c/camping-gear-reviews

Can we talk about how different campgrounds are now versus 20 years ago?

I camped at Lake Tahoe last summer at a spot I first visited back in 2003. The biggest change I noticed was all the RVs with satellite dishes and full outdoor kitchens (like, actual stoves and fridges). I swear half the people barely left their setup, just watched TV in the woods. Has anyone else felt like the vibe has shifted away from the whole 'roughing it' thing?

That moment I realized I was packing my sleeping bag wrong for years

I was out near Shenandoah last fall and couldn't figure out why my bag was always damp in the mornings. My buddy Mike took one look at how I was stuffing it into the compression sack and just laughed. He told me I was crushing the down insulation in the same spot every time by rolling it instead of just loosely bunching it. I switched to the method where you just shove it in randomly and let it puff out, and after three trips now it's way warmer and dries faster. Anyone else have a gear habit they had to unlearn the hard way?

That time a ranger told me to cook 100 feet from my tent site

Last summer I was camping at Lake George and this ranger came by our spot. He said we needed to move our cooking area at least 100 feet from where we slept. I thought he was being extra since we were just using a camp stove and not a fire. But I moved it anyway about 80 feet because dragging all the gear felt like a pain. That night around 2am I heard rustling right where we had cooked earlier. Turned out a raccoon and maybe a bear came through sniffing around our empty stove area. If I had kept cooking right next to my tent I would have had a visitor unzipping my fly. Anyone else ever ignore advice and get away with it or did you learn the hard way like I almost did?

That $50 inflatable kayak from the bargain bin popped after 20 minutes on the lake near Denton last Saturday

I thought I scored big with this cheap inflatable kayak I found at a discount outdoor shop. It was marked down to $50 and looked fine in the packaging. I blew it up by the shore, got in, paddled maybe 20 minutes, and then heard a loud hiss. The thing deflated so fast I was suddenly waist-deep in cold water holding a floppy piece of plastic. My phone got ruined and I had to swim to shore dragging this useless heap. Lost $50 on the kayak and another $200 on a new phone. Has anyone else bought gear that looked like a steal but ended up costing way more in the end?

Bought a $20 sleeping pad off Amazon and woke up on the ground by 3am

Last month at a site near Lake Tahoe, my budget foam pad deflated flat by midnight and I spent the rest of the night shivering on dirt. Has anyone else had luck with cheap pads holding up, or is it just not worth it?

Bought a $40 tent from Walmart and got rained on for 6 hours straight

I figured hey, it's just a weekend trip, how bad could it be? Well I set up at Lake Tahoe last month and by midnight the seams started leaking like a sieve. I spent the whole night huddled under my rain jacket, trying to keep my sleeping bag dry. The next morning I counted 3 separate puddles inside the tent floor. Has anyone else had a budget tent fail on them in the middle of nowhere? I'm thinking of just saving up for a mid-range one now.

Skeptical about cheap camp stoves until I tested one at 9,000 feet in Flagstaff

I always thought you had to spend over $100 for a reliable backpacking stove. Last month I grabbed a $25 butane model from a gas station near Flagstaff and it boiled water in 3 minutes at 9,000 feet elevation with wind. Honestly shocked me how consistent the flame was. Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear surprise them after they doubted it?

That popular tent review site I trusted got it wrong about the MSR Hubba Hubba

I read that Outdoor Gear Lab review calling the MSR Hubba Hubba the best 2-person tent for the last 3 years, but I finally tried one on a 4-night trip in the Smokies last month and it was a wet mess. The condensation was so bad inside I had to wipe down the walls every morning even with the vents open. Maybe it's just me but I think they focus too much on weight and not enough on how it actually holds up in real rain. Has anyone else had a different experience with a tent that got rave reviews everywhere?

Can we talk about how campgrounds have changed since the 90s

I went back to Indian Lake campground in upstate New York last weekend, the same spot my dad took me when I was 10. Back then we had a hand pump for water and a pit toilet that smelled like regret. Now they have Wi-Fi hotspots and a kiosk that takes credit cards for firewood at 8 bucks a bundle. I appreciate the convenience but it felt less like camping and more like a really rustic hotel. The sites are all leveled with gravel pads now too, which makes setting up easy but kills the old feel of finding a flat spot with a rock or two. My buddy said I'm just getting old and grumpy, but has anyone else noticed this shift making camping feel different, or am I alone on this?

Debate: My buddy swore a tarp under the tent was a bad idea

So my friend Dave said don't put a tarp under the tent, it traps water. I did it anyway at Willow Creek last weekend. Woke up to a puddle inside my tent floor. He was right. But I've seen people online swear by it. What's the real deal with ground tarps under tents?

