Camping in the ’70s was an entirely different experience. It was one where practicality met quirky experimentation in the wild. Back then, a camping trip wasn’t complete without a few unusual items that we’d now consider impractical or outdated. From giant styrofoam coolers to bulky radios, campers had a unique way of making the outdoors their own.
Today’s high-tech gear may promise ease and comfort, but it’s fun to look back and remember how things were done before ultralight tents and GPS systems. What once felt like must-have essentials now seem like relics of a simpler, yet more complicated, time in the wild. Here’s a peek at 17 items that were once staples of camping in the 1970s.
1. Glass bottles of soda
Heavy, breakable, and with zero concern for “Leave No Trace.”
2. Canned meat
The mystery meat spam was a must-have, and shelf-stable meat was considered a delicacy.
3. Huge styrofoam coolers
Massive, squeaky, and prone to breaking into environmentally unfriendly chunks.
4. Gasoline lanterns
Loud, hot, and slightly terrifying fire hazards.
5. Portable record players
For blasting Fleetwood Mac or Led Zeppelin in the forest.
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6. Paper maps
Who needs a GPS when you can break out one of these bad boys?
7. A compass
A tool that has almost become obsolete, but in the ’70s, a compass and a map were how you got around.
8. Polaroid cameras with bulb flashes
One shot, one chance, and a cloud of ozone.
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9. Homemade trail mix
Today we buy it by the bag, but back in the ’70s, we packed homemade trail mix.
10. Folding aluminum lawn chairs with webbing
These death traps were always on the verge of collapsing or pinching your skin.
11. A big can of bug spray with DDT
It was lethal to bugs… and everything else.
12. Manual coffee percolator
Bubbling away on the campfire while everyone argued if it was done yet.
13. A portable typewriter
For journaling your experience like a rugged mountain man.
14. Toilet paper in a coffee can
It was packaged like this to keep it dry, but good luck when it rained.
15. Campfire popcorn popper
For that one person who always tried to pop the perfect batch over the fire… and failed.
16. Foldable metal camp cots
They took up so much space in the car, but they were somehow less comfortable than sleeping on the ground.
17. Hand-cranked ice cream maker
Labor-intensive and rarely lived up to expectations, but fun for the whole family.
Want to see more content from the 1970s?
Check out 20 Vintage Photos of 1970s Suburbia, or take a look at 20 Lost Rituals of American Family Life in the 1970s. Finally, if you want to check out muscle cars from the ’70s, check out 20 Muscle Cars From The 1970s.
