The LandyCampers Gear Guide 2026: The Camping Equipment We Actually Use
- Max
- Aug 11
- 22 min read
Six years of running fully equipped Land Rover Defender campers has taught us rather a lot about camping gear. Here’s what currently makes the cut in our Landys - and why.
It turns out that if you spend long enough running a fleet of Defender campers, you develop some fairly strong opinions about camping gear.
We first published our Ultimate Overland Gear List back in 2020. Since then, we’ve changed rooftop tents several times, upgraded our power systems, completely rethought parts of the camp kitchen, tried an unreasonable number of chairs, and gradually refined almost every part of the setup.
Some things have been with us for years, though. Others have been replaced as technology has moved on or we’ve found something that simply works better.
That’s really the point of this guide.
Most camping equipment reviews are based on one person taking something away for a weekend. Our kit has a slightly less relaxing life.
It gets packed and unpacked repeatedly, driven around Britain and Europe, used by different guests week after week, set up in wind and rain and the occasional glorious British heatwave (less 'occasional' this year, more 'constant'), cleaned (getting disassembled to do so where necessary) between hires, put away again, and then expected to do the whole thing again a few days later.
It’s a fairly brutal product test.
And because our LandyCampers go out as complete, fully equipped camping setups, we also get to see how individual products work as part of a real system. Something can be brilliantly engineered in isolation and still be a terrible thing to carry around in a Defender if it takes up half the boot, needs four accessories and twenty minutes to assemble.
So this isn’t a list of every camping gadget we think looks interesting. Or indeed a list of products people have paid us to say are great.
It’s the equipment we actually use in our Land Rover Defender campers in 2026, what we’ve learnt from using it, and what we’d recommend considering if you’re building your own camping, campervan, rooftop-tent or overlanding setup.
LandyCampers Gear Guides:
What makes a piece of gear good enough for a LandyCamper?
Our earliest gear guides had three basic rules: the equipment should be reusable, durable enough to survive proper use, and reasonably light and space-efficient. Those principles still stand.
After another few years of doing this, though, we’d probably add a couple more.
It has to work properly. That sounds obvious, but the outdoor industry is not immune to products that photograph considerably better than they function.
It has to justify the space it occupies. Even a Defender 110 becomes very small surprisingly quickly when you start filling it with camping equipment.
It should make the trip noticeably easier, more comfortable or safer.
And, wherever possible, we’d rather buy something well once than replace a cheaper version every season.
That doesn’t mean buying the most expensive option for the sake of it. Some of our favourite bits of kit are remarkably simple.
In fact, one of the biggest lessons we’ve learnt is that the best-equipped camper isn’t necessarily the camper carrying the most equipment.
More on that later...
Rooftop tents: Thule Approach 2 M
If there’s one piece of equipment that defines the LandyCamper setup visually, it’s probably the rooftop tent.
We’ve also had rather more experience with them than most people reasonably ought to. We've tested a LOT of rooftents over the last 6+ years, many we wouldn't touch again...
Our original Landy set up used ARB Simpson III rooftop tents. In 2021 we moved across to CampWerk Adventure tents, which remained our choice for several seasons. Then, in 2024, the arrival of Thule’s completely redesigned Approach persuaded us to change again.
For 2026, we’ve moved the whole fleet onto the new Thule Approach 2 M.
Waffle, our Defender 90, carries one.
Fern, our Defender 110, carries two, creating our fairly unusual dual-rooftop-tent setup and giving us sleeping capacity for families and larger groups without needing to turn the Defender itself into a conventional campervan.
Why the Thule Approach 2?
The original Approach was already an exceptionally clever design.
Unlike the fairly boxy interiors of many traditional folding rooftop tents, the walls of the Approach push out beyond the footprint of the base as the tent opens. That gives it a surprisingly large feeling interior without requiring an enormous platform on the roof.
The new Approach 2 keeps that fundamental design but improves the details.
