200+ days and nights tested

thecriscokid

Explorer
I spent 200+ days and nights testing some products. Starting this last spring until late fall.I spent 5-6 nights a week going through the motions and enjoying it. It has been 10 years since I last forfeit a physical address for 6 months of outdoor living

While my main objective was to perfect my Campteq Pop Top, I needed a few things to make life on the road a bit more comfortable and organized. Some simple, some mandatory and some often over looked
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Living in the mountains of colorado provides a good mixture of weather conditions as well as ever changing off road conditions. All these elements made for a fun summer of bouncing around the back country and I still have plenty of backroads and mountain passes to explore..

I'd like to share a handful of products that I used on a day to day basis. Many of them are popular, many of them work great, and some fell short
A quick list that I will make it though.

Aether Apparel and luggage
Howling moon accessories
kermit chairs
Bundu Boxxes
Water and fuel cans
Pelican products
Alu Box
National Luna
Lighting
Sleeping products


Special thanks to:
Rou of Howling Moon-Utensil organiser-alu awning-Bundu Boxxes
Paul of Equipt-Alu Box-National Luna
Aether Apparel-Layers-Jackets-Coats-luggage
Craig "plantdriver"-Sure Fire-Pelican case-
Safari Ltd-trusted Toyota shop

Every campsite is different and can be set up in a variety of ways. Fast access and set up is key to enjoying your time and the gear that we spend our fun tickets on.
If the gear is a pain to get to you it probably won't get used as often.

From the time that I decide to turn off the engine for the evening until I can be in bed is well under a minute. Yup. Pretty strick on that being quick. Some days that's all the camp that was set up. If I had dinner in town, mid afternoon nap,tired from a big bike ride or just not feeling well. A bed is sometimes all you need
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Most of the time I end up using maybe 75% of what is in my vehicle. Tools, spares, and such make up the rest.

Did I mention that I hate rattles...

Usually, one of the 1st things when you "arrive" is to get a little food going or some refreshments out. 8 years have past since I last had a mobile fridge. There is no way around the simplicity and efficiency of the stainless steel National Luna Weekender fridge. The premium paid to purchase a National Luna is a distant memory. I ran the fridge at 9 deg Celsius for 6 months (less 20 shore power) on my single optima yellow top starting and deep cycle battery without ever touching my 2nd. Very impressive!

This is my "packed to the gills" lots of bike riding gear in that truck
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Next I'd want unpack a bit or maybe get into my camper. Out came one of the most used pieces of my kit. The Alu box ABA42 was in and out a couple times a day.
I used this as my step to get in, it houses my kitchen and makes a great kermit chair sized solo table.
This is close in size to the Pelican 1550 and the Bundu Boxxes, at roughly 23X15X9.5
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This pic is 2 minute cook setup
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Next came out the Howling Moon Cutlery holder.
This thing is fantastic! Made of bullet proof reinforced woven unubtanium rip stop fabric. This cutlery organizer not only is a great way to hold your forks and knives but you can also fit small cutting board inside. Three folds and a large velcro keep everything from making noise. This is one of the last things that I pack up because I often wedge it in between two cases or something that could rattle around. Just fantastic
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thecriscokid

Explorer
Compact, Light, Quality
The Land Cruiser 80 makes a great camper! Space needs to be optimized though.
Kermit chairs seemed to fit the order. Small and compact is what I was looking for. These chairs were designed for Moto travel in mind. The two spend a mixture of the time being rolled and bagged in there snug rattle free carry bag when I had more off road in my day and then when I had long days on the payment they often stayed assembled and were sandwiched between soft luggage to try to keep them quiet. The Kermit only takes a minute or less to assemble. Even with the quick assembly sometimes I would spend evenings inside rather than assembling them, especially when the wind picked up or temps plummeted. The great part is when you can't sit and enjoy the outdoors the packed size tucks away into the smallest nook in the cargo area.
At 6'0" 160lbs I found them comfortable enough. I did get a few negative comments from a 200lb travel pal about the small size of the these. After I explained that they were made for moto touring in which he is passionate about, he said that they were too big...
 

haven

Expedition Leader
Thanks for sharing. It's better to read real experiences, instead of a press release.

Did the Land Cruiser lose much rigidity after the hole was cut in the roof?
 

NM-Frontier

Explorer
Thanks for sharing. It's better to read real experiences, instead of a press release.

Did the Land Cruiser lose much rigidity after the hole was cut in the roof?

