5 Outdoor Gadgets Campers Can't Stop Buying At Costco To Prepare For Cold-Weather Adventures

When temperatures drop, it's easy to think it's time to pack up the tent and call it a season, but you don't need to stop exploring the woods when winter comes; you just need to call in some backup. Costco is a great place to go for reinforcements. In addition to selling 30-packs of toilet paper rolls and 24-packs of lifesaving gourmet camping dinners, Costco also stocks some great cold-weather outdoor gear. Across its clothing, electronics, and outdoor departments, you can likely find just about everything you need to stretch your camping further into the winter months this year.

Today, we'll look at five items you can currently find on Costco's website or in-store to heat up your next cold day outside. These gadgets help with everything from keeping your toes warm to keeping your soup hot and your protein shakes blended, even when you're miles from the nearest outlet. They made the grade through a combination of personal experience and feedback from others. I compiled my own list of favorite outdoor gear from the big box store, then took to the internet to find out what other cold-weather campers loved most at Costco.

In my humble opinion, you could probably wear this next piece of gear into a club in New York City. It's that stylish — as you can see in the picture above of me with my Costco Beanie. Okay. Maybe the style is up for debate, but the practicality of this equipment is objectively bright. What better cold-weather camping gadget than something that keeps the heat in and the lights on through the long winter nights? 

This beanie, officially anointed the Panther Vision Rechargeable POWERCAP, has a built-in LED lighting system that can illuminate for over 10 hours on its lowest brightness setting. The cap charges via USB, so you can juice up your beanie during your car ride to the backcountry and show up ready to collect more firewood at any time. Despite being a combination headpiece and light source, the beanie is relatively durable. It has IPX4 water resistance, which means it can withstand some splashes, but you should remove the power supply before sending it through the washing machine. The one thing I feel this beanie is missing is some sort of red LED lighting. I love that feature on my other headlamps, as it lets me read in the tent without keeping my camping buddies up and helps me find my way to a campground toilet at midnight without attracting bugs. 

It's not quite as versatile as a headlamp, but the fact that it's also a beanie has made it an essential part of my camping kit, and you can grab a two-pack the next time you shop for groceries.

The Ninja Blast Portable Blender is an incredible addition to camping trips. The product is a lot like a NutriBullet; it's a fully self-contained cup and blender. Shove in your favorite ingredients, blend it up, and drink it down through the coverable sipping hole at the top of the cup. I find it more difficult to convince myself to down protein powders in colder weather. The smooth blend of the Ninja Blast makes it easier to mix and enjoy a bevy of different blended beverages year-round. I like to keep my Ninja Blast in the car for after cold-weather surfs. Immediately after leaving the water, I can pull out my pre-loaded portable smoothie maker and whip up a quick and powerful concoction that will warm me up from the inside out. The result was infinitely more palatable than gulping down clumpy, hand-shaken powders, and I could do it all while sitting in my truck bed.  

In this particular case, the juice is definitely worth the squeeze. As long as you remember to fully charge the blender before taking off, you can enjoy shakes and smoothies from anywhere. Costco has even been seen selling these blenders in two-packs for pretty solid discounts. The savings are only worth it if you need two blenders, but you can always grab one for yourself and wrap up the second one as a Christmas gift. The manufacturer says each charge lasts for about 15 30-second smoothies, so if you kept the two-pack, you could feasibly stay out in the woods for a week and enjoy three smoothies a day without any power required. 

Cold-weather adventures are all about having the right insulation. Costco carries many insulated coffee cups, water bottles, and beverage totes, and this year they're making it easier to bring the heat to the backcountry with colorful two-packs of Thermoflask brand insulated food jars for $32.99. While many shoppers love these jars for school lunches, the compact 20-oz containers are also a great choice for bringing a hot lunch into the backcountry. The manufacturer advertises that these leakproof, vacuum-insulated containers keep your food hot for 12 hours. That means whether you're hoping to bring some hot water with you after a winter workout or enjoy hot chicken noodle soup after 10 hours in the duck blind, these containers have you covered. Pair it up with the packable Outdoor Blanket that has become Costco's affordable go-anywhere camping companion, and you've got everything you need for a picnic lunch, no matter the weather. 

