What's that one piece of gear you have that you swear by. Yet everyone else thinks it is pointless, or just shit.
I'll go first, the collapsible baffle (sorry bellows) stick. It makes starting and maintaining a fire stupid easy.
My dinosaur headlamp , it rawrs and honestly for kids but it’s bright as hell and helped me scare off a bunch of raccoons once
Now I want this!
Just look up Dinosaur headlamp on Amazon they got a ton of options
A collapsible side table for next to my camp chair. It's just nice to have an extra surface to set all your things, I bought it after getting annoyed constantly having to shove things in the chair cup holders 😂
I'm totally stealing this idea.
Ditto! I always bring a few folding tables! Under appreciated camp gear till you’re out there 😂
I'm seriously considering getting one of these. The number of situations I've wished I had a small table in the outdoors are numerous.
Looking for one on aliexpress
It’s my trusty moka pot coffee brewer. I get made fun of every time. Until I pour my first cup and then the Silent Awe of Envy says it all.
Similar but I use an aeropress!
Collapsible Walmart camping trash can. So much better than a bag hanging on a limb.
Absolutely! Especially when camping where there are no trees!
Lint roller, for getting ticks and other biting things.
Brilliant!
Oooh, that’s a good idea!
Damn, that’s a game changer for me. Thank you 🙏🏽
I bring my pour over setup for camping. Used to use an old school percolator but now I’m the only one that drinks coffee (wife had to switch to tea), I get the same cup of coffee camping that I do at home. We’re doing car camping so space isn’t a big issue.
I just got a Nemo Quasar 3D Insulted (Long Wide) to replace my old thin thermarest. I have a feeling that’s going to be a game changer for my middle aged, side sleeping, dad bod body. It’s getting here Tuesday and our first trip of the year is planned for next weekend. Stoked to use it.
I think people who claim to be comfy on just those thermarest pads are lying to themselves. I don’t think camping needs to be minimalist or uncomfy. Nemo Roamer for LIFE mofo.
Unless it’s a Thermarest Mondo King 3D!
Nemo Roamer is where it's AT!! I'm a side sleeper with hips for days and that thing is a game changer for sleeping comfortably. If I was a back sleeper I could get away with the Paria Recharge I bought initially (I kept it for future backpacking) but if I'm campground camping, the Roamer is where it's at.
I hammock camp. I can’t believe everyone doesn’t hammock camp. The set up is so fast and easy and it’s very comfortable
I enjoy napping in the hammock, but for me part of the joy of camping is having my little home set up in the tent with my little amenities and gear all organized! But if I'm trying to go really light, like on a longer backpack trip, I've done the hammock for overnights and you're right, it is super comfortable!
My partner and I hang a 12ft square tarp with both of our hammocks under it, and then hang up ropes with everything we need. More amenities than you could ever fit in a tent!
I actually find camping hammocks extremely uncomfortable. I move around a lot in my sleep, and if you're in a hammock, you're basically forced to sleep on your back. I also have sleep apnea, and a hammock just puts me in a terrible position for that.
Ah, yeah, that makes sense. I actually do side sleep in warbonnet blackbird xl, but, yes, it’s mostly set up for back sleepers
I hammock camp where I know it’s going to be bone dry outside. I don’t have a proper rain fly for my camping hammock. Otherwise, even a bit of morning dew can make things messier than I prefer, if avoidable.
Yeah. I ended up getting a wax canvas tarp. It’s huge and awesome. A heavy rain can still cause some issues with a muddy ground, but I’m getting better at picking spots with decent drainage. I usually toss a tarp with a towel or blanket on top of it to stand on in the mornings.
Cordless shop vac for car camping. Dirty tent, dirty vehicle, inflatable beach toys, air mattresses, paddle boards, lighting a fire. The wife thought I was dumb first time I brought it now she double checks to make sure it got packed.
i take a trauma kit with me
im talking full on kind of thing youd take into a warzone, tourniquets, splints, compressed gauze, various bandages wound plasters pins suture kit chest seal kits etc etc, i never expect to have to use it. and it stays in the boot of my car. but you never know and id rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. i get jokes like when did we get deployed and all that but yeah. peace of mind i guess knowing we COULD react to some sort of terrible injury
Same. I have a medkit for the car, and a mini medkit for my backpack. It stores a lot of my hygiene stuff too like Wilderness Wipes which is super essential.
A little cast iron square with some holes drilled into it. I cook with it, smack stuff with it, warm it up and throw it in the sleeping bag with me. Kinda heavy, but just means that thermal mass keeps my feet warm for hours. Ultralight campers are just people afraid of squats anyway.
I feel like we may have the same spirit animal.
what are the holes for?
Smacking stuff with it 😉
ahh I see, I thought that might be a minor use, but maybe not!
Aerodynamics.
Around here, my car mounted awning. Everyone else practically worships those pop up gazebos. Which, hey, if it works for them, awesome! :) They also usually have an entire platoon of partners, kids, & pets, where I'm peacefully on my lonesome, so a compact setup does me a treat.
So I'm curious, how easy is it to pull out and repack an awning like that? I'm also a solo camper but use my campsite as a base to explore the area so I'm frequently driving around during the day. Which is why I've stayed away from those awnings as they don't seem conducive to the way I explore.
