favorite or not so favorite, stuff, gear and misc. items

[red feather]

There is a wealth of camping experience on this forum and I hope that all will post something that lets us know what has worked, what has not, and tips on how to make some items work better. Also if any have questions please ask them. Come on folks give.

 

I like the small 2 to 5 cup aluminum percs, easy to use, clean and carry. Wide mouth lexan bottles are handier for backpacking since the wide mouth lets them be used for soup, sun tea, etc.

 

A one and a half thick, 6 foot long walking stick made from hickory has proved usedful for years and is sturdy enough for lashing or a cross bar if needed.

 

Sisal rope is a good general purpose rope if you wet down new rope and stretch it between trees and let dry to retrain the fibers. Once dry you can burn off the rope 'hairs'.

 

Small buck knife is almost a requirement. What angle to you all use to sharpen your knifes? What kind of stone? Oil or water or nothing?

 

Tying short peices of string to guy lines will help keep water from pooling around your stakes and will keep water out of your tarped areas when the rope is tied higher than the tarp.

 

Cutting the bottom off a large coffee can an puncturing the top and edges makes a stable rest for your coffee pot when placed on the coals.

 

Have a rusted out bucket? Cut the bottom out, add wire about 1/3 of the way up close ehough to prevent your briquets from falling through and 'voila' instant charcoal chimney. Great for dutch oven cookouts.

 

Looking forward to your posts.

 

yis

[hops_scout]

Alright, I'll add to this:)

 

I have found that BDU pants (OD prefference) work great for hiking, etc

 

Also, find a backpack from a brand name!

 

I have not used a Nalgene bottle, but plan to buy me at least one soon for backpacking. For hiking, I prefer a Thermobak.

 

My favorites:

Thermobak 3L for water

1st aid pouch (ALICE) are great for small items.

 

 

I'll try thinking of more

[Fuzzy Bear]

I have to go, so here is a quick one.

 

3 garbage bags.

[ScouterPaul]

There are many but here are a few. My Tiki Headlamp - took me a while to go with the headlamp but there is no turning back now. I have a 1 liter MSR stanless steel pot which is perfect for making coffee, soup or hot water. My mulitpurpose tool (not exactly ultralight but I wouldn't go out without it). I have a Tarptent that weighs 13 ounces great for backpacking (only problem is that it has not bottom and I do have bugs). For car camping I wouldn't go without at least one dutch oven.

 

Here is a question. How are GPS units.. are they worth the money?

[sm41]

Here are a couple:

 

 

1. Use plastic staws to carry your spices. Cut about 1 inch off of each end. Fold one end and place the cut peice on it. Fill up with your spice. Cap the other end with the cut peice. Place them all in a zip lock bag.

 

2. For a hicking staff I went to Home Depot and purchased a 3/4 6ft rod for $3. Rubber funiture items for $2. (50 cents apeice) added rope, fishing line and a hook to th end. Its great.

 

3. Sew a pocket to the outside of your tent bag, place the ground cover in it. You will always know where it is.

 

4. I use a hammack for camping now. Good to about 10 degreef F.

 

YIS SM41

[eisely]

One of my least favorite items is the official boy scout individual cook kit. Expensive, worthless, and bulky. I always tell new parents to not buy this.

[EagleInKY]

We purchased a single burner stove from Cabelas and a 42 Quart Steam Pot with a faucet. We can boil 10 gallons of water in a matter of minutes. The faucet allows you to easily pour the water into your dishpans. Another troop I saw did this with a beer keg, they welded a outdoor faucet to it. Total cost around $125, but it makes cleanup go much faster.

[Proud Eagle]

The following lacks proper grammer, punctuation, or any rational organization.

 

 

polymer external frame pack (can't be destroyed, no sharp things to cut tent)

 

one burner Coleman fuel stove- great cooker, more heat output in most conditions than standard propane stoves, good for outdoor cookout back home when you need one extra burner for the fried potatos or what not

 

Coleman Peak 1 mummy bag- 8 years old, poorly cared for, but still works

 

leather Philmont belt

 

real swiss army knives... from Switzerland (if its from China burry it, don't risk someone else thinking it is a real knife)

 

anything made in china is junk and should be avoided if at all possible

 

real wool hiking socks

 

polypro liner socks

 

polypro long underwear (from Philmont trading post, very good price and quality compared to local stores)

 

Nalgene bottles, wide mouth lexan and narrow mouth white plastic- wide mouth is great for general purpose, narrow lets you walk and drink at the same time without getting wet (try that on a rough trail with a wide mouth)

 

stainless steel wire handled camp cup- it can be used for anything, cooking, eating, drinking, digging a hole in soft soil (not recommended, saw someone try it), or as a uniform item when carried from a belt with a toggle, in fact, it should be a required part of the field and activities uniform