Thule rates the Medium as a three-person tent, with a 240 × 130cm sleeping footprint, 6cm dual-layer foam mattress and a total tent weight of 58kg. The second-generation model also gets a new 2.6m angled-step ladder, quilted mattress cover, revised accessory system and a canopy now made from 100% recycled solution-dyed polyester.
Those things may not sound revolutionary written on a specification sheet.
In actual use, however, small improvements to the bits you interact with every single time you camp matter enormously.
The revised ladder in particular is a big improvement. Getting into a rooftop tent is something you do half asleep, sometimes in the dark, often in bare feet. Making that more natural and comfortable is the kind of change we appreciate far more than another clever feature buried in an app.
Likewise, the new quilted mattress cover makes the sleeping area feel noticeably more finished and homely, rather than simply being a foam mattress dropped into a tent.
We don't run the basic setup, either
Our Landys carry what you might call the full-fat Approach setup.
Alongside the tents themselves, depending on the trip and time of year, we can use:
anti-condensation mats beneath the mattresses
fitted sheets
thermal liners for colder-weather trips
annexe options (version 1 and 2) for additional enclosed space
Approach awnings
shoe/gear organisers
Thule itself offers the Approach 2 alongside anti-condensation mats, fitted sheets, organisers and the new awning system; the anti-condensation mat and awning are particularly useful examples of accessories that solve actual camping problems rather than simply adding more stuff.
The result is less “tent attached to car” and more a proper little basecamp.
That matters to our guests, but it’s also the setup we’d want to use ourselves.
Is the Thule Approach 2 worth it?
This is very much at the premium end of the rooftop-tent market, so we wouldn't pretend it makes financial sense for everyone.
If you camp twice a year and already own a perfectly good ground tent, buying a premium rooftop tent probably isn't going to transform your life.
If you road-trip regularly, change campsites frequently, want a proper mattress permanently ready to go, or simply like the freedom of having your accommodation attached to the vehicle, the calculation looks rather different.
After operating several generations and brands of soft-shell rooftop tent since 2019, the Approach 2 is currently the tent we choose to put on our own fleet.
That's probably the simplest recommendation we can give it.
LandyCampers recommendation: Thule Approach 2 M
Best for: road trips, couples, families and frequent rooftop-tent campers
What we'd add: anti-condensation mat first; then accessories according to how and when you actually camp.
Towbar tent: Thule Outset
If the Approach 2 is our favourite conventional rooftop-tent solution, the Thule Outset might be one of the most interesting alternatives to a rooftop tent we've come across.
We've had one in the LandyCampers fleet since 2024, when we became the first UK hire company to offer the Outset for guests to actually take away and camp in. And after using it ourselves, we'd describe it rather simply:
Imagine much of the comfort of a premium rooftop tent, but brought down to ground level.
Instead of mounting on roof bars, the Outset travels on the vehicle's towbar. At camp, it unfolds into a proper three-person tent with an integrated mattress - but crucially, it can then be completely detached from the vehicle.
That sounds like a fairly small distinction.
In practice, it's one of the Outset's biggest advantages.
A rooftop tent you can leave behind
One of the unavoidable compromises with almost any rooftop tent is that your tent remains attached to your car.
If you're staying on one campsite for several nights and want to drive somewhere for the day, you need to pack the rooftop tent away first.
With the Outset, you don't.
Once camp is set up, the tent can be detached from the towbar and securely left standing on its own. You can then drive off for the day and come back to your camp exactly as you left it.
For a touring road trip, where you're moving almost every day, we'd probably still favour a rooftop tent.
For a trip where you're creating more of a basecamp for several days, the Outset makes an enormous amount of sense.
That's the sort of distinction we think matters far more than simply declaring one product “better” than another.
Proper tent comfort without the ladder
The other obvious advantage is accessibility.
We love rooftop tents, but there's no escaping the fact that you have to climb into them.
