c/camping-gear-reviews

Can we talk about how crowded Big Sur campgrounds are getting?

I drove out to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park last weekend and honestly, the number of tents packed into sites 43 through 60 felt like a parking lot. Everyone raves about the views, but nobody mentions you can hear your neighbor's conversation from ten feet away. Why do we keep pretending packed campgrounds are a good experience?

My cheap camp stove fuel valve froze open at 2am in the Smokies last October

Had to disassemble it with a multitool by headlamp in the rain and spent the rest of the trip boiling water just to get a hot meal, has anyone else had a stove fail on them like that?

Showerthought: My rainfly failed at 2am in the Sierras

I was camping near Bishop Creek last July when a storm rolled in around midnight. Woke up to water dripping right on my sleeping bag because the rainfly seam tape had peeled off. I had no backup shelter so I grabbed a cheap emergency blanket and rigged it over the tent with paracord. It held for the rest of the night but I learned the hard way that gear fails when you least expect it. Anyone else had a seam sealant give out on a trip?

I finally upgraded my old coleman stove and saw a real difference in cooking time

I've been using my dad's old green Coleman two-burner for about 8 years now. It still works fine, but I noticed it takes forever to boil water for coffee in the morning, like 15 minutes. Two weekends ago I bit the bullet and dropped $120 on a new Camp Chef stove at the REI in Denver. First trip out, I timed it and got a full pot of water boiling in under 4 minutes on a windy morning. The difference was honestly shocking, especially since the old stove had a rusted burner grate and probably a clogged fuel line. I think the old one was just losing heat efficiency over the years without me noticing. Has anyone else seen a big jump in performance after swapping out an old stove, or is it just mine that was that bad?

My cheap sleeping pad popped on night one in Big Sur

I bought a $30 inflatable pad off Amazon for a 3 night trip last month. First night, woke up at 3am flat on the rocks. Patched it twice but it kept leaking. Ended up sleeping on pine needles the last two nights and honestly my back felt fine. Makes me wonder if we all overpay for sleeping pads or if I just got lucky. Anyone else had a cheap pad fail on them?

Can we talk about how people review sleeping pads wrong?

I keep seeing reviews where they test pads on their living room floor for one night and call it good. You gotta take that thing out on actual dirt in 40 degree weather to know if it really holds up, how many nights did you test yours before you wrote that review?

Sleeping pad vs hammock underquilt for cold nights... which side are you on?

Last month I camped up near Flagstaff where it dropped to 28 degrees. I used my closed cell foam pad inside a tent and stayed warm enough but my back hurt from the ground. The guy next to me had a hammock setup with an underquilt and said he slept like a rock. So I'm trying to figure out if I should switch to hammock camping for better sleep or stick with my tent setup and just buy a thicker pad. Has anyone tried both and picked a clear winner?

Warning: My tent pole snapped in a thunderstorm near Moab last June

I was camped up in the La Sal Mountains, about 30 miles south of Moab, when a sudden storm rolled in around 2 AM. The wind went from calm to crazy fast in maybe 10 minutes. My aluminum pole just bent and snapped at the joint. I had to scramble to tie the tent to some trees with paracord to keep it from collapsing on me. Soaked everything I owned. Now I check for reinforced pole sleeves before buying a tent. Anybody had a pole fail on them like that?

Got roasted on my tent stakes choice and never looked back after a trip to Shenandoah

PSA: That $80 Amazon camp stove I bought died on trip 3

Bought a no-name brand camp stove for $80 on Amazon after reading good reviews. Took it out to Big Pine Creek last month. First trip it worked fine. Second trip the regulator started acting up. Third trip last week the thing wouldn't hold flame more than 5 minutes. Tried cleaning the jets and the fuel line but no luck. Stuck with a cold dinner and a wasted $80. Anyone else have luck with those cheap stoves or should I just cough up for a MSR or Jetboil?

Ranger at Glacier National Park changed my mind about bear spray

I always thought bear spray was a gimmick and just carried a bell on my pack. This ranger at the Apgar visitor center asked me if I'd ever actually watched a grizzly charge. She pulled up a video on her phone of a test spray stopping a bear at 30 feet. That visual convinced me to buy a can right there for $45. Has anyone else had a park employee change their gear setup?

Serious question, is there a big difference between cheap and expensive sleeping pads?

I used a $30 foam pad from Walmart for my last 3 trips and woke up sore every morning. This past weekend I borrowed my buddy's $120 inflatable pad from REI and slept like a rock. The difference was the R-value and thickness for sure. Has anyone else noticed a huge jump in comfort moving to a pricier pad?

Serious question, is anyone else still using a camp stove from 2012?

