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Camping

kyuuei

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I was thinking about, in the semi-distant future, taking a tour across the US and camping in different camp sites for the stays in different areas..

Those who've traveled a lot, camped before, or really enjoy that sort of thing.. Any tips, recommendations, etc? Products that saved you, and stuff you took with you that ended up being useless? Packing lists you use? Anything I can't think of regarding discussing the subject?
 

rhinosaur

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Camping is all about *you*. What I mean is that nobody can really give you perfect advice because it's all about what you like and what you want to take, and only your own personal experience can determine that. I tend to go the minimalist route, but some people tow those big trailers behind their trucks and call that camping. :shrug: On backpacking trips, my stepdad takes about twice as much weight as I usually like to carry, but he likes his super hot mega ultraburner stove.

Car camping, bike camping, hitchhiking, or walking? If you're going car camping you can take whatever you want: Big kitchen style tents, chairs, folding tables, big two-burner propane stoves, heavy food, etc.

  • Tent or no tent? If car camping, I'd either take a tent or would just sleep in the back of my truck. Otherwise, I'd probably just bring a tarp. If you use a tarp, bring some string to make a structure. Bring poles too if you will be in an area without trees-- trekking poles double as hiking sticks.
  • You will need a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. If you use a tarp, and have trees, you can use a hammock, but those can get cold.
  • You will probably want to take something to boil water. I use a homemade alcohol stove that has lasted for years.
  • Food is mostly personal preference, but some things keep better in coolers than other things.
  • Headlamp!
  • Water filter. Even if you stay at the kinds of campgrounds with running water, the drinking water at most campgrounds tastes horrible.
 

rhinosaur

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Camping is all about *you*. What I mean is that nobody can really give you perfect advice because it's all about what you like and what you want to take, and only your own personal experience can determine that. I tend to go the minimalist route, but some people tow those big trailers behind their trucks and call that camping. :shrug: On backpacking trips, my stepdad takes about twice as much weight as I usually like to carry, but he likes his super hot mega ultraburner stove.

Car camping, bike camping, hitchhiking, or walking? If you're going car camping you can take whatever you want: Big kitchen style tents, chairs, folding tables, big two-burner propane stoves, heavy food, etc.

  • Tent or no tent? If car camping, I'd either take a tent or would just sleep in the back of my truck. Otherwise, I'd probably just bring a tarp. If you use a tarp, bring some string to make a structure. Bring poles too if you will be in an area without trees-- trekking poles double as hiking sticks.
  • You will need a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. If you use a tarp, and have trees, you can use a hammock, but those can get cold.
  • You will probably want to take something to boil water. I use a homemade alcohol stove that has lasted for years.
  • Food is mostly personal preference, but some things keep better in coolers than other things.
  • Headlamp!
  • Water filter. Even if you stay at the kinds of campgrounds with running water, the drinking water at most campgrounds tastes horrible.
 
W

WALMART

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rhinosaur's post is good.

-toilet paper
-flashlight
-knife (preferably multi-tool)
-flint/magnesium/lighter
-cookware/utensils
-bedding
-provisions for the duration of your stay


then there's a lot of accessory stuff, i like lugging my bike around with me where ever i go. my dad has a pop-up trailer, which is awesome, and my grandpa owns an RV. it's all about what you plan on doing out in the wild!

Forever the scout motto: Be Prepared.
 

Lexicon

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My ISTP former roommate and I were planning on doing this epic bicycle tour from our apt in Louisiana back up to New England [following some Underground Railroad trails] when he got outta the Army. Unfortunately at that point both of us were too physically messed up to follow through. However, he did find a ton of useful information about like ultra lightweight gear - clothes, bedding, tents, dishes, bags. Also ultra durable if you don't mind spending a little extra. Increases mobility a ton. He'd surfed bicycling forums for this sort of information. I know you didn't mention how you'd be traveling to camp, but the simpler/lighter the better for any hikes you may have, and so on.

I'll try to get that information from him sometime soon, and link it here. I can't remember the specific stuff/brands right now.

I imagine MRE's would be good to have on you, but that shit's gross.
and depending on where you'll be exploring, water purification tablets are always a plus.
 
R

Riva

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I'm 25 years old this year but has never done camping in my life. If I believe I would enjoy it I would have done it. It had never occurred to me as fun though. Then again I'm from South Asia and camping is not a popular activity, therefore has rarely heard of how enjoyable it is. If I have had heard more stories....

@Geoff, @93JC and @Vasilisa like camping they've mentioned. The former does it the most I believe. Such beautiful sceneries he camps in. Makes me feel so jealous!