For most people that's absolutely fine. For young children, older campers, anyone with limited mobility - or simply somebody who would rather not negotiate a ladder for a 3am toilet trip - ground-level access can be considerably easier.
The Outset gives you a 225 × 134cm sleeping area for up to three people, with a peak internal height of 113cm. Thule lists the complete unit at 70kg, with a breathable, water-resistant 600D polyester ripstop canopy.
Most importantly, it has a proper integrated mattress which stays with the tent when packed away.
That's one of the things we like most about rooftop tents generally: you aren't pitching a conventional tent and then starting again with roll mats or inflatable mattresses every night.
The Outset preserves that convenience at ground level.
It leaves your roof alone, too
There's another benefit which might be even more important if you're building your own camper.
The Outset doesn't require you to put a 50–70kg tent on the roof of the vehicle.
That's useful if:
your vehicle isn't suitable for a rooftop tent (and despite certain brands' marketing claims, that's probably most vehicles on the road);
its approved roof load isn't sufficient;
you want the roof free for bikes, boards, kayaks or a roof box;
or you'd simply rather keep heavy equipment lower down.
Thule itself specifically positions the Outset as a solution for vehicles that aren't appropriate for rooftop tents, with the towbar mounting keeping the roof completely free.
From an engineering point of view, we're always keen on not putting unnecessary weight high up on a vehicle.
That's particularly relevant to Defenders, where we've written separately about roof loads, centre of gravity and the importance of correctly specifying the rack and suspension system for rooftop-tent use.
So while the Outset isn't the right answer for everybody, it's a genuinely clever alternative rather than simply an odd variation on a ground tent.
What are the downsides?
There are some.
Firstly, you obviously need a compatible towbar.
Secondly, it occupies the towbar while travelling, so if that space is already needed for bikes or towing, you'll need to make a choice.
And at around 70kg it's not something you'd casually carry around by hand. The integrated wheels and mounting system make moving it practical, but this is still substantial camping equipment rather than an ultralight tent.
There's also a different use-case question.
If you're changing campsite every single night, the simplicity of opening an Approach on the roof is hard to beat.
If you're staying in one place and driving out each day, being able to leave the Outset behind completely changes the equation.
That's why we don't really see the Outset and Approach as direct competitors.
They're two different solutions to the same general problem.
Approach 2 or Outset?
Our rough recommendation would be:
Choose an Approach 2 if:
you're touring and moving regularly;
you like having your accommodation permanently attached to the vehicle;
your vehicle and roof system are properly rated for a rooftop tent;
you want the classic rooftop-tent experience.
Choose an Outset if:
you want to establish a basecamp and still use the car during the day;
climbing a ladder isn't ideal;
you want to keep the vehicle roof free;
your vehicle can't safely accommodate a rooftop tent;
you have an electric vehicle and want to minimise aerodynamic drag and maximise range;
or you simply prefer sleeping closer to ground level!
Neither is universally better.
The clever bit is choosing the one that matches the way you actually camp.
That is perhaps the main reason the Outset has remained in our own fleet.
It's not a gimmicky “look what they've invented now” camping product.
It solves some very real limitations of a rooftop tent, without throwing away most of the things that make rooftop-tent camping so comfortable in the first place.
LandyCampers recommendation: Thule Outset
Best for: campsite basecamps, families, accessible camping and vehicles where a rooftop tent isn't the right solution.
Awning: Rhino-Rack 270° Batwing
This is one of those products that has become more interesting precisely because we haven't replaced it.
The Rhino-Rack Batwing has appeared in our gear guides since 2020.
Six years is quite a long time in an industry constantly trying to persuade us that this year's camping accessory has made last year's completely obsolete.
The Batwing simply continues doing what we need it to do.
It deploys around the side and rear of the Defender to create a substantial sheltered area, packs permanently against the vehicle when not required, and means you've got somewhere to get yourself and your equipment underneath surprisingly quickly when the weather does what British weather does.
