All the Camping Gear I'm Taking With Me on My Spring Adventures
Whether I'm out with family and friends or taking a solo journey, one of my favorite things to do is camping. I bet you're also thinking about camping a lot more, now that Memorial Day is approaching and -- although the nights are still cool -- it's about to be perfect camping weather.
What my campsite looks like has changed over the years. From primitive camping in my younger days to pulling a self-built camper trailer now, the ethos remains to relax and enjoy the outdoors. I've been fortunate to test out a lot of great gear over the years. Some tools have become a staple in my setup, while others haven't.
Here are the five pieces of camping gear that have made it into my 2025 loadout, some important for survival and others for added convenience. When your camping days are coming up, keep my favorites in mind.
1. A power source
The Anker Solix C800 Plus is the perfect power station for camping thanks to its power potential and collection of lighting options.
Chris Wedel/CNET
For my non-primitive camping, a power source, or more appropriately power sources, are vital. If I were only tent camping, I'd probably only bring a battery pack for my phone, like the Anker PowerCore III 10K or the BioLite Solar Panel 10+, since it is a solar panel with a 3,200m-Ah battery charger built-in.
But for longer camps or ones where I'm not 'roughing' it, I like to bring along a portable power station. I really like the Anker Solix C800 Plus for its compact size, good power options and the two camping lights that are stored in the lid. If I think I'll need even more power than the 1,200 watts available in the C800 Plus, then I'll take my Bluetti AC240P for the 3,600 watts of output. Plus, it is IP65 dust- and water-resistant.
The EcoFlow Power Kit allows campers and off-grid homes to have access to have battery power in a conventional way.
Chris Wedel/CNET
I haul batteries to use around the campsite and also to power my camper. My current setup uses the EcoFlow PowerKit with 15kWh power. Aside from the massive amount of available power, this system's overall capabilities are truly impressive. Everything in the system runs through a central hub that connects to a smart breaker panel, along with the available AC and DC circuits in the Smart Panel.
I have about 900 watts of solar panels on top of my camper to keep my system charged, but it can handle up to 4,800 watts from the sun, 1,000 watts from your vehicle's alternator and 3,000 watts of shore power. With this system, I can run my air conditioner, refrigerator, lights, TV, microwave, coffee pot or whatever else I may need.
2. A place to relax
The GCI Freestyle Camping Chair is as comfortable as it is durable, making it ideal for sitting around the campfire or at a sporting event.
Chris Wedel/CNET
After I get to the campsite and set up the necessities, it's time to relax. When it comes to sitting around the campfire or sitting at all, I pull up my GCI Freestyle Rocker Chair. While the chair is quite a bit more expensive at $70 than your typical bag chair, it will last much longer. Aside from being durable, it is very comfortable, and the rocking feature is excellent for relaxation.
When I really want to relax or sleep under the stars, I'll quickly set up the Anymaka Portable Hammock. When I say quickly, I mean I can go from storage bag to sleeping in under three minutes. It has a very sturdy stand and supports up to 550 pounds. Accessories include a cup holder, a canopy for shade and a mosquito net for those stargazing evenings.
3. A prep station
GCI's Slim Fold Table is perfect for camping and outdoor use thanks to its solid build and lightweight.
Chris Wedel/CNET
If you are lucky enough to find a camping spot with a picnic table, you're good to go for a spot to prep meals and put your stuff on. But if you're like me and prefer to camp where it's a bit farther from civilization, you'll likely not have a table to use. This is why a table is a must-have in my camping gear loadout.
My table of choice is from the same company that makes my preferred chair -- the GCI Slim Fold Table. While there are many options for camping tables, I love this one because it is lightweight at only 26 pounds and sturdy, with the ability to support up to 125 pounds. The table folds up nice and flat to a relatively compact 3.5 by 24.2 by 27.2 inches, so it doesn't take up much space, and the slatted design makes for easy cleanup.
4. Ambiance and cooking source
The BioLite FirePit+ is great for cooking on and the ambiance fire brings. Plus, the battery-powered fan make starting a fire a breeze.
Chris Wedel/CNET
If there is one thing that is truly iconic of camping, it's fire. It's important to use something to contain your fire when camping to avoid embers accidentally igniting nature. While there are some great fire pits made for camping, such as the Solo Stove Mesa, they are more for warmth and ambiance and less for cooking.
For a more compact option, you could go with a handy portable grill like the Burch Barrel Flat Packer.
However, I've been going with something that lets me have a place to cook and get ambiance: the BioLite FirePit Plus. What has made this become my go-to camping stove is the versatility in what it can do and the fuel. It can be used with either charcoal or firewood. There is a sliding grill grate for cooking on, and the mesh sides allow for excellent airflow for the fire. But if the mesh sides aren't enough, then the battery pack on the end can power a fan to force air through tubes with holes to help fuel the fire.
