Corey

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, up where I go there is still 4' to 5' of snow.
That is where I both camp and 4wheel.

The ski resort up there may stay open until May too from what I heard on the news.

Just to much snow up there now to bother going up.

dirtyXplorer

After I got one of these cooking became a lot less painful. Most backpacking pot sets have wimpy little handles that get so hot its impossible to cook with out burning yourself.



Its all about the small things

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I already have a ton of flashlights, and also a nice headband LED one.
Plus I have a nice propane lantern for camping.

But Cabela's has this cool 12 LED lantern with remote on sale for $30.

The site does not show the sale, but the new camping catalog I got in the mail over the weekend does.



Over 160 reviews on their site, it seems to be a pretty good unit.

Anyone have one of these?

I like the propane one I have, and I have even a smaller butane/propane cartridge one made by Gaz for backpacking.

I have pretty much gotten away from white gas appliances due to storage of the gas, and parts wearing out.
I have owned several Coleman gas lanterns in the past, and I prefer the propane ones over them.

zlathim

I like the looks of those remote controlled lanterns, but a few guys from a different BB have said that they don't give off enough light. I have never tried one, so I really don't know, but I like the idea of being able to snuggle into my fartsack and turn off the light remotely. If you get one, let me know how well you like it.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Will do.
First time I get out camping this year, I will do a complete writeup on a lot of the stuff in this thread such as the
Cabela's Camp Kitchen
Cabela's picnic table
Coleman lantern stand
Pett system (how much can you write about a crapper )
AirLand roof top tent

I may pick up two of these.
Going to help my youngest son stock up on camping gear.
Oldest son is camping every day over in Iraq, so his camping equipment is supplied by Uncle Sam for now.

If this LED lantern is good enough for reading, that will save me from having to use the light in the roof top tent which would be hooked up to one of my 12v outlets in the rig.
Will already be drawing power from one of them for the ARB fridge/freezer, and the LED lantern might be better for reading anyways.

And I agree, the remote would be pretty cool after you get all tucked away for the night/

stormin94

Corey, I have the Innovage Outdoor's LED lantern, which was only about $12, and it works GREAT. The light isn't blinding, but it's good enough for most anything for camping. Also, we have some acres out in the middle of nowhere, and for security, we put a couple of those lanterns up there. We put new batterys in them in early December, and when we came back, they were both still on......and this was in February. Even if you use yours all the time, the batterys will still last you probably at least a year.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

That is cool those lights run a long time.

Found some info on a cool camping chair over at Expedition Portals forum, and I Googled it, and there is a YouTube vid of it.

Looks pretty cool, and packs down small!
It is called a Pico chair.

[YOUTUBE]nE6-jsKcAbQ[/YOUTUBE]

CyMoN

I saw this on craigslist if I where going on a very long trip I think this would be a nice item forget the solar shower http://www.productsthatsave.com/ptsl5.html

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Saw one of these at Fred Meyers the other day.
http://www.asseenontv.com/prod-pages...creenroom.html



Take it out of the bag and throw it, and they pop open like those tents of the same nature.

dropzone

iTrader: (6)

Geez Corey it sounds like you are going to need to make a custom 4 Door FJC for all the stuff ....

We are hoping to get a trailer next spring, 3 girls so they don't like the Tent thing any more.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

I will be like that Volkswagon Beetle in the Ikea commercial on TV
Pile it 20' high on the roof.

Nah, I am not getting one of those shelters.
Getting an awning for the drivers side of the rig later though that attaches to the rack.

grant526

Ya, awnings are definitely nice to have!! My dad built one for his Chevy van years ago. It was nice in the summer! Especially when we went down to the desert to see the Land Speed cars at El Mirage Dry Lake.
A nice thing about attaching it to the rack on top is it allows a little bit of a breezy to come through next to the awning itself, which keeps it from getting quite as hot underneath as it would if it was affixed directly to the side or top edge of your rig.

I'm looking forward to reading the write ups on all this new equipment everyone has purchased for the coming season. I just wish I had the same budgets to be working with.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Grant, here is the awning I am getting.
It is made by Fiamma, and called the F35 Pro.
Comes in 6', 8', and 9' widths.
The 6' foot one is what most Toyota owners go with.
It pulls out like a movie projector screen of old.



