Ultimate Camping Thread

some pics from my trip back in June where my buddy and I had to flee from a wildfire on our 2nd night back there















^^^ that pic is from the top of the crest coming out of that valley. the fire is about 9 miles away in that pic. where we were camped we were less than 4 miles from the fire, wind blowing towards us and our view looking up was all smoke. we had ash falling on us as we left camp. left the majority of our gear behind at camp so we could move fast and light. hiked out 15 miles in the night back to the beginning of the trail. went back 2 days later to get all the gear we left behind. fire didn't get our gear, but it did almost burn my truck which was parked at the other end of the trail. fire got as close as 500 feet to my truck. all in all it was a small fire, only about 700 acres, but it was too close for comfort to where we were camping.

 

awesome pics Matt!

 

thanks dude! here's a few more

 

Some pics to an AZ hidden waterfall and creek trail a friend and I backpacked into this past weekend. Monsoons rolled in around mid day on our way in and the creek was stained quite a bit but still useful for filtering and drinking. After the Saturday rain, we had clear weather all afternoon and overnight. Had a great time.

First rains






Found the falls finally. Normally they are about 15 feet tall but not with all of the floodwater




Decent flat campsite about 100' up the hill from the falls. Tents just out of view.

 

hey matt, what ruck is that?

 

Nice pics Adam. That is some dirty ass water! lol. I had to filter out of some water that wasn't anywhere near that dirty and my filter is all kinds of nasty.

 

it's a ruck i permanently borrowed from the AF when i got out...lol

i was issued it and during my out process they never asked for it back

 

had to mention i thought that tree was on fire when i first looked at this pic lol


Anyway i do a fair bit of backpacking myself. Heres my kit that i usually take:
fancy new survival knife http://www.camillusknives.com/produ...es_Stroud_SK_Mountain_Ultimate_Survival_Knife
old dome tent
thermarest sleeping pad(full size and super comfy)
Black Diamond Infinity 60 backpack
campingaz stove
water boilin pot and an eating cup
lighter
lots of 550 cord
nylon tarp
very old very warm mummy bag for sleepin(no idea what brand)
headlamp
Dried pineapple (essential trail food for those who are ignorant)
Almonds
Food varies depending on how long the trip is. Meat for short trips and freeze dried crap for long ones. Always oatmeal for breakfast.
MSR water purifier/iodine tablets
3L camelback
Various gear depending on terrain: Black Diamond Raven Pro ice axe, Cyborg Pro crampons, mini-spikes, Atlas Aspect 24 snow shoes, various climbing gear.
Merrel Chameleons(the old ones that were nice) + gators if neccesary
other stuff i probably forgot meh

I'll get some pictures up at some point should be an active winter

 

^^^ that pic is from the first night. trees on fire was the 2nd night of our trip lol

we brought some carne asada on that trip. it's delicious anyways, but it's tastes so much better when your back in the middle of nowhere after a long ass day of hiking

 

Carne on the trail? Right on. Excellent choice.

 

Heck yeah man. Freeze it the night before and insulate it as good as possible while hiking. So good. We had left over too which made for a nice afternoon snack the next day with cheese and crackers... And whiskey

 

Sub'd

 

nice! who's the hottie on the zip line?!! . . . wa-wait a minute








... saw some of the other pics in live. looks like it was fun.

 

That looks fun!

 

A tip from back when I was a kid camping with the folks. Mother would get meats ready, bag em up, and then freeze them into ice blocks by placing them into Tupperware type containers filled with water in the freezer. To identify different meats she would add a colored bread tie or sometimes even some food coloring to the batch to help her keep track of what to thaw out for which meals. The ice blocks helped keep the rest of the contents cold too saving wasted space. Not exactly rucksack friendly but since most of us are using our trucks as a sort of base-camp it might help in those situations.

 

looks like a good time Lisa. Ziplining is fun. I went when I was in Nicaragua a few years ago.

 

I need a good pair of water resistant mid length boots or possible just shoes, any recommendations? I've been using a pair of running shoes but the time has come for something more appropriate.