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Camping (1 Viewer)
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IrishTwinkie
Footballguy
I should also add: My go to solution for backpacking is now a hammock. I use a Hennessy. I've got the tents for when I am forced to the ground. Some places do not allow the hammocks, but in general the hammock is less impactful and it doesn't need flat ground or platforms. I use quilts now instead of sleeping bags.
wilked
Footballguy
Jaysus
Good times!
AAABatteries
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
This is actually the setup I took last time, although I had never done it before. It was my backup anyway as we stayed in AT shelters and had no issues. We are staying in shelters each night this trip too save one night. I want to do the hammock setup while conventional camping just to ensure I'm comfortable with all of it. I sleep well in a hammock and I have a ridge line and under blanket for warmth.
Jaysus
Good times!
for cheaper options check out the X-Mid 1P and the Lanshan 1 (or 2) - both used trekking poles for setup.
IrishTwinkie
Footballguy
https://hennessyhammock.com/products/explorer-deluxe-asym-zip
I've used a number of different flys. I'll use the hex fly shown there. I've gotten a custom fly built w/doors too. Doors can be nice in lousy weather. They help keep out excess wind.
I use quilts. The down quilts can be expensive. Be warned.
Winter Top Quilt
https://www.jacksrbetter.com/product/high-sierra-sniveller/
3 season top quilt
https://mountainlaureldesigns.com/product/spirit-quilt-28-degree/
4 season bottom quilt
https://www.jacksrbetter.com/product/old-rag-mtn-winter-hammock-quilt/
I camp/hike in NewEngland year round. I've been out in snow storms. Lowest I've gotten with the winter system above was 2degrees and I still had room to go. I was comfortable and warm. I have not bottomed out yet.
It is possible to exceed the comfortable temp range for the 3season quilt. I've done it. It was super long night. But it is a very versatile quilt and it has replaced my sleeping bag even if I have to go to ground in the warmer months. (Besides, fill on the bottom of a sleeping bag is dumb)
I also have this fly. This can be used a pile of different ways too. I've used as a winter fly on my hammock and used the excess to form doors. Its a bit heavier, so I don't tend to backpack with it very much, but I have. Each fly I have has its own uses and I'll pull the appropriate out as needed.
https://www.jacksrbetter.com/product/jrb-11-x-10-tarp/
I've got nothing but good things to say about all of these. They've treated me well. They have kept me reliably warm and dry. Coming in camp knowing you'll be warm and dry can be a huge morale boost.
IrishTwinkie
Footballguy
Yeah, I've done a fair bit of hiking on the AT up this way. Sometimes I use the shelters, sometimes I don't. I learned that the platforms that they have up here can get bowl shaped. I like the platforms in theory, since they help reduce the impact of so much camping. But after getting flooded out on one (thankfully my last night out...), I switched to hammocks as my primary option. I sleep soundly in the hammock. The key is to have good insulation under you (true no matter what sleep system you use) and to sleep diagonally in the hammock.
ETA: How far are you going? Sadly I haven't done much hiking since this all Covid stuff started. I need to get back at it.
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AAABatteries
Footballguy
So far all the shelters I’ve stayed in or seen (just ones in Georgia) have been really good. Nice and flat and due to when we went we had few folks we were sharing with. I’m going with a group of 5 this time and just another reason I wanted a tent.
I will try the hammock setup next time I go camping (not backpacking) and see how it works out. I’ve got a borrowed under quilt and tarp with a decent hammock. Just nervous to try it this time.
I went ahead and made a call on this. I bought an REI model - I’ve got two boys and if I don’t like it I will just let one of them have it. Trail weight is 4lb 8oz.
We are going out for 40 miles.
IrishTwinkie
Footballguy
Nice! Yeah, I wouldn't to be on the AT in spring time down there. Too close to the bubble. Now should be close to ideal as far as shelter/trail population goes. I am jealous. Hope you have a great hike!
AAABatteries
Footballguy
It flattens they hammock out so it’s more comfortable/better for sleeping.
ETA - it’s also a preference thing - do what is most comfortable for you.
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IrishTwinkie
Footballguy
What he said. If you sleep inline with the ridge line/trees, the hammock will sag. Your butt will be lower and you look like a U or a V. If you push you shoulders to one side and your feet to the other it flattens out the hammock, no sagging.
