c/camping-gear-reviews

My sleeping bag got soaked on the third night of a Colorado trip

I was camping near Buena Vista and woke up to a sudden rain leak in my tent that drenched my down bag. Had to sleep in my car with the heater on and it was miserable. Anyone have a good waterproof bag they trust for wet trips?

My buddy Rob told me his $6 army surplus tarp outlasted three of my fancy backpacking tents and I had to sit down.

He said he just patched a hole with duct tape and kept using it for 8 years while I'm on my fourth tent because a zipper broke or a seam gave out, so has anyone else ditched the expensive gear for the boring stuff?

My $30 tarp from Walmart saved my tent from a flash flood last weekend

I was camped up near Big Sur and the sky just opened up at 2 AM. I had always rolled my eyes at people who brought extra tarps and paracord, figured it was overkill. Well, that $30 tarp kept everything bone dry while my buddy's high-end tent got a puddle in his vestibule. Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear totally save your trip?

Bought a cheap tent that fell apart on night one

I grabbed a $45 tent off Amazon last summer for a weekend at Lake Shasta, thinking it was a steal. First night of light drizzle and the rain flap leaked all over my sleeping bag, plus a pole snapped when I tried to tighten the guy line. Anyone else learned the hard way that spending a little more upfront saves you from a soggy miserable trip?

Why does nobody talk about drying sleeping bags right after a trip

Last fall I was camping up near Flagstaff and it rained for two days straight. My buddy Dave had this old synthetic bag that got soaked through. He just hung it up in his garage when we got back and forgot about it for like a week. When he pulled it out for the next trip it had this musty smell that never really went away. I told him he should have tossed it in the dryer on low with a couple tennis balls to fluff the insulation back up. He looked at me like I was speaking another language but tried it anyway. Worked way better than he expected and now he does it after every wet trip. Has anyone else had a bag get ruined from just air drying too slow?

Just tried a blowdown nozzle on my camp stove instead of my usual pump style

Picked up a cheap blowdown nozzle at a garage sale in Missoula for $5. Used it on my old two-burner and the flame control was way better than my pump. Going back to the pump felt like a downgrade - anyone else ditch their stove's stock setup?

Took me 4 hours to figure out why my camping stove wouldn't light on a trip last month

Wasted $120 on a cheap backpacking tent from Amazon last summer

I saw this tent had like 4.5 stars and figured it was a steal for $120. First night out in Shenandoah, one of the poles snapped during a light breeze lol. Tried to return it but the seller ghosted me after 30 days. Ended up buying a used tent from REI for $80 that's held up for 2 years now. Anyone else get burned by those random brand tents on Amazon?

Got told my tent stakes were too lightweight after a windy night left me sleeping under a tarp last June in the Smokies

Guy in the next site said I needed 8-inch shepherds hooks for anything over 20 mph winds and once I switched I haven't had a single stake pull out even in a thunderstorm, anyone else had to learn the hard way about stake weight?

Rant: Switched from a cheap tarp to a mid-range tent footprint after one rainy night in Alabama

My Walmart tarp let water pool underneath my tent and soak through the floor, but a $25 footprint with grommets kept everything bone dry on the same soggy ground last weekend - any recommendations for a durable footprint brand that won't break the bank?

Kicked myself for buying that expensive ultralight stove

Spent $80 on a tiny titanium stove because I thought it would save weight, but the thing takes forever to boil water on a windy day. After a trip in the Smokies where I waited 20 minutes for lukewarm coffee, I switched back to my old $25 Coleman and it works way better. Anyone else regret trading performance for a few ounces?

Is it better to air out your sleeping bag every morning or just leave it stuffed? I found something that changed my mind.

I always thought you had to air out your sleeping bag every morning to prevent moisture buildup. But last weekend on a 4-day trip in the Smokies, I tried just leaving it stuffed and rolling it up tight the whole time. Honestly, it stayed just as dry and took way less time packing up. Now I'm wondering if all that morning airing was just a waste of energy. Has anyone else tested this and seen a difference in bag performance?

Changed my mind about stove fuel after 3 burns

I used to swear by isobutane canisters for backpacking trips in the Smokies. Then last month I tried white gas on a 6 day rain trip and realized how much waste those little cans create. The MSR WhisperLite Universal I borrowed let me refuel from a big bottle and saved like 4 half empty canisters from the landfill. Anyone else made the switch and found a good multi-fuel stove that isn't a brick to carry?