It seems to really depend on the size of the awning. I've just got a little 4' wide by 6' long one, which is small & light enough I can install & remove solo very easily. With a more standard 6x6, I'd probably leave it on, & rolling it up would likely be more awkward. The 180 & 270 awnings look like they're ok for solo setup if they've some degree of freestanding, just so you're not fighting this big gangly thing the whole way.
I'm also 5'7", & so far have only used the awning on an older Subaru Forester, so not much height was needed. Now I've a Volvo XC90, so I'm going to have to see if removing it (mostly for when I'm in town) is too much of a hassle or not.
Oh sorry, I was talking about how easy it is to roll up or deploy while it's on the car. So like, if I'm going out for a day, how much of a hassle is it to roll up so I can move the car. Not so much taking it on and off at home!
Oh! Yes, sorry! haha Yeah, no, I find rolling it up easy as, can damn near do it one handed. Again, that's the little 4 footer, the bigger ones will need more attention. But, I think from pulling the pegs to zipping up the cover, I can get it down to 2 minutes, if it's dry & clean. 5 if it's wet & I'm wiping moisture off as I roll it up.
Deploying is much the same, maybe 1 minute, if I'm not pegging it down.
Awesome good to know!!
Hammock setup
Faraday crank-generator (or an emergency radio that is powered by a Faraday-crank, that also has a USB charge-port).
Waffle iron and a blender. Because waffles and margaritas are way better when you’re out in the middle of the woods or desert and your friends that gave you shit about them don’t have waffles or margaritas.
Beach-style mat in front of the tent door. Great for changing shoes to keep your tent clean, perfect clean spot to set your stuff on while moving in and out of the tent; I wouldn’t camp without it.
Plastic drawers instead of totes. I use plastic drawers to pack EVERYTHING in the back of my 4Runner and it's so freaking convenient. Need a sink? Pull out a drawer and use that. Each kid gets a drawer for clothes. Fun stuff in one drawer, cooking supplies in another, dog stuff in another. Everything is easily accessible and organized and can stay in the back of the rig organized and dry the whole time.
A plastic, floating, waterproof fishing tackle box. The lid has rubber gaskets.
My Hunting Knife.
It was custom made as a gift from my brother. Has my name engraved on it. Its blade is very heavy duty and easy to sharpen.
Lots of people comment that it's unnecessarily large, heavy, or intimidating when I'm wearing it in its sheath on my belt.
But I can clean small game, fillet fish, cut potatoes, baton firewood, and the pommel is useful as a hammer in a pinch.
My parents have a bar mat that they bring specifically to one site we go to every year. It's very sandy and it's hard to not track sand into the pop-up. That bar mat has been a life saver, it traps the sand and so much less comes in on our feet!
French Press.
I just can't do coffee any other way and honestly that little ritual of getting it all ready and watching it steam while it brews is just the best.
I've tried the pour over and while I loved the look and feel of it(Absolutely very 'gram worthy) the odd size/shape was annoying to pack and the coffee really isn't that great from it.
French Press for car camping, a fine-screened filter cup for backpacking/canoe camping.
Partner and I are looking to get into backpacking and I'll be needing my coffee. Any reccs for a filter cup?
We have an MSR Mugmate. Works well, fits most cup sizes. The lid does not attach, just rests on top to insulate while brewing, and works as a tray to set the filter onto after brewing. It is plastic, so have to store it in a cup in the pack to avoid crushing.
Appreciated!
I have a tiny usb powered leaf blower... Sounds stupid but it is the best thing when starting a fire with just a ferro rod and kindling. I dont have to bend down in the smoke to blow on it, just point and blow.
Wax fire starters. I’ve wasted too many precious camping hours trying to build a fire on crappy park wood.
Someone here once sold me on welding gloves.
Cooking over wood fire coals is easy when you can pick up and move the burning logs however you like.
For car camping my two seater campchair. Makes campfires 10x cozier and gives me a place for a solid afternoon nap. I can't believe I ever lived without it.
Link?
@u/Slow_Astronomer_3536 can you post a link of what you’re talking about? Google is not very helpful and I’m bad at campfires lol
I'm not OP, but this is what I use.
Thank you!
An umbrella. For rain AND sun. Used to be optional but I miss it every time I leave it at home.
A little travel tub of unscented Vaseline. Fire starter, lubricant for tools, lube for stuck tent or sleeping bag zippers, skin and lip balm, and slather some in a tick stuck in your skin and they'll suffocate and let go on their own in no time.
one of the cheap propane blow torches great for starting fires and charcoal without accelerant will work on top of those green stove tanks in a pinch
Auto detailing microfiber towel, multiple if I am car camping and just 1 or 2 if I am backpacking. It makes it easy to clean dirt or dust off gear and if the towel gets saturated with dirt or debris, you can ring it out in some water a few times, and it's good to go. You can buy a 40-pack of microfiber towels at Costco for cheap, will last you years.
When tent camping, I swear by additionally using an ultralight tarp as a large awning over the tent door and in front of the tent. Lowers the temp of the tent if it's angled right, gives you outdoor workspace, shade, protection from rain. And my aquaquest 10x7 is plenty large enough but packs tiny and weighs little.
An inflared thermometer to measure pan temp for optimal temp for steaks and fish
And ducktape
I don't think anyone could credibly accuse duct-tape of being 'pointless' or 'useless' in a camping or survival situation.
for steaks and fish
That's two things. Go stand in the corner!
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A buff! It’s so useful for so many things!