From Solar Panels To Smart Fabrics: The New Rules Of Camping Comfort And Safety

What if your tent packed to a loaf of bread, your lantern doubled as a power bank, and your jacket helped manage heat without piling on layers? We dive into the gear that actually changes backcountry days: thin solar panels that keep phones and GPS units alive, ultralight shelters that shrug off storms, and smart fabrics that breathe, dry fast, and keep you moving when the weather flips.

We share real-world wins and pitfalls with panels from BioLite and Goal Zero, inflatable solar lights, and the trade-offs of flexible solar fabrics. On the sleep front, we talk Dyneema tents under two pounds, compact pads with high R-values, and down bags that compress to grapefruit size. For water and food, we compare gravity filters to fast bottle purifiers, look at fuel-saving cook systems versus twig stoves, and consider where fire bans and treeless landscapes make “romantic” setups impractical. Power banks, rechargeables, and simple charging tactics round out a reliable off-grid kit.

Safety and navigation get the same treatment. We explain how a ZOLEO or inReach keeps you connected without cell service and why offline topo apps like Gaia GPS and AllTrails Plus pair best with solid map-and-compass habits. Sustainability threads through it all: repair programs, recycled materials, canister refill tools, and choosing durable gear that lasts. Our bottom line is simple—bring tech that trims weight, boosts safety, and reduces waste, but don’t let screens steal the view. Subscribe, share with a fellow camper, and tell us: what’s the one piece of gear that truly earned its spot in your pack?

Chapters

• 0:00 Mission And Today’s Focus
• 0:12 Why Outdoor Tech Is Booming
• 1:27 Solar Panels, Fabrics, And Lights
• 4:49 Smart Clothing And Adaptive Materials
• 7:28 Ultralight Tents And Sleep Systems
• 10:08 Stoves, Fuel Limits, And Real Use Cases
• 11:57 Satellite Messengers And Navigation Apps
• 14:09 Water Filters, Power Banks, And Meal Tech
• 17:30 Repair, Recycling, And Circular Design
• 20:01 Costs, Trade‑Offs, And Self‑Reliance
• 22:05 Practical Takeaways And Holiday Gift Ideas
• 22:48 Closing And Well Wishes

Transcript

SPEAKER_01: 0:00

Hello and good day. Welcome to the Super Good Camping Podcast. My name is Pamela. I'm Tim. And we are from Supergoodcamping.com. We're here because we're on a mission to inspire other people to get outside and enjoy camping adventures such as we have as family. Today we want to talk about camp and trail tech innovations. So some gear that might be changing how we interact with the outdoors. Camping used to be about roughing it, but now even your backpack could charge your phone. And if these tech deep grades, are they really improving your outdoor experience? Or are they just adding more weight or more cost or just generating sales for some company? Innovations can make camping safer, lighter, and more sustainable, but which ones are really worth it? So we'll talk a little bit about the others today. And so why is this outdoor tech gear really booming? It's because people are interested in lightweight and eco-conscious design. So they want the performance of things without the bulk or the waist, or they want to experience more comfort while they're out and about. Material science and renewable energy advances have transformed tents and clothing and cooking gear, and we've certainly evolved as far as our tents. We've had a number of tents from big and bulky and heavy now to very lightweight. And climate change and unpredictable weather are making demand for more adaptive fabrics and power sources. And then tech supports safety and accessibility, especially for people that are solo camping or or families.

SPEAKER_00: 1:27

So wait here, some some solar-powered innovations. It's better for everything, especially for the environment, uh, because it's renewable power off off-grid. You've got access to more gear. In other words, you you know you don't have to take lights uh that have batteries. So it saves you weight. You can take communication and then not have to worry about your battery dying on your phone. You don't you can take a um a satellite, whatever satellite phone. Uh by now, most of you've heard me talk about our Zolio. Uh we take that with us, and and it has a wicked battery in it, but uh, but it if we need to, we do, we can charge it by solar. So uh there are solar fabrics and panels. Um, the Biolight solar panel, it's ultra thin, adjustable kickstand, integrated battery, charges phones and GPS.

SPEAKER_01: 2:25

It's only small in terms of milliamps though, so 3200 milliamp hours.

SPEAKER_00: 2:30

Yeah, and it's about Canadian dollars, about 150 bucks. Um it's 10 it 10 watts approximately one pound, uh, but you can attach to a backpack and you can be charging things while you're uh while you're lugging stuff.

SPEAKER_01: 2:46

Or while you're piling.