Had a tent collapse on me during a storm in the Smokies last October

I was camping near Elkmont for three nights. Second night a storm rolled in around 2am with winds I guess around 40 mph. My old Coleman tent just folded over on one side and the pole snapped. I spent the rest of the night in my car with the seat leaned back. Made me think about how much I rely on gear working when it actually matters. Has anyone else had a tent fail on them in bad weather? What do you look for now that you didn't before?

That rain at Lost Lake changed how I pack for trips now

I was three miles into the Lost Lake trail when a sudden storm dumped on us for two hours straight, and my so-called waterproof bag left everything soaked including my sleeping bag. I spent that night shivering and realized I needed to test all my gear in actual rain before trusting it. How do you guys check if your stuff is really waterproof without getting stuck in a bad situation like that?

PSA: You might be hanging your bear bag completely wrong

I've been camping in the Smokies for 10 years and always just tossed a rope over a branch, tied my bag, and called it good. Last month a ranger watched me do it and said bears can knock that down in 2 minutes because I wasn't using the PCT method with a carabiner. Has anyone else been doing the basic throw-and-tie trick their whole life?

Got roasted on Facebook for my tent stakes and it completely changed my gear setup

I posted a picture of my campsite from the Smokies and some random guy commented that my cheap Amazon stakes were gonna fail in windy weather. He was right, woke up at 3am to my tent partially collapsed after a gust came through. Swapped to 8 inch MSR groundhogs for about $35 total and they haven't budged in three trips since. The funny thing is I had always thought spending $5 on stakes was dumb, but that one criticism actually saved me from a miserable night. Has anyone else had a piece of gear you ignored feedback on until it actually failed you?

Hit 100 nights in my tent last year and it broke me mentally

My nephew corrected my tent setup and I felt like a total fool

He was 9 years old and pointed out I'd been staking the rainfly backwards for 15 years, which explained why water always pooled inside during storms, so has anyone else gotten humbled by a kid who actually read the instructions?

That $40 Hot Tent Stove Changed My Whole Setup

I was talking to an old timer at the REI parking lot in Missoula last weekend, he said his dad swore by those cheap titanium stoves for winter camping with canvas tents. I always figured you needed a $300 brand name stove to not burn your tent down, but he said the key is just keeping the pipe clearance right. Has anyone else run one of those budget stoves for more than a season and had it hold up?

Hot take: Baxter State Park is overrated for camping

I was up in Maine last fall and everyone RAVES about Baxter, but honestly I found the campsites cramped and the trails way too packed for how remote it's supposed to feel. Has anyone else had a better time at less hyped spots like the Bigelow Range instead?

The REI guy who said 'just sleep on it' changed my mind about air pads

Always thought air pads were the only way to go. Light and compact. But last week at the REI in Portland some employee told me a story. He said he spent 3 cold nights shivering because his pad leaked. Then he switched to a closed cell foam pad and never looked back. For car camping I think foam might be better. Anyone else ditch the air pad after a bad night?

My camp stove fuel pump gave out halfway through breakfast in Yosemite

Last Saturday morning I was trying to make coffee and oatmeal at our campsite in Yosemite Valley when the fuel pump on my old Coleman two-burner just stopped working. The flame went from steady blue to sputtering orange and then nothing. I spent about 20 minutes taking it apart with a multi-tool, cleaned out some gunk from the nozzle, and got it running again but now I'm worried it'll fail for good on the next trip. Has anyone had luck replacing those pumps or is it time to just buy a new stove?

TIL my old way of packing a tent was just wrong

For years, I just stuffed my tent back into its bag. Rolled it up messy, shoved it in. Figured it was fine. Then on a trip to the White Mountains last fall, my buddy saw me do it. He said, 'You know that wrecks the waterproof coating, right?' He showed me his method. You fold it neatly along the original seams, then roll it tight from the foot end. No creases in the same spots. I've done it his way for about six months now. The tent looks newer, and it dries way faster after rain. I was creating weak spots for no reason. Anyone else have a basic gear habit they had to unlearn?

Why does nobody talk about how you actually need to seam seal a new tent...

I see so many reviews where people complain about leaks, but they never mention if they sealed the seams first. My 3-person dome tent was a sieve until I spent an hour with the sealant tube it came with. Do you guys actually do this step, or just pitch it and hope?