3 iPhone Accessories Every Camper Should Have

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When camping, a phone is usually considered a distraction that you should put away so you can feel more connected to nature. You leave all those notifications and all that doomscrolling behind so you can reset. If you have trouble toeing that line on your own, you can always put the phone in Airplane Mode or Do Not Disturb mode so it doesn't become a distraction. Even so, an iPhone in particular can be a great camping companion, especially if your goal is to make memories or you need it to look up information about your surroundings or use the Compass or Maps app for navigation. It's also great to have in case you run into an emergency.

As useful as an iPhone can be for your camping trip, you can make it even more useful with the addition of a few key accessories. For example, you need to ensure that you have the right battery so the phone can last the entire camping trip. And, since camping is an adventure where most of the action takes place in the great outdoors, your phone also needs to have adequate protection. Finally, there will most likely be ample opportunity to take pictures and video during your outdoor adventure. With all this in mind, we gathered a quick list of essential iPhone accessories to make your camping trip as fun, safe, and memorable as possible.

To prevent the phone from dying on you during a multiday camping trip, you will need something to juice it up for the next day, which is where a power bank comes in handy. The DeWalt Heavy Duty Portable Charger, which costs $49.99 on Amazon, is a good option. It has a 10,000-milliampere-hour battery that can give your phone at least one to two charges, a USB-C port for USB-PD fast charging (there's an additional USB-A port for a second device), an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, a rugged exterior, and a carabiner loop for securing it to your belt loop or bag.

A portable solar panel is a solid add-on to this setup in case the power bank itself needs a top-up, or if you want to charge your iPhone directly when there's a good amount of direct sunlight. Something like the ultra-portable BigBlue 28W Solar Panel Charger can cover both use cases without much problem. Its typical price is $67.46 on Amazon, and it has two USB-C ports and one USB-A port, each with an output of 15 watts, and a maximum output of 24 watts for all three ports. Generally speaking, you shouldn't rely on a solar-powered power bank as your main power source, as its solar panel is usually not powerful enough to fully charge your devices, even after a full day out in direct sunlight.

iPhones can be expensive, even when you're buying a refurbished model from two or three years ago. That's why, when it comes to its protection, it's essential not to mess around. One of the most important things you will need in the camping environment is a heavy-duty case that can withstand bad drops, especially those that can land an iPhone on sharp rocks. You also need one that has a non-slip grip that reduces the chance that it will escape from your hand.

This doesn't have to be an expensive case either, with the Jaroco Magnetic for iPhone 17 Case selling for $9.99 on Amazon. The manufacturer claims that the case has a drop distance of 12 feet and that it has been drop-tested 8,000 times with zero damage. If you want something that prevents your device from hitting the ground should it slip, you can also get a strap to go along with your case. An example is the Phone Lanyard Strap that comes with two neck straps and two wrist straps for $9.99.

If you are using a plastic screen protector, you might want to switch to a screen protector with tempered glass, as it's much stronger than standard glass. A good option is the Spigen AluminaCore Tempered Glass Screen Protector for iPhone 16 Pro, 17, and 17 Pro, which costs $19.99 on Amazon. Even expensive screen protectors can break over time, but this one can take more of a beating than most.

There are just certain memories, scenarios, and ambient surroundings that simply cannot be replicated in a studio setting. Whether you don't want to miss the action, take better shots, or have enough storage for the photos and videos you'll be taking, you need the right camera accessories. One of the best iPhone gadgets to bring along on a camping trip is a camera grip like the $16.99 Kiwifotos Phone Camera Grip. It minimizes shaking by giving you a steady, comfortably ergonomic grip, while making shooting feel like using a traditional DSLR camera.

A good grip will also allow you to mount several attachments to further enhance the shooting experience. For instance, the Kiwifotos Phone Camera Grip has a cold shoe mount at the top that lets you attach a Ulanzi VL49 LED Video Light ($16.99 on Amazon) for shooting at night or in low-light conditions. Underneath, it has a 1/4-inch female thread for mounting the grip onto something like the Ulanzi MT-89 Extendable Tripod that costs $29.95.

When picking these accessories, we focused on accessories that bring practical advantages to a wide range of people who would most likely rely on their iPhones during a camping trip. For example, if someone is heading out into nature and needs a field guide, an iPhone can provide that functionality through the Visual Lookup feature. It can also help identify plants, flowers, and animals, which can be a real boon to nature lovers and photographers alike. All of these campers need their phones to be on most of the time, which means charging gear is essential since they won't be anywhere near wall outlets for a long time.

Aside from seeking out products that are super useful to a broad swath of campers, we also wanted to make sure that the gadgets on our list deliver on their promise, and that they're accessible to buyers. To cover those bases, we only included specific accessories that are available on Amazon and that have earned a rating of four out of five stars or above.