SPEAKER_00: 2:48

Yep. Uh goal zero Nomad 20 solar panel folds flat, it's reliable for extended trips. It's about two pounds, but it puts out 20 watts, and it's about 200 bucks. There's a new tech that's that's fairly recent in coming out. It's not and it's not all of that in a bag of chips quite yet, but it's getting there. Solar fabric tents and backpacks, uh, companies like uh powerfilm, voltaic systems, uh and again it can charge while you're hiking. They're thinner, lighter, more flexible, basically solar panel stitched on. Um, so it's a little bit less efficient than than a than a hard, what's the right term? Yeah, then a hard solar panel. Yeah, yeah. Uh, and then solar lighting. Uh like we have Lucy lamps. Um they they literally charge a battery pack built into the light itself, and and they put out all kinds, they have different levels. Shoot, I can't remember. We bought we bought some replacements. Ours are are fairly old and have taken quite a beating, and we tend to be not pay attention when we pack them, so they don't necessarily hold air because because they collapse, so you you inflate them. You did so they're waterproof, all that sort of jazz, but uh at least at least half of ours now kind of sag slowly. So we we bought some new ones, which we haven't had the opportunity to try out yet. Not not Lucy brand. I want to say flex light, but I'm not positive.

SPEAKER_01: 4:17

And they uh so you can plug your phone into them as well and charge your phone, although it takes forever from it does from the Lucy lights, but apparently these new ones that we got are faster, bigger, bigger, higher outputs.

SPEAKER_00: 4:30

Uh they feel about the same weight, they collapse down as well. So well, well, I'm sure we'll do a review at some point, uh, just when we get a chance to get out there. It's it's snowing and stuff.

SPEAKER_01: 4:39

So it's minus 18 with the windshield.

SPEAKER_00: 4:41

There you go. Celsius. Right. That'd be pretty stinking cold in in uh in Fahrenheit, yeah.

SPEAKER_01: 4:49

Uh yeah, so smart clothing and adaptive materials. This is why it's better. It helps to regulate temperature, it improves your comfort level, reduces the need for multiple layers of clothing, so less weight to carry with you and less clothing to cart along, less bulk. Uh, temperature regulating fabrics, so there's, for example, outliers supermarine cotton, it's just naturally water-resistant and breathable. And uh Columbia's Omni Heat Infinity jackets with reflective gold dot lining, which reduces your heat loss. And then as emerging things, so maybe not necessarily available just yet, but graphene and fused layers that conduct and retain body heat with last bulk. Uh, there's moisture-responsive clothing, which we know somebody that might need some fat. Patagonia, cappilline, air-based layers. So it's merino wool and recycled polyester, so adapts to humidity and activity levels. I was surprised actually when we went whitewater rafting this summer and they were like, Yeah, yeah, don't wear cotton, don't wear cotton, don't wear cotton. It has to be synthetic, synthetic. And I always thought like synthetic to me always felt like it didn't breathe as well.

SPEAKER_00: 5:54

But there that was the so the I the concept behind that is that it doesn't it also doesn't retain water. Like it doesn't, whereas cotton absorbs water, right?

SPEAKER_01: 6:03

Right, right. Uh and then smart textiles are in development, ones that might be self-drying, which would be great too. So if you're paddling and you end up getting wet, uh odor neutralizing, that's also really good when you're in the backcountry and you don't have access to the shower. I haven't had a shower in seven days. Energy hard harvesting weaves that will power small devices. Well, that would be cool if your body heat could actually power your phone.

SPEAKER_00: 6:27

I have a lot of body heat.

SPEAKER_01: 6:29

You do that too.

SPEAKER_00: 6:31

Uh there's also so ultralight inventions, uh innovations, sorry. Um, it reduces fatigue and injury risk, makes multi-day trips more accessible, especially for older. That's me, or family campers.

SPEAKER_01: 6:46

Yeah, little kids they could carry some things like the tent because it's lightweight.

SPEAKER_00: 6:51

Yes, yes. We'll actually specifically get to uh our tent. Um, but tents and shelters. So uh Z packs duplex, it's under two pounds, it's a Dynema fabric and it's fully waterproof. Under two pounds. Under two pounds. Well, so okay, so fine. Let's let's talk about our. We've got a Nemo three person. I can't remember which model it is, but it is it's two pounds. It absolutely weighs nothing, and it's itty bitty, like it packs up to oh man, not I don't even know that it's I've been I'll use Imperial. It's maybe a foot, 14 inches long, and it's a bundle that's two inches across, two and a half inches across, and it's yeah, it's two pounds.

