Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Anyone else get one of those Marlboro sleeping bags a hundred years ago? I still love mine! It’ll be on top of a Nemo Tensor this year. Can’t wait to try it!

 

A friend climbed Rainer with a bunch of Marlboro gear in the 90s.

 

ah the 90's! only 30 years ago, sorry misspoke.

 

I posted the original question about the cot/tent size. Ended up getting a Big Agnes 2P tent. Just got it, going to set it up in the yard to see. Have not purchased a cot yet, might review some of the mattress options.
And yes, this is for car/truck camping. I didn't want a large full-blown tent, as I don't camp that much/long, and didn't want the hassle of setting up a big-ass tent.
Thanks for all the tips though! definitely food for thought!

 

FWIW the bigger tents can be fairly quick to set up solo. Our 'family' tent is a 6p coleman w/ screen room (variation of this https://www.coleman.com/camp-sports...t-with-screen-room-rock-grey/SAP_2207041.html) and even solo it goes up in 5 minutes. For it, though, since it's family camping we're running a queen air mattress, which isn't the warmest but hey helps having a lady in the 2p sleeping bag for mutual warmth. Plus we don't family camp when it's too nasty anyway.

 

Car camping has always allowed me privilege not permitted backpacking.
I love my Springbar Outfitter tent. Easy to set up.

 

Welp… the new pack felt great, the tent went up easy, sleeping pad stayed inflated, GPS worked well, and the sleeping bag was warmer than it needed to be. All in all it was a great trip:

 

Just a thought on your gear, assuming you are backpacking with your cell phone on you. Ive switched entirely away from a handheld GPS over to OnX app on my phone. The only thing you have to do is download an offline map of the area you will be hiking. GPS has always been accurate and trails are 99% on point. It's just one less thing to keep charged and carry around while you are out.

Also the iPhone 14 and higher can now text via satellite which essentially all but did away with my need for the Garmin mini. The only thing I keep it around for now is the SOS function.

 

So I thought about this before picking up a new gps unit while trying to justify the $500 (GPSMAP 67i; $600 when not on sale!) price tag. I've used my phone for satellite messaging since they released it and use OnX Hunt to ensure I'm not crossing property lines when out hunting. My only gripes with the iPhone as my sole GPS/SOS/messaging tool are that I have no redundancy, in the cold (when I use GPS the most and am rarely on trails) it dies pretty quickly, and in snowy/wet conditions, the touchscreen functionality gets a bit ornery. Plus I like having a dedicated "outdoor built" unit to minimize the risk of damaging the phone by dropping, falling, etc in the field.

Carrying a power bank to recharge the phone on multi-day trips would cost me about 6-9 ounces depending on capacity. The GPS Unit I bought weighs about 8 ounces, so it's a wash in pack weight.

I'm big on redundancies so I'll always carry my phone with me as a backup, but a handheld GPS unit is my comfort zone. I'm not an UL backpacker or hiker so I don't mind 8 ounces. My base pack weight is a shade over 14 pounds right now, and I'd rather shave those 8 ounces off elsewhere for the peace of mind. But I may download OnX Backcountry (I think that's the hiking app?) just to have another option beyond All Trails.

 

Yea most of my backpacking is backcountry hunting so I’m rarely more than 15 miles from base camp so I get where you’re coming from.

 

Where was the trip? That 3rd photo looks a lot like dropping into the Domelands but it's been way to hot for 8000' elevation. lol

As far as redundancy goes. Paper map and compass is my redundancy. I use my Android phone with BackCountry Nav Pro and carry a 10K power bank. It works well for me. If it ever goes down then I get old school. So far it's worked fine for 5 day or less trips.

As far as the weight saving thing goes. If it's worth it to you to carry a dedicated GPS that's all that matters. Every year my wife asks if I'm going to get a "lighter" pack. My pack is a 20 year old Osprey Aether 60. It's a touch over 4 lbs. I could easily shave 2 pounds by going with a modern ultra-light pack. I don't simply because that Aether carries 40 lbs for miles more comfortably then any other pack and I've tried many.

 

I hear ya on the pack. I rocked my osprey argon 85 til the straps literally fell off of it. By the time I retired it, it had so many patches from a speedy stitch that I’m not sure it had many original stitching left

 

We did the PCT to Cooper Canyon Trail Camp up in Angeles National Forest; very short trip.

I'm with you on going old school when needed- I always bring a compass and a map whenever I head out just in case all the tech fails. I also recently bought a 6k bank as another emergency backup- Should give me a full GPS charge and about 80% phone charge if I'm remembering my math correct.

One of the other pack options I was seriously considering was an Osprey Exos 58, but the girl at REI shared that she has it and it gets a little squirrelly when you're loaded up over 30 pounds. Not that I expect to be at that pack weight frequently, but the Greg's load capacity is 50 lbs (exos is at 35) and I like the ability to carry a bit more, comfortably, in case it's ever needed. Both are a far cry from the 6 pound Kelty Redcloud 110 I bought over 10 years ago that was the wrong size and fit me awkwardly lol. That thing was a beast and such overkill for my needs but it did the job.

 

I actually have the Argon hipbelt on my Aether because it was so much better padded then the Aether belt. The bottom is held together with duct tape and a few scraps of the original material. All straps are still intact amazingly enough. I keep thinking of sending it into Osprey for warranty work. lol

Sweet trip man. I'm gonna head out tomorrow with a day pack and see where I end up. The beauty of living in Bishop is my options are endless. lol

Gregory make exceptional packs and always has. Can't go wrong with any of their stuff.

 

I’ve still never been to Bishop- need to get up there. Planning on doing Whitney next summer or the one after but there’s plenty of time to venture a bit further north and check it out before then.

Agree on the Gregory packs. I have a Zulu 34-ish that I used to use for climbing and it was a great pack- Still bust it out from time to time but for short day hikes I use a little Inertia 20. Didn’t even intentionally go brand exclusive- got the day pack as a gift and I don’t even remember buying the Zulu- was probably 7 years ago at this point.

 

I clocked in 15 lbs of unused gear and food on my last trip. Some people are unfixable.

 

Man I’d love to get into mountaineering. I think I’ve done enough climbing and hiking to be able the blend the knowledge/technique/gear into safely tackling moderate objectives.

Looking at your picture makes me want to take out my climbing gear and start handling/tinkering with it.

 

+1 on the Aether. I think mine’s 15 years old. Saving a pound on a lighter pack that then carries the load poorly is the worst.

 

Yep, ultralight is great, but I've found those packs are also ultra-weak. They make them with volume enough to hold 50 lbs but try and load them that much for a long trip 10 days of food, packraft, etc.) and they're uncomfortable and end up falling apart. Would rather add the 2+lbs for a bombproof comfortable load.

I carry paper maps as first reference. Sometimes will bring a GPS on long remote trips. Prefer to ditch the screen when in the wilds...

 

It took my wife and I about a half hour first time, bedroom and bathroom lol . Partion in the middle, a little privacy for boom boom. Our screen room is awesome, has no floor, put it right over the picnic table, bug free dining