With summer finally arriving, there’s no time like the present to organize a camping trip for your friends and family and enjoy the wonders of mother nature. Doing so is a challenge in and of itself, so you’ll likely need all the help you can get, and that includes having your smartphone handy to help you with some of the more tricky aspects of enjoying a good old camping expedition. With that in mind, below you’ll find the list of the top ten best camping apps for Android smartphones and tablets that you can currently download from the Google Play Store.
Kampnik – US & CA Campgrounds
All prospective campers from North America that are looking to make the process of planning their trips as painless as possible should definitely consider turning to Kampnik, a massive resource base of public car-accessible campgrounds in a wide variety of locales in the United States and Canada. Regardless of whether you want to sleep in a tent on a beach or drive into a mountain camping park, Kampnik will have you covered.
Camping.Info by POIbase Campsites & Pitches
If you’re based in Europe or are planning to go camping there, the Camping.Info app will provide you with the most comprehensive list of great camping spots, parking spaces, pitches, and everything else you’ll need to enjoy your visit to the Old Continent, in addition to acting as a capable navigation tool.
park4night – Motorhome camper
Finding a good parking spot in a relatively quick manner is a crucial step for starting your camping trip on a good note, and park4night – Motorhome camper is precisely the tool that will help you do so. The app boasts a worldwide database of great parking spots, both free and paid, and its location list is constantly updated by users themselves, then verified by other campers.
ViewRanger Trails & Maps
Once you’re out in nature and have your camping spot all set, you’ll probably be eager to go out exploring, so planning ahead is certainly a good idea to ensure that you don’t get lost in the wilderness. ViewRanger Trails & Maps is said to be one of the best apps designed specifically for that purpose, so you’d do well to give it a go before you set out on an adventure.
CamperMate
Just as Camping.Info is the ultimate resource for campers in Europe and Kampnik is the best choice for those in the United States and Canada, CamperMate is their equivalent for adventurers looking to discover the wonders of Australia and New Zealand. The app was designed for travelers looking for camping parks, boasting a broad range of exclusive deals and discounts meant to save you some money during your vacation, though it can also be used as a handy tool for anyone who’s just looking for a nice spot to raise a tent.
Altimeter
If you’re worried about getting lost in the wilderness and the cell signal in the area you’re planning to visit is spotty or non-existent, Altimeter is a must-have tool for your Android phone, with the app being able to triangulate your position at any time using only a GPS connection. Altimeter may not be flashy but if you find yourself in the middle of nowhere without any reception, you won’t need flashy – you’ll want reliable.
Weather
Unless you’re the type of person who really loves precipitation, you’ll want to make sure that nice weather will hold up once you leave your camper or tent with the intention of going on a three-hour walk. An app is a perfect way to do so and Storm Radar’s Weather happens to be one of the most popular ones on the Google Play Store in this category, so it’s definitely worth considering.
Camping Checklist
Just like its name suggests, Camping Checklist is a rather simple mobile tool that will allow you to quickly make to-do notes and is specifically designed for campers, offering item and task suggestions so as to remind you of everything you need for your trip, regardless of whether you have even thought of it in the first place.
Offline Survival Manual
Offline Survival Manual is another no-nonsense, reliable mobile tool with a self-explanatory name which is meant to assist all types of campers looking to do some adventuring while they’re out in the wilderness. Its knowledge base spans a wide variety of terrain and locations and the app even works offline, so there’s no reason to not give it a go if you’re planning on exploring during your trip or are simply curious about your surroundings and local wildlife.
Campervan.Guide Free
While still primarily meant for European campers, Campervan.Guide Free is slowly expanding its reaches to more countries and currently boasts a database of more than 9,000 verified sites for everything from tents to motorhomes. In addition to that, it makes its location list easily searchable and has a comment section for every individual site, allowing you to do a lot of comprehensive research before deciding on your final destination.