I just got, or am going to get... post your new gear thread.

[Happy Joe]

Anyone tried that grill posted by Happy Joe , is it easy to clean?
Thanks

So far I have only used the oven once and it does not appear to have a "non-stick" / wipe to clean surface.
The cut down grill itself is steel and I expect it to have the same cleaning hassles as all other grills and oven racks...
The Chicago Metallic accessories do seem to have some kind of non-stick coating; its transparent (thin) I don't expect it to last.
Muffins don't splatter much though so nothing is messed up ...yet...
The Coleman oven does have sharp sheet metal corners; Users need to be careful!

...Kind of lost pushed the oven aside (its bulkier and heavier than I anticipated) and I got sidetracked on making a solar oven; If Semi-successful I will post it (needs to be big enough for a frozen pizza; the Coleman oven requires a pizza to be cut in half prior to heating)).

This one is too small for a regular size 12" pizza but covers the basics;
https://archive.org/details/How_to_Make_a_Solar_Cooker

Enjoy!

[Denni2]

You maybe able to season the oven like we season bakeware. It will help with food sticking but it will not solve the problem of a 12” pizza. Before I got my Omnia Oven I used to bake pizza in my cast iron skillet on the stovetop.
How to season a pan:
Use your fingers or a paper towel to spread canola or vegetable oil over the entire inside of the pan heat the pan until the oil just starts to smoke.Remove from heat. Let the pan cool about 10 minutes until you can safely touch it. Use a paper towel or absorbent cloth to wipe the oil out of the pan. Do not wash the oil out.

[spoink47]

Anyone tried that grill posted by Happy Joe , is it easy to clean?
Thanks

According to the picture it will get messy pretty quick, although seems kinda easy to clean

[SarahSimm]

Ordered this little beauty Hope it won't let me down!

[Happy Joe]

...I see many folks liking coffee presses; how is the coffee they make different?
Or are they just faster?

Enjoy!

[Happy Joe]

Just received a bug zapper;
https://www.amazon.com/Powered-Elect...6789960&sr=8-5

Its not as large as many (about 11" tall) it supposedly zaps with 4000 volts. It works OK at home, on 110 volts AC; but I need to test it running from the battery and inverter.
...got it to clear the tiny vampires out of the tent before bedtime...

Enjoy!

Edit; just plugged it into the resurrected inverter and it seems to work fine...

[Denni2]

Ordered this little beauty Hope it won't let me down!

We recently purchased an AeroPress and we really like it. Make sure to watch the YouTube video by the inventor. I was surprised because my husband won’t use the French Press but he loves the AeroPress and now insists on making the coffee. I do think we get more caffeine with it.

[Malamute]

I got a new camp coffee pot. I like old school camp coffee, boil water (I think it best of you can use creek or lake water in the mountains), dump in grounds, let it simmer a few minutes, set off the fire a couple minutes so the grounds settles and it brews nice and strong, then carefully pour so the grounds dont get stirred up. Makes very strong but smooth coffee.



I also got my sidecar hooked up, finally, to haul the coffee pot with.

[MacGyver]

...I see many folks liking coffee presses; how is the coffee they make different?
Or are they just faster?

Enjoy!

A very late reply, obviously...
Presses leave in the essential oils that filters remove and they don't over process the grind like percolators. The downside is that there is a learning curve to properly use one. Water temperature is supposed to be 200 degrees and steep time is based on the particular size grind you have. A bit tricky, but once you get it all down, it makes a great cup of wake-me-up-keep-me-from-strangling-people nectar.

[Happy Joe]

Having used the 100 Amp hour battery camping; I have decided that something smaller would be easier to transport and camp with.
I decided since there is (right now a coupon on amazon to spend $200 and get;


An Ampere Time 50 amp hour LiFePo4 battery... (11 pounds)... (ON ORDER)
on the off season I expect to use it as electrical storage to power the lighting in the den with voltage supplied by window mounted solar panel...
Just ran a 2 day test and the experimental set up works great.

I already received two 10 watt HQST solar panels (Need small panels to see out the window and let light in).
(EDIT) these are pretty worthless and do not produce any where near 10 watts: DO NOT BUY

And several cheap PWM solar controllers (I want to see how reliable the cheap controllers...)
Currently using this one; with HQST 's name on the label looks identical to the Renogy part.


EDIT NOTE after living with this controller for several days, I cannot recommend it; It does NOT charge the battery to peak level. EDIT when used with the above 10 watt panels.


Currently these are charging and powering my small (35 AH) sealed lead acid battery and 80 watt inverter...


Based on my previous camping experience and 2 days of use the two 10 watt panels, in a south facing window< seem to easily keep up with a 350 lumen 120 VAC LED bulb.

These are only partly for camping use when combined they are also a proof of concept; for urban dwellers faced with unreliable utilities (as happened in Texas last year).

Enjoy!

[toedtoes]

During our last camping trip, Tornado-dog discovered the camp chairs. He is just the perfect size to curl up in one. Poor Cat-dog is too big for them and she doesn't bend as easily as he does.

So, I just got her a Coolaroo dog cot. It folds up just like the chairs. I got an XL and it is big enough for her to stretch out on. It will hold both dogs. It does sag a lot if they stand on it or curl into a ball. I got it from Costco online - cheapest price for the largest size. Cat-dog is 85lbs and Tornado-dog is 54lbs.

I had gotten a different set of cots for Moose-dog and Bat-dog, but they required putting together and taking apart all the time (and were stolen in the burglary). This type is much easier to deal with. And the bag it comes in is much nicer than those that come with the chairs.



The photo has Tornado-dog on it because it won't fit in the hallway and Cat-dog is still not comfortable laying down in the living room. But she did lay on it for a minute several times and seemed to like it.

As Tornado-dog has claimed one of my camp chairs, I decided to get me a new one. Amazon has the https://tinyurl.com/Coleman-camp-chair in black for $30. It has a cup holder on one arm, a magazine pocket off the seat, and a cooler on the other arm. I use the cooler to hold my tablet, phone, kindle, eyeglasses, etc. I have two of these in the trailer and really like them. They are sturdier than many others. In the motorhome, I now have one of these (my chair), two older coleman chairs in green (one is Tornado-dog's and the other guests), and two orange chairs that are more flimsy. I keep them for extra visitors if needed.

HEADS UP: the black chair is currently $30. The blue chair is $27.84. And the red chair is $27.78. The gray chair is $34.99 - which is about the usual price. This is the first time I've seen the blue and red chairs go under $32.

[Happy Joe]

I had a weak moment during a trip to the local Harbor Freight store recently;
...picked up a 120 watt inverter (to go with my new 50 AH (Amp Hour) battery).


I will modify it with binding post terminals and a switch before use;
I have an intense dislike for those nasty cigar lighter plugs, Terminal posts will make it more compatible with my other camping accessories (easier to connect and disconnect to the battery) and the switch, which will let me easily turn it off and on (its also for safety ; IMO, all electrical items need a switch/disconnect to allow them to be quickly deactivated.

Enjoy!

EDIT: got it modified it and found, through testing, that it consumes excessive amounts of electricity at idle; I DO NOT Recommend it for camping ...AVOID.

[John Joseph]

A Lodge 10.25" cast iron skillet because it was 20% off and it's also a wee bit lighter than my 10.25" deep skillet. It's also pre seasoned and has a buffalo nickle theme cast into the bottom

[toedtoes]

Will the buffalo nickel design show up on the food if you make cornbread, etc with it? That would be nice.

[John Joseph]

Will the buffalo nickel design show up on the food if you make cornbread, etc with it? That would be nice.

No, it's on theoutside of the skillet