c/camping-gear-reviews

I was dead wrong about those cheap camp stoves

For years I swore by my $80 Coleman propane stove and laughed at anyone using those little butane burners you see at Asian grocery stores for $20. Then last month on a trip up near Flagstaff, my buddy brought one because his fancy stove broke. That little thing boiled water in like 3 minutes and folded down to nothing in his pack. I borrowed it for a solo trip last weekend and honestly it handled everything I threw at it (even a 10 inch pan) without tipping over. Now I'm thinking about ditching my bulky setup for good. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted it or am I just late to the party?)

Pro tip: My buddy said to store sleeping bags loose not stuffed and he was right

I finally switched from a sleeping pad to a cot and I'm never going back

I spent 2 years using that Therm-a-Rest pad on trips to Big Sur and woke up sore every single time. My buddy let me borrow his cheap camp cot last month and I got a full 8 hours of sleep for the first time on a trip. The pad kept sliding off my tent floor too, but the cot stays put and I can store my bag underneath. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted the extra weight or is it worth it?

I used to think expensive sleeping pads were a waste until I spent a night on a rock pile in Moab

After 3 hours of tossing around on my $40 foam pad in the La Sals last fall, I borrowed a friend's insulated inflatable and woke up actually rested. Now I'm wondering if there's a midrange option that's not $150 but still keeps you off the cold ground?

My uncle swore by cheap sleeping pads, I learned the hard way

My uncle told me a $20 foam pad was all I needed for backpacking. Said the expensive inflatable ones were a gimmick. I took his advice for a 3 day trip in the Smokies last spring and woke up on cold, hard ground every night. After that trip I bought a $120 insulated pad and honestly I sleep better now than I do at home. Has anyone else been given bad gear advice by an older relative?

A random commenter told me my tent stakes were way too small for sandy soil

After three nights of waking up with my fly half off the ground at Cape Hatteras last month, I swapped to 8-inch MSR Groundhogs and didn't move an inch in the next storm, has anyone else found that stake length matters way more than brand?

Best campsite I ever had was also the worst 3 days ever

I spent a week at a spot in the Smokies last June where the weather was perfect but a family of raccoons stole half my food on night two. Does the perfect gear matter if you can't keep a raccoon out of your cooler?

Why does nobody talk about the zipper issue on budget tents vs expensive ones

I was stuck choosing between a $60 Coleman tent and a $200 REI one for my trip to the Smokies last month. I went with the cheap one (big mistake) and the zipper jammed on night two, leaving me half asleep in the cold trying to fix it. My buddy had the REI tent and his zipper worked smooth the whole time, no issues at all. Has anyone else dealt with a bad zipper ruining a trip? What do you look for in a tent zipper now?

Tried using a foam sleeping pad under my inflatable mattress and it changed everything

I took my inflatable mattress camping near Lake Tahoe last month and woke up freezing each night. After some frustration, I put a closed-cell foam pad underneath the air mattress as a ground insulator. Has anyone else tried this trick for staying warm in cold weather camping?

Remember when tents had those awful fiberglass poles that shattered in the wind?

I was digging through old gear last weekend and found my dad's Coleman from the 80s, that thing weighed like 15 pounds and the poles were basically splinters waiting to happen. Has anyone else noticed how much lighter and tougher modern tent poles are?

Used to think expensive sleeping pads were a waste...

I spent like 8 years using a $20 Walmart foam pad for camping. Every trip I'd wake up with my hips aching against the ground, just figured that was part of the deal. Last summer a buddy let me try his Therm-a-Rest pad for one night at a site near Lake Tahoe. I woke up actually rested and realized I'd been suffering for no good reason. Anyone else have a piece of gear they stubbornly refused to upgrade for years?

Finally ditched my coleman sleeping bag for a quilt setup

I camped for 5 years with that heavy rectangular bag. Always thought quilts were a gimmick for ultralight snobs. Then last September at Yosemite Creek Campground I woke up at 2 AM tangled in the zipper. Freezing because I kicked the bag open. A guy two sites over had a katabatic quilt. He saw me struggling and let me check it out. That thing wrapped around his pad tight. No drafts. He said he never looked back. Bought a hammock gear econ quilt the next week. 19 ounces lighter. Has anyone else switched and found they sleep warmer now?

Hit 47 campsites in 12 months and my tent finally gave up

I counted every single site I stayed at last year and my old Coleman finally ripped a seam after night 47, which is way more than I expected from a $60 tent, so anyone else track their gear's lifespan like that?

