11 Dollar Tree Items Outdoor Lovers Should Stock Up On For Cold Weather Camping

If you love pitching a tent and connecting with nature but prefer to skip out on the high-volume summer months, you probably already know the magic of cold weather camping. As long as you've got the right gear and don't mind donning a few insulated layers, camping during the colder months can be an almost otherworldly experience. With those longer nights and darker skies, it's the ideal time to engage in some campsite stargazing under beautifully clear skies, and by day, you'll get the chance to take in some of the most breathtaking landscapes you've ever beheld — all without getting harassed by bugs. And the best place to pick up some of those cold-weather camping and safety essentials to make your experience more comfortable, cozy, and manageable is your local Dollar Tree. 

As a seasoned camper who prefers to overpack rather than end up stranded in the middle of nowhere without some essential item that could transform the experience, a Dollar Tree excursion has been an essential part of my camping prep ritual for more than two decades now. With most items just $1.25 or $1.50 and loads of goodies to potentially elevate your next cold-weather camping adventure, it's time to make it part of yours, too. 

One of the most frustrating things about camping in cold weather is just how damp everything seems to get. If you've ever tried to dry so much as a thin hand towel in remotely cold weather, you know how quickly you can end up without anything dry in sight. That's exactly why you need a decent-sized stash of microfiber towels in your camping gear, and since you can get them cheaply at Dollar Tree, you may as well stock right up on them because they will get used if you're camping in winter. 

The synthetic fibers and microfiber texture make for a moisture-wicking towel that dries pretty quickly despite being surprisingly absorbent for its size. They're great for wiping off shoes before you enter your tent and for keeping the inside of your space free from the chilly, damp winter air, especially when condensation starts to make its way inside your tent. 

You can find these in a couple of different places at most Dollar Trees, and it won't put much of a dent in your wallet to pick up a few of each kind. In the automotive section, you'll find a two-pack of thicker microfiber towels meant for detailing cars for $1.50. Look around the household section, and you'll find stacks of microfiber towels for cleaning. And if you head on over to the toiletries section, you can usually find a selection of thinner, smaller microfiber hand and face towels. 

Dollar Tree usually has a few options for floor mats, all of which have their uses when you're camping in cold weather. If nothing else, you'll want to pick up a mat to place outside your tent to help reduce all of the mud and moisture that tends to hitchhike its way into your tent on your hiking boots. Dollar Tree mats tend to be smallish, making them just the right size for setting just outside the door of your tent. You can even sit down just inside your tent, with your feet outside on your mat, as you wipe off your shoes with the microfiber towels you've hopefully stocked up on. And if you've got a larger tent with a wider opening, you can pick up a couple of mats without dropping a mint. 

It's also good to set one just inside your tent for any residual dirt or mud. You won't get a lot of warmth out of these mats, so they shouldn't be relied on as adequate insulation against cold weather, but they can be very useful for placing in high-traffic tent areas over your chosen source of floor insulation (for example, a moving blanket) that might otherwise be difficult to clean. Floor mats run about $1.50 at Dollar Tree and can be found in the kitchen or housewares sections. 

Duct tape is one of those camping necessities that any seasoned camper will most likely have in their gear, no matter what time of year it is. You can use it to repair just about anything on the fly, from a ripped tent to a busted hiking boot. But it's particularly essential for cold-weather camping, when a leaky air mattress can leave you sleeping on the floor. And no matter how well you think you've insulated the inside of your tent, a cold floor is not where you want to be. 

The only caveat with buying Dollar Tree duct tape is that it does tend to lose its stickiness when the temperature drops, so you'll want to be selective about which duct tape you purchase. If you stop into the automotive and hardware section, you'll typically find a few different options for duct tape. Look for the tape marked "Heavy Duty" since it's a little bit thicker and stickier than the standard cheapo silver or colorful duct tape sold here. While you'll still want to invest in something stronger like Gorilla Tape for emergencies outside of your tent, using Dollar Tree duct tape inside your tent where the temperature isn't quite as cold can help stretch your camping dollars much further. 

Glow sticks are a Dollar Tree staple that might seem like they are just for fun, but they actually have a pretty long list of applications at your campsite, particularly during the winter months when the world is just a bit darker at night. They're generally always available and can typically be found hanging out in either the toy and kids' stuff aisle or with the party supplies (look for paper plates and party hats). Seasonally, around various holidays, they can also sometimes be found on endcap displays. 