While I haven't used these particular models, I have used several Thermoflask products to keep liquids both hot and cold, and the brand has yet to let me down. Keeping a flask full of hot water in your car or in your backpack is crucial for getting through cold days outside. These food containers work well even after you've polished off your leftovers around the campsite. Fill them up with hot water in the morning, and during an afternoon rest, wash your hands with warm water, and stay motivated for the long and winding road ahead.

Trekking poles are great for year-round use, but they can be especially handy when you're breaking through the icy patches, snowbanks, and muddy conditions of winter. Plus, beating the cold is all about staying in motion, and a good pair of trekking poles keeps you moving forward.

Trekking poles are generally made from either aluminium or carbon fiber. Carbon fiber is lighter and more nimble than aluminium, but it's also typically more expensive. Luckily for us, Costco has brought carbon fiber to an affordable price point with the Cascade Mountain Tech Carbon Fiber Trekking Poles, a long-time favorite of hikers who log big miles without breaking the bank. 

These poles are colloquially known as "Costco-poles" because they're often sold at the big box store at a great discount. This fall, Costco is selling the poles in packs of 2 for $82. The poles aren't for everyone — some reviewers find them heavy and cheaply made — but many other hikers have high praise for them. And while the poles aren't perfect, you likely won't find a cheaper way to get your hands on carbon. Backcountrybanter.com called the poles "the best value in trekking poles." The Hiking Hammonds put the Costco poles to the ultimate test, buying a two-pack and seeing if they would last the entire Continental Divide Trail — one pair broke after 800 miles, the other pair made it through all 2800. 

 Ask folks who deal with real cold in the winter, and they'll mostly tell you the same thing: Merino wool socks are the only thing that actually works. This fabric is a true cold-weather gadget. Merino provides year-round high-tech value, but shines in winter, as it can keep your feet warm even when they get damp.

The one thing holding people back from packing more Merino into their wardrobes is that it's usually a pretty expensive material, but that's where Costco steps in. Costco's Kirkland Signature brand stocks several great Merino garments to keep you warm and active all winter long. This year's best merino deal at Costco is the Merino socks. The savings on these socks are enough to justify the trip to Costco alone.

You can find four packs of Kirkland Signature Merino Wool socks for less than $20 — an incredible price for merino-blend apparel. For example, a 4-pack of 57% Merino wool socks from the Kirkland Signature brand costs $8 less than one pair of 57% Merino wool socks from Smartwool. A lot of people find that Kirkland Signature socks look and feel similar to Smartwool's offering, and all for a quarter of the cost. Whether you're prepping for travel through cold airports or frozen backcountry, Merino wool is a great choice for your base layers. 

These items made our list through a combination of personal experience and feedback from others. I have personally worn, blended, and lost most of the items on this list. If you happen to eat dinner at the Taj Indian Restaurant in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, ask them about their lost and found — you can find the Costco Light-up Beanie in there.

I've worn Kirkland Signature socks skiing and blended protein shakes in backcountry gravel parking lots with the Ninja Blender. I've filled Thermoflasks with hot water and enjoyed yerba mate from them hours later. The only item on this list I don't have personal experience with is the carbon fiber trekking poles. They made the list because of their ubiquity with the Costco brand. There are countless examples of hikers and outdoor enthusiasts discussing these poles online, and even the New York Times refers to the product as "Costco Poles."

I also didn't rely only on personal experience to put this list together, especially since this article covers popular items, not just useful ones. In addition to my own shopping experience, I checked in with Costco influencers and camping bloggers to see what items are flying off the shelves this year. And finally, we worked hard to ensure that everything listed here is currently sold at Costco.  At the time of this publication, all of these items are currently for sale either in-store or online at Costco.com. The shelves at Costco are always changing, so stock up today, and we'll see you in the woods tomorrow, rain, snow, or shine. If you ever decide to find out how much it really costs to visit Antarctica, this gear will come in handy.