Better Trail Sponsored Kits
The REI Co-op Camping Kit
REI’s got range with its camping selection, making it easy to piece together a quality kit. That’s just what we’ve done here, compiling our current favorite camping products available from the Co-op. In framing the task, we set out to balance long-lasting quality with comfort, ease of use, and functionality. The resulting kit is, in our humble opinion, a strong mix of practicality, fun, and value that will work well for everything from big family campouts to smaller groups.
The Westward 6 is all about big-time, easy-going camp living. Its huge front vestibule offers a covered porch for hanging out or gear storage, the spacious interior easily sleeps families or groups of three to five campers, and the duffel-style stuff sack makes it simple to store and haul. It’s one of our 2026 Editors’ Picks for good reason.
Space & Livability
Storage
Weather Protection
Durability & Quality
Ease of Use
Sustainability
REI Co-op products are synonymous with value, but with the Westward Dreamer, you also get legitimate, top-tier quality. At a mid-grade price, there are luxury features like thick, 4-inch construction, vertical side walls (so a fully flat sleeping surface), and cushy padding. And like its tent counterpart, the included duffel-style storage bag makes packing up incredibly easy.
Comfort
Warmth
Durability
Ease of Use
Weight & Packability
Sustainability
The Siesta 20 Hooded is an easy bag to recommend—in fact, it currently sits atop the rankings of our favorite camping sleeping bags. Better than anything else out there, the rectangular-shaped Siesta balances comfort, spaciousness, features, and warmth. The fact that it’s affordable is the cherry on top.
Warmth
Comfort
Durability & Quality
Features
Weight & Packed Size
Sustainability
Sure, you could bring your pillow from home. But what if your camp pillow was actually an upgrade? Hest’s Camp Pillow nails that soft-yet-supportive nexus with a premium memory foam filling and a stretchy outer fabric. Impressively, it also packs down and zips into its own built-in cover for easy transport.
We’re long-time fans of the original Stargaze chair, but the Stargaze Evo-X addresses its biggest shortcoming: a tedious setup and takedown process. With the Evo-X, you get all the reclining and swinging benefits of the OG in a folding design that goes from stored to sitting-ready in 10 seconds or less.
Comfort
Stability
Durability
Ease of Use
Portability
Sustainability
A folding camp chair with a touch of class, the Westward Padded marries ease of use with a comfy seat. It’s a quality lounger through and through, including real wood armrests and an impressive amount of foam cushioning. And when it’s time to pack up, the backpack-style straps keep your hands free for hauling additional gear.
Comfort
Stability
Durability
Ease of Use
Portability
Sustainability
Wheeled coolers are incredibly helpful for easing access to everything from campsites, beaches, tailgates, and boats. Yeti’s entry is our favorite on the market, with its manageable dimensions, smooth-rolling design, and user-friendly latch and features. It’ll keep your items cold for days on end—and its premium build will withstand years of heavy use.
This New Zealand-based brand is on the rise, and their latest Stealth-Jet Wide stove is a winner. Featuring a super-slim profile, precise temperature controls, and a roomy cooking area, the Stealth-Jet combines solid performance in an easy-to-carry package. Its adjustable feet also nicely adapt to uneven surfaces.
For campsites without a picnic table, or simply when you need a little extra space, a portable camp table is beyond functional. Zempire’s Kitpac Pro is a sturdy tabletop with a few tricks up its sleeve, including a food-safe, durable bamboo top, folding and adjustable legs, and even a built-in bottle opener.
Camp Snap brings disposable cameras to the modern age. Reusable and rechargeable, this compact setup is kid-friendly, intuitive, and fun with six built-in filters. Most importantly, its lack of a screen means it’s a complement to your adventures—and not the focus.
A stick can do the trick, but the Rolla Roaster seriously upgrades your mallo game. With a twisting dial right at the top of the handle that spins the fork, plus an extendable length, you can go full rotisserie over the open flame. The quality is also high, with a solid wooden handle and sturdy metal fork.
Camping with kids? This sleeping bag checks all the boxes with a spacious rectangular shape, a full-length zipper that lets it double as a blanket, and plenty of warmth for summertime fun. But as any parent knows, the playful color options are the real selling point.
The perfect pairing for the Kindercamp Bag, the Kindercamp Pad is user-friendly thanks to its self-inflating design and clearly labeled inflate and deflate valves. It’s also built to last with quality foam and a durable shell that can withstand typical kid use and abuse.
Most of us have camping goals for this summer that are aligned: Get outside with family and friends, with as little friction as possible, without breaking the bank, while finding the right gear that fits our desired purposes. For many years we’ve used REI’s robust line of in-house camping gear, so this partnership is a natural one. You can use the custom kit above to hit all of the major categories in one fell swoop, and below we offer more context to help you ideate further. Don’t be intimidated, and do get out there because you’ll be glad that you did.