They're available in a fairly wide range, from 12-packs of colorful bracelets to larger single glow sticks designed to enhance visibility. And that's exactly what you're picking them up for. That's because some of the best cold-weather camping memories, especially during those darkest winter months, can take place after the sun sets, since it goes down much earlier in the winter than in the warm-weather months. 

While they're not very bright, you might be surprised how far a little illumination can go when it's darker than pitch outside of your tent. Sticking a glow stick around your wrist makes it easy for other campers to keep you in their sights, which can be useful to help prevent separation, whether you're gathering wood or just hanging around the campsite — especially if you've got dogs or kids in your party. They are lightweight, making them easy to keep on hand, and they don't even require batteries or dry matches to light. And you can also use them to highlight campsite hazards, such as low-hanging branches or tent pegs. Stick one in a water bottle to amplify the illumination. 

When you're camping in the hot summer months, a cooler full of sandwich supplies and some hot dogs for the grill can get you pretty far. But when you're camping in the cold, there's nothing quite like a hot, stick-to-your-ribs meal prepared over a campfire. And if you don't plan on dragging along a heavy Dutch oven, that means you're going to need a lot of foil. Luckily, you can pick it up in the kitchen department at your local Dollar Tree. 

Since Dollar Tree foil tends to be a bit thinner than the spendier heavy-duty aluminum foil you can pick up at a standard grocery store, it's a good idea to double up on your foil layers. Spend some time with Chef Google planning your campsite meals, and you'll find a ton of great campfire recipes you can make with a little preparation using simple ingredients like potatoes, vegetables, and sausage. "Meat and veggies in a foil packed, tossed into the coals," advised one Reddit user. 

And you'd be surprised at how easy it can be if you plan ahead. When we camp, we like to pre-prep our meals so they're ready to throw on the fire, especially since cutting veggies out in the cold can be a bit of a drag. You can even pre-wrap everything in your Dollar Tree foil to make mess-free foil meal packets so you have more time to focus on what's important, like taking in those glorious winter camping views. 

You know those convenient little travel bottles that help you get through TSA? As it turns out, they're also an absolute must for camping, especially in winter. But you're not going to use them to hold shampoo or conditioner this time, because it's way too cold for all that. No, you need these handy little bottles because they're the ideal vessel for transporting all of the oils and seasonings you'll need to make those winter foil meals so delicious. 

They're exactly the right size to hold small quantities of your favorite cooking supplies, from olive oil to dark chili powder, and they're generally pretty leakproof. "No need for bland food with these tiny beauties," bragged one Reddit user while showing off a portable collection of shampoo containers filled with various oils and seasonings. As an added bonus, they're also good for transporting liquid dish soap. 

And they also hold up pretty well, according to the poster. When other Redditors pressed the OP about the possibility of those Dollar Store containers leaking oil all over the place, the user replied with an update claiming they had tested the bottles and determined them leakproof. "I tried squeezing one of the bottles as hard as I could and it didn't budge. I could probably get the lid to fail if I stomped on it but why bother." they added.

Another ever-so-handy travel item you should pick up on your pre-camping Dollar Tree run are those cute little stacking plastic containers, because their uses for camping are practically limitless. You can find a couple of different mini storage containers for around $1.50 between the kitchen, craft, and beauty aisles. If you're like me and you don't want to over-pack but you also don't want to sacrifice all of those little cold-weather creature comforts like moisturizer and lotion, these tiny little containers are an absolute must since they let you bring just the right amount of everything to survive your camping trip without dragging along your entire vanity cabinet's worth of toiletries. They can also be handy for packing smaller amounts of spices and seasonings for your campfire dinner.

Even better, they're exactly the right size for toting around a small amount of allergy medicine for those among us who tend to get a sniffly nose in the cold. Or go for the full medicine cabinet like one Redditor who added, "Benadryl, ibuprofen, chewable Pepto, anti- diarrheal, potassium and magnesium." Just don't forget to label everything so it's easy to tell what's what. 

A major frustration when camping in cold weather is that thin layer of condensation that ends up all over everything inside your tent. A huge contributor to this condensation problem is the moisture from your lungs. As you breathe inside your tent, the warm moisture from your lungs tends to settle all over the inside of your tent. Even though it might not seem like much, this can really build up as the night grows long, leaving everything inside of your tent just ever-so-slightly damp. While venting your tent can help with this, you need to keep things closed up tight during the cold weather, adding to the moisture issue. And if you bring anything damp or wet into your tent — like wet socks —  it's only going to make your moisture issues worse because that water vapor has to go somewhere if it isn't evaporating.

That's where a healthy supply of locking plastic baggies will be a lifesaver. Pick up quart-sized bags, freezer bags, sandwich bags, and even some of those smaller snack bags, all of which are available at your friendly local Dollar Tree, to fill with anything wet that could add to your condensation problem and dry items you want to stay that way. Stash your dry socks in them, and then put your wet socks in them when you bunk down for the night. Slide your paperback into a baggie when you aren't reading it. You can even stick your phone inside one while you're hanging out outside if there's a little precipitation.

Headlamps are an absolute must, no matter what time of year you plan to be camping, but even more so during the winter months when the daytime hours end much earlier and you'll be spending lots of time in the dark. If you've ever had to put up or move a tent in the dark for any reason, you know how useless a flashlight is in that situation. That's where a Dollar Tree LED headlamp comes in as one of the single handiest gadgets you can have at your campsite. As one Reddit user put it, "Being able to operate with both hands in the dark is big." Not only are they useful for setting up camp, but LED headlamps are also much better than flashlights when it comes to tasks like gathering firewood or even going to the little camper's tree.

While it's true that you can shell out big bucks for a headlamp at some sports and camping stores, you can get a basic version from your local Dollar Tree that does exactly the same thing at the much lower price point of $1.50. They run on AAA batteries, are usually available in a few different colors, and feature both regular and extra-bright settings. And according to another Reddit user, these discount versions are not too shabby when it comes to quality: "Dollar tree has some great ones. I have kept them for years," going on to say that they have "never had to replace batteries in any of them."

Headlamps are fine when it comes to individual lighting, but you'll also want some special lighting to place around your campsite and inside your tent and/or pop-up canopy. This is partly a safety matter, since poor lighting can lead to trip-and-fall injuries from all that uneven terrain, not to mention the inevitable tent-peg injuries that can take place around a dark tent late at night. But it also helps to create a sense of warmth and coziness, making your campsite more pleasant and comfortable for hanging out after dark. And Dollar Tree is by far the best place to pick up all the lighting you need to fancy up your campsite, since you can practically fill a shopping cart without breaking your budget. 

First, hit the garden section for some of those $1.50 solar garden stake lights. These are perfect for marking dangerous spots like your tent pegs or even marking a path at your campsite. If you're a fancy type of camper who prefers glamping in your tent, you can sometimes even find cute solar garden lights at Dollar Tree in little flower shapes or other seasonal designs to add to the general vibe. And of course, you'll need some battery-powered string lights or fairy lights to complete the ambience. 

It's also time to invest in some of those stick-on LED push lights that work well for cabinets and closets (also $1.50 each). Bright yet small, they make super handy tent lights, and you can stick them to just about any surface around your campsite.

Some animals' food sources can be scarce in the winter, which can make your campsite food stores a tempting target for the local critters. "I never store food in my tent or pack. Even a squirrel will chew holes in your expensive gear to get at a pack of trail mix," advised one Redditor on r/camping, with other users chiming in to share their bad animal-related camping experiences. And few things will ruin your peaceful night of camping in an enchanted winter landscape than waking up to find raccoons have gnawed through your tent to help themselves to your next morning's breakfast — and they definitely will. If you're in bear country and don't wish to run into any bears, you'll have even more reason to be careful with food, which you can place in a bear bag with a carabiner clip from Dollar Tree.

According to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, food should be stored hanging from a branch at least 12 feet high and 6 feet out from a tree with a paracord and carabiner. Once you're finished cooking for the night, store everything with a fragrance to it — even your sunscreen — hanging from your paracord with a carabiner.

I've always loved so many things about camping: The sprawling natural landscapes, the time to step back from life's daily grind and make new memories surrounded by nature. But as a neurodivergent gal with many sensory peccadilloes, I tend to be something of a maximalist camper. I have always gone out of my way to make each camping trip as comfortable as possible, transforming my campsite into a cozy little hangout where I know we'll all enjoy talking through the night.

To that end, Dollar Tree has come through for me time and again, whether we were heading out to a music festival, spending a week in Rocky Mountain National Park, or taking off for late autumn camping in one of Oklahoma's beautiful Green Country state parks on a whim. I loved writing this piece because every item on the list is based on my own personal experience to the point that I could run that Dollar Tree pre-camp shopping trip for an Olympic panel. I hope this list will serve you just as well as you embark on your next cold-weather camping adventure.