5. Something to light the way
BioLite
When you are out in nature, it can get pretty dark out at night even with a full moon. This is why it's important to have good light sources available. While I have light sources available in the Anker Solix C800 Plus, I always remember to keep some alternatives accessible.
There are some great flashlights options out there, and it's important to find one that serves your specific needs. I really like the Olight Baton3 Pro for the variety of light options, the 1,500 lumens of brightness, durability and the magnetic end. That end is great for attaching to objects to hold it in place, but when there's nothing magnetic around the extra-long clip is great to have.
I also try to have some sort of area light in my loadout. Lately, I've been taking the BioLite Alpenglow Lantern for this purpose. While it does have RGB lights and offers some fun effects, I like the long battery life with 200 hours of runtime on low and the dimmable and tunable white light. It's great to have sitting on the table when eating or just providing some ambient light around the campsite. It also has a hook on the end to hang it up with.
Many of CNET's top-rated pieces of hiking gear are just as applicable to camping, so be sure to check out this list of the top hiking gadgets for 2025, as well as the top security gadgets for living that van life and the best camping essentials no matter where your travels take you this spring and summer.
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Reddit Lawsuit Against Anthropic AI Has Stakes for Sports
In a new lawsuit, Reddit accuses AI company Anthropic of illegally scraping its users' data—including posts authored by sports fans who use the popular online discussion platform. Reddit's complaint, drafted by John B. Quinn and other attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, was filed on Wednesday in a California court. It contends Anthropic breached the Reddit user agreement by scraping Reddit content through its web crawler, ClaudeBot. The web crawler provides training data for Anthropic's AI tool, Claude, which relies on large language models (LLMs) that distill data and language. More from Prime Video NASCAR Coverage Uses AI to Show Hidden Race Story Indy 500 Fans Use Record Amount of Data During Sellout Race Who Killed the AAF? League's Demise Examined in Latest Rulings Other claims in the complaint include tortious interference and unjust enrichment. Scraping Reddit content is portrayed as undermining Reddit's obligations to its more than 100 million daily active unique users, including to protect their privacy. Reddit also contends Anthropic subverts its assurances to users that they control their expressions, including when deleting posts from public view. Scraping is key to AI. Automated technology makes requests to a website, then copies the results and tries to make sense of them. Anthropic, Reddit claims, finds Reddit data 'to be of the highest quality and well-suited for fine-tuning AI models' and useful for training AI. Anthropic allegedly violates users' privacy, since those users 'have no way of knowing' their data has been taken. Reddit, valued at $6.4 billion in its initial public offering last year, has hundreds of thousands of 'subreddits,' or online communities that cover numerous shared interests. Many subreddits are sports related, including r/sports, which has 22 million fans, r/nba (17 million) and the college football-centered r/CFB (4.4 million). Some pro franchises, including the Miami Dolphins (r/miamidolphins) and Dallas Cowboys (r/cowboys), have official subreddits. Reddit contends its unique features elevate its content and thus make the content more attractive to scraping endeavors. Reddit users submit posts, which can include original commentary, links, polls and videos, and they upvote or downvote content. This voting influences whether a post appears on the subreddit's front page or is more obscurely placed. Subreddit communities also self-police, with prohibitions on personal attacks, harassment, racism and spam. These practices can generate thoughtful and detailed commentary. Reddit estimates that ClaudeBot's scraping of Reddit has 'catapulted Anthropic into its valuation of tens of billions of dollars.' Meanwhile, Reddit says the company and its users lose out, because they 'realize no benefits from the technology that they helped create.' Anthropic allegedly trained ClaudeBot to extract data from Reddit starting in December 2021. Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei is quoted in the complaint as praising Reddit content, especially content found in prominent subreddits. Although Anthropic indicated it had stopped scraping Reddit in July 2024, Reddit says audit logs show Anthropic 'continued to deploy its automated bots to access Reddit content' more than 100,000 times in subsequent months. Reddit also unfavorably compares Anthropic to OpenAI and Google, which are 'giants in the AI space.' Reddit says OpenAI and Google 'entered into formal partnerships with Reddit' that permitted them to use Reddit content but only in ways that 'protect Reddit and its users' interests and privacy.' In contrast, Anthropic is depicted as engaging in unauthorized activities. In a statement shared with media, an Anthropic spokesperson said, 'we disagree with Reddit's claims, and we will defend ourselves vigorously.' In the weeks ahead, attorneys or Anthropic will answer Reddit's complaint and argue the company has not broken any laws. Reddit v. Anthropic has implications beyond the posts of Reddit users. Web crawlers scraping is a constant activity on the Internet, including message boards, blogs and other forums where sports fans and followers express viewpoints. The use of this content to train AI without knowledge or explicit consent by users is a legal topic sure to stir debate in the years ahead. Best of College Athletes as Employees: Answering 25 Key Questions