The awesome thing about hammocks is no pressure points. (It also makes adjusting a sleeping back MUCH harder... thus my quilts). But no pressure points equals a much more restful sleep. No tossing/turning to relieve pressure, avoid a root/rock.
The awesome thing about hammocks is no pressure points. (It also makes adjusting a sleeping back MUCH harder... thus my quilts). But no pressure points equals a much more restful sleep. No tossing/turning to relieve pressure, avoid a root/rock.
Beef Ravioli
Footballguy
The hammocks have always intrigued me but I like a firm flat surface to sleep on. I stayed in a cabin several years ago with a bed with a spring base and a thin mattress. It sagged in the middle and after one night of sleep messed my back up for weeks. I’ve been concerned the same thing would happen in the hammock.
IrishTwinkie
Footballguy
I understand, but I'm telling ya, its great. I wake up in the position I go to sleep in. And I never have to worry about finding rock/root free land. Or even level ground. Two trees about 6 paces apart is all I need. 99% of the forests I've been in, it been easy to find the trees.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Bumping this thread.
Just got back from 4 days/3 nights at Balsam Mountain Campground in the Smoky Mountain National Park. Primitive site with just cold water/toilets. The sites themselves were cramped and right on top of each other but it was super quiet and weather was great - never got above 72 degrees. Campsite is at 5,310 ft. elevation so it stayed nice and cool although we did get a decent amount of rain. As you can see from the pics there's elk in the area which is really cool.
Climbed up to the top of Clingsman's Dome but unfortunately the views were somewhat blocked due to some fog but still was a gorgeous drive and short hike.
This will be the last trip that my old 8 person tent will make - leaked due to some dry rotting and it's so old it's not worth trying to patch. I have 3 small tents so doubt I will get another large one as the kids are older now and I doubt we ever go tent camping with the whole family again.
Just got back from 4 days/3 nights at Balsam Mountain Campground in the Smoky Mountain National Park. Primitive site with just cold water/toilets. The sites themselves were cramped and right on top of each other but it was super quiet and weather was great - never got above 72 degrees. Campsite is at 5,310 ft. elevation so it stayed nice and cool although we did get a decent amount of rain. As you can see from the pics there's elk in the area which is really cool.
Climbed up to the top of Clingsman's Dome but unfortunately the views were somewhat blocked due to some fog but still was a gorgeous drive and short hike.
This will be the last trip that my old 8 person tent will make - leaked due to some dry rotting and it's so old it's not worth trying to patch. I have 3 small tents so doubt I will get another large one as the kids are older now and I doubt we ever go tent camping with the whole family again.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
I haven't updated much around my AT trips but my buddies and I have now done segments through the first 110 miles of the trail - only 2,083 miles to go! 
We are planning our next trip out - hopefully later in November this year. Hoping to do about 60 miles but not sure if the scheduling will work out for everyone. My goal is to keep our momentum going with segments for the next few years and then maybe plan a 2-3 week long trip in a few more years when my youngest is close to out of HS. We are getting close to where going out for 2, 3, 4 days doesn't make a lot of sense due to all the driving.
We are planning our next trip out - hopefully later in November this year. Hoping to do about 60 miles but not sure if the scheduling will work out for everyone. My goal is to keep our momentum going with segments for the next few years and then maybe plan a 2-3 week long trip in a few more years when my youngest is close to out of HS. We are getting close to where going out for 2, 3, 4 days doesn't make a lot of sense due to all the driving.
Jaysus
Good times!
And my last multi-night trip saw me sleeping in new a shelter that was pretty much a combination of the two above: a tarp with a bugnet is essentially a bottomless tent
I am a tarp guy, so this was a nice compromise... I could have easily gotten away with just a tarp on this trip as the bug pressure was low (first night temps were actually right at the freezing mark - wth?)
AAABatteries
Footballguy
And my last multi-night trip saw me sleeping in new a shelter that was pretty much a combination of the two above: a tarp with a bugnet is essentially a bottomless tent
I am a tarp guy, so this was a nice compromise... I could have easily gotten away with just a tarp on this trip as the bug pressure was low (first night temps were actually right at the freezing mark - wth?)
One day last Fall we were out hiking a local route to get some miles in and came across this guy hiking by himself. Struck up a conversation and started talking about gear and camping setup. This guy goes out for extended AT and other backpacking trips and tries to keep his weight between 20-25 lbs!! He essentially carries a lightweight tarp that he stakes off to keep the rain off and then has a ground cover/sheet that he sleeps on directly on the ground. Your setup there looks a little like what I envisioned his setup looking like. I can't even imagine. What is odd to me about that is I would much rather carry 10 more pounds and be in shape to do it than sleep that bare bones. Seems miserable but it works for him I guess.
