6 Must Haves Items for Your Road Trip

Winter is finally giving up, the sun is warming our adventurous souls, and many of us are beginning to plan Spring/Summer road trips!

If you’re part of this bunch, here are 6 road trip items you’ll definitely want to stash along for the ride.

1. Goal Zero Venture 30 + Solar Recharging Kit

Sure, the old time romantic ideals of hitting the road with nothing but a coffee, your cigarettes, and a paper map sounds awesome, but we live in a digital world now. And nobody smokes anymore. You’re going to want tunes. You’re going to want to document your trip. And in case anything happens, you’re going to want to have a phone with a full charge. That’s why I don’t go on any adventures without my Goal Zero Venture 30 solar kit.

Whether on the road, or on the trails, this super portable little gadget packs a never ending punch of power to make sure your cameras, phone, and other small portable adventure accessories stay charged up! That way, you never miss a photo op.

goal-zero-venture-30

2. Joby GorillaPod

Speaking of documenting the moment, this is the absolute best little camera grip out there! You definitely want to toss this in the car. They have models for all kinds of cameras, from your phone to your GoPro to your DSLR, and it’s the most convenient and reliable way to ensure you always get the best shot!

A selfie stick, stupid as they look, would be a great add-on to this list too, but if nothing else, grab this handy GorillaPod grip and you can be sure of a steady shot no matter where you are.

joby-gorillapod

3. Princeton Tec Apex Headlamp

Headlamps aren’t just for the outdoorsy. On a road trip, they are incredibly useful! My favorite is the unbelievably bright Princeton Tec Apex. There’s many cheaper options out there, but believe me you’ll be happy you sprung for what the best mountain guides and ski patrollers are using.

Just think about having to change a tire in the middle of the night on some backcountry road. You’ll be thankful when you have directional light with two free hands!

apex-headlamp

4. Patagonia Torrentshell Rain Jacket

You never know what the road will throw at you weather wise, or when you’ll want to get out of the car and explore. A solid wind and rain proof shell is a must!

The Patagonia Torrentshell has been of trusty favorite of mine for years, and I’m sure it’ll do the trick for you too. TheH2No® Performance Standard waterproofness hasn’t let me down on any adventure to date. In fact, I had trusted this shell to cover an insulated fleece at 20,000 feet on Mount Aconcagua! It was a warm morning on the summit push and the big puffy wasn’t needed yet. This did the trick there, and it’ll do the trick on any road trip.

patagonia-torrentshell

5. KEEN Durand Hiking Boots

Really, any good waterproof, high-back hiking boot will do. These KEEN’s are just my go-to!

For any Spring or Summer road tripping, you basically only need two pieces of footwear. Some comfortable flip flops/sandals, and a reliable hiking boot. The two of these will get you through anything. I know. That set up did me just fine for nearly 5 months traveling South and Central America. Be sure to invest in good boots because they’ll last long after the road trip is over, even after all the unforeseen adventures the road has in store for you!

keen-boot

6. Marmot Sawtooth Sleeping Bag

A nice warm and compressible down sleeping bag is always a great thing to to bring along on a road trip. You know, for those “pull off the side of the road and sleep in the front seat” kind of nights!

And it’s always better to bring a cold weather bag and end up sleeping with the zipper open if you need to cool off, than to bring a bag that’s not warm enough and leaves you shivering all night. A 30-degree rated down bag would probably be okay, but I definitely recommend the Sawtooth here. It’s just hard to beat a 15-degree, 650-fill hydrophobic down bag for under $300!

marmot-sleeping-bag


That’s it!

Add these 6 items to your road trip packing list and be sure that you’re ready for anything the road has in store. Happy travels and drive safe!

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Jonathan Ronzio

Jonathan Ronzio
Jonathan Ronzio

Founder & Host

Founder, Explore Inspired | CMO, Trainual | Co-Host of The Stokecast Podcast | Mountain Athlete | Award-Winning Adventure Filmmaker | Keynote Speaker

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