c/camping-gear-reviews

The guy at the REI in Boulder who laughed at my tent setup

I was struggling to guy out my old dome tent in a windstorm near the trailhead, and this older guy walks by and just says 'you're fighting the wrong seam.' He showed me how to run the lines from the pole clips instead of the loops, and it took maybe 2 minutes to get solid. Has anyone else had a random stranger totally change how you do something basic?

My cheap sleeping bag almost got me in trouble in the Smokies

I went cheap and bought a $40 sleeping bag from a big box store for a 3 night trip in the Smokies last month. First night got down to 40 degrees and I was shaking by 3 AM, couldn't get warm at all. Ended up having to cut the trip short because I was just miserable and worried about getting sick. Anyone else learned the hard way that sleeping bag temp ratings aren't just suggestions?

Bought a cheap tarp from Walmart and it ripped on the second night of a 4-day trip in the Smokies

I figured a $12 tarp would hold up for just one weekend, but the grommets pulled right through the fabric during a light rain near Cades Cove. Upgraded to a Kelty 10x12 after that trip, and the difference in stitching and material is night and day. Has anyone else had luck with budget tarps failing after a short time, or did I just pick a bad brand?

Had to ditch my old sleeping pad after that rocky night at Moosehead Lake

Camped up near Moosehead Lake last fall and my cheap foam pad left me feeling every root and rock through the tent floor. Woke up sore and grumpy, barely got any sleep. Anyone else made the switch to an inflatable pad and notice a huge difference?

Question about why everyone insists on those cheap inflatable sleeping pads

I mean, I get that they pack down small and all, but I swear half the campers I run into on the AT are patching holes by night two. Last month at a site near Shenandoah, I watched three different people wake up flat on the ground before breakfast. How are you supposed to get a good night's rest if you're basically sleeping on a pool toy that pops the second a twig looks at it wrong? I've been using a closed cell foam pad for like 8 years now and never had an issue, sure it's bulkier but I can actually sleep. Has anyone else just given up on inflatables and gone back to foam, or am I missing something?

Just realized my tent was causing all the condensation after a reviewer pointed it out

I was camping up at Lost Lake last month and woke up every single morning with water dripping on my face. I thought it was just bad weather or my site choice. Then someone on here commented on a post I made saying my tent didn't have enough ventilation for the climate here in Oregon. They pointed out the fly was too close to the inner wall and I was trapping all my breath. I went home and actually looked at the specs - my tent only has two small vents near the foot end. Last weekend I pitched it differently with the fly pulled way up on one side and used trekking poles to create a gap. No condensation at all. Has anyone else fixed a wet tent situation by changing how you pitch it instead of buying a new one?

That one comment about my sleeping pad setup messed me up

Some guy on here said I was crazy for using a closed cell foam pad under my inflatable for warmth, and I got defensive for like 20 minutes. But after 3 nights in the teens near Lake George last November, I swapped to just the foam pad and actually slept better. Has anyone else found their R-value ratings don't match real world temps?

Why does nobody talk about how tent stakes have changed?

I found my old Coleman tent from 2006 in the garage last weekend. The stakes that came with it were these heavy steel things that bent but never broke. Last month I bought a new modern tent and the stakes are these thin aluminum ones that look like they'd snap if you looked at them wrong. Three years ago on a trip to Yosemite I watched a guy hammer his stakes into rocky ground and they just crumpled. Has anyone else noticed the quality slipping on basic hardware like this?

That $30 Amazon tent had me ready to hate it, but it held up through a storm in the Smokies

I bought this random no-name tent for 30 bucks on a whim last fall, fully expecting it to leak or tear on the first trip. Got hit with a surprise thunderstorm near Gatlinburg around 2 AM, and I sat there waiting for disaster. But nope, it stayed dry inside, the poles didn't snap, and I actually slept fine. My expensive REI tent from 5 years ago had a seam fail after less use. So now I'm wondering, has anyone else found a cheap piece of gear that totally surprised them?

Found out my sleeping bag's temp rating is a LIE after a cold night in the Smokies

I was looking at reviews for my 20-degree bag and stumbled on a forum where someone tested it with a thermal camera. Turns out the EN rating only tested the top part, the bottom is basically uninsulated. Has anyone else checked their bag's actual performance with a thermometer?

Got caught in a freak hailstorm with a 20 year old tent in Colorado last June

I was up near Estes Park, maybe 4 miles in on the trail. Sky went from clear to dark gray in like 10 minutes. That old tent I got from my dad started leaking through the seams almost right away. Ended up wrapping my sleeping bag in a trash bag and sitting under a tarp I always carry for ground cover. The tent poles held but the rainfly was basically useless. Next day I hiked out and ordered a new tent with sealed seams from REI. Has anyone else had an old tent just fail at the worst time?

