milk jugs and plastic yogurt cups are used in the outside body, liner, and lid.

So far the ECOCOOL collection has recycled 374,000 lbs of material, saving landfill space equivalent to 32 football fields.

IGLOO’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

IGLOO’s other sustainable camping gear includes the world’s first 100% biodegradable cooler and REPREVE cooler bags.

By turning more landfill bound waste into products, they hope to divert 30 million plastic bottles from landfills by 2025.

IGLOO also donates to organizations improving communities and public lands.

The most sustainable camping gear isn’t new—even if it’s designed with the most eco-friendly features.

Keeping what’s already been produced in use longer, is the best thing we can do for our planet (and likely our pocketbooks).

In addition to the many used outdoor gear stores popping up all over the US, it’s easier than ever to find affordable sustainable camping gear via a range of online secondhand and resale platforms:

• REI Used Gear: Get used sleeping pads, backpacks, apparel, camp blankets, sleeping bags, backpacks, and apparel here, and you’ll avoid carbon emissions of 50% or more.

• Patagonia Worn Wear: In addition to apparel, Worn Wear is an excellent source for gently used packs and gear. Their stocks are currently a little low—so more incentive for you to trade-in your old Patagonia gear (and get credit for doing so).

• Geartrade: A great place to both buy and sell used gear, Geartrade has everything you’d need for your next camping trip—from backpacks to water treatment solutions.

• The North Face Renewed Collection: Selling eco friendly used camping gear, this is an excellent place for backpacks and sleeping bags with a much lower carbon footprint.

• Outdoors Geek: At prices 40-60% off MSRP, here you can buy gently used camping gear. They have rental options, too.

• eBay: The OG of marketplaces is an obvious source for sustainable secondhand camping gear, just be sure to check the “Used” or “Refurbished” options.

• Facebook Marketplace: There’s probably someone in your area getting rid of a tent or cooler—and this platform can connect you with them.

If you’ve got fellow adventurers or aspiring PCT thru-hikers in your group, share this article (and our guide to eco camping) with them to support the brands pioneering more sustainable camping gear.