Ultimate Camping Thread

What I do to make my life easy is start with stuff like bag salads, instant mashed potatoes (Idahoan brand), pre-cut vegetables (get what you like, chop and bag at home). Precook stuff like chicken that you can heat up in foil or leave it raw and BBQ. I like to choose stuff that's quick to cook. A thin skirt steak or pork cutlet. Something that takes a bit longer and isn't quite as efficient for 1 is a tri-tip. The same is true for chicken or even turkey thighs.

I've been trying out some of the pre-made Indian curries too-you add chicken and heat them up. That allows you to cook everything at home and use the curry to heat it up.

A propane BBQ is more useful than a stove since it's a lot like an oven. The only cleanup is whatever you make the taters in. Most of those require about 2c of water and 5min to make-you could make those in a container and just wipe it out.

I can feed 4 in 20 minutes and not have too much to clean up. I can feed myself a little faster but not much.

Edit: stuff I need to heat up, like a chop or veg, can go in foil. if you really wanna make it easy, buy some foil pans.

 

I used to do a lot of solo hunting or fishing trips with just a little tiny backpack with everything I needed, but the past few years it seems we're car camping since I started bringing the missus along. We cover a lot of ground on a weekend and seldom stop except for the odd photo or to stare at a critter. Due to the nature of the isolated places we go we don't even find a place to set up camp until 1am or later a lot of nights.

Soooooo I don't even fuck around with real food. 95% of the time I just boil up some water in a jetboil stove and we have mountain house meals. I used to make my own dehydrated meals since it's much cheaper but now we're both so busy the food dehydrator is a figurehead. When we decide to head out on a trip for the weekend it's usually spur of the moment and it's usually 500km or more drive so this is a perfect option for us since the stuff is all already sitting in the truck anyway. It doesn't go bad so I keep a stock of it in the truck, along with the rest of our camping gear, spare parts, tools. It's all there so we can just haul ass when we both find ourselves with a couple of days off together.

I have a jetboil sumo pot that boils 1L in a couple minutes, pour 500ml in each pouch, set them aside and by the time we have camp set up they are still too hot to eat lol. When done we just toss the package in the fire and theres zero food scent for the bears to find. Just clean the two sporks with a bit of dish soap and pour the water in the fire to vapourize that too. In the morning there's a blueberry oats in milk one that you just add water to, no cooking. That's a favorite of ours then we just supplement with normal snack food for the rest of the morning as needed while driving. Chocolate covered almonds, beef jerky, whatever is your thing until lunch time rolls around. If there's more time the different bacon/egg, ham/egg, omelette or skillet options are good too. It's retarded what you can make into dehydrated food.

On longer trips it's a completely different ball game and we cook real food, but usually if it's a longer trip we're with other people that carry 500 pounds of food, coolers, and equipment with a group cooking setup.

 

good to hear! I just got it out of the box last night and I like it thus far. I need to adjust it all still but It seems well built

I am converting from the external frame pack (always said I would never do it but decided it was time to upgrade) and definitely like the external pockets. The tag on the bag says it weighs 5 lbs 5oz. I got the 80L because I do a lot of winter camping as well and I usually fill my 5500 Kelty Tioga external frame pack completely. My trips generally consist of 3-4 days and depending on the weather conditions I may pack more. I am getting ready to go on a trip and had most of the stuff im taking already in the tioga pack so I just swapped everything over and put it in this pack (4900) and i still have enough room to put my -10 degree sleeping bag and maybe a few other things in there. The room for organization in the new one is so much better than the external.

 

Try either one of these. They secure on with a big hose clamps so you can put them on your exhaust manifolds.

http://www.flat-o.com/snowmobile/hotdogger.htm

http://muffpots.com/index.php?main_...id=160&zenid=d63e69002721f0a3e25b67b390f0a3e1

 

Man 80L is huge! I use a 55L even for winter (though sometime ill up it to a 65 if really needed) and thats including my mountaineering stuff! Though to be fair the group i usually go with splits up everything. One person gets the fly, one person the tent, one the poles type deal the if i had to carry it all id just strap it on the outside.

But that is my style of hiking. I hate heavy packs lol.

Another option is to use the food saver type vacuum packages and do your food that way. Ive done that quite a few times before. Make whatever you want at home then put it in the bags and seal it. When you are ready to heat it up, just get a pot of water boiling, add the bag, wait 5 minutes (well time really depends what it is and if its frozen or not), take bag out and cut open and eat right out of the bag (like you would with a freeze dried meal).