Awnings are also one of those bits of kit where ease of use matters more than maximum theoretical coverage.
If putting an awning up is such a faff that you don't bother unless you're staying three nights, it isn't providing much shelter on a road trip.
The Batwing remains one of the first things we'd fit to a vehicle we were building for this kind of use.
LandyCampers recommendation: Rhino-Rack 270° Batwing
Best for: touring campers where fast shelter matters.
Roof bars: Nakatanenga Cargo Bear
Our Nakatanenga Cargo Bear systems are another long-term survivor.
They've been on the Landys for years and were originally chosen largely because they're low-profile, Defender-specific and modular. Rather than putting the rooftop tent unnecessarily high above the vehicle, the system lets us keep the whole assembly relatively close to the roof.
That matters for several reasons.
There's vehicle height, obviously - Defenders with rooftop tents are hardly going to sneak unnoticed into a multi-storey car park.
But more importantly, anything heavy mounted on a roof affects the vehicle's centre of gravity. Our philosophy has always been that if something has to go up there, don't mount it any higher than necessary.
The Cargo Bear setup also gives us useful mounting points for awnings and other accessories without covering the Defender in a forest of separate brackets.
It isn't the glamorous bit of a rooftop-tent build, but getting the structure underneath the tent right is considerably more important than most of the gadgets you can bolt onto it afterwards.
Storage: our own LandyCampers system
Possibly our least useful recommendation if you're looking for an affiliate link, because you can't actually buy this one.
Sorry.
We designed the rear storage systems in our Landys ourselves.
You could throw all of your camping equipment into crates in the back of the vehicle. Plenty of people do, and it works.
The problem starts when the thing you need is at the bottom of crate number four, underneath the chairs, behind the sleeping bags.
Our storage uses drawers for regularly accessed kit, separate spaces for equipment you don't need quite so often and, where possible, working surfaces that can be used without unloading half the vehicle first. Earlier versions even incorporated a pull-out ledge specifically so we could make a quick cup of tea without setting up camp. Some priorities are non-negotiable.
The real lesson here isn't “copy our drawer dimensions”.
It's:
Design your storage around the order in which you use things.
The stuff you need at every stop should be immediately accessible.
The stuff you only need once you're fully set up can live further away.
And anything you repeatedly have to move purely to access something else is probably in the wrong place.
A £10 storage box in the right location can improve a camping setup more than a £300 gadget buried underneath it.
Sleeping bags and cold-weather comfort: Vango
A spectacular rooftop tent isn't much help if you're freezing inside it.
We've used Vango sleeping bags for several years, including camping in temperatures below freezing, and they've continued to serve us well.
Our preference is to have bedding that can adapt.
On warmer nights, being able to unzip a sleeping bag fully and use it more like a duvet or blanket is vastly nicer than roasting inside an Arctic-spec cocoon.
When temperatures drop, proper insulation matters very quickly - particularly in a rooftop tent where you're exposed to moving air on all sides.
For colder trips we can also add the thermal liners to the Thule tents, helping create another insulating layer.
The lesson here is less about one particular sleeping-bag model and more about buying for the conditions you really camp in.
If all your trips happen between June and August, you don't need the same setup as someone who wants to camp in Scotland in November.
Camping chairs: Nomadia XLite
We have spent a frankly ridiculous amount of time thinking about camping chairs.
There is a reason.
A wonderfully comfortable full-size camping chair is great right up until you need to pack six of them into a Defender.
At the other extreme, plenty of ultralight chairs fold down beautifully and then feel as though sitting in them for an hour should count as a core workout.
For 2026 we've moved onto the Nomadia XLite Compact Camping Chair, because it hits that middle ground remarkably well.
It packs to around 33 × 13 × 13cm, weighs about 1.5kg, but opens into a proper high-backed chair with several height positions. Nomadia uses an aluminium frame and Dyneema seating material, with a quoted 200kg load capacity.