For sure, thanks for the report! I love seeing peoples total setup, seeing how all the gear is made to work together a well thought out kit is always a pleasure to use. Also, I don't think I'm the only one that can't get enough info on that camper!:sombrero:
 

thecriscokid

Explorer
The other Alu Box that I use is holds mostly my wardrobe and also doubles as a 2 person Kermit sized dining table when stacked on top of another case. I havent found the reason to buy a camp table yet.
The ABS74 is roughly 31x23x8. So, fairly large in foot print with a low stack height. This size fits my camper needs perfectly as it is the size as my lower interior seating and cushions. It mostly lived inside when I was on-road or traveling solo. The size is also great for use on the roof with room on the other side for surfboards or the occasional 2nd case
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I think each of the 3 style boxes serve there own purpose. The Alu Box has to be my favorite storage box to use. They have a nice seal, easy open/close and made the best dining tables and steps.
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The Pelican case is well known for its durability. My 1500 was a hand me down from plantdriver and showed up at my door just as it should. With a shipping labels hanging off and I think a bear tried to get in it. The orange 1500 holds my tools. It lives as far forward in the cabin as possible depending on my set up. The latches are secure. Some can be a bear to open and close. No big deal just tough as nails. I also use a small case for camera gear and a few tiny cell phone sized ones for valubales


The 4 Bundu Boxes have been in service for well over a year and a half. There were some initial latching clips that broke. Those seemed to happen right around the same time and the rest have been solid. I opted for the simplicity of skipping drawers and using 2 Bundu Boxes under my bench for storage. The farthest back has extra fluids and a few spares while the closest housed my dry food. I was in and out of this all the time. The latches can get in the way while closing the lid but most people get acquainted with them quickly and learn to flop the top on effortlessly after a little while. These boxes have there own advantage being made of plastic. They are very quiet and low cost!
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Sometimes those Pelican case latches can take some effort to open/close as you noted, particularly when your hands are very cold. Or if you're asking your wife to open the case. :) FWIW, Pelican's Storm Cases do not share this problem, as the latches are quite easy to use.
 

thecriscokid

Explorer
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While this Snow Peak Lantern is nicely made, includes a well thought out storage box that uses the lid as a 3 leg stand, I just couldn't relax while it was on. The light is soft and should be relaxing but that constant hiss of burning fuel drove me nuts.
It got cut from the kit...
I came across these Nokero (short for no kerosene) solar lights at my Safari Ltd, my trusted Toyota Shop in Grand Junction, CO. YES the shop is solar powered :sombrero:
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These lights cost under $20, they were invented for the 1.3 billion people in the world without electricity to help with health risks involved in burning fuel for light in there homes.

These are the only area lights that I used in my vehicle for 6 months.
They are pretty bomber too, I dropped them countless times, closed them in my pop top, and they just sat in my dash most every day. The rubber power switch kept them in place until the truck was put into less than normal situations. A few times a slight knock was needed to get the light to turn on. I'm not exactly sure of any numbers on how long the lamps would stay lit but I knew it was probably late and I'd turn in when one would shut down.
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thecriscokid

Explorer
My Aether Apparel
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Some of these pieces are now a few years old and they are travel stand byes
Aether Apparel has blended all the tech features into clothing and accessories to keep you comfortable in any environment. This apparel is designed by and for outdoor enthusiasts who want a clean aesthetic. Made in North America with quality at the utmost.
My go to jackets for day to day are the Space hoodie 60(blue) and the Barrier Jacket. The Barrier uses scottish waxed cotton and is fully lined with micro ripstop and filled with 133g Primaloft insulation
The Space Hoodie has turned into my favorite sweat shirt. Full micro rip stop with a 60g Primaloft insulation
http://www.aetherapparel.com/shop/mens/insulated/space-hoodie-60/

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Aether travel bag
These duffel bags are tough! Made from the same fabric as hovercraft skirts. That's just cool. I have been using these for a few years in my travels. I will note that I had an early production version that had a zipper issue. The replacement used a different RIRI zipper that has worked as it should.
These bags are just as much at home in the backcountry as they are checking into a downtown hotel.

Check out the new Aether store in San Fransisco
[video=vimeo;58214743]http://vimeo.com/58214743[/video]
 

Espo78

Adventurer
I spent a good portion of the day trying to find a cheap, rechargeable LED camping lantern to no avail. Somehow those Nokero lights did not come up in any google searches. Thank you for reviewing them! I just wish the shipping charges on the website weren't so high!
 

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