Camping Tools

[devilmutt]

It looks cool I admit...but my biggest problem with it is the melted plastic you ingest when you cook in it. You have to be heating that bag up enough to get something off of it....it may cook well but I am not so sure I like the bag thing. :?

I always use the Reynolds oven cooking bags.

 

[JasonLester]

It looks cool I admit...but my biggest problem with it is the melted plastic you ingest when you cook in it. You have to be heating that bag up enough to get something off of it....it may cook well but I am not so sure I like the bag thing. :?

I always use the Reynolds oven cooking bags.

Ah I didn't think of that....hmmm....I may have to try it.

 

[DocWatson]

Cotton balls coated in petroleum jelly!!

Can we say FIRE =D>

Wind and rain does not matter you will get a fire started

I'm partial to fatwood. A small piece of fatwood can be used many times to create tinder by shaving small curls and using them to light other larger tinder.

A stick or two is almost as light as the cottonballs and no petroleum products. 8)

 

[Hanr3]

Yes there are better ways to start a fire, but none as light as cotton balls!! When I'm hiking I'm upset if I have 25lbs on my back fully loaded with water. That tarp is actually pretty heavy vs. new lightweight tents.

Sorry about the blister, stop wearing boots!! A pound on the feet is five in the pack

I carry some luxuries. The heaviest is my 5 pound e-tool. Serves multiple purposes; fire shovel, tent stake hammer/extractor, cat hole digger, and the number one use, chair for taking care of business over that cathole. On day three it becomes a source of income. $5 per use as a chair. :mrgreen:

Sure there are light weight tents and lighter materials to use, however most dont have the space, are 100 times the cost, and/or limited to one configuration. I can walk into just about any store and buy a new tent for $5-$10.

Gave up the waffle stompers and black cadilacs decades ago. I wear light hikers, trail shoes. I always get blisters, its the way I walk, bowlegged. Outside of the heel strikes the deck first and I roll on through to push off with the big toe. Tried everything, powder, vasoline, nylons socks, two pair of socks, inserts, etc. Blisters are no big deal. Pop em and move on, sure it takes about 5 minutes to get up to speed and the pain to subside. But its only mind of matter. I dont mind and it dont matter.

Been backpacking since 1981. Put over 3,000 miles on the trail while in the marine corp. 50+ miles during the week, culminating with a 25miler on Friday morning and back in time for lunch. My goal is 35 pounds for a week, includes food. I plan my route to resupply water every day, preferable at night. I like ot camp near water at night. A swim to wash of the slima nd grime always revigorates the body, and keeps my sleeping bag clean.
:mrgreen:

 

[Hanr3]

I'm partial to fatwood. A small piece of fatwood can be used many times to create tinder by shaving small curls and using them to light other larger tinder.

A stick or two is almost as light as the cottonballs and no petroleum products. 8)

Sounds like what I call a pinecone. Take a stick and shave it, however leave the shavings on teh stick, when your done it looke like a pinecone, each of those little kernels act as tinder. I've heard it called a toothbrush as well.

 

[Kismet]

Long distance days are gone for me, but I urge you folks to at least look at...Campmor's Wenzel pup tent (or whatever. @$30, about 4 pounds, and has withstood some of the heaviest weather I've ever encountered. I also like screening against mosquitoes, but that's just me. It doesn't look like much, but it is a great value and tool, for any money.

With a boat, I would always have a Svea 123 stove. Just would, had one most of the days on foot. I can do without hot food, but, bygawd, I NEED my coffee in the morning, and tea at night.

Be safe.

 

[Hanr3]

Campmor is where I bought most of my gear. Great prices and prompt delivery.

Yea, bugs can be an issue, however I've learned how and where to set up to avoid the mosquitoes. 8-10mph wind keeps them at bay. I put my tarp so the wind blows on through, carefull though, when a strom blows in, it usually comes from the same direction as the wind. :wink :wink :nod :nod

MAke sure you have the right end of the tarp into the wind. Helps to know the prevailing wind of the area, at the time of year your camping there.



