Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

Kinda gives off that jungle cult vibe too, which I find keeps errant kids from biking through my camp site at all hours.

 

broom stick into the front spokes usually stops that too

 

I always use dead fall, that way I can blame nature.

 

Under the category "Act of God".

 

I remember some really bad 1980’s cop show or something in which dirt bikers were mysteriously ending up over the handle bars with no evidence of something jamming the spokes. The bad guy (the one always winning the races of course) was shooting rods of dry ice into competitor’s front spokes and the evidence would sublimate away. I’m sure whatever writer came up with that thought it was awesome.

 

On the shade thing the one advantage a camo net has is much lower wind load if you camp where wind is an issue. Of course a tarp properly pitched with wind in mind can also be very secure. Still I’ve been very happy listening to my camo net rustle in the wind as opposed to tarp snaps. Camo net packs surprisingly compactly and can just be stuffed willy nilly into a stuff sack.

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Detailed post from my build.

 

I remember some show with an ice bullet as well, of course.. for JFK.

 

Has anyone used the waterproof/UV treatments on any gear? I'm thinking about doing both my Kelty tarps and would like feedback. Maybe the rainfly for my tent too.

 

Found this on Amazon:

$54 STAR BRITE Waterproofing Spray, Waterproofer + Stain Repellent + UV Protection - 1 GAL (081900N)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000AY4RE/ref=ox_sc_act_title_8?smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER&psc=1

 

I treated my old small guide tent with that. It lasted about 6 months of weekend uses before the UV light broke it down enough for a replay. But water did bead off for sure

 

@DoorDing
@DVexile

Delorme Inreach.

Amazon has these priced really low now.

DeLorme AG-008727-201 InReach Explorer Two Way Satellite Communicator with Built in Navigation

https://www.amazon.com/DeLorme-inReach-SE-Satellite-Tracker/dp/B00I6EY01C
299.99

Garmin has lowered the price also.
https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/561269
WAS $449.99
NOW $374.99

Maybe there is a newer model coming SOON.

Since I do not rely on them for navigation, I may upgrade and sell my old one.
They are great for two way communication, and for an occasional "Where am I now?"

May upgrade, maybe not.

Ken in NC

 

What portable battery backup do you use for the electronics you bring?
I am looking at this one. A few reviews I saw are good. Someone always says an item is crap though.

$26 Anker PowerCore 10000 Portable Charger, 10000mAh Power Bank, Ultra-Compact Battery Pack, Phone Charger for iPhone 15/15 Plus/15 Pro/15 Pro Max, Samsung and More

https://www.amazon.com/Anker-PowerCore-Ultra-Compact-High-speed-Technology/dp/B0194WDVHI
Amazon's Choice ... Price: $29.99

Anker website:
https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powercore-speed-10000/A1266011

 

I've used that one but not heavily yet because it's heavier than I'd like to carry in the field. I mainly got it to charge my tablet while on a reserve with limited electricity in Ecuador, for which it worked fine. We use the small ankers for work all the time and they're perfectly light and easy. We use them for data entry on smart phones while performing biological/environmental surveys and the data entry and mapping apps are battery-intensive, so they see a lot of use. They only charge smart phones fully maybe twice, if you don't have a big smart phone, though.

 

Thanks.

If you think it is heavy ...
There is this one.
https://www.anker.com/products/variant/powercore-5000/A1109011

 

Thanks for the heads up! I'm probably going to keep my eye on their new "InReach Mini" that is smaller and lighter with a MSRP of $349. Hopefully street price will settle around $300.

I'm using an older Anker one I bought back in 2014. No issues with it at all to date. It is an older 13000mAh one that isn't made any more. I've had pretty good luck with Anker stuff in general.

So be aware that damn near anything that has a lithium battery in it that ends up near the top of Amazon's search will eventually have a counterfeit copy made by some Chinese company. When you buy from Amazon you have no way of knowing whether you'll get the actual say Anker device or a counterfeit. Because Amazon treats all inventory - both 3rd party and theirs - as the same if it has the same UPC it doesn't matter which vendor you choose to buy from. Whatever item with that UPC on it is nearest to you that's the one they will ship to you. So you could order from "Anker Direct" on Amazon but then Amazon actually sends you box that was given to them by "Super Lucky Number One Power Products" and was a counterfeit. That's how the counterfeiters work - they exploit Amazon's common inventory system.

So for reviews do a sort by date and if the recent stuff is getting lower reviews the counterfeiters have probably gotten to it. In that case don't order it from Amazon, go to the manufacturer's website and order it from there instead.

 

Good to know.
I had wondered if 10,000 was enough.

 

However, if you always buy items that state they are shipped and sold by Amazon.com, Amazon's customer service will fix any issues you have pretty much instantly without having to involve the third party seller.

 

I have three Ankers. A 13,000, a 20,000, and a 5,000 that doubles as a wall charger.

I love them all. Have had zero issues.

I actually own a lot of Anker products and they have all been fantastic (3 bluetooth speakers, headphones, countless cables, wireless charging pads, etc.).

 

Am also looking at this one.
Portable Charger PowerCore 20100mAh
https://www.anker.com/products/variant/portable-charger-powercore-20100mah/A1271012

I may get all 3. Nice to have an option for different situations.
The old powerbanks I have are not even enough to fill any device even once.


And yes, I did see ANKERDIRECT and AMAZON fulfills the order. I can check to see what I get as soon as I get it.

 

The Delorme inReach is old technology, and $299 for old tech is not a good price. Garmin bought Delorme a couple years ago, so the new Garmin inReach Explorer+ is the latest tech, which you can find for $349 now. Hell, I got the new one last year for $349.

Anker products will not let you down. I have many of their power banks, cables and wall chargers and none have failed me yet. Hundreds of miles backpacking with them so far. They're not waterproof/dustproof so keep them in a Ziploc or small dry bag if you're taking them in places that are dusty or rainy.

I doubt the new inReach will hit $300 until they come out with a completely new model. The new Mini is the only new product in the Garmin inReach line, and it uses the same platform but scaled down with no on-screen map or color. It works best synced to your phone with the Earthmate app (works offline).

I have the new inReach Mini and have had a few days to play around with battery life on the most aggressive tracking settings. I'm rather impressed with it so far, and have gotten a battery consumption of right around 20% drain over a solid 8 hour use with the tracking settings at 1 second waypoint tracking and 30 minute pings sent out to the online map. Half the size and weight of the full-size Explorer+ but it basically works the same.

^^ this. I've got the same, plus a small 6500mAh model that's the size of a small candy bar. All are awesome.

The 10,000 and the 20,000 are probably the most used when it comes to longer trips and also depends on how many devices you charge. I can make the 20,000 last a full week and it keeps my phone, inReach and Canon G7X camera all charged for a solid 7 days.