I said before I was going to test out the hammock setup but never did. I got a new sleeping pad which works well for me that I plan on using next time out and should allow me some better sleep.
In The Zone
Footballguy
Well after a few years of talking about it, the wife and I went and bought an RV a couple of months ago. We just recently got the taxes and tags taken care of and it's now time to start camping. Our maiden voyage is next week and a beach trip next month. After that we have 3 different state parks reserved with one of them being across state lines in Georgia.
Call it camping, glamping, or anything else. Bottom line is we're ready. I may never stay in a hotel room again.
Call it camping, glamping, or anything else. Bottom line is we're ready. I may never stay in a hotel room again.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Which one did you get? I’ve been looking off and on for a couple years - doubt I will buy until the last kid is out of HS.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
I officially have a love/hate relationship with camping. I love being in the outdoors, but I hate how much stuff we take. It's gotten ridiculous.
Also, in lieu of having a camper with A/C and electricity, I'm still big on finding sites that have electric. Have to have my fan, @General Malaise!
Found a nice place near Hocking Hills, OH for July 4th weekend. Near the lake and shaded. Firepit had a grill, but I'm a convert on using my cast iron griddle.
Also, in lieu of having a camper with A/C and electricity, I'm still big on finding sites that have electric. Have to have my fan, @General Malaise!
Found a nice place near Hocking Hills, OH for July 4th weekend. Near the lake and shaded. Firepit had a grill, but I'm a convert on using my cast iron griddle.
Manster
Footballguy
Ryobi makes power inverters in 18v and 40v. that run on the lithium batts that run their yard tools.....I have an 18v and a 4ah battery will run my fan most of the night. A 6 or 9 ah batt would go all night. I mostly dry camp in my RV and you can't run a geny all night..... I mean you could, but for a fan? Nah, and it'd piss off ur neighbors if u have em......I use my geny during the day to recharge my deep cycles and my ryobi's
Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Went to Mt Mitchell and everything around it a few weeks ago and loved it. I meant to post up more in Otis' exercise thread but the reality is that with all this weight off my frame, i was flying thru the trails. Ranger Falls, Crabtree Falls, I loved these trails and the waterfalls. The one thing I want to do next time is to have one of those portable chairs made out of the same stuff that tents are made of so they fold up and fit in your back pack.
You walk an hour or more to some of these and for what? 5-10 minutes and then turn around? #### that, next time I am hanging out for hours, bringing a sandwich and chilling out by the Falls. They're beautiful and honestly the number of folks that go the whole way to these water falls, not that many peeps and a lot of people talk a big game of camping, etc...I'm not shocked this has only gone 3 pages in 3-4 years, it's just not as many folks as you think.
-We have a couple of pretty cool camping items, the best thing we have is an Exped Megamat is I think what they're called but very little air needed to pump into them. Inflates pretty much on its own after 10-15 minutes of being unwrapped. Takes up almost no space in our Forrester and you can almost sleep on them in the back with the seat folded down.
I'd like a better tent and just to learn easier methods of "roughing" it.
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Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
Ministry of Pain
Footballguy
In The Zone
Footballguy
We decided to go with a Class C. It's only the wife and I, and a couple of dogs, for the most part.
We ended up flying to Lazydays in Tampa and bought an Entegra Odyssey 26 M
We've learned alot so far and I'm sure we have plenty of mistakes to make but we can't wait.
There are several state parks in Georgia that we want to visit.
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Osaurus
Footballguy
AAABatteries
Footballguy
Nice! Congrats - would love to hear how it goes.
On the State Parks in Georgia. My favorite is Vogel - great spot. There’s fantastic trails all around if you are in to hiking. Climb the couple of miles up Blood Mountain for some great views - bonus is you are doing part of the AT. There’s a decent BBQ place not far and the somewhat famous Mountain Crossings store with a ton of gear is right there.
Tallulah Gorge is awesome, especially if the lower part is open.
Unicoi is decent and allows for a day in Helen.
Cloudland Canyon is one I want to get to later this year. Very close to Chattanooga and you can hit up the Chatt Brewery and the Distillery.