Vas probably takes her crystal tea cups with her on camping trips. Hehe....... *Imagines*
 

cascadeco

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It does totally depend on what sort of camping you want to do. I can't add a whole lot to what rhinosaur mentioned.

I've only car-camped and backpacked in. Car-camping is a bit nicer, because I have a larger tent for that and I don't have to worry about weight/what I bring along nearly as much. BUT you don't have the wilderness component, most of the time, and even if you do, it's just not as nice as there are a lot of other people about. Backpacking in takes a lot more thought around what to take, and the weight component.

With either option, a good sleeping bag, mat, and pillow are essential (i.e. all three need to be things that work for you and that you're actually able to sleep in)... there are heaps of products out there, but I can recommend the three I happen to use. Also, headlamp. Water filter essential for packing it in. Food, cooking gadgets, etc will depend on what sort of camping you're doing.

Note: A lot of this gear isn't cheap. Consider it a lifelong investment. :smile:
 

JAVO

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In many national forests and wilderness areas, you can camp for free if you don't stay in a campground. But, you also generally have to camp far enough back to be out of site of any roads. You'd probably want to be out of site anyway. In some areas, you'd want to be careful not to be near growers or other drug activity like smuggling. Keep an eye on the large mammal hunting seasons for the area.

It sounds like you'll be changing sites every day or two. Bring as little as possible. Things you bring have to be organized, packed, cleaned, found, and repacked. Discovering how little you really need to live is part of the fun. :)
 
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It really depends on what kind of camping you want to do and how light you want to pack. If you're going to be staying at developed campgrounds with plumbing where you drive in and park at your campsite, the list is very different from if you're going to be camping in a national park or a less developed area. If you want to think about that, I think people can give you much better answers. I think the one thing I would add that I haven't seen mentioned is a good supply of matches in a waterproof case. They've saved me before.
 

cascadeco

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Also, thinking you can roll into a national park and camp the day-of (same goes for some national forest sites) is not a given, as there can be waiting lists / a lot of people camp. Especially on weekends.

As an example (and I'm sure you won't be targeting this area, but just to illustrate the issue), there's one public natl forest/ camping area outside of Aspen, CO, with a set number of sites in it, and from summer through end of camping season, it's fully reserved 4-6 months in advance (I think it was posted somewhere that this is the case for all days, but for sure weekends are solidly booked months in advance).
 

kyuuei

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Camping is all about *you*.



  • This post was a good starting point. :D I plan on going as minimalist as possible.. I'll have some comfort provisions in the car (a large container for potable water, a small electricity-free washing station to wash my clothing to re-use it, etc.) to make the experience less ..uh.. gross? I dunno. :laugh: Mostly because I plan on traveling across the countryside, so a car will get me to different hot spots.. but I'd like to be able to park it somewhere and then explore out further.

    -toilet paper
    -flashlight
    -knife (preferably multi-tool)
    -flint/magnesium/lighter
    -cookware/utensils
    -bedding
    -provisions for the duration of your stay

    I learned the toilet paper thing very quickly in the army.. It doesn't matter how prepared the army seems to be on its own.. we'll lug a hundred boxes of crap and garbage out to a site, but somehow we never bring more than 2 days worth of TP. :doh:

    I know you didn't mention how you'd be traveling to camp, but the simpler/lighter the better for any hikes you may have, and so on.

    I'll try to get that information from him sometime soon, and link it here. I can't remember the specific stuff/brands right now.

    I imagine MRE's would be good to have on you, but that shit's gross.
    and depending on where you'll be exploring, water purification tablets are always a plus.

    That would be awesome! I wish ya'll could have done that.. Are you sure you couldn't set up a trip similar to mine? Even if you weren't bicycling, you could still take a longer trip to see awesome things. MREs are deeeeesgusting. :sick: Some of the stuff inside of them is just fine.. but many of the main entrees, and all the preservatives completely wreck my stomach. :dont: I usually lose quite a bit of weight when we're doing exercises that require MREs for meals.

    Water filters and purification tablets seem to be a staple on everyone's lists though.. so probably a good idea to have that. Which is really what I'd like to compile from here.. a list of what everyone deems 'necessary' for camping and/or things they were really happy they adopted into their camping trips.

    I'm 25 years old this year but has never done camping in my life. If I believe I would enjoy it I would have done it. It had never occurred to me as fun though. Then again I'm from South Asia and camping is not a popular activity, therefore has rarely heard of how enjoyable it is. If I have had heard more stories....

    @Geoff, @93JC and @Vasilisa like camping they've mentioned. The former does it the most I believe. Such beautiful sceneries he camps in. Makes me feel so jealous!

