Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I'm still in shorts when it's 60. Under 55 I'll wear a long sleeve t-shirt with my shorts. It's rare I've ever worn my parka. It just hangs in the closet until it's gets around 15 then I may wear it.

 

Personally I would not get a 2 person. I've been stuck in enough storms in my 2 person that it gets a little old not having room to move around when there's another person in it.

If you can get the 4 season so cheap then why not?! Send me one too?

 

Those are my feelings, plus I appreciate the extra head room.

In 2011 - I bought a Marmot Limestone 4P versus the Limelite for less than $300 shipped. It's a solid tent, 150d nylon oxford bathtub floor, 2 main poles form an X over the sleeved, not clip-on top portion of the tent body. I like the rain fly with nine guy points, which stretches out several inches beyond the bottom edges of the tent body.

Cons: Only one vestibule entry way, which affects ventilation, but also prevents any access to the rear vestibule area under the fly from inside the tent. A minor nitpick - the bath tub floor is a tad on the shallow side for my taste. So, like the reviewer below - I give it a solid 3 out 5 rating.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3BTJYLX4YN06Q/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_viewpnt?ie=UTF8&ASIN=B004MYF4CO#R3BTJYLX4YN06Q

The Marmot design utilizes two brow poles in addition to the above mentioned cross poles. The brow poles allow for a near vertical entry way on the tent body - which places the tent floor several inches behind the top edge of the vestibule opening of the rain fly. There are no issues with dripping water coming into the tent when opening the vestibule. I use the optional foot print to protect the floor, which Marmot does not include with the tent.

 

Hey, got you hardcore backpackers/campers, I have a question. I have one of those small stoves that screws onto the can of fuel. Any idea how long an 8 ounce can of fuel should last?

 

Day trip up Tumbledown Mountain yesterday for some foliage-viewing.

 

Most home-made and freeze-dried meals take about 2 cups of boiled water, so we think about an 8 oz fuel canister providing 20 "boils" of 2 cups, the smaller ones give 10. So on a 4 day weekend trip, you can get by with a small can or 1/2 of a large can

 

A while. They are rated for about 80 minutes. I don't think I have ever run one completely out, but probably 40 times boiling 2 cups of water. Less if you're doing actual cooking. More if you have a more efficient stove like a Jetboil or MSR Windburner.

 

Also to note that Skier lives in Colorado at some kind of altitude (I assume). I am in Texas, at low elevation and high temp. Temp and altitude will obviously alter your usage.

I agree that one small one will work for a 4 day weekend with some buffer built in so you have extra just in case.

 

Yes, most of my backpacking is above 11,000'. YMMV, I backpack 20+ nights a season here and work in the industry...our water boils at a lower temp but we also have less O2 for combustion.

 

Just bought a new tent. MSR Elixir 3, can't wait to try it out this weekend.

 

Nice! I was looking into this one as well. I have a CVT RTT for regular camping but im trying to get into backpacking as well. How mnay people are you putting in this?

 

The high speed SD card I bought will write bursts of 10 images per second instantly. Hasn't bogged down the camera yet at all. I haven't tested it on 30 pics yet, but it handles 10 like it's a single pic.

*update*

I just set it to 30/1 and it took exactly 4 seconds to write those to the card and be ready for the next shots.

Using a 128GB SanDisk ExtremePLUS microSDHC UHS-1 Card. It's a class 3 designed for handling 4K UHD.

I was getting just over a dozen boils out of the 4oz canisters at altitude (at least 10,000') this past summer. At least one hot meal a day and one pot of water for coffee. I was using a Jetboil Flash though, so it will depend on the efficiency of your stove, the temps, altitude, how quick you shut it down (are you just boiling water or simmering cooking food) etc. With that said, I would get at least 25 boils out of an 8oz in those conditions.

 

Usually there will only be two (Me and my son (9) but I got the 3 option incase the family went and we didn't want to take the grand castle tent (10x19).

Now I need to decide on a pack to put it in. Been looking at a North Face Terra 65. Most of the time this will be used for Cub Scout trips but it's also a better option for camping on the guy trips with the smaller footprint.

 

My dilemma is that I use my rain pants also as wind protection for going over the passes on cold mornings. If I bring the kilt instead of the rain pants, I feel like I might be missing out on that full leg coverage. Dammit, now I have to make a decision.

 

When it comes to packs, just go in and try them all on with a load. REI will do this for free, and you can try all of the packs you want. Have them stuff 30# of their weight pillows into each one, and you can find the right pack that fits you. There's no better way to get this done. You'll be surprised and will likely go with a pack that you didn't expect.

 

I have a Terra 65. I bought it at a pretty huge discount and it was only like $98 or something like that. I like it, but will likely get an Osprey/Gregory if I start to do some really serious stuff. It is definitely made from durable material though.

 

If you're trying to get into backpacking, do not get a 3p tent.

 

It would be for myself and girlfriend. Our goal at some point is to hit the grand canyon rim to rim over 3 days. What size tent would you recommend?

 

I've done that very hike. And a rim-rim-and back.

If backpacking is your goal, I suggest a 2 person tent. They start getting too heavy beyond that. You've got to carry everything. Remember that.

As for a specific tent, I'll defer to the others here. I graduated to hammock camping over 10 years ago. Haven't looked back.

 

Been meaning to share a few photos from a fly-fishing/camping trip I did back in late June/early July. Fly-fishing pics were posted in that forum. Here's a few from the camping perspective:

I really like Alps Mountaineering tents - great value & quality. I own 3.
Since I could drive fairly close to the site I opted for the cot option as well as the 10x10 canopy over the picnic table.....fantastic for when it rains.

And my Coleman extreme 36 qt cooler kept a block of ice for 4 days with temps near 90 on a couple of those days. I did keep in covered in the shade with a piece of canvas.

http://www.coleman.com/36qt-xtreme-marine-cooler/3000003701.html