The fall climbing season is always associated with the epic climbing road trip. It makes sense when you consider the conditions that you'll likely encounter: cooler temperatures, less humidity, and, if you happen to live in certain parts of the country, fewer biting insects. All good things when it comes to sending your project or just enjoying some time hanging out with friends.
 
And while the conditions may be ideal for climbing, you can still add a few items to your kit to help you enjoy your climbing road trip.
 
Here's a list of some of our favourite road-tripping essentials.

The Helio Pressure Shower seems like an unnecessary luxury until you use it, and then you'll wonder why you did not get one sooner. Consisting of an 11-litre tank, a pressurizing foot pump, and a 2.1-metre hose, the Helio Pressure Shower provides 5–7 minutes of continuous spray. Just fill it with warm water (or a mix of hot and cold water), and you have an excellent solution for cleaning up after a long day of cragging. If you don't need a shower, you can use the Pressure Shower for washing dishes, rinsing off the dog's paws before he enters the tent, or even rinsing off your own feet (climbing shoes can be rather rancid) before crawling into your sleeping bag. The dark-coloured tank can also be left in the sun to increase the water temperature without adding excessive amounts of hot water. This is a mandatory piece of road-tripping if you want to maintain a reasonable level of personal hygiene. nemoequipment.com

Packs are great for humping your gear to the crag, but they are less than ideal for organizing and transporting your kit at camp. It seems like Mountain Hardwear agrees, which may explain why they introduced the Camp Tough Tote Bag. This rugged tote features a burly 1200D recycled polyester fabric, six exterior pockets, and a padded main body for additional structure and protection. The result is a bag that is perfect for organizing climbing and travel essentials as well as hauling groceries during rest day trips into town. mountainhardwear.com

While there's something immensely satisfying about creating elaborate post-climbing dinners, there are some days when you're too exhausted and too hungry to wait for that delicate demi-glace to reduce. For those instances or any time you want a healthy and easy-to-prepare meal, consider some of the offerings from Backpacker's Pantry. This 72-year-old Boulder-based family-owned company makes delicious freeze-dried meals for almost any diet. We're talking breakfasts, entrees, fruit, and even desserts. Sure, freeze-dried meals tend to be associated with the ultra-light backing crowd, but these meals offer flavour and nutrition that anyone can appreciate. Put some in your food bin as a tasty alternative to canned tuna and pasta. backpackerspantry.com

This versatile hoody is the perfect layer for fall climbing road trips. Constructed with a wonderfully soft and stretchy jersey fabric, the Crater Lake Active Hoody delivers UPF 50 UV protection when belaying during those crisp sunny days and provides additional base-layer warmth when the temperature starts to dip. A contoured three-piece hood and thumbhole wrist cuffs provide added protection from the elements. This is a great hoody for when you're at the cliff or back in camp. mountainhardwear.com

Hanging around the campfire and enjoying a few adult beverages after a day of climbing is a long-time road-tripping ritual. Unfortunately, standing or sitting in the dirt around the fire gets old pretty fast. The solution is simple: get yourself a Helinox Chair One. This might be the chair that started the packable camping chair craze, and it's still one of the best choices available today. It's light (890 g), has a 145 kg weight capacity, and, when packed, is only slightly larger than a 1-litre Nalgene bottle. Best of all, it's supremely comfortable and durable (mine are more than ten years old and still going strong). Seriously, throw one in the vehicle and never worry about where you'll be sitting and relaxing at the end of the day. helinox.com

Most climbing road trips consist of what is essentially car camping. So, with this being the reality, consider ditching your ultralight and coffin-like backpacking/mountaineering tent for something more palatial. The new Bridger 4 tent offers plenty of floor space with its 229 cm x 244 cm footprint, but where it really shines is in the height department. This tent's interior is almost 173 cm tall. This height creates a luxurious internal space, allowing for easy wardrobe changes as well as providing the perfect living space for waiting out the rain. The relatively vertical sidewalls only further accentuate this spacious feeling, and when you consider the roomy covered front porch, it becomes obvious that this is an ideal road-tripping shelter. mountainhardwear.com

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