It’s good to have options, and that certainly is the case with REI’s camping offerings. The Westward collection was released for the spring of 2026, building on its popular Kingdom and Wonderland camping lines. Positioned above the approachable Campwell, Westward products offer a premium look and performance at a competitive price point.
We’ve had a chance to test most of the gear, from the flagship six-person tent to the camping mat and padded folding chair. By and large, we’ve been very impressed with both the quality of the products, which match up well with the luxury end of the market, and their ease of use. Below is a breakdown of the Westward line as it currently stands:
Westward Tent: A premium, spacious car-camping tent available in four- and six-person capacities. The larger variation includes a massive front vestibule, which effectively creates a two-room base camp. The Westward 6 is a Better Trail Editors’ Pick for its well-rounded performance.
Westward Shelter: For camping in buggy regions (i.e., most summertime adventures), this mesh-sided, floorless canopy can offer a welcome reprieve from pests. Place the Westward Shelter over a picnic table or arrange your chairs inside for a good balance of peace and nature.
Westward Camp Tarp: Comes with everything you need to create a raised sun shelter (or to block some light rain). Two poles create a tall peak height (90 in.), while guylines and stakes keep the Westward Tarp solidly in place.
Westward Dreamer Self-Inflating Bed: Made in single or two-person models, this cushy camping mat prioritizes comfort with a thick 4-inch height. Undercutting most alternatives by $50 or more, it offers serious value for a high-end mat.
Westward Chair and Padded Chair: Two premium chairs featuring solid bases, cupholders, wood armrests, and spacious seats. The standard model has a supportive polyester seat and back, while the Westward Padded ups the luxury with substantial cushioning. The latter design’s standout comfort earned it our Better Trail Editors’ Pick distinction for 2026.
Based in the outdoor dreamscape of New Zealand, Zempire first came on the Better Trail team’s radar with its radical air tents. These innovative designs forgo traditional aluminum or fiberglass pole structures in favor of fortified air tubes. More than a gimmick, the designs proved to have tangible benefits—our tester of the Zempire Aerospeed tent described its solid structure as “bunker-like.” Zempire has since rapidly taken hold in the US market with a comprehensive collection of products, ranging from stoves and tables to chairs, mattresses, and a massive selection of air tents. At the time of publishing, a search for Zempire products on REI returns over 100 products. Now that’s serious camping coverage.
We’ve featured their new Stealth-Jet line of stoves in the kit above, along with a high-quality, oversized camp table. Without exception, in our testing of the brand’s products thus far, we’ve found them to be thoughtfully made with small but noticeable upgrades over standard camping gear. Their Stealth-Jet Stove is crazy compact—only 2 inches when folded—while still delivering great cooking performance, and the Kitpac Pro camp table has a sturdy, premium bamboo topper yet packs down easily.
If you’re like us, you run into REI Co-op kid camp gear everywhere, from national park campgrounds to sleepovers. And it’s for good reason: it’s quality gear that works great for little ones without costing an arm and a leg. The Kindercamp and Kindercone sleeping bags are prime examples: they're sized right (the Kindercone 25 even has a cinch feature that lets it expand as a child grows), and kids love them for their playful color options and graphics. The same can be said for the Kindercamp sleeping pad and Co-op-brand camp chair, which are essentially smaller versions of the adult products. The quality and functionality are there, but at smaller dimensions and lower prices.
The kid-oriented selection isn’t limited to REI brand products. We featured a couple of fun items in our kit that have serious kid (and parent) appeal. From our experience, the Rolla Roaster (great company name, by the way) has a perfect approval rating for cooking marshmallows or hot dogs. The rotating and expansion features are super slick, and they make an already fun activity all the more enjoyable. The same goes for a screenless camera, the Camp Snap, which lets the whole crew capture memories without taking the focus away from the fun. In addition to the kids’ items included in the kit above, there are a few additional products worth having on your radar. Here’s a quick list:
We’ve covered the benefits of an REI membership on a number of occasions, including a dedicated article on the subject, but the high-level summary is that we think it’s worth the $30 one-time investment in nearly all cases. Joining the 26-million-member Co-op grants you real, tangible benefits: 10% back on full-priced items (often paying for the membership with a single purchase), access to 20%-off coupons a few times a year (we use these for our biggest seasonal purchases), free shipping with no minimum order required, and a one-year return policy (compared with 90 days for non-members). Again, it’s an open-and-shut case for casual and serious outdoorists alike.
Finally, we’d also be remiss not to call out the benefits of REI’s brick-and-mortar presence. Even with the best outdoor gear reviews, sometimes it can be hard to wrap your mind around a product's fit and feel, and with nearly 200 stores, there’s a decent chance you’re not far from an REI. Most are located in or near major population centers, making it easy to ship and pick up items in store, return gear that hasn’t worked out, or get a first-hand look at the latest and greatest outdoor gear. In the end, REI’s many brick-and-mortar stores are a source of inspiration and convenience, and we often find a reason to swing by.
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