Ive done Salmon and rice, pastas, chicken, all sorts of things this way and it works well. Pretty much anything you cook at home you can do this way as the boiling in water is the same idea as microwaving leftovers lol. As a bonus you get purified water if you boil it too!




I ordered a Sea to Summit Spark 1 sleeping bag. Just waiting for REI to work their magic and get it to me. Bit hesitant on it but we will see! 45 degree bag but it weights under a pound and packs to the size of a grapefruit. Thought is to use it as my summer bag (duh) but then also be able to use it as a liner bag in my 3/4 season bag (cats meow 32 degree bag) for nights that is around 30-35 degrees instead of having to layer up tons. But we will see. Have to get the thing and test it out first!

 

Yep! Cook what you want at home fully. I usually make enough for dinner that night. Then just put your swerving size in the bag and seal it up. Then just toss it in the cooler till ready. Then just warm it up in hot or boiling water.

I haven't tried anything super fancy but simplier things like as pasta, chicken, salmon and rice, beef stew, all those have worked great

I like it for backpacking. Can also freeze the food solid and it'll stay cold enough to have it the second night. Just have to wrap it in paper towels and put it in a zip lock bag for while it thaws out

 

I enjoy food and don't look at it as just fuel. 1/2 the fun of cooking at camp for us is the prep. We do an assembly line and get everyone involved. I tend to eat better at camp than at home. We are also car camping not backpacking.

Lisa - you crazy! I camp with guys for up to a week and they have plenty of room in their first gens for over weeks worth of gear/food/beer and they can fit two people with kayaks.

Not sure what all you fill the cab with, but time to lighten the load if you have to bring crappy hiking food car camping.

 

Hmm, You might try it from a hunter's point of view, you need to...

Get up earlier.
Trail snacks for lunch.
Make your dinner later.

For me, I rise at 2:30 in the am. I cook bacon, eggs, sausage, home fries, the works. I cook outdoors on the tail gate with a headlamp and a lantern.
I'm on the trail to my spot by 3:30. I arrive just before sunup.

No set time for lunch. When I'm hungry, I eat. Kind of an all day snack.
Granola bars, breakfast bars, liquid snickers, crackers, lots of cheese and sausage.

Dinner is the reverse, I get back after dark and cook in the dark. Usually something pre-made from home like was suggested earlier and just heat it up. I eat the Mtn. House stuff too, I find it's not bad with lots of pepper...

I average about 5-6 hours of sleep each night and tend to nap during the noon hour cause the animals are snoozing too.

We do not have the bear problem that Montana has so there is that little perk to cooking meat outdoors, and my coolers are on the ground

But I pack for two weeks straight camping out of the truck, so I understand the need to be an efficient packer.

 

This is what I do when back packing. I love the mid day naps!

 

Figured you guys would find this project interesting- especially for expedition & camping rigs. Using a heat exchanger to use engine heat to heat up an on board shower

http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/showthread.php?t=215548
There's two threads on this now, a third how- to will come soon

I'm going hunting for a week soon I'll find out if it works or not!

 

Estes Park CO




WY/MT border




Somewhere in IDAHO

 

I'm looking to buy a new pair of hiking shoes , what brand would you guys recommend? I have Columbia right now and I'm not to happy with them. I need something stronger and waterproof.

 

What surfaces/where are you going to be using them?

 

I had 2 pairs the addidas gtx ones I liked them quite a bit they were comfortable and waterproof and on the lighter end. I would defiantly get another pair. The only problem I have had is the sole will start to peel off once all the tread is gone.

The only reason I didn't is EMS had a sale so I just picked up a pair of the Solomon Gore-Tex shoes. They have a bit more support and are heavier but they are still comfortable and seem well made. I have had them for a month so time will tell how good they are.

 

I love my Lowa rangers they are the best piece of footwear I have ever had.

 

^This! It all depends on the terrain. Match the shoe to the terrain. I hike in rocks so a proper backpacking boot with aggressive tread works the best for me.

On the waterproof note, I agree with TimmyB. I personally have nothing but hatred for gore-tex liners and similar membrane technologies. Might as well wrap my foot in kitchen saran warp. Snow-yes, anything else, forget it!

It's difficult to find a non-waterproof backpacking boot, but it can be done.