The important bit to us isn't really the numbers, though (although I'd rather not fall through any more camping chairs, as a bigger guy...)
It's the ratio between how little space it consumes when you're driving and how much of a chair you get when you stop.
That is exactly the sort of product we look for.
On a tiny backpacking setup, saving every gram might matter most.
On a vehicle-based camping setup, we'd argue the better question is:
How much comfort do I get per litre of precious boot space?
The XLites score extremely well.
LandyCampers recommendation: Nomadia XLite
Best for: campers, overlanders and anyone trying to avoid filling half their vehicle with chairs.
Camp furniture and kitchen: Nomadia CampStation
Another major change to our 2026 setup is the Nomadia CampStation modular system.
Traditional camping kitchens have a tendency to become either enormous pieces of furniture or a collection of completely separate things: table, stove stand, washing-up bowl, water container, food-prep area…
The CampStation takes a much more modular approach.
The main platform folds into a roughly 65 × 20 × 25cm package but opens into a 125cm-long working surface. Individual modules can then be configured around what you're actually doing, including a stove set, mesh basket, water dispenser, kitchen sink, chopping board and extra work surfaces.
And that's really what appealed to us.
It isn't one clever camping table.
It's a system that lets the same footprint do several jobs.
For our setup we've incorporated the cooking, water/tap and sink options, giving guests a proper camp-kitchen area without us having to pack several bulky standalone pieces of equipment.
This is also one of those areas where we'd strongly recommend resisting the temptation to recreate your home kitchen outdoors.
You need enough preparation space.
You need somewhere sensible for the stove.
You need water.
You need somewhere to put the dirty things.
You probably don't need eighteen different specialist utensils and a camping garlic press.
Cooker: Primus Tupike
Some products earn their place by being clever.
The Primus Tupike earns its place largely by being a really, really nice thing to cook on.
We've used Primus stoves in our Landys for several seasons now. The Tupike combines two proper burners with good controls, built-in wind protection and construction that feels much closer to a piece of permanent kitchen equipment than the rattly pressed-steel camping stoves many of us grew up with. Our earlier gear guides repeatedly highlighted its twin-burner setup, wind shields and robust aluminium/stainless construction.
Does anyone need a premium camping cooker?
No.
A £20 stove will boil water.
But if you're cooking breakfast, dinner and endless cups of tea outdoors for a week, there is an enormous difference between equipment that technically performs a task and equipment that's actually pleasant to use.
That's a distinction you'll see throughout this guide.
LandyCampers recommendation: Primus Tupike
Best for: proper camp cooking rather than simply boiling a kettle.
BBQ and fire pit: Primus Kamoto
Sticking with Primus, we continue to use the folding Kamoto as our fire pit/BBQ solution.
Its raised design keeps the fire contained above the ground and it folds relatively flat when it's time to put everything away. We've also found the construction tough enough to cope with the rather less glamorous part of commercial camping equipment: repeated cleaning between guests.
Obviously, whether fires are permitted depends entirely on where you're staying and the conditions at the time.
But where they are allowed, we'd always favour a proper contained fire pit over scorching somebody's campsite pitch.
Refrigeration: Dometic CFX3
If you're building a camper for trips longer than the occasional weekend, a proper compressor fridge is one of the upgrades we'd prioritise most highly.
This is another area where our own setup has evolved.
Earlier LandyCampers used Dometic thermoelectric cool boxes. They worked well for what we were doing at the time.
We eventually moved to the Dometic CFX3 compressor fridge, and wouldn't willingly go back.
The difference is fundamental.
A thermoelectric cooler generally cools by a certain amount relative to the outside temperature.
A compressor fridge allows you to set an actual temperature and maintain it.
That makes food storage on a hot multi-day trip much less of a guessing game.