Soaked my tent floor in a parking lot in Oregon last spring

I was setting up camp near Crater Lake and noticed my tent floor was completely wet under the footprint. Not rain. Not a leak. It was condensation trapped between the footprint and the tent floor. I had it pitched too tight and the air couldn't move. Took me 20 minutes to dry it with a rag and a camp towel. Anyone else deal with this weird trapped moisture thing?

I always thought the inflatable sleeping pads were the way to go... until my back gave out 4 hours into the first night

PSA: Don't trust the waterproof ratings on budget tents after my trip to Shenandoah last April

I spent 3 years using a cheap $60 tent from Amazon that claimed a 3000mm waterproof rating. Last spring I finally coughed up $200 for a used REI Half Dome from a garage sale in Richmond. Got caught in a steady 6-hour rainstorm on the AT and my old tent would have turned into a swimming pool like it did twice before. The Half Dome stayed bone dry inside even with puddles forming under the fly. I stripped the cheap tent down later and found the seam tape was barely attached and the floor fabric was basically glorified trash bag material. My buddy bought the same cheap tent after my warning and woke up floating in 3 inches of water on his second trip out. Anyone else find a huge gap between claimed specs and real-world performance on budget gear?

I finally cracked the code on keeping my sleeping bag dry in damp weather

I got stuck with a soggy bag after three nights in Olympic National Park last fall. Tried using a pack liner but it slid around too much inside my pack. Switched to a dry bag compression sack from a local REI for like $35 and it kept everything bone dry even during a full day of rain. Has anyone else found a better trick for the Pacific Northwest climate?

Hit exactly 200 nights in my tent last year... is that a lot or a little for a casual camper?

I'm torn between thinking that's an impressive milestone for someone who doesn't live in the woods, or wondering if it just means I have no idea what I'm doing if serious backpackers hit 300 plus easy, what do you folks think says more about a person... the number of nights or the quality of gear you use?

Learned the hard way about tent repair kits

Last summer at a campsite in Flagstaff, a guy next to me saw me struggling with a ripped rainfly and showed me how to patch it with just ten dollars worth of gear tape from Walmart. He said most people overthink tent repairs and just need to dry the area first. Has anyone else found a cheap fix that worked better than the expensive brands?

Talked to a park ranger in Yosemite about tent stakes and it wrecked my old setup

I was out camping last month near Yosemite Valley and this ranger named Dave came by my site. He saw my cheap aluminum stakes and just laughed a little. Said I was basically using 'bent paperclips' for the Sierra granite and that I needed steel or titanium ones for hard ground. He showed me how to angle them at 45 degrees into the dirt instead of straight down. Tried his method that night with some borrowed stakes and my tent didnt budge in a gust. Now I swapped out all my stakes for 6 inch MSR Groundhogs and its way more stable. Anyone else get a reality check from a random expert on the trail?

Just found a trick for drying out a wet tent in 20 minutes

Last weekend in the Smokies my tent got soaked through and I was dreading packing it up. I hung it over a campfire (low heat, kept it moving) and it was bone dry before we broke camp. Has anyone else tried this or is that a bad idea long term?

Tried a $12 inflatable pillow on my last trip and woke up with zero neck pain

Been using a rolled up jacket for years and always woke up stiff, but that cheap pillow actually held air all night and felt like a real pillow. Anyone else find that sometimes the cheapest gear works way better than the expensive stuff?

Pro tip: That $60 "ultralight" sleeping pad is a total joke

I bought a random off-brand inflatable pad on Amazon back in May for a 3 night trip in the Smokies. By night two it had a slow leak and I woke up on the ground at 3 AM with my hip digging into a rock. Patching it did nothing because the seam split open instead of a pinhole. So I wasted $60 and had to sleep in my car the last night. Has anyone else had luck with those cheap foam pads or is the extra weight worth it?

TIL my trusted 20-year-old rain fly was just decorative now.

Got caught in a thunderstorm near Lake Tahoe last June and my tent turned into a bathtub - water got in through every seam - and I spent the night with all my gear in the car while the tent slowly filled up, so has anyone else had a piece of gear suddenly fail when they needed it most?

Worst week ever on the Appalachian Trail changed my gear list completely

Spent 5 days on a section near Harper's Ferry last June when it rained nonstop. My cheap hammock tarp leaked on night 2 and I woke up in 3 inches of water at 4 AM. That experience convinced me to finally buy a proper Warbonnet setup and I'll never cheap out on shelter gear again. Has anyone else had a single trip totally change what they pack?

Wrote off those cheap tarps for years till a storm at Yosemite changed my mind

I was camped at Bridalveil Creek last July when a freak windstorm shredded my expensive name-brand rain fly in under 10 minutes. A guy three sites over loaned me his $12 tarp from the gas station and it held up through the whole mess with zero tears. Anyone else found a budget piece of gear that outlasted the fancy stuff on a real trip?

That budget camp stove melted its own fuel line on my last trip to Lake Tahoe

I was making coffee Saturday morning and suddenly smelled burning plastic, looked down and the line was literally dripping onto the burner. Did I just get a dud or are these cheap stoves actually a fire hazard waiting to happen?