I used to just grab my old Coleman two-burner and call it good, but after a trip to Lost Maples last spring I spent 45 minutes getting it to light. Switched to a Jetboil Genesis last month and I can have coffee boiling in under 3 minutes. Has anyone else made the jump from the old white gas era to something modern?

A 9-year-old at a campsite explained my tent setup was wrong and she was right

Last weekend at Big Basin, a little girl with pigtails walked up and said my rainfly was too tight. Told me to loosen the corner straps or condensation would soak my bag. I brushed her off at first. Woke up at 3am with damp sleeping bag. She was watching from her tent when I packed up and just gave me this knowing little smile. Anyone else get schooled by a kid on basics you thought you knew?

My nephew called out my cheap sleeping pad last summer

He told me I was waking up cranky every morning and it was because my old foam pad was shot. Switched to a $60 insulated inflatable and actually slept through the night on a trip to the Smokies last month. Anyone else have a family member point out gear that was past its prime?

Liner seam split at 2am on the AT in Virginia

I was camped near a stream in the Shenandoahs when my sleeping pad liner split right down the middle. It was 38 degrees and I had no backup. I ended up using my emergency blanket as a ground sheet and stuffing leaves under me for insulation. Has anyone else had a liner fail on a cold night and have to improvise?

Debate: How long should it actually take to pitch a new tent for the first time?

Overheard a guy at the campground say expensive tents are just a flex, not better

I was at Rocky Mountain National Park last weekend and this guy with a beat up 20 year old tent was telling his buddy that his $50 Coleman worked just as good as my new $400 Nemo. He claimed all the extra money goes to marketing and a logo, not real weather protection. Now I'm wondering if I got scammed into buying premium gear or if there's actually a real difference. Anyone else ever compare a budget tent side by side with a high end one in a storm?

I dropped $200 on a titanium spork set and it was a total waste

Everyone raves about titanium gear for weight savings, but that spork set bent on the third use scooping canned chili. I ended up back at my old $2 plastic spoon from a gas station - lighter and actually works. Anybody else ditch the fancy stuff for cheap plastic?

Finally solved my tent rainfly problem after 3 soggy trips

I kept waking up with water pooling inside my tent, and it drove me crazy. Turns out I was staking the rainfly too close to the tent body, so condensation had nowhere to escape. It took me 3 separate camping trips over 6 months to figure out the fix - I had to leave a 4 inch gap on each side. Now I also angle the stakes at 45 degrees and it's been bone dry through two heavy rain nights in Shenandoah. Has anyone else dealt with rainfly setup issues or found a better technique?

Debate: Do I buy a $300 Big Agnes tent or a $150 REI knockoff for my PNW trip?

I'm heading to the Olympic National Park next month and gotta choose between a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 at $300 used or a REI Trail Hut 2 for $150 new. The Big Agnes is super light at 3 lbs but the REI has better reviews for rain resistance. I snagged the Big Agnes cause I'm a weight nerd, and honestly it held up fine in a drizzle near Port Angeles, but I'm wondering if I overpaid for hype. Anyone else torn between brand names and budget gear on a specific trip like this? What'd you pick and did it work out?

Rant: People keep storing sleeping bags compressed and it drives me crazy

I work at a busy outdoor gear shop part time and I see so many folks bringing in their 3 season down bags that have lost all their loft because they kept them in those stuff sacks for months. A $250 bag like the Marmot Trestles 30 will lose about half its insulation value if you don't store it loose in a cotton or mesh sack. Has anyone else noticed their bag getting cold even though it's still the same model from 2 years ago?

I tested a $30 tarp against a $100 tarp and the cheap one won

Got stuck in a freak rainstorm up near Lake Tahoe about 6 weeks back. Had my fancy branded tarp that everyone online swears by. Leaked right through the seams after 3 hours of steady rain. Buddy had this no-name blue tarp from a hardware store that he uses for everything. His stayed bone dry underneath. I mean, maybe it's just my luck with that particular brand, but I'm pretty convinced now that spending more on a tarp is just paying for a label. Has anyone else found a cheap piece of gear that actually outperformed the expensive version?

Rant: Everyone loves the Therm-a-Rest NeoAir but I think it's overhyped

I took my NeoAir XTherm up to Mount Rainier last weekend and woke up sliding off the pad three times because it's so slick. My old foam pad never had this problem even on sloped ground. Am I the only one who actually prefers a simple closed-cell foam pad over these inflatable ones?

Just picked a Jetboil over a Soto for my week in Shenandoah

I spent like two hours comparing the Jetboil Flash and the Soto WindMaster before my trip to Shenandoah last month. Ended up going with the Jetboil because I wanted something that boils water super fast for my morning coffee. Has anyone else switched from one to the other and noticed a big difference in real-world use?