Camping can be a great opportunity to get away from crazy neighbors, escape a chaotic city, or to just visit the great outdoors and recharge. Well, speaking of recharge, did you know that there’s camping gear that can be charged via USB?

Although not all camping gear uses power, there is some that do and having the ability to recharge them on site is really convenient. But what can you bring with you that can keep you charged without weighing you down? A power bank, of course! It’s lightweight, compact, easily portable and it can charge your things while you’re roaming around. Plus, some have large enough capacities to charge several devices at once.

Here are some examples of camping gear essentials that can easily be recharged with a power bank.

Light

Let there be light! Seriously, if there’s anything you really ought to have with you when camping, it’s light. Have you ever tried to pitch a tent or get ready for bed in the dark? OK, maybe that’s just me and maybe everyone else is more experienced and prepared than I am when it comes to setting up camp, but I know having a light is absolutely necessary. From small LEDs that plug straight into your power bank to big lanterns, there are lights of all sizes that can easily be charged and recharged with a power bank.

Shower

For all of you rugged, outdoorsy type people, just hear me out: a USB charged shower head. Now, maybe taking a shower is against the camping-norm, but this can really come in handy. For anyone (like me) who hasn’t heard of a portable, chargeable shower head, they’re much simpler than they seem and they can add more convenience to staying outdoors than you might think. You can charge a vacuum-like hose via USB, put it in a bucket of water, and then it’ll then suck the water up and dispense from the shower head. Wash yourself, your kids, your dog, or channel your inner-child and set it up like a slip-and-slide.

Fan

Depending on where you are in the world and what time of the year it is, you may want to bring a fan with you. Speaking from personal experience, it can be extremely uncomfortable sleeping without a fan and in a tent with insufficient ventilation, trust me. Next time, this is something I definitely don’t want to forget. Similar to the lights, there are also USB-connection fans that come in all different sizes. There are also some which are compact and can hang or clip onto your tent where ever you need it most.

Don’t Forget These

Traveling without a phone is just unnecessary nowadays. What is necessary is keeping our phones charged, which is easiest to do with a power bank. Phones can be our navigation, camera, music and social media device all in one. But, if you have other gadgets specifically for those applications, like a GoPro for example, they too are usually recharged via USB. Some other examples include tablets, Kindles (or related products), Bluetooth speakers, navigation systems, and more.

The idea for packing for a camping trip is to try to pack as light as possible and the smaller the better. Having all these items, which can easily be backed up with a power bank, means less items to bring and weight off your shoulders, literally. If you find any extra room in your bag, although you don’t want to solely rely on the sun to charge your things, you can bring a backup for your backup and keep your power bank juiced with a small solar panel. Just make sure you charge everything up before you go via a multi-port charger and you’ll be all set. Happy camping!