Car Camping / Trip Reports / Photos / Buildouts / “Overland” / Expedition Rigs Area (homeless?)

You're running the 5lb tank? Approx. how much did you burn through? Iv'e been looking at the propane fire as an alternative as well! Thanks for the info @1MK

 

Yeah, I don't nuke in plastic, and only dishwash top shelf. But I did have one leak on my in my work bag the other day, and the cause was a broken lock hinge, just plum wore out.

 

I haven't measured the tank after use. I'll get a answer for you over the weekend though.

 

Hey speaking of bears.... I'm headed on a 10 day trip soon and definitely in grizzly country. Nothing new there I usually put my coolers off to the side and make sure there's nothing in the truck, I rather have to replace the cooler than my truck. Any of you guys have any other tips ? I've never had a problem before but never hurts to be more prepared

 

I'd love to hear from you guys regarding this as well. I'll be heading up into the front range in July and August, and I'm a newb when it comes to accounting for bears. Being born and raised a desert rat did me no favors in that regard.

 

Getting back to you. Same tank directly from the last trip using 2 different gauges.

Like I said, about 3 to 3½ hours on medium flame. Only one test result so far. I honestly feel like it should have used more?

 

Store everything in air-tight containers. Do not cook right next to your tent as the odours can linger on the tent fabric and attract bears. Do not wash dishes in your camp and drain your waste water away from your camp and away from any water source. If you have a BBQ make sure to set that up far away from where you are sleeping. From my experience that's the first thing bears go after for obvious reasons.

While some people like to store food and coolers away from their vehicles unless you are suspending it from two trees or placing it in a bear bin I think it's best to just store it in your truck. If you're at a rec site with a large wooden picnic table you can always slid your cooler underneath it at the end of the night. Makes it a little harder to mess with.

I have a 12v fridge in my truck. We try to bring pre-packed vacuum sealed meat, and if not we make sure everything is either zip locked or in plastic or glass airtight containers or both zip locked and inside a container. The fridge also has a decent seal and the truck helps block some of the smell as well. I sleep in the back of my truck and always have the bear spray and an air horn on hand. If I hear anything outside I'll blown the horn and get out with the bear spray and grab my axe. Make sure you have your truck keys on hand as well as you can always just hit the panic button on your fob and that usually does the trick. It's also good to carry some road flares or some fireworks/fire crackers with you to scare bears away if you don't own a gun.

 

Thanks for this, Ryan.

That is a very detailed post, and exactly what I was looking for!

 

soup container with the screw on lid works amazing for anything liquid. I prefer to use it as a freezer and my cooler as an ice box to thaw

 

Three pictures of the new shower/faucet setup in the back of the truck. Everything can come in and out of the truck easily while the battery leads to the engine compartment stay in the little cubby.

 

In Badlands SD

 

My background is from backcountry multi-day hike in camping. When it says do not cook right next to your tent, "right next" means within 100 yards.
Add to that, do not under any circumstances, take food/snacks with you to where you are sleeping. Do not pack your toiletries into where you are sleeping, as those smells are also enticing. Besides reducing the likelihood of attracting/creating the occasional to rare bear encounter, it will keep the constant threat of local rodents (mice, packrats, squirrels) away from damaging your gear (tent/sleeping bag) and contaminating your food supply with their feces and urine.

 

Custer State Park SD

 

Thanks for the info, Rob! Good stuff!

 

Do camp 5!! It's up in the northern hills by Galena.

 

I'll be in rocky mountain NP tomorrow night then badlands Rushmore area for weekend time frame. Then off to Yellowstone Tetons and glacier before heading to Oregon coast. Anyone in those areas let me know. Would appreciate any insider info and or meet up.

 

Will see if we can get into Camp 5 today, thank you for the tip!

 

Hopefully the water level isn't too high. When I went through July last year there was almost none. You might get to use your sliders unless you have a real good spotter.

 

Water levels a low here, they are in desperate need of rain, everything is very dry

 

How do you keep the air from seeping around the lid in yours? I have the same container with a pressurized valve in it and i have air escaping from right around the lid. I'm thinking about sealing the lid on and just putting water through the hose.