Camping and Backpacking GEAR thread

That's the Q. Biggest difference is the go anywhere is steel instead of aluminum which accounts for the price difference

 

Was looking at both those seem awesome suggestions. Ty

 

We cook at site every now and then. But these days we pre make a lot of meals that just need to be heated up over the fire. Helps make less of a mess when camping I think

 

For truck camping we use a jumbo Joe by Weber. If just me and wife we use the smaller smoky Joe. Both fit in a garbage bag when done. So it doesn't make a mess.

 

If you're going to campsites in state forests you might be better off going with propane since they aren't subjected to open fire restrictions that would make charcoal "illegal"

I do like the Q better than the go anywhere since it's aluminum and cast iron grate instead of steel and chrome wire grate, but it's 2x the price. If you're going to be using it a lot (including at home) the better materials would be worth it I think. If it's just for truck camping a handful of times a year, I'd probably save the cash.

 

I have a cast iron griddle that I use. Griddle on one side and a grill on the other. Works great on a fire if you have a couple rocks to prop it up with.

 

The Ursack is likely to never be approved in a few of the big National Parks. Bears still get some sort of reward if they get their hands on one, depending on contents. If they crush anything with a liquid, it will soak through and the bear will get a "taste". That's still a reward, and it only takes one reward encounter to reinforce the behavior to go after more Ursacks. Plus, many backpackers don't know how to do a proper hang, so bears will continue to have easy access to an Ursack.

I also wouldn't want to have my food crushed and have bear saliva all over everything. With all of your food wrappers compromised inside, and then bear drool soaked all into it, would you still eat it? I guess if your life depended on it. If I'm days away from a resupply, I sure don't want to deal with that.

 

^^this was my exact thoughts but articulated much more effectively haha

 

^^^^^
The gram weenies I know use a Carbon Fiber bear canister.

 

God id hate to see the price tag on that thing.

 

https://www.wild-ideas.net/
255.00 - 288.00 - 312.00 - 349.00 [USD]

 

Wow I expected them to be way more than that. Actually those are fairly affordable in the grand scheme of things

 

My 9" tall custom sized one was $268.60 when I bought it a year ago. Yes, it's more expensive than all of the others, but it's lighter than all others for its size, and it's much easier to get food in/out of. It also has a mouth as wide as the walls of the can, so it's easy to pack and to rummage through.

I taped a small rare earth magnet to the underside of the aluminum lid so it would be magnetic on top. Then I placed a tab of tape on the side of the washer so I could use it as a pull tab to remove the washer from the lid. The washer is how I open the cams. Way easier to deal with on cold mornings than the Bear Vaults. It also has a true gasket under the lid for keeping water out and keeping smells inside better.

 

Even dry food, when crushed and soaked with bear saliva, will turn to liquid and give the bear a food reward. Trust me, I'd love to be able to use an Ursack in all bear country to save the weight.

I put reflective stickers on mine, too. See above for the orange squares on the sides, top, and bottom. Wanted a quick way to spot it at night when it's placed away from camp or if it got batted down a hill and I had to find it.

 

How was your trip?

 

Trip was awesome! Spent the first day climbing at the Happies and then stopped by PVR to fish. didn't catch anything but still had a great time. we camped on BLM right by the crab cooker hot spring. second day we went back to the happies to climb again then just had lunch in town. we went down to Alabama Hills to camp the second night. A lot more crowded then BLM in bishop. No one camped near us at all in Bishop. both spots had their Pros. I'm looking forward to going back up that way for another trip just gotta find some time.

 

Always wanted to try the Ursack. it seems easier and lighter to pack the traditional bear canisters, but you make very valid points. For now I will just be using the BVs.

 

Hey, I need some input from some of you that have hiked and backpacked in Kentucky. My wife has a conference in Lexington in August and I’m going to tag along and do a little camping and hiking while she works. I don’t think I’ll be too far from Daniel Boone National Forest, so give me some recommendations, please.

 

Anyone have easy hikes they can recommend for grand canyon? I'm sure we can just drive to some of the overlooks but I am looking for something easy maybe 1-2mi round trip for my parents to do. They don't get out much and we are going to grand canyon this weekend. South Rim. Trying to get their legs moving a little.

 

The Rim trail on the south rim is the only “easy” hike there. The trail is about 12 miles long, but you can walk any section and then catch one of the shuttle buses that run. The last time I walked it parts of it were paved and parts of it were hard parked gravel. All the other trails go down, which means that they also have to go up.