My buddy's one question about my tent stakes changed how I pack for every trip

I was loading up for a weekend in Shenandoah and my friend Mike pointed at my bag and asked why I was carrying 10 heavy steel stakes for a 3-person tent. I hadn't even thought about it, just kept using the ones that came with it. He showed me his setup with 6 lightweight aluminum stakes and a couple of those plastic V-stakes for extra guylines. Now I leave half the heavy ones at home and my pack weight dropped about 2 pounds. Has anyone else had a simple gear tweak from a friend that made a bigger difference than you expected?

Finally gave in and bought a $45 camp pillow after years of using a stuff sack

I've been using a puffy jacket in a stuff sack for years and always woke up with a crick in my neck... finally grabbed a decent inflatable pillow last month for a 4 day trip in the Smokies. First night I actually slept through without waking up to adjust my makeshift pillow. Has anyone else found one piece of gear that made them mad they didn't switch sooner?

Why does nobody talk about how tent waterproof ratings are basically meaningless?

My $400 tent listed a 3000mm rating leaked on me during a storm in the Smokies last month, but my buddy's cheap Walmart tent with no rating stayed bone dry. Are the numbers just marketing fluff, or does application method matter more than the spec?

My old sleeping bag setup used to weigh a ton, now I barely feel it

Back in 2018 I was still hauling this old Coleman bag that weighed like 5 pounds and took up half my pack. I finally switched to a down quilt from Hammock Gear last spring and it was a game changer for my trips up around Shenandoah. The difference in pack space is crazy, I can fit a whole extra day of food now. Has anyone else made the jump from bulky bags to quilts and noticed a big change in their hikes?

Learned the hard way about tent stakes at Indian Lake last weekend

I was setting up at site 7 near the water when a storm rolled in around 11pm. The ground was sandy and my regular stakes pulled right out in the wind. I had to scramble to tie my tent to some rocks and a log until morning. Next day I bought a set of 10 inch sand stakes from the camp store for $12. Has anyone else found a good trick for keeping a tent anchored in loose soil?

Can we talk about 'waterproof' sleeping bags?

Bought a $180 'waterproof' sleeping bag from a known brand. First light rain at Yosemite and I woke up damp. Inside was soaked through the fabric. So much for the tech fabric claims. I lost a whole night of sleep and gear got a musty smell. Is the waterproof rating just a marketing gimmick? Or do you use a bivy sack anyway? Curious what others have found on real trips.

Can we talk about how long it takes to dry out a wet sleeping bag

I left my down sleeping bag unzipped after a trip and somehow moisture got into the footbox. It took me THREE full days in front of a fan with constant fluffing to get it dry again. Day one I just hung it and thought it would be fine, but it still felt damp. Day two I put it in the dryer on no heat and it barely helped. By day three I was manually breaking up clumps every hour. Anyone else waste a whole weekend trying to dry gear they thought was fine?

That $250 sleeping pad turned into a pool float in the middle of the Smokies

I dropped $250 on a fancy inflatable sleeping pad thinking it'd be the last one I ever buy. First night out near Clingmans Dome, I woke up at 3am flat on the ground with water seeping through the seams. Tried patching it with the included kit but the leak was some internal baffle I couldn't even reach. Anyone else had a high end pad fail like that or am I just unlucky?

Hit 50 campsites this summer and it changed my whole view on gear

I never tracked my trips before this year but I hit 50 different campsites by late August. That number made me realize I was carrying way too much stuff for short stays so I switched to a 35 liter pack for overnighters. Has anyone else started paring down their kit after seeing their actual usage numbers?

Carried a 7-pound tent for 8 years before I finally weighed it

Found a digital luggage scale at a yard sale for 3 bucks. Hooked it on my tent just for fun. Felt like an idiot. Could have saved 4 pounds for under 200 bucks if I'd just checked sooner. Anyone else hauling around gear they never actually weighed?

Pro tip: ditch the expensive waterproofing spray and use silicone caulk instead

I got tired of my tent seams leaking after every rain, so I tried wiping a thin layer of clear silicone caulk on them with my finger. Has anyone else done this or am I crazy for trying it on a $300 tent?

That old timer at REI who sold me the wrong sleeping pad

I was at the REI in Boulder last spring, just looking at sleeping pads, and this guy maybe 70 years old comes up and says 'son, you need the inflatable one, the foam ones are for people who camp in their driveway.' I bought the inflatable. First night out near Estes Park it sprung a leak at 2 AM and I woke up on frozen dirt. Anyone else get bad advice from someone who seemed like they knew everything?

My tent went from dry to soaked in one night

Used that Sil-Net seam sealer on my old REI tent a month ago. Looked great at first. Then we got hammered by a storm up near Lake Tahoe. Water came right through the taped seams anyway. Wasted 6 hours of a 3 day trip drying gear. Anyone else have seam sealer fail on them like that?

Small win: camp stove finally lit on first try at Lake Tahoe

Been fighting this old Coleman for a month. Got it going with one match before sunrise. Anyone else deal with a finicky stove that suddenly works?

My ancient Coleman stove finally gave up after 15 years on a trip to the Sawtooths