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  • Gear suggestions

    Hi all and happy new year! I havent camped for several years, unfortunately over the years all my gear has been lost and since i grew up camping with family, my heart aches to return to it. Ive been looking at gear for a long time and im ready to start accumulating everything. Your thoughts and input are greatly appreciated. For now i'll probably camp a couple or few times a year, mainly summer or once in the fall due to my job, so i cant justify a large investment. Heres what i think i need to get started. Coleman sundome 6 person tent.
    two coolers, 1 for food, the other for drinks.
    sleeping bag. Id like a canvas bag.
    i orderd a couple of battery powered cheap lanterns for inside the tent. Thats about the only pupose these will serve.
    footprint for the tent.
    some sort of shelter for the occasional rains/shade.
    i have cast iron skillets and camp dutch oven already
    maybe a cooking grate for over the fire or a camp stove.
    coffe maker goes without saying
    what else am i missing or any particular products?

  • #2
    Re: Gear suggestions

    My non back packing minimal-list;
    A chair for each person and a spare.
    Toilet tissue in a water tight container (a large peanut, great foods or planter's, jar works pretty well though a fresh/full roll won't fit).
    a USGI e tool (NOT a lookalike from china) to dig and fill cat holes for sanitary use... also works to clean out fire pits...
    I use a cheap harbor freight silver tarp rather an a foot print for a ground cloth...if the extra bothers you trim it to fit.
    A foam insulating pad or a very thick air mattress with the foam pad/even a moving pad helps, between you and the air mattress... my best sleep so far is on a Coleman folding cot with spring suspension and 2 foam pads... very room intensive to pack though.
    large ammo cans (50 cal) or Bradley boxes provide small critter proof food storage.
    A couple of small folding camp tables work for end tables and drink munchie support.
    burnable paper plates ,
    Cheap wally-mart stainless table ware is far better than plastic.
    LED lighting.

    Enjoy!
    2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
    For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
    Ground tents work best for me, so far.
    Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Gear suggestions

      Do you plan on camping in established campgrounds? Or dipersed camping? If campground camping then you can delay on tables and cat-hole diggers until you branch out to dispersed camping.

      Buy the stuff you can't improvise on - tent, pad, etc.

      Then use old stuff (old pans, blankets - if you're only summer camping at first, etc.) as much as possible for a while. That gives you more time to invest in quality gear at a good price. It also means that you can decide how you'll be camping before you invest in a sleeping bag that may not be warm enough for where and when you'll be.
      “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Gear suggestions

        I like to bring folding stools that have a bag under them for storage. I use dove stools (usually found in the hunting section)and ones that have an insulated bag. I use packing cubes for clothes, and they can fit in there, they can store small gear, and it is where I can place my glasses and phone without fear of being stepped on. They can be a seat, a table, a foot rest, a bureau or a night stand. If you look closely, there is one in my avatar.

        Buckeyebrian - you are fairly near one of my favorite places to camp at the Wayne National Forest Oak Hill campground outside of Ironton.
        Last edited by actad; 01-24-2018, 06:30 AM.
        - Laura
        Coleman Dome/Instant Cabin Tents, Kamprite IPS, Shasta Oasis 18ft Travel Trailer

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Gear suggestions

          Many good suggestions have already been mentioned. I found this to be the best folding chair I have had, and I have tried many.

          https://www.strongbackchair.com/prod...roduct-reviews

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Gear suggestions

            I'm unsure if you have any resources like I have around here in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In Milwaukee, I have a place called the Urban Ecology Center (3 locations). I pay a yearly membership fee (of around $35) and I can rent FOR FREE any of their equipment. I'm talking tents, sleeping bags, pads, pans, fishing gear, kayaks, and bikes. When I first started camping, I relied on them A LOT! Especially to help me figure out what I really wanted/ needed.

            I also asked my friends if I could borrow/rent their gear.

            When I wanted to purchase, I found great deals on ebay, craigslist and at the REI garage sales (held about quarterly).

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Gear suggestions

              I too like a chair to lounge around in, so I can read whilst drinking from my minnow pail/cooler. Just get out there, you will figure it out.
              2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Gear suggestions

                Thanks for everyone's responses. I purchased the coleman sundome 6 person tent. I have a chair. My brother in law was stateside for a visit a few years ago and bought a zero gravity chair. He couldnt take it back to austria, so he left it here. So now i just need a sleeping bag, cot, and a couple coolers and i'll have what i need to get started. I do plan on camping in established campgrounds.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Gear suggestions

                  Cots while comfortable, if you get the right setup, can be terribly bulky to pack (even in my Explorer which has lots more room than the Jeep TJ). For a few years I used an inflatable twin sized air mattress (need insulation under and over it and a pump to inflate it, and they can develop leaks; however they pack compactly.
                  Do you plan on cooking/warming up food? I know that some commercial camp ground have grills for use with charcoal but a camping stove might also be a fair idea (check out pawnshops, its a good time, right now, for negotiating prices on stuff they took in before Christmas) and garage sales, a bit early right now.
                  When starting out; I got a fair amount of good stuff from relative's and neighbors garages... put the word out (that you are looking to start camping and need some camping stuff) and see what you get for little or no cost.

                  Enjoy!
                  2006 Jeep Rubicon, TJ; 4.11 gears, 31" tires, 4:1 transfer case, lockers in both axles
                  For DD & "civilized" camping; 2003 Ford explorer sport, 4wd; ARB & torsen diffs, 4.10 gears, 32" MTs.
                  Ground tents work best for me, so far.
                  Experience along with properly set up 4WD will get you to & through places (on existing, approved 4WD trails) that 4WD, alone, can't get to.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Gear suggestions

                    Duplicate post deleted
                    Last edited by MacGyver; 02-04-2018, 08:22 AM.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Gear suggestions

                      If you want to go with a cot but space is a consideration, there's a great option. I call it a low rider - the Byer Allagash. I use one in my 2 man tent and didn't have a problem fitting it into a Mazda Protege - and if you could see how much stuff I take with me, you'd know space is always an issue here.

                      https://www.byerofmaine.com/products...table-cot.html

                      As far as getting other gear, Facebook has a marketplace that's chock full of goodies people are selling. You can set the distance from your location to limit the results so you don't have to drive to Bolivia to get a camp stove.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Gear suggestions

                        I've said this before on other threads, but I've spent many a night camping with just a sleping bag and a tarp or a piece of visqueen. I don't sleep on the ground any more, but you really don't have to spend a bunch of money on gear.
                        2018: Any way the wind blows; doesn't really matter to me....Too Meee....

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Gear suggestions

                          I think getting the minimum now and then figuring out what you need/want is better than trying to build a complete setup all at once.

                          Thrift stores, auctions, friends and familiy, garage sales, etc., are all great places to get cheap/free stuff to figure out what works best for you.

                          I bought a zero gravity chair because I kept reading how great they were. It now sits unused and I take my old foldup chairs instead. They take up less room and are more comfortable to me.
                          “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Gear suggestions

                            Originally posted by toedtoes View Post
                            I bought a zero gravity chair because I kept reading how great they were. It now sits unused and I take my old foldup chairs instead. They take up less room and are more comfortable to me.
                            I'm really glad to see someone else say this. Everybody I know raves about those chairs and I just don't get it. Yep. It's a chair. It's got bungee cord and folds down to something the size of three or four of my chairs. Not impressed.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Gear suggestions

                              Originally posted by MacGyver View Post
                              I'm really glad to see someone else say this. Everybody I know raves about those chairs and I just don't get it. Yep. It's a chair. It's got bungee cord and folds down to something the size of three or four of my chairs. Not impressed.
                              Exactly. And some don't have left-handed controls. And some controls are so stiff and hard to work that I have to use both hands to change position. And the reclining position is nice but I can't read like that. And when in the seated position, my head can't recline against the seat back without my neck being at a weird angle. I could go on...
                              “One could not be a successful scientist without realizing that, in contrast to the popular conception supported by newspapers and mothers of scientists, a goodly number of scientists are not only narrow-minded and dull, but also just stupid.” - James D. Watson

                              Comment

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