The above pic is the inside of my dining fly just prior to a storm. All those dots are mosquitoes. When I motored up to the campsite it was swarming with those little blood suckers. Promptly built a fire, only for the smoke to blow out over the water and not in camp. Set-up the dining fly and they congregated on it. The storm blew through, and the tail end of I gave the dining fly some good smack to set those blood suckers in flight and get caught up ion the wind. Worked, The wind blew them out over the lake.

 

[moberg12]

Yes there are better ways to start a fire, but none as light as cotton balls!! When I'm hiking I'm upset if I have 25lbs on my back fully loaded with water. That tarp is actually pretty heavy vs. new lightweight tents.

Sorry about the blister, stop wearing boots!! A pound on the feet is five in the pack

I carry some luxuries. The heaviest is my 5 pound e-tool. Serves multiple purposes; fire shovel, tent stake hammer/extractor, cat hole digger, and the number one use, chair for taking care of business over that cathole. On day three it becomes a source of income. $5 per use as a chair. :mrgreen:

Sure there are light weight tents and lighter materials to use, however most dont have the space, are 100 times the cost, and/or limited to one configuration. I can walk into just about any store and buy a new tent for $5-$10.

Gave up the waffle stompers and black cadilacs decades ago. I wear light hikers, trail shoes. I always get blisters, its the way I walk, bowlegged. Outside of the heel strikes the deck first and I roll on through to push off with the big toe. Tried everything, powder, vasoline, nylons socks, two pair of socks, inserts, etc. Blisters are no big deal. Pop em and move on, sure it takes about 5 minutes to get up to speed and the pain to subside. But its only mind of matter. I dont mind and it dont matter.

Been backpacking since 1981. Put over 3,000 miles on the trail while in the marine corp. 50+ miles during the week, culminating with a 25miler on Friday morning and back in time for lunch. My goal is 35 pounds for a week, includes food. I plan my route to resupply water every day, preferable at night. I like ot camp near water at night. A swim to wash of the slima nd grime always revigorates the body, and keeps my sleeping bag clean.
:mrgreen:

Sounds like you carry a lot of luxuries!! I won't lie going light does mean buying a lot of new gear. I just replaced my big 4. Tent went from 6lbs to 3lbs, mattress went from 2lbs to less than 1lbs, pack went from 7lbs to 2.5lbs, sleeping bag went from 4lbs to less than 2lbs. I love backpacking and I try to get onto the trail as often as I can. Backpacking and camping are completely different animals though, if I'm carrying it on my back it better be important or else it gets left behind. Buy yourself a scale cause I bet that 35lbs you think your carrying is probably much closer to 45-50lbs. there is no reason to carry extra weight just because you are old school and that is always how you've done things, I promise it will be money well spent!! A stick you find around camp can dig a hole just as good as your shovel, it can also be a good fire poker!!

Now stop overloading your back and only carry what you absolutely need and I bet your blisters disappear!! Step one is to buy yourself a tiny little pack, and only take what fits!!

This is what I carried on my "Foothills trail" hike, I weighed 28lbs loaded with food and water the day we left the parking lot. Notice nothing is strapped to the outside of my pack, because if it doesn't fit inside you don't need it!! Only luxury I carried were my rainbows!!

I promise you don't need it all so leave it at home!!!

 

[JasonLester]

With a boat, I would always have a Svea 123 stove. Just would, had one most of the days on foot. I can do without hot food, but, bygawd, I NEED my coffee in the morning, and tea at night.

Be safe.

Ahh the SVEA Stove....I love that thing. Its as light as anything I have found when you consider the fuel and cooking pots etc. It being all self contained with all that stuff is wonderfull....great peice of gear. Amazing them Sweeds...LOL

 

[Hanr3]

Yea, I have weighed every item in my pack on a postal scale which I own. I'm so anal about it, I made a spreadsheet and figured out the best combination of gear to suit my needs for the trip being planned. That 35 pounds IS ultralight compared to what I used to haul. :mrgreen:

Sure I could go lighter, but Im content with the load I have. I'm not into ultralight backpacking, I have creature comforts that I'm not wiling to eliminate. If I was worried about weight, I could go with nothing more than a tarp of food, water bottle, matches, and a knife. Although the food is a luxury. I could forage for food along the way, including meat, but would rather not. I'm not into making it a survival trip, been there, done that, bought the shirt and wore it out. :beer:

 

[wihil]

Sounds like you carry a lot of luxuries!! I won't lie going light does mean buying a lot of new gear. I just replaced my big 4. Tent went from 6lbs to 3lbs, mattress went from 2lbs to less than 1lbs, pack went from 7lbs to 2.5lbs, sleeping bag went from 4lbs to less than 2lbs. I love backpacking and I try to get onto the trail as often as I can. Backpacking and camping are completely different animals though, if I'm carrying it on my back it better be important or else it gets left behind. Buy yourself a scale cause I bet that 35lbs you think your carrying is probably much closer to 45-50lbs. there is no reason to carry extra weight just because you are old school and that is always how you've done things, I promise it will be money well spent!! A stick you find around camp can dig a hole just as good as your shovel, it can also be a good fire poker!!

Now stop overloading your back and only carry what you absolutely need and I bet your blisters disappear!! Step one is to buy yourself a tiny little pack, and only take what fits!!

This is what I carried on my "Foothills trail" hike, I weighed 28lbs loaded with food and water the day we left the parking lot. Notice nothing is strapped to the outside of my pack, because if it doesn't fit inside you don't need it!! Only luxury I carried were my rainbows!!

I promise you don't need it all so leave it at home!!!

Now that looks like a comfortable set of gear! I see the Osprey, what else did you go with?

I've been trying to downsize a bit - need to get a substitute of my 6.5# MR Frame pack, but swapped the 4.5# two man out for a hammock in the summer/ SL3 Tipi with woodstove for winter. Summer's a quilt, but still trying to figure out what I want to do with a winter bag. I'd like to hit a base weight in the 20's or less, without jumping into the freakishly light cuben crowd.

8-[

 

[Jdholmes]

This is our setup. I'll tell you one thing, the desert ground sure is a lot harder than the gassy stuff up home in Canada. The cheap ground mat just doesn't seem to be cutting it over here.

 

[Jdholmes]

You can see my truck way down there - we have setup camp there a few times.

 

[Jdholmes]

This is my wife's favorite tool - she said she wanted something she could defend herself with if I was away from camp or she had to kill a snake (she hates snakes).

I often carry a light pack like this if we are just short hiking, otherwise I carry a backpack with essentials - the bigger pack probably ways less than 20 lbs with water. I haven't weighed it.

 

[nomowork]

As a kid, we took off camping with can goods and a piece of canvas for a tent. We got water from local creeks. We weren't rich but had fun!

Fast forward many decades and now my most important pieces of camping gear is a Porta Pottie and inflatable mattresses.

JUST WAIT TILL YOU GET TO MY AGE!

 

[wihil]

As a kid, we took off camping with can goods and a piece of canvas for a tent. We got water from local creeks. We weren't rich but had fun!

Fast forward many decades and now my most important pieces of camping gear is a Porta Pottie and inflatable mattresses.

JUST WAIT TILL YOU GET TO MY AGE!

I don't care what age you are - an inflatable mattress is one of the most important pieces of my gear, I've been told I'm worthless most days but even worse on days that I don't have sleep! :lol:

 

[kycolonel138th]

:USA1: 1964 K-BAR :beer:

 

[JasonLester]

Nothing wrong with an airmattress if you aren't packing it on your back. On out bike trips we take a couple twin size matresses and an inflator and we sleep well at night...makes a big difference when riding long distances.

 

[Hanr3]

I think there may be some confusion about "air mattresses". There are the styles you use at home for guests, and there are backpacking styles. The backpacking style is a self inflator and depending on the thickness you opt for weighs less than 10 pounds, 5- for the lighter ones. I carry a backpacking style ofr base camping, and weekend jaunts. Week long treks I use a 3/4 length clsoed cell foam pad that doubles as a camp chair, and if I want additional comfort I have a closed cell foam camp chair that folds out flat I also bring. Sometimes that 1/2" ensolite pad just isn't enough.

 

[Jdholmes]

I have the $14 blue pad from Walmart, i think it was the middle of their line; it was not enough for a good nights sleep...I was able to sleep decent enough but still woke up a few times. My wife hated it.