Our current CFX3s fit perfectly into the rear setups of the vehicles, where they can run from the power system and remain accessible without dismantling camp.
It isn't as exciting as a rooftop tent.
But cold beer on day five of a camping trip is pretty compelling technology...
LandyCampers recommendation: Dometic CFX3
Best for: multi-day trips and anyone treating their camper as a genuine touring vehicle.
Off-grid power: EcoFlow RIVER and DELTA
We may have accumulated too many portable power stations.
Occupational hazard.
Our current LandyCampers power inventory spans several generations of EcoFlow, including an original DELTA, original RIVER Pro, RIVER 2, RIVER 3 Pro and multiple solar panels.
That's actually useful, because it's reinforced one of our strongest bits of advice about portable power:
Don't start by asking which power station is “best”.
Start by asking what you're going to power.
Portable power has moved on enormously since our 2021 guide, when our RIVER setup was primarily there for phones, laptops, lighting and the cool box.
Today, the smaller current EcoFlow RIVER products remain designed around compact portable power, while the DELTA family moves up into much larger capacities and outputs.
For a camping setup, bigger is not automatically better.
A huge power station is wonderful until you've paid for capacity you never use and have to carry the thing around every weekend.
Our rough philosophy is:
Small setup: phones, cameras, lights and occasional device charging.
Medium setup: add refrigeration, laptops and more regular multi-day use.
Larger setup: longer off-grid stays, more people or genuinely power-hungry equipment.
Then think about how you're going to put the energy back in.
That's at least as important as how much battery capacity you started with.
Solar power
We've used portable solar panels since first LandyCampers hires.
There is something wonderfully satisfying about your fridge, lights and camera batteries ultimately being powered by a patch of sunshine next to the Defender.
Solar works especially well when you're staying put for a while.
Put the panel somewhere sensible, orient it towards the sun and let it quietly put energy back into the battery while you're off enjoying your day.
It isn't magic, though.
British weather remains British weather, shade matters, the sun moves, and the theoretical number printed on a panel isn't what you'll receive every second of the day.
Which brings us to one of our favourite upgrades for a touring setup.
Charging while driving: BLUETTI Charger 1
Solar is great when you're stationary.
But a road trip has another rather substantial energy source running whenever you move: the vehicle itself.
We've now installed BLUETTI Charger 1 alternator chargers into our Landys.
Rather than relying on the limited output available through a conventional 12V cigarette-lighter socket, the Charger 1 connects into the vehicle charging system and can supply up to 560W to a compatible portable power station while the engine is running.
BLUETTI says it works with its own power stations and most other brands, with automatic monitoring designed to avoid draining the vehicle's starter battery.
For the way our Landys are actually used, this is brilliant.
Drive for a few hours between campsites and you're simultaneously putting a meaningful amount of energy back into the off-grid battery.
It makes the power system considerably less dependent on perfect sunshine or finding a mains socket.
If you're building a touring camper rather than something that spends five days parked in one field, alternator charging is something we'd now seriously consider from the outset.
LandyCampers recommendation: BLUETTI Charger 1
Best for: touring vehicles using portable power stations.
Lighting: NEBO
Good camp lighting is mostly invisible until you don't have it.
Then suddenly you're holding your phone between your teeth while trying to find something underneath the Defender at 11pm.
We've used NEBO lighting for several seasons and continue to carry a mixture of torches, headlamps and area lights.
Head torches in particular are one of those boring pieces of equipment we'd put remarkably high on any packing list.
Two hands are considerably more useful than one when you're putting up an awning, cooking, looking under a bonnet or finding something in a tent.
Rechargeability is important too. The fewer different types of disposable battery we need to carry, replace and eventually throw away, the better.
The kit we hope you never need: NEBO Ultimate
This is perhaps the least glamorous recommendation in the guide.
It's also one of the bits we're happiest to have sitting in the vehicle - largely unused and unseen by guests.
