Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

I liked my Luci light.....but I lost it after my Utah trip and I don't currently know where it is.

 

Probably Utah

 

I got my girlfriend one of these a year ago, it is awesome! Great battery life, bright enough for just about anything around a table and because it doesn't burn anything you can use it in a tent.

 

I have the slightly smaller Orbit. I like it a lot as well.

 

My camping light is a 1954 Coleman 237 kerosene lantern. One mantle, 500 candle power.
Here is an old photo of a newer version 237. 1961 I think. (I have a few of them.)
I was cooking 3 lbs of salmon at Winhall Brook in Vermont.
I gave the stove to my nephew, I now use a Coleman 413E.
The older stove is a 425D or E. (1960s)
I have a lot of stoves.

 

Those Coleman ovens are the BOMB for car camping. We have 2 of them, and when we do our group camps, you can cook anything in them. Pizza rolls and cinnamon rolls are my fav's.

 

The ZPacks models take 8 guylines, and you can use their optional carbon fiber support poles so you can day hike with your trekking poles (or still be able to set up your tent if you break a trekking pole). My Solplex with 10 tent stakes (2 spares), repair kit, stuff sack, and the optional CF poles comes to a total of 1.38 lbs packed. I'm surprised how quick it is to pitch, even with that many guylines, and how stable it is. The low profile already makes it very aerodynamic, and because it doesn't stretch like nylon or polyester, you always keep a taut pitch once it's set up. The inside of the tent is roomy enough for a 6'6" tall person and a large sleeping pad, and the vestibule is big enough for my pack and shoes. Not much room left inside once you have your pad and bag in there, though. I never put much gear in my tent at all besides my clothes bag, phone, and headlamp anyways. My clothes bag is my pillow.

Here it is using the carbon fiber poles instead of the trekking poles. That other half of the beak comes down and they connect at the points with a double-J hook. I was yanking on this setup pretty damn hard and I felt confident it would hold in decent winds (if faced correctly away from wind). The back wall is a solid piece that still creates a bit of a vestibule, too. In areas with soft soil or above treeline with no soil, rocks work just fine as guy points or to put on top of your stakes in soft or sandy ground. No issues at all with the MSR Needle Tent Stakes.

Petzl makes great stuff. I went with the somewhat heavy new Black Diamond Storm and it throws amazing light out of its large LED for doing night hiking when you really want to see far ahead. The low power red and green LEDs are perfect for seeing quite well in your direct area (green is much brighter). It takes 4 AAA batteries so it's 3.9oz with batteries, but even at the full 500 lumens setting, it lasts for days.

Luci lights are great. At $10 a pop, you can't beat it. Tie it to the outside of your pack during the day and it will run for 12 hours on a full charge. The one I bought has the clear bottom so it's also a flood-style flashlight. I used 2 of them this year for my wife and I, but I don't carry it anymore because the headlamp is all that I really need.

 

IMO, the BD Storm is one of, if not the best, headlamps for the money. I own 2 of them (1 original and 1 of the newer versions). They have performed flawless in all conditions, including rain and snow. Some vendors still carry the original version so be sure to get the most update one. It has a much higher light output and includes green lights (the original only has red and white).

 

Just found this thread and thought I would sub, I'm all about gear haha

I will contribute!
My backpack is a rei flash 65 pack with a osprey sage green rain cover.
-the flash was designed off of the osprey but I like the hip supports on the flash, crazy comfy (especially compared to my wild land firefighting packback haha)
-I like 65 because you can carry everything you need plus just a little camera equipment, anything more and you're over packing and adding too much weight...

Here's from my birthday in may last year, me and my dad got a permit to back back up into Yosemite valley. (Bear canister suck) and me eating my birthday dinner!
These are the only pictures I have of the pack..

 

That's a full load! What trails did you take?

 

we had limited time, We went up to mirror lake then up snow creek falls switch backs, about a 2000' elevation gain, then go to the top of yosemite falls and down that way, but that upper trail was still snowed in early may, but we found a awesome overlook that we camped on onto of snow creek falls, you could see from clouds rest all the way to north dome, pretty epic for just a two day trip. I also saw a avalanche off of half dome which was pretty intense. My main goal was to get a milky way photo over half dome and the arngle from snow creek was perfect, but overcast killed that plan. I would like to go back soon to backpack. I also want to backpack olympic NP, I just scratched the surface there and it looked awesome!
That's where my profile shot is taken from, about 2/3rds up the switch backs right before we walked into the clouds, this was the biggest break of the overcast that day.

the avalanche, behind the clouds is half dome

my tent was basically right behind me

the top of snow creek falls before it falls to the valley floor


(I have .tiff high quality pictures of these don't worry, these are just low quality .jpg's for internet purpose haha)

 

next time you're in Yose, holler. Theres a lot more to be hiked than most do. (this is my playground/backyard)

 

I grew up going there every year for vacation. Used to see The Firefall.
An awesome place to explore away from the valley.

 

Going up to Tahoe next weekend. It's a family trip. I'm planning to spend 1 day snowboarding and one day exploring on foot. Will most likely rent some snow shoes. But my question is any good day hike trails there you guys recommend?

 

Yo. JRB UQ still up for grabs. $100 shipped...

 

Yeah I know there is a lot past the valley, way too much traffic but it was a good experience.
I'm gearing up to do the PCT section that goes through the upper sierras, I forget whats it called, maybe the Muir trail section? Or Ansel Adams wilderness? I forget off the top of my head.
Like I said time wasn't on our side and toga pass was closed that time of year so it was a day trip just getting there from Reno

I am trying to see )explore as many different national parks as I can, I wish we had time to check out sequoia and kings too.. I have one of those National Parks passport that I'm trying to fill in, and get a patch from every place.

but on the gear side again, I don't know how many of you guys have seen this but its a pretty slick blanket, it's called a Kachula, the surface is waterproof! Pretty neat piece of gear!its like hydrophobic I think

 

It's ver touristy but you could do the Flume trail (east side) with snow shoes, you can start from spooner, or by incline. It's a vey easy trail but it gives a great view for just a day hike and not being familiar with he Tahoe basin. (that's my neck of the woods haha)

 

Thanks. I'll look into it. The less crowds the better however. But I know it's a holiday weekend so prob won't be able to escape the crowds. Just hoping most will be on the slopes instead.

 

I don't think there will be too many people on the trails. Or you could go up Mt. Rose.
Depends on the ski resort you're going to, some get packed any day you go