Packing for a camping trip is always a bit of an exercise in compromise.
You want to bring everything, but you also don't want to haul half your bathroom into the woods.
After years of camping, cottage weekends, and spontaneous trips to the lake, we've found ourselves reaching for the same handful of products every single time. Not because they're trendy, but because they genuinely make a weekend outdoors more comfortable.
If you're putting together your camping bag this summer, these are the three LAKE+MAIN essentials we wouldn't leave home without.
1. WOODSY: Because Bug Spray Shouldn't Ruin the Outdoors
If you've spent a Canadian summer outdoors, you already know.
The mosquitoes don't care how beautiful the sunset is.
WOODSY has become one of our best-selling summer products for a reason. It was designed for Canadian summers, where camping, hiking, evenings at the lake, and family bonfires all come with a healthy population of insects.
Instead of relying on harsh synthetic chemicals, WOODSY uses a thoughtful blend of hydrosols and essential oils—including lemongrass, cedarwood, peppermint, lavender, and rose geranium—to naturally help repel mosquitoes and other biting insects while smelling fresh and woodsy.
One of our favourite things about it is its versatility.
We spray it on exposed skin, clothing, hats, backpacks, and even through our hair before heading out on a hike. It's gentle enough to use on children (it smells so good they might not make you chase them to put it on), which makes packing for family camping trips just a little bit easier.
When a product works well and smells like summer instead of a chemistry lab, it's easy to understand why it disappears from our shelves every year.
2. REST EASY: Keep Your Bedtime Ritual Wherever You Sleep
There's something wonderful about falling asleep to the sound of loons, waves, or rain on a tent.
There's also something less wonderful about sleeping on an air mattress after hiking all day.
Whether you've spent the day paddling, carrying firewood, chasing kids around the campsite, or simply sitting a little too long in a camp chair, your body usually knows you've been outside.
That's why REST EASY always comes with us.
A few sprays on tired legs, shoulders, or feet before climbing into your sleeping bag has become one of those small rituals that signals the day is over.
For families, it's also a surprisingly calming part of bedtime. After a full day of swimming, exploring, and roasting marshmallows, taking a quiet minute to help everyone wind down makes those late campground bedtimes feel just a little easier.
Camping doesn't mean leaving your routines behind.
Sometimes it's simply about adapting them to a different setting.
3. BALANCE: Your Midday Reset
Camping is wonderful.
Feeling sticky after sunscreen, smoke from the campfire, and a full day outside... less so.
Not every campsite has the luxury of running back for a full skincare routine halfway through the day.
That's where BALANCE is our unsung hero.
A few sprays or a quick sweep with a reusable cotton round instantly helps your skin feel refreshed after a morning hike, an afternoon at the beach, or a long drive to the campsite.
Its blend of lavender, peppermint, neroli, aloe, and botanical hydrosols leaves skin feeling cool, hydrated, and comfortable, while preparing it to absorb moisturizer later in the evening.
It's also one of our favourite little tricks after applying sunscreen all day. Before your evening skincare routine, BALANCE helps your complexion feel refreshed without needing to immediately reach for a full cleanse.
Sometimes that's all your skin needs until you're back at camp.
Don't Leave Your Ritual at Home
One of the best parts of camping is slowing down.
Morning coffee by the lake.
Reading in a hammock.
Cooking dinner over the fire.
Watching the stars instead of a screen.
Your skincare ritual doesn't have to disappear just because you've traded your bathroom for a campsite.
In fact, those few familiar moments—spraying WOODSY before an evening walk, refreshing with BALANCE after a hot afternoon, or winding down with REST EASY before bed—can make a new place feel a little more like home.
Because taking care of yourself shouldn't stop when you head outdoors.
Sometimes, that's exactly where it matters most.