 

BSA campaign hat- does that really require an explanation? just don't wear it when it is both very hot and very humid

 

Ridge Rest pad with camp chair conversion kit, it is a sleeping pad, a chair, no inflate time, stores easily, works good when you have company (such as your cousin, his wife, and their six children)

 

Therm-A-Rest also reccommended, especially for car camping

 

inflatable beds (the nearer they look to pool floats the more this is true) are a terrible idea, most pumps for them are even worse

 

pay more to get the good stuff, it will save you money, time, frustration, field repaires made without the right tools or materials that don't quite work... you get the idea

 

anything cast iron- particularly Lodge- though some other brands can be good

 

aluminum foil

 

I'll second the motion on garbage bags

 

Silva compasses

 

and yes, GPS CAN BE worth it if you value the ability to find out exactly wear you are, that is their greatest feature, anything else can be done with proper orienteering skills, though if you are trekking from point to point without trails the ability to enter a set of coordinates and have it tell you how to get their might be more useful, I would buy a cheap, light one that runs a long time on one set of batteries

I have a larger, older unit that eats batteires, it does having a moving map and some other nice features, but it takes more effort to use them than it is worth

 

night vision is a neat technology, but has only very limited uses, so save your money

 

 

[purcelce]

Favorites: Small 4 cup coffee peculator. Lexan coffee mug that I got a Philmont. North Face sleeping bag (30 degree rated). Gregory external frame backpack.

 

Not So Favorite that I take with me camping: thermarest sleeping pad...in needs to be about 6 inches wider, I have to sleep at attention on it.

 

 

 

(This message has been edited by purcelce)

[OutdoorThinker]

Some of my favorite gear --

 

I have this Energizer LED headlight that has both a red light and a white light. I got it for Christmas and dont think it was that expensive, but it's fantastic...it replaced my little tykes cow flashlight(it mooed when you turned it on and has an infinate amount of camp sentimental value) for backpacking trips. Gotta say, I love both sources of light.

 

I love my nalgene bottles, which I use all the time on or off the trail (in a non-LNT sense...meaning on campus, on campaigns, etc)

 

I also love my sleeping bag -- it's an EMS bag that is 15 degree rated on one side and 30 degree rated on the other.

[Fuzzy Bear]

If you can build a fire....

 

the best hand ax I have ever known is a good pair of work gloves.

 

they also are great for hot pot grabbers, Dutch oven removers, hot cup holders, pioneering projects and great for work around the camp.

 

FB

 

[packsaddle]

Favorites, my K-bar pocketknife and my Vasque Whitney backpacking boots, both a little over 30 years old now. I hope to be buried with them...after at least another 30 years or so.

 

NOT: rap music, skunks, mouse droppings in my oatmeal, oops you were interested in the gear, weren't you! OK, those stoves with disposable butane cans are anathema to my sense of backpacking ethics. And they're not worth much as stoves either.

[red feather]

Least favorite camping foods fall into this thread as well.

 

I really dislike d cell flashlights for camping unless you plan to hit someone with them.

 

Bandanas are good things, a red one for hot stuff and a blue one for your nose. Large traingular bandage size bandanas are good for head coverings and cool down wraps.

 

yis

[KoreaScouter]

Favorites (not already mentioned):

 

- Giant freezer-thickness Ziploc bags to put your map in

- Those long lighters that look like anteater snouts for campfires, lanterns, anything at camp.

- Little packets of coffee mix from the Asian market that have the coffee, cream, and sugar in one pouch

- Coleman propane trees

- a little $30 radio from Radio shack; has AM, FM, and TV bands on it; keep up with current events

- Rubbermaid Roughneck containers

- Match Light Charcoal

 

Not so favorite:

 

- those tent stakes that look like metal, but they're really coated plastic

- big heavy canvas tarps that require the skills of a tall ship sail rigger to get up correctly

- leaders who snore, and won't use strips or get the elective surgery

- anyone who beats on a pot to wake people up...all I can imagine is flocks of birds taking flight in panic, and herds stampeding all over the savannah...enough already, what is this, boot camp? Why don't you boil some water in that thing instead?

- the notion that camping is synonymous with suspension of good personal hygiene

- BSA belt buckles and trouser snaps that always seem to find the paint job on my truck

 

KS

[Fuzzy Bear]

John B. and I had an ongoing argument/joke over my Swiss Army knife, the one with the 12 items with numerous uses. He said that they looked ridiculous and that the tools were two small to be of use.

 

I realize I have never used all of the tools but I've used several I thought would be of no use but were. As far as ridiculous, I know that the fat gob on my belt instills humor. There are those that think I have a spoon and garden spade side by side but they are not. My toothpick separates them.

 

Nonetheless, I vote for my dear Swiss Army Knife.

 

FB