Our Landys carry NEBO Ultimate power packs, which combine a jump starter, digital tyre inflator, work/emergency light and portable power functions in one fairly compact unit.
The Ultimate provides a 1500A peak jump-start output for 12V vehicles and incorporates a compressor rated up to 130psi, alongside USB charging and an emergency light.
Hopefully a guest never needs any of that.
But classic Land Rover or brand-new SUV, a flat battery and a soft tyre remain much easier problems to deal with when the equipment to solve them is already in the vehicle.
That, to us, is part of being properly equipped too.
Not just making camp look good when everything goes right.
Making a classic Defender a little more modern: Sony + WOLFBOX G900 Pro
We love classic Defenders.
If we wanted everything about a car to feel like it had been designed yesterday, we'd probably have chosen something else.
That doesn't mean every part of the 20-plus-year-old driving experience needs preserving for historical accuracy.
For years we've fitted large-screen Sony Apple CarPlay/Android Auto systems to make navigation, music and hands-free use vastly easier than balancing a phone somewhere on a Defender dashboard.
We've added another particularly useful upgrade: the WOLFBOX G900 Pro digital rear-view mirror and camera system.
This solves a very LandyCamper-specific problem.
A Defender with a fridge, bedding, cooking equipment, chairs, tables, power stations and several people's luggage packed into the rear does not necessarily have the same rearward visibility as an empty one.
The G900 Pro can display the rear camera feed directly across its 12-inch mirror screen, giving the driver a clear view behind the vehicle without relying solely on a line of sight through the load area.
It also acts as a front-and-rear dashcam. WOLFBOX's current G900 Pro uses a Sony IMX678 image sensor, supports front/rear views, GPS recording, parking monitoring and collision-triggered clip protection.
For us, though, its value starts with something much simpler:
being able to see properly out of the back of a fully loaded Defender.
The dashcam protection is a very welcome bonus.
The boring stuff that actually makes camping better
So far we've covered some fairly expensive equipment.
This section may be more important than most of it.
A really good camping setup is often defined by all the little things somebody remembered to include.
Decent knives.
A chopping board.
Pans that fit your stove.
A bottle opener (for those beers you've kept nice and cold in the CFX3!).
Washing-up equipment.
Bins and rubbish bags.
Enough USB cables.
A sensible water carrier.
Somewhere to put muddy shoes.
A towel.
A torch you can find before it gets dark.
None of these make particularly exciting Instagram Reels.
But forgetting one of them can become disproportionately irritating at exactly the moment you're meant to be enjoying yourself.
We continue to use a mixture of equipment that's appeared throughout our previous guides, including Primus cookware, Navigator kitchen storage, YETI drinkware, Vango tableware and Colapz water equipment.
The individual brands matter less here than the system.
Everything should have a home.
Things that are used together should generally live together.
Frequently used equipment should be easy to reach.
And if you have to unpack the whole vehicle every time you want to make a cup of tea, something has gone wrong.
Perhaps our most important advice: don't buy all the gear
Camping gear has become a very good-looking industry.
Spend ten minutes scrolling Instagram or TikTok and you'll discover seventeen things you apparently desperately need before it's safe to spend a night in a field.
You probably don't.
There are some absolutely brilliant new products around, and we're as guilty as anyone of finding camping equipment interesting.
But every single thing you add to a camper has a cost beyond its price.
It weighs something.
It takes up space.
It has to be packed.
It has to be unpacked.
Eventually, it probably has to be cleaned.
And then you need to remember where on earth you put it.
So here's a test we've increasingly learnt to use ourselves:
If you're considering buying a new camping gadget, go on a trip without it first.
Even if it's just one night.
When you get home, ask yourself:
Would having that thing actually have made the trip better?
If you spent the whole weekend wishing you had one, great. You've probably identified something useful.
If you completely forgot about it until you saw the advert again on Monday, perhaps save your money.
Half the challenge in building a great camping setup is working out which products deserve to be in it.