Same one on a Tacoma, but not opened.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Well, I went with an awning for almost 1/2 the price of the Fiamma one.
It is sold by Camping Labs, owned/ran by a Toyota guy named Fernando.

The awning is basically the same as the ARB one which is also the same as the Mombassa.

It arrived Wednesday along with two nice camping chairs.
Rain this weekend, or I would have tried to hook up the awning to my roof rack today.
I hope to get it installed before Memorial Day weekend so I can review it along with all the other gear I have been stock piling up on.

The chairs are really nice, and they are extra wide.
They come with a carry case too.

http://www.campinglab.com/index.html

The awning



The chairs

Bagger

I use the Zodi Extreme.



It's a 2.5 gallon can that heats up on it's own stand over a small propane bottle. Comes with a hose and shower head. The shower head is so-so. I've swapped mine out for a trigger sprayer like on the kitchen sink. It all packs up neat in it's own carry bag, a little bigger than a camp chair.


For a shower tent I pack along the Outback Porta Privy



The Porta Privy is a PITA to fold up the first few times until you get used to it. Then it's moderately easier...

I like the way the PETT shower tent folds up, small like a camp chair, but it takes longer to set up than the Porta Privy. I'm not a fan of the 3 legged PETT toilet. I prefer this Collapsable Toilet Chair.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Bagger, that is the shower I have my eyes on.
Will any trigger sprayer for a sink work?
I take it you just use hose clamps on the end?

I read over on Expedition Portal someone did the same thing.

For awhile too Cabela's was including free a stand for the shower hose and head that hooks to the side of the tank.

Bagger

I'm guessing, but I would think any kitchen trigger sprayer would work...?

I bought one with all the fittings and a 4' hose at Wally World for $8. I swapped out the Zodi hose too and I'm keeping it for a spare. That may have been me on ExPo who you read about. I know 3 of us over there have swapped the stock unit for a trigger sprayer.

What's nice about the trigger sprayer vs. the Zodi shower head is the ease of turning it on & off. With the Zodi head, it's a pull open, push to shut off the water, type. Not so easy with soapy hands. The trigger type is much simpler.

I don't get the stand idea. Using it means either you're showering outside with no tent (brrrr...chilly) or you have to have the stand and water tank inside the tent. Even with water available, I don't want a small flammable propane bottle inside a nylon tent. The proper way to set up the shower system is to have the tank and heater outside the tent, with the hose and shower head run through an access sleeve on the tent.

Also these showering kits are not like the shower at home. It's more like a quick controlled rinse due to the limited water supply and minimal to moderate water pressure. A stationary shower head in camp means having to do a quick and contortioned shower dance. I feel you have better control of washing off with a mobile shower head. It's just easier to get your uh..."undercarriage" with the sprayer in hand. You waste less water that way too.

I'm interested in hearing how the new awning works for you. I've been on the fence about a new Fiamma for months but the price tag and the real world usefulness of awnings has me in a holding pattern. For half the price, I might try the CampingLabs solution even though those darn things seldom shade where I'm sitting.

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Any shower would be a "warm" welcome to what I am use to when camping in the woods and not a state park.

Up where I plan on doing most of my camping, most of the sites are along a river or creek.
I have camped up in that area many a time years ago, and I would sit out in the middle of the creek or river and bathe that way.
This is run off water too from Mt. Rainier, so it is cold, but you get clean

I will have to see if my Pett tent has the opening to slip the shower hose through.

Yes, hopefully this Camping Labs awning will work out.
I had to try it for almost half the price of the Fiamma one.

Team420

I once did that with a chevy 1 ton dually... took it cross country.. was real comfortable, and didnt need to find a campsite or haul gear...just pull over and climb out back!! Glad to see other people have done it too!!

Corey

iTrader: (1)

Bought a shower today from Cabelas.
I received a $20 off coupon last week, and decided to take advantage of it.
The shower will be here Friday.

Zodi Hotman Extreme shower

Info from Zodi's site

You can even use it as a cooker, that is the bottom heater part



The showerhead itself only has an on/off valve on it.
Many replace the head with a kitchen faucet sprayer so they have more control over it.
I will hit up Lowes over the weekend and pick one up.

I will be able to setup the shower too in my Pett crapper tent enclosure.