Camp Gear: Best purchases

[woodyw333]

Hey all I saw we have a worst gear thread but didnt see a best gear thread so I thought I would start one. Use this to post the things that you feel are the most useful and what you couldnt do without. Outside of the obvious Tent, or Camper things of that nature.

For me the best purchase I have ever made that I actually use year around is a Thermocell misqueto/bug repellent. IMO those things flat out work! They make 2 different models one to carry around on your side or backpack, and one that looks like a light fixture that you can hang anywhere around camp..

[adkRoy]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

I bought a gerber multiplier when they first came out. I have had, and still use that same multiplier for over 20 years now. I have done multiple field repairs with that thing. I definitely got my moneys worth out of that.

[GlitterHiker]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

ThermaRest DreamTime self-inflating mattress pad. I usually sleep quite well when I camp; but this makes sleeping even more fantastic. (I just used on this past week-end's 2-night outing.) It was a splurge for me; but well worth every cent.

[DxAxN]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

I got a bass pro mummy sleeping bag and a C cell mag light over 25 years ago and both are still in the rotation. I have a Becker BK-2 that I feel is a good purchase.

[Joyous56]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

My Eureka Timberline 4 has lasted and performed exceptionally for 30 years, and I wouldn't trade it for any other tent at this point. Also, I've been using Rubbermaid boxes to store my gear. I'm ready to camp without having to repack everything every time.

[rajncajn]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

My Eureka Timberline 4 has lasted and performed exceptionally for 30 years, and I wouldn't trade it for any other tent at this point. Also, I've been using Rubbermaid boxes to store my gear. I'm ready to camp without having to repack everything every time.

That's my long term plan as well. A lot of the gear used is stuff that is also used for other purposes, so when we get ready to camp there is a lot of packing then unpacking when we get home. I'm slowly picking up items that I know I specifically want for the camp and just storing it in my camp boxes so that if we decide on Friday to take the weekend outdoors then it's not an ordeal getting everything together.

[adkRoy]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

My Eureka Timberline 4 has lasted and performed exceptionally for 30 years, and I wouldn't trade it for any other tent at this point. Also, I've been using Rubbermaid boxes to store my gear. I'm ready to camp without having to repack everything every time.

I do this but I drilled some air holes in the container to allow it it to breathe. It helps prevent mildew and mold.

[sarahspins]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

I have lots of purchases I adore... and I won't go on a long trip without.

1. Folding camp cots (they fold up like camp chairs, takes 5 seconds to set them up and pack them back up.. it takes slightly longer to get them back into their storage bags). We sleep on these with self-inflating pads, and it's a very comfortable way to camp. The cots themselves are only slightly bigger than the average camp chair folded up.
2. Rayovac sportsman lanterns. I have two of these and one cheaper knock off and they're all really great... the batteries seem to last forever. I've had one of them for 3 years and I've yet to change the batteries. We use them during power outages in addition to camping so they've all seen quite a lot of use.
3. O2Cool battery operated fan - a godsend in the desert. These fit conveniently under the front seats of my car so they essentially take up "no" space to pack for a trip. We don't usually run them non stop, but when you get hot, especially like right after setting up camp in the hot desert sun, some extra breeze is very very nice Sometimes I'll use them at night if it's really hot and sticky, and they really help.
4. Chilly Pad - the cooling effect is amplified with the fans, and it makes 110˚*in the shade much more tolerable They don't take up much space at all if you ditch the "tubes" they come in - we have 5 and they all fit in a gallon ziploc bag.
5. Igloo Ice Cube. This is basically the perfect cooler..the insulated lid helps keep ice longer, it has a MUCH smaller footprint than most coolers it's size which makes it easier to pack other things around it, plus the drain plug is on the "back" side of the cooler, so you can simply tip it back on the wheels to drain it and almost all of the water actually drains... a lot of similar coolers seem to have the drain in the front which makes no sense. We still had some of the ice (frozen water bottles) we started with in ours after 9 days on the road once. We were adding more ice along the way, but I still think that's very impressive.
6. Dairy Crates. (I'll admit I didn't buy mine.. we "found" them.. but I didn't steal them, my FIL had a ton of them in his junk pile). We use one as our "pantry" for dry foods and the other contains the bulk of our kitchen supplies. Dairy crates are nearly indestructible, and they're actually square unlike rubbermaid boxes so they are an efficient use of space.
7. Bread Container - nothing is worse IMO than trying to make sandwiches out of mangled bread. These are the ultimate "smash proof" bread containers

[Mike]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

Saraspins, thanks for the suggestion and the link for the plastic bread boxes.

I am a bread baker. Often, I will bake bread at camp in a Dutch Oven, but on those occasions when I want to bring pre-made bread with us, I bake the bread in old cookie tins and just bring the bread in the tin.

You can find old rectangular shaped tins at thrift stores if your family prefers square shaped slices.

An important trick is that after baking, you have to remove the bread from the box to cool and release moisture. Otherwise, the bread turns to wet goo if you bake and leave in the canister.

[Mike]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

My Eureka Timberline 4 has lasted and performed exceptionally for 30 years, and I wouldn't trade it for any other tent at this point. Also, I've been using Rubbermaid boxes to store my gear. I'm ready to camp without having to repack everything every time.

+1 on the Eureka Timberline. I bought mine in the 1980's and they are still as reliable and weatherproof as ever.

I bought probably ten tents since then, but only because of the irresistible pull of consumerism. When it really comes down to brass tacks when I think that the weather might be rough or I need to best balance weight/size/weatherproof, I still choose the Eureka Timberline 4

[sarahspins]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

Fresh baked bread doesn't last long enough in my house to even fully cool off. We easily go through a loaf of bread a day on the road, so baking along the way isn't very time efficient

[Mike]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

Fresh baked bread doesn't last long enough in my house to even fully cool off. We easily go through a loaf of bread a day on the road, so baking along the way isn't very time efficient

Yup, same at our house, so I bake six loaves at a time. The first two get gobbled down while still warm, so we have four loaves remaining for the next couple of days. When I knead that big pile of dough, the silhouette must look like a man wrestling with a baby hippo.

[SpitzoMT]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

I would have to say the best purchase I've made for camping is my Yamaha 3000iSB generator. It will run everything in the trailer simultaneously and anything extra I plug in. It's probably the one item I've purchased that gets used every trip. Unless I'm somewhere with full hook ups, and that isn't to often. It's quiet and never let's me down.

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[MScampers]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

For me, I would say my hatchet. We tent camp, so there's firewood to cut, tent stakes to drive, and often sticks to whittle down for cooking hot dogs and marshmallows. Nothing fancy, just a cheap hatchet with a metal handle that I bought at Walmart. It has served me very well, though.

[renodesertfox]

Re: Camp Gear: Best purchases

The best item we recently purchased is a high clearance 5 x 8 old military styled trailer to haul all our gear! Yeah it's old and needs some TLC but now my dog, "Bandit," can have the entire back seat reserved for him! I purchased it yesterday(4/24/13) for $800 I can finally have room to stow more camera gear, taking both my Nikon & Canon Systems in the back storage area of the jeep! The interior of the trailer is almost 4' deep.

The trailer has it's own brake system and front & rear support braces when it stands alone. Plenty of tie-downs and it's rugged enough for the kind of off-road and dirt road traveling I do! :cool: