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1. Night LightingA campsite can feel a little lonely when you're walking around in the darkness if the only light is coming from the small LED bulb in your headlamp. One or two additional lighting options can make the campsite, kitchen, and tent feel more inviting. For the table, Goal Zero's Lighthouse 250 LED Lantern with Switch 8 Power Hub ($80, goalzero.com) puts out 250 lumens of light at night and charges off a solar panel during the day. Black Diamond's Apollo Lantern packs down to three by five inches and puts out 80 lumens on four AA batteries. For the ultralight backpacker, MPOWERD's Luci Outdoor Inflatable Solar Lantern weighs four ounces, charges off a solar panel during the day, and powers ten LED bulbs at night for up to twelve hours ($15, mpowerd.com). In your tent, hang up ENO's ten-foot string of Twilights (four ounces, $20, eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com), or buy one of Big Agnes's new mtnGLO tents with built-in lights (starting at $220, bigagnes.com).

Photograph by Cameron Gardner

Long Weekends Like a Local: Packing List - National Geographic

Camping is one of the best and easiest escapes into nature, away from the chores of daily life. The more nights this summer you can spend staring at a campfire and sleeping under a canopy of stars, the better, even if you stay close to home. Here are ten ways to make it more fun and happen more often.

ByBrendan Leonard

Published June 1, 2015