Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Which one. The enigma?
Mine gets used more often on the couch. My wife loves it. What colors did you choose?

in the fried. The jury is still out with me.

 

Custom Revelation. Purple and red. 40*, 850 down, and draft collar.

 

Does anyone have a recommendations for a self inflating sleeping pad? It will be used in a tent on the ground. Car camping not backpacking so I'm not overly concerned with size or weight. I'd like to stay under $120-150.

Thanks!

 

My fiancee has this one: https://www.rei.com/product/168254/rei-co-op-groundbreaker-self-inflating-sleeping-pad and it works well for her. Rolls up nicely into a long bag and all. I ended up getting a similar one from MEC (Canada's REI equivalent) since I thought I could make a z-mat work. First night on a z-mat and we were camping in one of the driest hardest places I've ever camped.

 

On the topic of pads, are there any closed cell foam pads over 2 R value? I'm looking for a system good down to about 15 degrees, and rugged/light enough to backpack with. Everything I've found seems to be something to the effect of "double up, go inflatable, or both."

 

Thermarest Base Camp pads have an R-value of 6.

 

It’s nice to not have to inflate and spend $$$. But a thermarest xtherm is durable, warm, comfortable and lightweight. I’ve spent a lot of nights on mine. I’d say the only drawback (aside from price and blowing) is that it doesn’t have a wide size which reduces its warmth for me when sleeping on snow.

 

Just Thermarest... but a start.
https://www.thermarest.com/blog/sleeping-pad-r-value-rankings/

 

Question for the chemists or chemically inclined in the room: I'm looking for a way to bulk-infuse some clothes that are poly-cotton with wax as a breathable waterproofing and durability measure. Elbow grease is an option that I've used before and works well as a way to touch up a garment but as an initial layer I'm hoping for a method more suited to doing larger swathes of clothing, without destroying it or making it reek for weeks.

 

Getting older, I’m starting to really appreciate a good night’s rest. I splurged on an Exped mega mat 10 from REI a couple of years ago. It’s def not for backpacking, but it’s a very comfortable self-inflating mattress for tents or sleeping in the shell of my truck. It runs about $200, I think, but I wouldn’t car camp without it.

 

A great noob question about the tailgate. Is there anything besides the bed lightning switch I need to be aware of if I plan on putting the tailgate down for a couple nights for a camping trip? Thanks in advance

 

A thread over on Classic Camp Stoves, members only lounge area.
https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/diy-waxed-cloth.42668/
The thread starts with this link.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waxed_cotton
Also...
https://www.filson.com/signature-materials.html

https://youtu.be/dvZczKZfvF4
https://youtu.be/Mglw9EYoBBI

 

Stearin (stearic acid) in acetone was suggested as a solution on other forums so I'm going to start looking into these methods and the ones others suggested, then hopefully report back with some results.

 

I use a Therm-A-Rest Prolite Plus for car camping and kayak camping. 1.5" deep, 1 lb 7 oz, R-value of 3.4. About $105 at REI. Very comfy.

 

Yep, same here but i take it on my backpacking trips.. im not one to cut weight when it means back pain or a sleepless night. Ill carry that heavy pad because for me its worth its weight in gold

 

Anyone have experience with the newer line of mats from Exped? I just discovered the "Deep Sleep" line. 3" thick vs 4" for the green colored ones.
http://www.exped.com/usa/en/blog/new-2020-deepsleep-mats

 

I just bought an exped downmat for serious winter use. Don’t know whether it’s a new or old model. I slept on it 3 nights car camping this summer in high mountains and it was comfortable but not used yet in real conditions.

 

FYI. I believe it important not to use my breath to inflate my down mats.
The 'blower-uppers' they make, the Snoozle, works great.

 

Yea I’m going with that assumption too. Don’t love the blow up bag. It and the undersized stuff sack take some initial cursing and getting used to

 

Anyone have a favorite day pack/day pack size?

I'm finding myself wanting more room than the bag/hydration pack I'm currently using, Camelbak NV Mule. This was my old mountain biking pack and it's kind of filled the void for now.
Don't need anything huge, will likely just be carrying some snacks, maybe a towel and a change of clothes, maybe my backpacking chair, and some camera gear.