Outside gear roundup spotlights lightweight cooler and foldable camp kitchen

The RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler fits 78 cans while staying easy to move. Alongside it, Outside’s June gear list highlights a foldable camp kitchen and a camp chair that won over a weight-conscious backpacker for summer trips where the smallest hassles become the biggest drag once the miles pile up and camp setup starts. The picks came out of real-world testing from Idaho’s Lochsa River to the Swiss Alps and the editors’ own backyards, with an emphasis on gear that made getting out the door feel easier, cleaner, and faster.

A roundup shaped by convenience, not gadget hype

The through line in this gear list is simple: packability now matters as much as toughness. The month’s standouts were a shockingly lightweight cooler, a life-changing camp kitchen, and a camp chair that won over a weight-conscious backpacker. The best pieces are the ones that reduce effort when you are already tired, dusty, and trying to get dinner on the table before dark.

That shift fits Southwest travel especially well. For Southwest Adventure Vacations, the gear that earns space in the car is the gear that saves time and energy at the campsite.

The cooler that makes hauling ice feel less like a chore

The RTIC 52 QT Ultra-Light Wheeled Cooler is the kind of item that solves an old camping problem without trying to look heroic while doing it. After comparing it with YETI coolers, the editor settled on the RTIC for its size and mobility. That kind of capacity matters when you are stocking for a road trip, a river weekend, or a base-camp stay where you do not want to keep shuttling back to the car for more food and ice.

The practical appeal is in the handling. All-terrain wheels and a shockingly light build make it easier to roll across campground gravel, sandy pullouts, and uneven access roads than a heavier hard cooler. For Southwest travel, that ease matters almost as much as cold retention, because the trip often starts with a loaded vehicle and ends with a campsite that is farther from the parking spot than you expected.

At $279, the cooler sits in the real-world purchase zone for people who camp regularly rather than once a year. It is less a luxury flex than a piece of kit that lowers the barrier between the car and the campsite.

The foldable camp kitchen built for fast, cleaner camp nights

The Kitchen Cruiser Pro takes the same idea even further. Priced at $599, it folds down to the size of a standard camp gear box, then opens to standing height in under a minute, which is exactly the kind of setup that makes sense after a full day on the road or the trail. Instead of unpacking bins, balancing cutting boards, and digging for utensils in the dark, the whole system brings organization into one compact unit.

What makes it stand out is how many small frustrations it removes at once. The built-in sink and rechargeable electric faucet pull water straight from a water jug at the push of a button, while the counter and storage keep cooking tools and food within reach. The two-burner stove also ignites at the push of a button, so you are not fumbling with matches when the camp is windy or the light has gone.

The camp chair that won over a weight-conscious backpacker

The list also includes a camp chair that won over a weight-conscious backpacker. Even seating is being judged by how much it weighs, how easily it packs, and whether it can still feel worth carrying after a long day outside.