My inflatable sleeping pad lost half its insulation after 6 nights. Here's the before and after.

Bought this Exped pad in March. First 3 nights were great, warm as hell. Then I loaned it to my brother for a rainy trip up in the Sierras. He brought it back and said it was fine but I noticed it didn't feel as firm. Took it out last weekend in 40 degree weather. Woke up freezing my ass off. Checked the R-value tag and compared it to my buddy's same model. Mine was clearly less. I think moisture got into the synthetic fill from his trip and never dried out right. Anyone else had this happen with a puffy pad?

Hit 1,000 miles on my old backpacking stove and it still fires first time every time

Picked up a Pocket Rocket back in 2018 for a trip to the Smokies. Figured I'd replace it after a couple seasons. Six years later and I just checked the log I keep in my gear bag, hit exactly 1,000 miles of trail use this past weekend. Still lights on the first click, no sputtering. Only thing I've done is blow out the burner holes with canned air maybe twice. Anyone else have a piece of gear that just refuses to die?

Setting up my new tent in the rain took forever

Got a new 4 person tent for a trip to Lake Tahoe. First time setting it up was in a downpour last weekend. The rain fly clips kept getting stuck. Took me 45 minutes just to get the poles through the sleeves with wet hands. My old tent took 10 minutes tops. Anyone have a good rainproof tent they can set up fast?

My brother told me to skip the cheap tent and get a Kelty, but I didn't listen.

He said the $80 one from the big store would leak in a real storm. I got it anyway for a trip to the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sure enough, a downpour hit on night two and I woke up in a puddle. Anyone have a good fix for a soaked sleeping bag, or is it just trash now?

Serious question, has anyone else been overpacking their tent for years?

I was setting up my old 4-person dome in a downpour at Joshua Tree last October, fumbling with the rainfly. A guy from the next site, who was already dry inside his tent, walked over and said, 'You know, you don't need half those stakes in this soil.' He was right. I was using all twelve, but the sandy ground only held the four corners. The rest were just pulling the fabric tight for no reason. I've been doing that for a decade, following the manual to the letter. What other basic setup steps are we all doing that are just a waste of time?

Question about tent footprint sizing

I keep seeing people buy footprints that match the exact floor dimensions of their tent, but after a rainy weekend in the Adirondacks, I'm convinced you need one that's a few inches smaller all around to stop water from channeling underneath. Anyone have a hard rule they follow?

My neighbor said his $40 sleeping bag from 2012 is better than my new $300 one

We were packing for a trip to the Adirondacks and he pulled out this old, faded bag, saying it's never let him down in 30 degree weather. It made me wonder if we all just buy gear for the specs and not the real use. How much of your kit is actually proven, not just new and shiny?

The great tent pole vs. duct tape debate of my last trip

On a trip to the Adirondacks last fall, my main tent pole snapped clean in half on the first night. I had to pick between trying to fix it with my repair sleeve or just going full MacGyver with a roll of duct tape. I chose the tape, wrapping it around the break about twenty times. It held until sunrise, when a gust of wind made the whole thing fold like a cheap lawn chair. I spent the rest of the weekend sleeping in my car. Has anyone actually had a field repair work, or should I just always carry a backup tent now?

Thinking about that week my old canvas tent finally gave up

It was a rainy October trip in the Hoh Rainforest about five years ago. That tent, a hand-me-down from my dad, had been fine for years, but on night three a steady drip started right over my sleeping bag. I spent the rest of the trip in a damp, mildewy bubble. That was the push I needed to finally get a modern, waterproof tent. Now I'm dry, but I kind of miss the smell of that old canvas. Anyone else have a piece of gear that just decided to retire itself on a trip?

Am I the only one who spent a whole afternoon trying to get a tent pole to fit?

Turns out I was trying to connect the wrong sections for over three hours before I noticed the tiny color coding. Has anyone else had a simple setup take forever because of one dumb mistake?

Vent: My new sleeping bag failed me in the Sierras last month

Took a Marmot Trestles 15 out for a weekend in Yosemite and the temp dropped to 28. I was freezing all night, and the zipper snagged. Anyone have a solid 3-season bag rec that actually holds up?

I just hit 100 nights in my old tent and the math hit me

I bought that basic two-person dome from a big box store for a trip to the White Mountains six years ago. I never kept track, but I tallied it up last weekend after a rainy weekend in Vermont. It's been through wind, a lot of sun, and one memorable hailstorm. For a tent that cost under a hundred bucks, that's less than a dollar a night. Has anyone else been surprised by how long a piece of cheap gear actually lasted?