    Vas probably takes her crystal tea cups with her on camping trips. Hehe....... *Imagines*

    :c I can't say I've NEVER been camping before, but as an adult civilian to go camping for fun? Never. I plan on starting out small--taking a few trips with some friends maybe out to local Texas hotspots, and once I get a groove I like I'm going to draw all over a map and set up a nice, long trip across the country.

    Ya know, I met a guy from France that was REALLY into American Football.. Its not a very popular/common sport there at all.. but even so, there are still enough people enthusiastic about it to create a small federation and have teams play each other at high school levels and such. I say, camping is probably the best way to see the more remote parts of a country.. The coolest and prettiest parts of Uganda were not the city, or places cars could access. It was on top of a hillside that could have very well been a small mountain, hanging out in an open area watching rain not even 300 meters away while it was sunny and clear as day right where I sat.

    You should try it :) even if it is not so popular.

    It does totally depend on what sort of camping you want to do. I can't add a whole lot to what rhinosaur mentioned.

    I've only car-camped and backpacked in. Car-camping is a bit nicer, because I have a larger tent for that and I don't have to worry about weight/what I bring along nearly as much. BUT you don't have the wilderness component, most of the time, and even if you do, it's just not as nice as there are a lot of other people about. Backpacking in takes a lot more thought around what to take, and the weight component.

    With either option, a good sleeping bag, mat, and pillow are essential (i.e. all three need to be things that work for you and that you're actually able to sleep in)... there are heaps of products out there, but I can recommend the three I happen to use. Also, headlamp. Water filter essential for packing it in. Food, cooking gadgets, etc will depend on what sort of camping you're doing.

    Note: A lot of this gear isn't cheap. Consider it a lifelong investment. :smile:

    Yeah, I plan on going the minimalist route for both weight (if I backpack to an area to camp, etc.) and for cost savings. I don't want it to be a HUGE investment, but I could easily spend about the same amount of money I did to buy snowboarding gear.. Even if I had only gone snowboarding once, the investment would have been worth it since renting costed so much.. and now I only pay to get there, get a slope ticket, eat, and leave. No renting required. :D It makes vacationing much easier and more cost effective.

    In many national forests and wilderness areas, you can camp for free if you don't stay in a campground. But, you also generally have to camp far enough back to be out of site of any roads. You'd probably want to be out of site anyway. In some areas, you'd want to be careful not to be near growers or other drug activity like smuggling. Keep an eye on the large mammal hunting seasons for the area.

    It sounds like you'll be changing sites every day or two. Bring as little as possible. Things you bring have to be organized, packed, cleaned, found, and repacked. Discovering how little you really need to live is part of the fun. :)

    THAT *is* good to know. Camping for free and I get to see how awesome and pretty a place is? Jackpot!



    So far, things pretty much everyone agrees on:
    - Less is more
    - Quality equipment helps a ton
    - Water filters and/or purification tablets are a necessity
    - TP, a light source, and sleeping gear are thing you cannot skimp out on

    It's a good start to a list for beginner campers :) Keep em comin!
 

cascadeco

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I :heart: this pillow: http://www.rei.com/product/830617/exped-air-pillow (I think I have a medium-sized one...not the largest... and it's firm enough to keep me elevated while camping, and packs to a very small size)

This is a really good quality lightweight tent...
http://www.rei.com/product/827913/big-agnes-copper-spur-ul2-tent

For a bag, I had a Marmot one in the past, and now I have a Mountain Hardware one (I think... I'll have to double check once I get home). Basically, I'd recommend bags with actual down/ 100% down in them.

Generally speaking, I'd suggest not going for REI or Northface brands... some of the other companies are much better quality/ really know what they're doing.
 

JAVO

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That Exped pillow cascadeco suggested is great! I have one, but I found I liked the Montbell one better because it puffs up higher, which is more comfy when sleeping on my side.

+1 on the Copper Spur tent and Marmot bags. I have the UL1 version for solo use which served well in the UP of MI this winter in 4 feet of snow. :)happy2:) If there are no bugs or privacy concerns, an 8x10 silnylon tarp is simpler and cheaper. My guess is that there will be bugs though. ;)

You could go heavier and cheaper on the tent and down bags since you're just sleeping near the car.

LED lanterns are great, so are propane ones if you don't mind the weight and expense of the fuel.

-1 on the TP. There are plenty of natural materials usable for this purpose. It's a pain to bury or pack or worse, pack out, used TP. Much of the world doesn't even use TP.
 

kyuuei

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Also, thinking you can roll into a national park and camp the day-of (same goes for some national forest sites) is not a given, as there can be waiting lists / a lot of people camp. Especially on weekends.

As an example (and I'm sure you won't be targeting this area, but just to illustrate the issue), there's one public natl forest/ camping area outside of Aspen, CO, with a set number of sites in it, and from summer through end of camping season, it's fully reserved 4-6 months in advance (I think it was posted somewhere that this is the case for all days, but for sure weekends are solidly booked months in advance).

:shocking: super.. super good to know.. @_@ I suppose with proper planning though this issue could be resolved. :) reserving things in advance before the trip and such.

I :heart: this pillow: http://www.rei.com/product/830617/exped-air-pillow (I think I have a medium-sized one...not the largest... and it's firm enough to keep me elevated while camping, and packs to a very small size)

This is a really good quality lightweight tent...
http://www.rei.com/product/827913/big-agnes-copper-spur-ul2-tent

For a bag, I had a Marmot one in the past, and now I have a Mountain Hardware one (I think... I'll have to double check once I get home). Basically, I'd recommend bags with actual down/ 100% down in them.

Generally speaking, I'd suggest not going for REI or Northface brands... some of the other companies are much better quality/ really know what they're doing.

This may sound silly but..bag? with down? You mean like the backpacking bag itself?

That Exped pillow cascadeco suggested is great! I have one, but I found I liked the Montbell one better because it puffs up higher, which is more comfy when sleeping on my side.

+1 on the Copper Spur tent and Marmot bags. I have the UL1 version for solo use which served well in the UP of MI this winter in 4 feet of snow. :)happy2:) If there are no bugs or privacy concerns, an 8x10 silnylon tarp is simpler and cheaper. My guess is that there will be bugs though. ;)

You could go heavier and cheaper on the tent and down bags since you're just sleeping near the car.

LED lanterns are great, so are propane ones if you don't mind the weight and expense of the fuel.

-1 on the TP. There are plenty of natural materials usable for this purpose. It's a pain to bury or pack or worse, pack out, used TP. Much of the world doesn't even use TP.

:D Im a side sleeper too.. The problem with natural materials is one place doesnt always have the same thing as another... Id hate to identify the wrong plant and end up with an itchy rear end for a while. @_@
 

Qlip

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Forget LED lanterns, get a Coleman lantern. All fuelled up, those things last a long time.. and the glow is so comforting. They run on coleman fuel and gasoline in a pinch. Maker sure to get spare mantles and splurge for a flint ignitor.
 

cascadeco

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:shocking: super.. super good to know.. @_@ I suppose with proper planning though this issue could be resolved. :) reserving things in advance before the trip and such.

It's kind of unfortunate, but it's how things are in many more popular places. I remember when I worked briefly at Arches National Park, way back in 2000, during the summer months the campsites would be filled sometimes by 8-9am each day, for the upcoming night; certainly by late morning/noon. (They didn't take reservations, it was first-come-first-serve, but that's the reality at that park and many natl parks) Just something to be aware of.

This may sound silly but..bag? with down? You mean like the backpacking bag itself?

Oh, sorry, sleeping bag.

I can give pack recommendations too if you'd like. :smile:
 

cascadeco

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So in summary: you will want to research ahead of time, to determine which sites take reservations, which are first-come-first-serve, and have backup plans if your first option is full by the time you get there.
 

kyuuei

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:laugh: Ah! Sorry, Im running on 24 hours of work right now. ;) I figured Id just use my army sleeping bag.. it has a compression bag and its got a summer sleeve and a winter sleeve that the summer inserts into for colder nights, and a bug-resistant and water repelling cover for the whole assembly. One of these days ill need to purchase a civilian one though, since the army one needs to go back to the army someday lol.

As far as a pack.. I could get away with my ruck sack. its free, already made to fit my frame, and Ive rucked miles with it no problem already...

Tents, accessories, cooking ware.. the type of foods eaten.. these sort of things are where im struggling. Army issue items help a lot :) multitools, and misquito netting and such.. but making camping more comfortable is something army stuff is lacking. That pillow looks awesome!
 

JAVO

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The problem with natural materials is one place doesnt always have the same thing as another... Id hate to identify the wrong plant and end up with an itchy rear end for a while. @_@
"Leaves of three, let it be." :)
 

rhinosaur

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Forgot to mention rain gear.

For the past few years I've been using sil-nylon, but the waterproofness is not 100%. If it's pouring rain, I get soaked, which has been a problem in the past.

My parents recently bought some of these:
PA63102-01.jpg

http://www.froggtoggs.com/#outerwear/classic/PA63102/

It's made out of some kind of nonwoven polypropylene that looks and feels a lot like Tyvek.
 

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