SPEAKER_01: 7:43

Like it's sleeps two people and a dog comfortably, comfortably easily.

SPEAKER_00: 7:47

Um it ridiculously expensive. I want to say it was a solid 800 bucks, maybe a little bit more. Um, but is if it lasts, like if we get you know eight years out of it, which remains to see. Yeah, we've got two out of it now. So, well, yeah, two. So another example is uh Big Agnes Copper Spur HVUL2, which means nothing to me. Uh it's lightweight but roomy, it's a three-season versatility. And then the so I mentioned Dynema earlier. It's a it's an emerging fabric. Uh it's a composite fabric, it's stronger than Kepler and lighter than nylon.

SPEAKER_01: 8:24

So you can wear it as a bulletproof tent?

SPEAKER_00: 8:27

I don't know. I don't know. I know how Kepler works, and it means you have to have a bunch of it. Okay. That's that's it's not quite that simple. Um but it's it's thin polyethylene sheet laminated between two sheets of polyester. It's light, it's strong, it's crazy expensive. Sleep systems. Hi, puppy dog. Hi. You're nut. Uh never mind. Uh sleep systems. So thermorest Neo Air Uber light pad, uh, which I don't have. Uh it's 8.8 ounces, has a high R value for its weight. And yeah, uh uh lots of people swear by Thermorest. I've only had one Thermorest pad and it didn't work for me. Uh mostly because it's squeaky.

SPEAKER_01: 9:21

Isn't that C to Summit? I think it's a C to Summit. Oh, is that what it was? Yeah, I think so.

SPEAKER_00: 9:24

Okay, my bad. Uh so C to Summit is the next one. It's a Spark SPI sleeping bag. Uh it compresses to the size of a grapefruit. So I haven't spent the big bucks on those. All of our bags are much larger than I would like them to be. Uh, but we do have bags that go down to minus minus 20, I think. So, you know, they're gonna be bigger. I welcome to welcome to life. A cooking gear is uh a jet boil stash stove, titanium pot, rapid boil, ultralight, solo stove light, wood burning, efficient airflow, and you don't have to use a gas canister. We've discussed this before. Um so like it keeps things light to do that. To basically uh I in my tiny brain it's a twig stove. Uh, and if you have that option, but we just recently spoke to uh a couple of gentlemen that camp in the uh or trek through the barren lands, so the Arctic, and ain't no trees, so no twigs to burn. Not an option. Um so that there's that issue. There's also uh firebands where you have to be able to, it has to have an on-off switch for lack of a better term. So you can't always pull that one off, but but I have have seen a number of twig stoves that are like, yeah, that's pretty cool. The the Kid Products one is probably my favorite just because I've actually talked to the guys that made them, so I know how they work and and how much innovation of their own and great ideas that they put into uh into doing, into making them. Uh, we'll move on to smart navigation and communication tools. It's better because it enhances safety and efficiency while reducing dependency on cell service, which is a thing. That's part of why I personally love the backcountry, is because I can't get a signal. Too bad. Nobody can get a hold of me. Well, they can, no. So we have a Zolio satellite messenger. Uh, it can connect seamlessly with your phone, um, but it uses GP like satellite um communication, not not your phone, like not LTE or 5G or anything like that. Uh, it's easy interface. Uh I mean, we've had it for ages now. Uh, and I can you, you know, you can you can use it in your sleep. You literally text from your phone if you need to, or you can just push a button that says, I'm okay, which could be a lie. So wait, wait we mentioned it in another episode. Some other ones. Well, one, another one is would be a garment in reach, uh, the mini two. It's got GPS tracking, it's got an SOS and texting uh via satellite, but you can actually text on the Garmin itself, so you don't need to take a phone, which is probably the only the only downside I can come up with with the solio. And I don't mind it because you're taking your phone probably to take some pictures because that's what we do now. We don't take cameras, we do, but not everybody does.

SPEAKER_01: 12:18

So well, and Rogers now offers a satellite service of some sort. I haven't looked at it.

SPEAKER_00: 12:24

I don't think it's specific to Rogers because I'm on what am I on? Wind, freedom, something like that. Uh, although that is a Rogers resell sort of deal. Um, but yes, I I have that uh satellite emergency access on my phone as well. So who knows? Um, it's a that's a thing that's coming. Is that going to I'm I'm curious, completely not completely off topic, but I'm curious to see if that pushes satellite messaging, like standable satellite messagers out. Yeah, so uh navigation apps and devices, uh Gaia GPS or all trails. Uh we know people that use both of those or either either or of those, and they swear by them. So uh you get offline topographical maps, uh elevation profiles, uh route sharing, and emergency integration, AI-assisted trail planning and voice navigation. It's coming to the Garmin ecosystem. You know, keep keep your keep your keep your eyes peeled. It's coming.

