Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Any recommendations on rechargeable batteries? Looking to charge it up off of the outlet in the bed then charge my computer/phone etc off of it at night.

 

lol I have have both. and yeah you try Balut once and thats enough. My co-work likes it. I did have some decent durian but that stuff smells like a bag of trash left in the sun.

 

Portable battery/external battery? Might as well charge it before headed out or in the car via USB?

http://www.amazon.com/Photive-12000...id=1455174677&sr=8-1&keywords=photive+battery

I've used this over a year, but mainly for traveling when an outlet isn't available. I've charged my Iphone 6 about 5-6 times with it, from about 10% to 100%. Have not backpacked with it yet, quite a heavy litter sucker at 8 ounces.

 

Looking at getting a UL tent as I am selling my RTT and my work gave me a $250 visa gift card. I already have a 2 person backpacking tent that is pretty bomber. It handled 24" of snow and 40 mph wind but its tight and heavy

Here are the two I am looking at

http://www.rei.com/product/895955/big-agnes-fly-creek-hv-ul2-tent

http://www.rei.com/product/865389/big-agnes-copper-spur-ul-2-tent

 

I use a MSR Hubba Hubba, and its good. Super lightweight, goes up fast, and withstands winds. Currently it weighs in at about 55oz. I also like the double doors, wont have to bother your partner if you need to get out to use the restroom, Ive never used a BA UL2, but i use the UL1 for solo hikes.. not a fan of the front entrance.

There are also other options, but may require the use of trekking poles.

http://www.tarptent.com/double-rainbow.html
https://www.sixmoondesigns.com/tents/LunarDuo.html?redirected=1
http://zpacks.com/shelter/duplex.shtml

I've been deciding on one of the first two to upgrade and shed a couple ounces. I would love a Zpacks tent with the cuben fiber, but ain't got that kinda cash for a tent lol.

 

Thanks for the feedback and the other options! cuben tents always make me laugh when I see them because they remind me of a trash bag from a far. So spendy! I can't say much I have stupid expensive (Howling Moon) RTT that I didn't use as much as I thought.

 

How come you ended up not using it as much as you expected? and why the downgrade to a tent in that case?

 

I drive a FJ so its much higher and I can't put in my garage and have to be careful when going in a drive thru or parking structure. Also they actually take longer to set up and put down then my backpacking tent and I have to put it away every time I move my rig or want to drive somewhere. Also its a giant brick on my roof on a brick shaped SUV. I could just get a mountain bike but only solves part of the problem. It has some great features but the annoyance of setup and take down really makes me not like using it. I bought it because I got it for so cheap and figured I would see if it was something I liked. Turns out I prefer sleeping on the ground or away from my car.

 

Been once awhile back. Suppose to be going again this year. Hopefully everything works out.

 

No experience with either, but my friend had the fly creek and they ended up returning it after their first trip out. They said it was nice and light, but the single door and room just wasn't enough for them.

 

Thanks for the tip. I'm a wildfire fighter so from April-October I live out of my truck hence using the outlet in the bed to charge and store power for when I'm camped. Thanks for your input, I'll look into that one.

 

I have 2 of these and take at least one of them on every outing. Cheap, drop-proof, water resistant, dust proof, etc. In conjunction with a solar panel, you won't even need your bed inverter. Get a 14W panel and you'll recharge this thing every day in direct sunlight. I backpack with a flexible 7W solar panel and attach it to the top of my pack and it almost fully charges the battery every day.

These battery packs are great with solar, because even when you walk in and out of the shade, as soon as the sun hits the solar panel it starts charging the pack again. No buttons to press except when you use it to start charging your electronics.

Battery
http://www.amazon.com/Powerbank-Waterproof-Dustproof-Shockproof-Smartphone/dp/B00HY44VTQ

Solar Panel (13W and 7W)

SunLabz® Portable Solar Charger (7w) Ultra-Efficient Solar Panels

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MU8T7MM

WAY WAY WAY cheaper than any Goal Zero product.

 

Got my Osprey pack delivered today. It made my day.

 

That is a really affordable set up. I need something to charge my mac book though. Maybe I'll pick one of these up for my phone/iPad. Without the solar panel does is charge off of an outlet or cigarette lighter?

 

Unfortunately you'll have to get a large solar setup to charge a laptop, so this is for smaller devices. The battery has a micro usb input for wall charging either on solar or through your wall charger. It charges up fast (full charge from 0 in 1/2 day) on a good 2+ watt wall charger. 4 leds on the top show you the charge level, too.

 

I have an old sierra designs 2 man tent that is awesome, you can throw it up in less than 2 minutes by yourself. Problem is it weights nearly 8 pounds packed. I've searched for tents to replace it for backpacking and I like the looks of the hubba hubba. Have you seen much wear on it? How's the zipper, stitching, is it waterproof, what size does it pack down to?

 

hmmm solar panel group buy?

 

Everything is top notch! I've had it rain on me in the sierras and the bathroom tub worked great. Very little condensation if you keep the top zipper open and put a twig in between. Zippers works great, and the wear isn't bad either. I'm the third owner of this one. Comparison between my BA Fly creek UL1 and a coors light, just cause

 

tarptent.com

Take your pick. All great tents. All durable and ultra lightweight. All much more affordable than other lightweight options.