What's your latest camping gear purchase, and what caused you to buy it?

  • HTML tutorial

reaver

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,680
Caldwell, ID, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
McGahuey
Member #

23711

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WRMV941
I think I got the older one. I'm not 100% sure. This is the one I got:


Now, if I could get an estimated delivery date from UPS, that would be awesome. It was originally supposed to be here tomorrow, but it's still sitting at UPS, so hopefully it gets here by friday, since I'd love to use it this weekend.
 

grubworm

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,358
louisiana
First Name
grub
Last Name
worm
Member #

17464

Service Branch
USN-Submarines
A shower setup is something I'm thinking about in the future, but don't really need yet. Definitely something to consider. This is why I started this thread.
went with this...works off 2 "D" batteries and 1lb LP or bigger tank. works very well and is portable. amazon has it for around $100

portshower.jpg
 

JButtress

Rank VI
Member

Traveler II

4,282
Chattanooga, TN, USA
First Name
Jason
Last Name
Buttress
Member #

13002

I think I got the older one. I'm not 100% sure. This is the one I got:


Now, if I could get an estimated delivery date from UPS, that would be awesome. It was originally supposed to be here tomorrow, but it's still sitting at UPS, so hopefully it gets here by friday, since I'd love to use it this weekend.
Yup that looks like the older one. At least by the picture and color of the tent. I had the 4 man for years, and now have the 6 man as a back up to my RTT. Absolutely love the colemans. Survived 45 MPH winds and pouring raining in Death Valley and heavy snow here on the East Coast
 

reaver

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,680
Caldwell, ID, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
McGahuey
Member #

23711

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WRMV941
Yup that looks like the older one. At least by the picture and color of the tent. I had the 4 man for years, and now have the 6 man as a back up to my RTT. Absolutely love the colemans. Survived 45 MPH winds and pouring raining in Death Valley and heavy snow here on the East Coast
Yeah, I've heard really good things about the 4 and 6 person. Not so much good about the 8 person tents. If I have any issues with this one, I'll return it, and go straight to the gazelle t3 for solo stuff.
 

chris_nc

Rank V
Launch Member

Off-Road Ranger I

2,383
Whitsett, NC, USA
Member #

13284

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KN4RBL
My two latest purchases have been: (1) Gazelle T3 - I just needed a quicker, simpler, easy put up/take down tent for myself. I have a large REI Kingdom 6 for camping in a stationary site for long periods, but for overlanding and being on the move, the T3 is awesome. Oh, and it fits in my 2 door Jeep. (2) My fridge. I'm pretty much done with ice. Was at the Appalachian Rendezvous a week ago, had 20lbs of ice disappear, added another 10, and still ended up with a melted snowman in my cooler after only 4 days. I also ended up getting drenched with ice cold water leaking out of the cooler on steep descents while wheeling - had to stop and drain it out some. My Jeep is about to become everyone's favorite ice cream truck on the trails!
 

jeepers29

Rank V
Launch Member

Influencer II

2,258
Georgetown, TX, USA
Member #

16977

My two latest purchases have been: (1) Gazelle T3 - I just needed a quicker, simpler, easy put up/take down tent for myself. I have a large REI Kingdom 6 for camping in a stationary site for long periods, but for overlanding and being on the move, the T3 is awesome. Oh, and it fits in my 2 door Jeep. (2) My fridge. I'm pretty much done with ice. Was at the Appalachian Rendezvous a week ago, had 20lbs of ice disappear, added another 10, and still ended up with a melted snowman in my cooler after only 4 days. I also ended up getting drenched with ice cold water leaking out of the cooler on steep descents while wheeling - had to stop and drain it out some. My Jeep is about to become everyone's favorite ice cream truck on the trails!
You will wonder why you waited so long for the rig. Probably the best money we have spent on camping gear.
 

reaver

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,680
Caldwell, ID, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
McGahuey
Member #

23711

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WRMV941
My two latest purchases have been: (1) Gazelle T3 - I just needed a quicker, simpler, easy put up/take down tent for myself. I have a large REI Kingdom 6 for camping in a stationary site for long periods, but for overlanding and being on the move, the T3 is awesome. Oh, and it fits in my 2 door Jeep. (2) My fridge. I'm pretty much done with ice. Was at the Appalachian Rendezvous a week ago, had 20lbs of ice disappear, added another 10, and still ended up with a melted snowman in my cooler after only 4 days. I also ended up getting drenched with ice cold water leaking out of the cooler on steep descents while wheeling - had to stop and drain it out some. My Jeep is about to become everyone's favorite ice cream truck on the trails!
I thought about grabbing the T3, but the Coleman was cheaper, and has really good reviews as well. I'm not a huge fan of the tiny door on the Gazelle either, though I'm sure I could learn to live with it.