SPEAKER_01: 13:22

Uh slightly off topic. Um, we've mentioned in the past that I'm a parks uh prescriber, which just means I can prescribe a time in nature for people, especially for their mental health. But as part of that, they partnered with All Trails Plus. So if people uh do get a park prescription from their prescriber, then they can actually get access for six months free, I think, to the AllTrails Plus.

SPEAKER_00: 13:45

Oh, cool. Cool. There you go. Water, power, and food tech. It's better because it increases safety and convenience without adding weight or pollution. We have a platypus, the four-liter platypus uh water filter system. Uh it is, it packs down fairly small, and I like it because we I don't have to, it's a gravity filter. Fill up the dirty bag, slap on the uh the hose with the filter, attach the the clean water bag, uh hang it on a tree, walk away. Go, you know, go collect your firewood, do whatever. Um come back and it has filtered to this stuff. You don't have to actually do anything. Uh but it is bigger and bulkier than for you know, like a the grail geo press because it you I that and the in the Sawyer squeeze, although who I know somebody who has the Sawyer squeeze, and I went, oh well that's cool. That's because that's faster. Like it it if you need water now, it's faster than our platypus. But you know, everything has its advantages. So the geo press filters viruses and bacteria in seconds. Oh, it isn't a pumping one. I thought it was okay, because there's one you can like literally put over the edge of your boat and and you pump a lever on it and then it filters. There you go. I don't know everything. Uh the solar squeeze is ultra-light and field proven, and and it is. I'm sure that I mean we ran, I'm sure it was on a whitewater trip. Maybe, maybe Bill had it. But we're gonna talk to him soon. Um the gentleman behind the name of Thunderbox Diaries, uh, and I'll I'll quiz him on that. So pay attention, stay tuned for that episode. Uh, power banks and rechargeables. An example would be an anchor 521 powerhouse, 256 watt hours, power small electronics for days, nightcore NB 10,000 gen 2 carbon fiber, ultralight 10,000 milliamp hours. I bet that's really expensive, though. We've got we've got a couple of power banks. One's an anchor. Oh, and I can't think of what the name of the other one is. We've had it forever. It's uh they're both about the same weight. The the one we've had forever uh is definitely a smaller, smaller milliamp hours. Um but between those two and and uh 24, 26 watt solar panel, we run all our things. We keep all our cameras charged, keep our phones charged, satellite communicators, lights if need be. Because it would to to do that, if there's a plug-in, like a USB plug-in on your uh whatever your solar light is, Lucy light or what have you, um it it will charge faster than the small panel that's on the light itself. Just saying. There's all kinds of ways that you can make that stuff work. Uh, food innovations, good to go dehydrated meals or there's camp kitchen and bland can take hike.

SPEAKER_01: 16:44

Bland can take hike.

SPEAKER_00: 16:46

So specific to the good to go dehydrated meals, uh, they're chef made, although so are the other ones. Uh lower sodium recyclable packaging, which I like. The Mylarp bags, I don't think are recyclable. I'm not positive, but I don't think they are.

SPEAKER_01: 17:00

I think if they're silver lined, if they're not.

SPEAKER_00: 17:02

Yeah, so it's uh they may be in some places, but not here in Toronto. If it's if it's got silver on the inside of it, garbage, uh unfortunately. Emerging tech, 3D printed or algae-based. Oh, interesting. Algae-based protein meals.

SPEAKER_01: 17:18

3D printed meals?

SPEAKER_00: 17:19

Weird, no.

SPEAKER_01: 17:21

Get out of here.

SPEAKER_00: 17:22

Well, that's what that's that's what the research says. Uh, but they're for ultralight uh ultralight packing. How cool is that?

SPEAKER_01: 17:30

Sustainability and circular design. So why it's better, of course, like this is applies to your day-to-day life as well, reduces waste, reduces your carbon footprint, and reduces your impact on landfill. So repairable and modular gear. I mean, people don't really sew or fix things that much anymore often. It's just uh, this is got a hole in it. Chuck it. But yeah, so I mean you can fix things. And Tim has done work on our gear sometimes with our tent started leaking, that he's done seam tape.

