After 35 years of camping, I have given up on roughing it and prefer to keep things civilized on my camping trips. There are a lot of products on the market today that have helped me achieve that goal. If you, too, are reluctant to sacrifice the good life while camping, you might want to give some of these a try.

First, are collapsible buckets, which can be purchased at most camping our outdoor stores. Collapsed, they take up little to no space, so you can bring more than one without sacrificing precious storage space.

But, once expanded, you have a strong bucket to hold up to 3 gallons of water, and substantial handles to carry it safely. Most brands can withstand cold or hot water. I use them for everything, washing and rinsing camping kits, holding my catch of the day and lots more.

I have discovered a great way to eat well even while camping: my stainless steel super cooler. This cooler is the real deal ” it can keep ice frozen in 90 degree heat ” for up to five days! No more trail mix and canned survival food for me, I have real meat and dairy products when I camp now. I like to bring along a smaller cooler for my drinks so that I don’t have to open my super cooler as often. That way, the food I store there stays cold and fresh the entire trip.

Camping isn’t civilized without a good pot of coffee. But the grounds and pots make it such a hassle. I have discovered that single serve coffee is the answer. These are individual tea bags that actually filter the coffee without the mess. I like to boil up a big pot of water, dunk several single serve coffee bags in. When they have set there awhile, I transfer to a thermos and have coffee all day long that is as good as home. It can be a disaster, however, with the wrong single serve brand. Some taste worse than shoe leather, so make sure you find a brand that you like before heading out on your trip.

Camping is great, but its no fun to cart all that gear around. I use plastic milk crates to store and carry my supplies. They are sturdy and can hold heavy weight, and the handles on all sides make them easy to carry no matter what you have stuffed in them. Try to find the real deal that dairies use rather than those sold in home stores. They are sturdier and make great seats and stepladders as well. Many dairies will be happy to sell you a few, and may even give them to you if they have an overflow.

No one likes when it unexpectedly rains on a long anticipated trip, and so my final piece of advice is to always take something to do in case of bad weather. One think I like to do when the weather turns bad on a trip is to play the card game Apple to Apples. People of all ages enjoy it and since it is small it doesn’t take up space that you’d rather have for all your other camping gear.

So, as you can see, you don’t have to leave the best things in life home when you hit the trail for a camping trip. A few simple additions and you are ready to hit the road in comfort.