A fridge is definitely in the future, as I start doing longer trips. Up until now, everything has been 4 days or less, so I figure the lifetime cooler will work just fine.
 

reaver

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,680
Caldwell, ID, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
McGahuey
Member #

23711

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WRMV941
went with this...works off 2 "D" batteries and 1lb LP or bigger tank. works very well and is portable. amazon has it for around $100

View attachment 118936
Does this require a pressurized water source? I'd definitely be interested in hearing some more about your shower setup. I'm not doing trips long enough to require a shower, but I'm hoping to change that in the next couple of years.
 

grubworm

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,358
louisiana
First Name
grub
Last Name
worm
Member #

17464

Service Branch
USN-Submarines
Does this require a pressurized water source? I'd definitely be interested in hearing some more about your shower setup. I'm not doing trips long enough to require a shower, but I'm hoping to change that in the next couple of years.
yeah, i use it with my tear drop and it has a 30 gal tank and 12vdc pump, so i get a good 15-20 psi feeding the heater. if i was back to camping out of the back of my truck, i would just get a 5 gal water tote and stick an inline pump (below) in the container and run it off a 12v recepticle or use alligator clips on it and hook straight to a battery. its too easy and versatile not to use.

pump.jpg
 

mooserz

Rank I
Launch Member

Member I

233
Jacksonville, FL, USA
First Name
Ryan
Last Name
McCann
Member #

19972

As the title suggests, I'm looking to start a discussion about purchasing camping gear, and the reasoning behind it. I figure this might help other news like myself think about what they're buying and why, and possibly give folks ideas on how they can further streamline their setup.

I'll start us off.

I've been camping for a VERY long time, and have lots of old hand me down gear. Most of it works fine (barring a tent that had a tree land on it while I was still in it, but that's a story for another day). Much of it however is old, bulky, heavy, or just plain doesn't pack well or work all that well.

So, I've purchased the following:

Coleman fold and go grill:
Purchased because I can't seem to get the hang of Charcoal, and it's small, and doubles as a stove and griddle as well.

Lifetime 55 quart cooler:
I was using a 35qt coleman cooler that was both too small for my family for anything more that one night, and could barely hold ice more than two days. Needed something bigger and better. If I do any trips longer than 5 days, I'll buy a fridge.

Upcoming purchases
Coleman 4 person instant tent:
I have a tent that has no rainfly, and a hole in the floor, a backpacking tent that is a pain to setup, and another dome tent that is even more of a pain to set up. I want something that sets up quickly, is waterproof without a rain fly (I'm buying one, but want to not have water get in during setup) and can hold the dog and I. This fits the bill. I plan on buying the 8 person for the family in the spring.

Single burner butane/propane stove.
I have a large 3 burner propane stove that works great. It's also bulky and totally overkill when it's just me. I want something that is small, and with the grill, figure this will fit nicely.

Compact camp chair
My chair is reaching the end of its life. It's also bulky. I figured it's time to replace it, and am going with a small chair that takes up way less space when packed.

Lightspeed outdoors 3" sleeping pad

I've been using a large, bulky twin air mattress. It traps no heat, and the last time I camped in the Nevada desert, I was cold all night. With an r8.9 rating, this should do the job.

That's my list for now. It's ever-evolving, and I'm sure it will be added to as I refine my setup.

I'd love to hear from others as well.
I enjoy my Coleman tents. Have 4 person and 6 person for the family.
 

reaver

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,680
Caldwell, ID, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
McGahuey
Member #

23711

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WRMV941
Got back from my trip yesterday afternoon. I have to say, everything that I purchased worked beautifully. Night temps were in the mid to upper 20's, and I stayed nice and warm in the using the 0* bag and the r8.9 sleeping pad. The new stove worked great, and had no problems cooking my dinner. :D It was cold enough, I probably would have been fine with the old cooler, as the new one is still completely full of ice.
 

rsweet

Rank V
Member

Member III

2,298
Huntington Beach, CA, USA
First Name
Robert
Last Name
Sweet
Member #

17264

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KN6IHR
A shower setup is something I'm thinking about in the future, but don't really need yet. Definitely something to consider. This is why I started this thread.
Just put on a Alu-Cab shower cube...hate setting up a separate tent for showering and toiletries. Unzip and boom! Instant private room. Complitments my Alu-Cab shadow awning on the passenger side. Like everything Alu-Cab does, quick and easy.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Wallygator

64Trvlr

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,827
Northern AZ
First Name
Kevin
Last Name
Trvlr
Member #

20466

Ham/GMRS Callsign
KK7NAZ
Service Branch
MM1 US Navy
I finally got a 12V/120V fridge freezer this summer. After a lot of research and time talking with people that owned them I bought an ICECO JP50, it has a Danfloss compressor with a 5 year warranty.

I'm impressed with it, it works well and is very quiet. So money well spent!
 

reaver

Rank VI
Member

Explorer I

3,680
Caldwell, ID, USA
First Name
Brian
Last Name
McGahuey
Member #

23711

Ham/GMRS Callsign
GMRS WRMV941
My next camping gear purchase might be a 2002 Nissan Xterra that needs a new motor for 500...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Punkyskunk

Rolando

Rank V
Launch Member

Member III

2,796
Lovettsville, VA
First Name
Roland
Last Name
Woldt
Member #

15186

Exped Megamat 10 last summer. Pricy (a lot - got it when REI had a 25% off sale, but still...) but good. I slept like a baby on it and intend to keep it when the next purchase will be a RTT for the truck.
 

Punkyskunk

Rank II
Launch Member

Member I

327
Johnstown, Colorado, United States
First Name
Matt
Last Name
Abrams
Member #

19887

Latest purchase was the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp, to extend off of the back of my 98 Jeep tj. I’ll keep this short and sweet. I’ve been using standard tarps for shade at camp, for years. A stick here, a guy line there, and voila, shade or rain cover. Found that more and more recently, as I overland around the Colorado and Utah areas, I use my tarps to cover important things, like water and such. Also, would be nice to cover my ”cooking” area from the roof off the tailgate to extend shade and overall cover. As of now, I think it was exactly what I was looking for. I’ll let you know if that changes after some more use. amazon link below

Slumberjack Roadhouse Tarp Shelter-Tan-One Size