AAABatteries
Footballguy
That’s a great spot - hope you guys had a great time. On the taking too much stuff - somebody ewe mentioned earlier in the thread (maybe GM) that he has his stuff in Totes and just grabs them when he’s ready to go out. I do that along with keeping a packing list in OneNote. I try to go through the totes after every trip and do a debrief on things I need to add or take away. When I’m car camping I pretty much don’t worry about the amount of stuff as long as I’m not starting over each time and it fits in the car.
DaVinci
FairTaxguy
In The Zone
Footballguy
Thanks GB. I'm excited and a little bit nervous at the same time. I'm sure mistakes will be made but that's going to be part of the experience. If things go well I can see us eventually going full time in a Class A but that is a ways down the road.
All of those state parks you mentioned are on my radar. I've seen Vogel listed as one of the top 10 state parks in the United States. I have family that live in Clarksville and they are centrally located to 4 or 5 parks.
A couple of others I am looking at are Providence Canyon and Amicalola as well as Stone Mountain. We are going to Mistletoe in October.
Once again, thanks for the well wishes.
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
I have a lot of our stuff in totes. It's not really the getting stuff together part, it's fitting it all in the van.
General Malaise
Footballguy
We have a soft-top roof carrier that holds 5 camping chairs and some sleeping bags. That helps a lot for storage.
But we also just use inflatable mattress pads and yeah, have camping bins pre-packed and ready to roll. The cast iron griddle is a game changer but we also pack lightly on food and pre-cook rice and beans for easy burrito meals. Food (and beer) can take up a lot of precious cargo.
Still never thought to bring a fan but it gets pretty chilly at night where we tent camp in Oregon. We don't have your humidity to deal with. We open up out tent windows, catch the cross breeze and zzzzzzzzzzzz
shuke
Black Ice Skeptic
Brony
Footballguy
Jaysus
Good times!
Car camping or Backpacking?
Car Camping: get a Coleman stove, a cheap set of collapsible style cookware, and a cast iron pot for over the fire.
Backpacking: start with one of those cheap stove sets on amazon that comes with a couple aluminum pots.
Hov34
Eephus's Great Great Great Love Child
BoltBacker
Footballguy
There for a minute I expected him to say that he was living with a fan down by the river. Motivational speaker?
In The Zone
Footballguy
Well our first camping trip went off without much of a hitch. We had a great time and we were well relaxed.
Lake Wateree Recreation Area
This was about 3 weeks ago and now this week we're going again. This time it will be more glamping than camping. We're going to Carolina Pines RV Resort in Conway, SC. Can't wait.
Lake Wateree Recreation Area
This was about 3 weeks ago and now this week we're going again. This time it will be more glamping than camping. We're going to Carolina Pines RV Resort in Conway, SC. Can't wait.
In The Zone
Footballguy
flapgreen said:
SwampDawg
Footballguy
We have gone to Castaways in OCMD which is a Sun Resort as well and really enjoyed it. Just got back from a mini 5 day trip to https://www.masseyslanding.com/ in Delaware, might be my favorite place yet. We aren't go in the woods and sit around the campsite all day type people so we need to be busy. Love campgrounds that are on a bay, ocean, lake.
In The Zone
Footballguy
We're here now and I gotta say that this place is fantastic. After we got setup we rode the mopeds up to one of the restaurants to eat. After that we did a couple of laps around the resort. This place is huge.SwampDawg said:
AAABatteries
Footballguy
@In The Zone - saw you in the thread. Made any more trips out? I started researching RVs recently to rent to try one out but the cost is crazy still. Did you ever do that?
In The Zone
Footballguy
We went to Mistletoe State Park back in October and really enjoyed it. We had a site right on the lake. I'll try to post a brief write up and add a few pictures sometime over the weekend.
Renting an RV is crazy expensive. About a year ago I looked to rent one in Vegas and do an 8 day loop ending back in Vegas. It was nearly four grand. There were major limits on mileage, propane use, and generator use. I think the insurance was high as well.
Have you tried looking on RVShare? It's like Airbnb but for RV's. It's might be worth a look.
flapgreen
Footballguy
WDIK2
Footballguy
I've been to the Boundary Waters 3 times with my kids. You canoe/carry everything with you and portage from lake to lake.
The first time we brought 4x too much stuff. The second time we brought 2x too much stuff. The third time we barely brought enough food. Things would have gotten dicey if we didn't catch a few fish.
That type of trip really helps you get things down to the essentials.
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