In many ways, this is a dream tent, and has many of the features that I listed in a previous post about what a dream tent would be. Sleeps two comfortably and has plenty of space to get in out of the rain, or keep your bicycle safe from the elements. Continue reading
I’m a big fan of a variety of different camping scenarios, from 20lb ultralight and minimalist backpacking over long distances, to heavy load backpacking with an external frame load carrier allowing for extra gear, to lighter car camping to all out glamping. They’re all fun in their own little ways.
The L.L. Bean King Pine 4-person tent is as close to glamping as I get while still having my own tent. Continue reading
There are many scenarios in which a table, an admittedly luxurious item when backpacking, is highly useful. Continue reading
Helinox table
My initial thought when seeing a friend bust out the Helinox table was…A fabric table? What good is it? Can’t cook on it, will worry about stability and durability, will wear and tear much more quickly, and not be able to hold much weight. Continue reading
I was expecting this to be smaller than it actually is.
While it’s still small enough to fit in a backpack, I wouldn’t have minded if it was smaller. Still great for a little sit down. No comparison to my camp chairs that allow leaning back and are about the same weight, but still, this fits into flat spaces and I imagine it will come in handy once in a while.
I now have three backpacking chairs, they all wei about the same, or, at least, close enough to be negligible for me. I would likely select a different chair for different types of trips.
When hiking alone, I’d probably go with a competitor’s chair that has the same seat height. When hiking in a small group for extended trips, I’d probably go with a competitor’s chair that sits lower. Continue reading
I’m not able to speak to how long this will last, but in terms of initial comfortt, this is probably the best I’ve seen. It’s very stable, seems reasonably durable, and not excessively difficult to get into and out of. As a backpacking chair, I haven’t tested anything better in terms of weight to price to comfort. Continue reading
The GSI Micro table is a “better than nothing” table
the GSI Macro is more of a car camping table.
I genuinely wish GSI would build a middling table that is right in between. Continue reading
Edit
Having taken this recently to a car camping trip, I can clearly say this was a huge boon. Placed in a vestibule, this luggage rack allowed me to keep my pack and some other gear off the ground. As it rained the first night, it kept my pack from getting soaked from the ground. Awesome. Continue reading
Ming’s Mark SL1204-GREEN Green Full Back Folding Director’s Chair
Took this to a car camping trip recently, and my only complaint is that the side table is crazy flimsy.
On a positive note, I thought the cup holder would get in the way, but it turned out to be really useful. Knocking the chair a little or trying to move the chair would have caused most cups on a side table to tip over and spill. The cup holder did an excellent job of making sure cups didn’t get knocked over when placed in it and being jarred in some way. Awesome. Continue reading
All in all, pretty good. And a big boon compared to having nothing at all.
Having said that, there are two things that were a tad irritating.
– First, one of the bins stayed vertical, but the other one kept collapsing in on itself partially.
– Second, I wish there was a built-in way to secure trash bags to the upper rim while still being able to zipper the top shut. squirrels were a real problem, so we had to keep the bin zipped, but of course, since there was nothing to attach the bag to on the bin, people would unzip the bin and throw trash on top of the bag, instead of in it. Not fun to clean up. Continue reading
Edit:
Just got back from a car camping trip this week and wow, what a luxury item to have with you.
With this cot packed in the car, I met with several friends at a nearby AnyMountain to caravan out to Yosemite. Walking in the store, I found another cot that was a lot more stable than this one. This cot, the one I have, is stable in one direction but because the x-legs are all parallel to each other, they have just a little give going perpendicular to the x-legs, which is ever so slightly annoying. Continue reading
I am really new to dutch oven cooking. but…wow. What fun! This particular unit is the first I’ve ever purchased. But it has some nice touches that some other dutch ovens don’t have.
6 quarts is…well…a lot. I was expecting this to be much smaller and am especially happy I didn’t buy the 10 or 12 quart dutch ovens because that would have been out of control huge. As it is, I can make enough chilli that as a side dish, it easily serves 15. As a main dish, it serves about 6-8, though 4 big eaters could finish the pot. Continue reading
A CAR CAMPING MARVEL
Just got back from a car camping trip to Yosemite, and all I can say about this dutch oven is….WOW. I thought it would be just used for making chili with the dutch oven, but this dutch oven table turned out to be so much more versatile than that. And the slightly lower height turned out to be an advantage as we needed to do some BBQ’ing under a tarp when it rained. the lower height gave the smoke more vertical to spread and move out of the tarp ceiling. Awesome. Continue reading
This grill isn’t for backpacking or hiking. But it’s great for car camping.
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What makes this grill so awesome is that if fits on a 32″ dutch oven table with plenty of room for a dutch oven next to it. Continue reading
I buy a lot of gear, and because I’m fairly rough with gear, typically a significant percentage of gear I use suffers some pretty horrific wear and tear.
As such, I often sprinkle my reviews with updates on how my gear is holding up over time.
Rarely do I even consider asking for an exchange if I’ve used a piece of gear more than a dozen times. I simply update my reviews with how the gear is doing. Continue reading
Car camping trip day 2: eggs in cooler, moved around in bear locker, taken out for a bit….dropped and shattered.
Egg spills are a major hassle.
a light drop and they shatter.
instantaneously lose precious food resources….
big sticky mess. Continue reading
Love this thing….love love love this thing.
A 1 piece, flexible, and tough filter that can pack anywhere? Shoooooot. After using it this past weekend on a car camping trip, I’m now of the opinion that this is useful not only on car camping trips but also for picnics, or even business trips if you’re picky about the coffee you drink. Continue reading
UPDATE:
As before, I still believe that this falls into the clear cut luxury category, and for an on-foot hiking/backpacking trip, it will not be packed. Continue reading
Camping Stoves and Other Gear Reviews 