SPEAKER_00: 18:01

I did seam tape, and that's the only place that it didn't leak after that.

SPEAKER_01: 18:06

Uh, anyway, so repaira and modular gear, Patagonia's Warnware Arcteryx rebird repair program. So I don't think they will repair things for you. That would be awesome. Uh recycled materials, so tent poles that are from aluminum that's been recycled, packed fabrics from ocean plastics, uh, and end-of-life gear recycling. So companies like Rab and Terracycle, so Terracycle, I'm familiar with, they actually do have a program where you either register with them and they will actually just give you a label to print off, like a shipping label, and then you ship whatever this is back to them. Um, Tim was talking about the Mylar bags, and with our dog food bag, it was a big kind of plastic bag, and I was like, How can I recycle this? It's plastic, I should be able to recycle it. And regular recycling programs don't take it, but Terracycle does. So you can actually contact them, and if you gather up a certain amount of stuff, then you just slap their label on it, the shipping label on it, and send it out. Um, and they they do a number of other things too, that like um the wall plug-in air freshener things, they'll recycle those too. Anyways, just look into Terracycle if you're interested in recycling things like that that may not necessarily go in your regular recycling program. And solar and rechargeable systems replacing disposable fuel canisters and batteries.

SPEAKER_00: 19:28

Right, and oh, and just to throw in there, uh, because Thomas uh sent me a link for it, there is uh flip flip fill, I think it's called, uh, where you uh you you can flip fuel, I think. Flip fuel. So you can you can put it on your canister uh that's low, that still has a little bit of fuel in it, and put it into one that has that's half full or whatever. Like you can you can top up your other one. So you're not taking four partially you know pre used ones. Um cool. Yeah, yeah, I think that's awesome. Awesome.

SPEAKER_01: 20:00

Uh yeah, so the potential drawbacks andor um things to consider, so higher upfront costs sometimes for some of the sustainable or new innovations. Uh but if it's either more sustainable for the planet and or you get better performance out of it, maybe it's worth that extra cost.

SPEAKER_00: 20:18

And hopefully no uh P were they PFAs?

SPEAKER_01: 20:21

Uh yeah, forever. Uh reliance on tech could reduce your own self-reliance. So you want to kind of try to balance it with what happens if if there's a failure of your new tech, then you might need to have the backup, know how to use a map and a compass. Uh difficulty if you're in remote areas. So if like power for some what reason doesn't work, or usually like Tim will usually have a backup plan of like, all right, if we're we have the map and compass, we have some other means of uh dealing with a problem if there's a problem. And then there's the environmental trade-offs. So things like lithium rechargeable batteries are maybe not always the best thing for the environment either, uh, but perhaps better than regular old batteries that are gonna go into.

SPEAKER_00: 21:06

I think they are better than regular old batteries. Um and they're becoming they're uh as technology becomes more accepted and used, uh, it brings prices down, but it but they also do things like they learn how to reclaim um some of the ingredients, some of the stuff. Yeah, the expensive or bad for the bad for the earth ingredients if they reclaim them, reuse them, less bad.

SPEAKER_01: 21:35

So the kind of takeaway is bring tech that enhances your connection with your experience with nature, but doesn't distract you. And that's where people have often said to us uh that you know, yes, they film things while they're there, but it can really take away from their experience if they're constantly like holding up their phone, taking a video of something instead of just enjoying it with their own eyes. So just try to balance that out.

SPEAKER_00: 21:59

Uh that and the other paddler in the boat gets annoyed with you because it's like, how come I'm the only one paddling? Yeah. Somebody has to shoot all the way.

SPEAKER_01: 22:06

I'm always on screen and you're never on screen. Uh outdoor tech isn't about glamping, it's about being comfortable, but we can also live with discomfort, um, safety, and environmental stewardship. So camping doesn't have to mean that you're suffering. Uh, so take maybe one new piece of equipment on your next trip, see if it improves your experience. I mean, we certainly started out with all of the base equipment, and we've over the years because of okay, now we can upgrade this, we can upgrade that, we've enhanced our camping. Uh, and the future of camping may be lighter, cleaner, and smarter if we use innovation wisely. That's it for us for today. Thanks so much for listening. Please do reach out to us if you have any questions or if you want to talk anytime. We're this episode will air before Christmas. So if you're looking for some ideas for your favorite someone for uh camping, then maybe you want to pick up some of these things. And uh otherwise, we hope you have a very happy holiday season and we'll talk to you again soon. Bye. Bye.