There’s a very good reason why campsite radios are popular, as they provide not only entertainment round the campfire, but also a range of features that help you to stay safe when spending time in the great outdoors. Without one, things can get a little too quiet, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that most campers have some kind of audio equipment.
However, there’s quite a bit of choice out there, making the job of finding the right one for your needs a little tricky. So, with this in mind, we now look at just some of the factors you need to consider when looking through the many campsite radios you’ll find online.
The Full Spectrum of Price Options
When searching for your campsite audio equipment, you’ll find cheap and basic options, as well as high-tech devices that offer a wide range of different features and functions. There are choices that are simple, whereas others that contain things like emergency beacons and strobe lights. The ideal product for you will depend on where and what you’ll be using yours for.
Choices of Power
The first decision you’ll have to make is how your radio is powered. The available choices will typically include a few options.
- Battery powered camping radios – easily the most common type of camping radio and usually the cheapest option on the market.
- Hand-cranked radios – typically very small, light and easy to carry, these devices typically have an internal battery that can be recharged by hand. By spinning a magnet through a series of copper wires, enough power is generated to operate it. It’s popular with customers because of its reliability and lack of need to buy batteries.
- Solar powered radios – containing another type of internal battery, this one is charged up during daylight hours through its built-in photo-voltaic panels, with a single charge and lasting an awfully long time.
The fact is that batteries can fail or spoil, which is why solar and hand-crank campsite radios are particularly popular. You don’t want to find that you’ve got a radio you can’t use when you’re miles from anywhere, but these innovations, that’s not a problem.
Other Features
While battery power is perhaps the least reliable out the of options mentioned above, it’s often those that use them that come with the most features, which can include:
- MP3 players or MP3 docks
- Safety whistles
- Thermometers
- LED flashlights
- Alarm clocks
- Signal mirrors
- Magnifying glasses
- Weather updates
You’ve basically got to weigh up what you’re actually going to need when using your radio, as there’s no point wasting money on features that you’ll never use. It’s easy to get taken in by flashy-sounding technology and advertising, but if a cheaper model meets your needs, there’s no need to invest more – unless you want to, of course.
Campsite Radios For Every Type of Use
So, as we’ve seen, not all camping radios are created equally, so it’s important that you do a little research before diving in and committing to buying anything.
If you take one thing away from reading this blog, it should be that it’s all about finding the sweet spot, where you get the features you want for a price that you’re happy with. Everything else is incidental. If you feel like spending more for features that you ‘want’ rather than need, then that’s totally your prerogative.
Just don’t spend more because you think you have to.