The other half is having the restraint not to buy every last gadget until your previously spacious vehicle has become an extremely expensive cupboard on wheels.
The LandyCampers 2026 camping setup at a glance
For anyone researching equipment for their own Defender, campervan, rooftop-tent or overlanding setup, this is the core equipment we're currently using across the LandyCampers fleet in 2026:
Rooftop tents: Thule Approach 2 M
Rooftop-tent accessories: Thule anti-condensation mats, fitted sheets, thermal liners, annexes, awnings and shoe storage
Vehicle awnings: Rhino-Rack 270° Batwing
Roof systems: Nakatanenga Cargo Bear
Vehicle storage: bespoke LandyCampers rear storage
Sleeping: Vango bedding and sleeping bags
Camping chairs: Nomadia XLite
Camp kitchen/table: Nomadia CampStation modular system
Camping stove: Primus Tupike
Fire pit/BBQ: Primus Kamoto
Fridge: Dometic CFX3 compressor fridge
Portable power: EcoFlow RIVER and DELTA power stations
Solar: EcoFlow portable solar panels
Alternator charging: BLUETTI Charger 1
Lighting: NEBO torches, lanterns and headlamps
Emergency equipment: NEBO Ultimate jump starter/tyre inflator
Rear visibility/dashcam: WOLFBOX G900 Pro
Navigation/in-car display: Sony Apple CarPlay/Android Auto system
Cookware: Primus
Kitchen/storage accessories: Navigator and LandyCampers equipment
Water: Colapz
Drinkware: YETI
Not every guest needs every single optional piece of equipment on every trip.
That's deliberate.
The aim isn't to send a Landy out carrying everything we've ever bought.
It's to give each trip the right equipment, properly thought through, so our guests can collect the keys and concentrate on where they're going rather than spending a week beforehand buying a miniature outdoor shop.
Six years of refining the setup
One of the nice things about having published these guides since 2020 is that you don't have to take our word for any of this.
You can go back and see what we were using.
ARB rooftop tents became CampWerk. CampWerk eventually became Thule. Our refrigeration moved from thermoelectric cool boxes to compressor fridges as technology evolved. Portable battery systems have become dramatically more capable. Camp furniture has got smaller and smarter.
Some products, meanwhile, have stubbornly remained because they still work.
That's how we think a good equipment list should evolve.
We're not particularly interested in recommending something forever because we once wrote a nice blog about it.
If something better solves the problem, we'll use the better thing.
And if the thing we already have continues doing its job perfectly after years of fairly merciless LandyCamper use, we're equally happy not to replace it just because a shinier version exists.
Want to try the setup for yourself?
There is, of course, one slightly unusual advantage to the LandyCampers gear guide.
You can actually go camping with most of it.
Our classic Defender campers leave our base in Essex fully equipped with their rooftop tents, camp furniture, cooking setup, fridge, off-grid power, bedding and the practical bits and pieces we've refined over the years.
You don't need to own a garage full of camping equipment first.
Bring your clothes, some food and an idea of where you'd like to go - we'll help with the rest.
And if you're here because you're building your own Defender, camper or rooftop-tent setup rather than looking to hire one, we hope this guide saves you at least a little of the trial, error and frankly ridiculous amount of gear research we've done since 2019.
If you've got a question about any of the equipment above, feel free to drop us a message.
We are, for better or worse, always quite happy to talk about camping gear.
A note on links and partnerships
Some products featured in this guide have been supplied to LandyCampers, some come from brands we've worked with commercially over the years, and others we've simply bought ourselves. NONE of it is there because we're paid to put it there - if it's provided by a company, it's because we were going to buy it anyway, and found a way to work together.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which means we may receive a small commission if you buy something after following them, at no additional cost to you.
None of that changes the basic rule for this guide: if we wouldn't be happy putting something into one of our own LandyCampers, we won't recommend it here.
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