strange gear obsessions :)

[Honu]

since selling a trailer and going to a car is kinda reverse what many do !
the downsizing has proven tougher than I thought ! and just having a FJC family of four and a dog ! in a FJC is tight

my question might be a few things
1) anyone else every start having obsession with smaller and lighter gear ! or did they have that from the start ? our example our new camp microfiber towels
2) things you have found that work just as good and our lighter more compact (example nested cook set vs regular pots and pans)
3) anyone have those luxury things you wont do without that seem larger to pack but worth it ? our example cots ! we refuse to sleep on the ground these days ! but they are smaller and lighter alps cots from our larger disco bunk bed ones we had


so while I love some of the small gear I still like huge tents
and love the idea of the old safari camps where you had real plates and silverware and wood tables etc..
so having this strange mix of comfy large tents and chairs wood tables and titanium stuff and nesting pots microfiber towels etc..

when we had the trailer we were more trying to recreate true safari feel
now we are a strange mix that I am rather liking though

 

[Honu]

some brain dump thoughts on our first few outings getting used to no more trailer !
first round after selling our trailer we brought way to much of our trailer items ! I think we started with less and said OK lets see if we use this !
our next trip was more OK lets bring very little and see if we need something to bring ! reverse thinking hahahha and made us by a tone of smaller lighter stuff

but I still want the luxury kinda lifestyle with a mix of compact things !
so instead of large regular pots and pans we now have a nesting set from GSI
but we still have regular corelle plates and silverware as we like that luxury
we are loving our Snow Peak IGT stuff as it packs flat and thin yet provides seating cooking prepping etc.. which is needed when their are no picnic tables around !

we really want to do more fun cooking like dutch oven stuff ? we usually do a lot of griddle cooking and regular cooking but thinking of trying aluminum dutch ovens to save weight ?

instead of two chairs each we are still on the hunt for one good chair each ! but the kids have these low chairs to from REI and for eating we have thought of using our empty pelican cases as benches for the kids ! so the chair thing we still need to figure out !!! ANYONE ever use pelican cases etc.. as seats ?
but we all have hammocks as they pack small and are so so comfy to relax in

the other thing we have done is bought some nice microfiber towels ! instead of bringing regular towels ! and bought camp pillows ! I was OK and had one from the get go it was the kids and wife that was harder to talk into that
so curious if anyone uses these microfiber camp towels ? also have to say the space savings for a family of four is quite a bit !

we got lighter smaller packing cots ! a luxury we still want !
new Nemo Pads that inflate and new down big agnes bags that we are loving !!!

our tent is a huge Snow Peak Land Lock which we got after trying a few other tents and love it so far
we actually got a few things to try to make setting up camp quicker and easier one was this REI thing for storing stuff its kinda soft but has a table you can put up ! forgot what its called ? since the wife loves a table area to set stuff on for the kids getting ready etc.. again a luxury thing

 

[1911]

Being an old backpacker I have always liked to travel/camp light, even now in a truck, so the FJC seems pretty roomy to me (though I never have more than two passengers and usually only one or none). I did buy a Gobi rack for it one year when my wife wanted to bring an astronomical telescope, tripod, and a full kitchen set-up on a week-long back country trip. The Gobi will hold a LOT of stuff.

Even in my FJ40, which has a fraction of the interior space of the FJC, I don't have a problem packing a week's worth of stuff for two people.

I still use my old backpacking stove and not a big camp stove and etc. I use a slightly-larger tent than my ultra-light backpack one, but it still packs small. My one "luxury" item is a 37 qt ARB fridge, which does not take up much more room than a cooler anyway.

 

[Honu]

thanks

yeah I used to be a big bicycle camper so in the old day prior family I could pack tiny !
I remember heading to Central America for a year and only had 3 bags haahhaah one fly fish gear one my dive gear one personal stuff with my photography gear spread out between them

back in the 80s my buddy and I went camping in my FJ40 and I seem to remember we each had a pack and a shared cooler & tent and that was about it

these days the FJC is packed and roof is full and we got a small hitch rack !

 

[Rev]

When I used to go camping in the smart car I had no choice but to pack small.

 

[GrizAdams]

In addition to getting lightweight and/or stackable gear, some things that have helped me save weight/space:
- dual-purpose items (e.g., Purell for hygiene and as a fire starter)
- repackage liquids to smaller containers (1 or 2 oz containers will go a long way)
- repackage spices into combo containers (e.g., GSI spice rocket... or whatever it's called)
- re-wrap duct tape around a plastic card (look it up on YouTube)
- compression sacks (though research whether the contents under consideration can hold up to repeated compression)
- pocket saw
- pack items together (ditch extra packaging)
- multi-tool

 

[Honu]

Griz thanks never heard about purell as a fire starter my new things learned for today !
my duct I roll up straps and put in side the round part
I use to keep a small roll up of gaffer tape inside my photo kit and just used something like a qtip to start it have to check out the CC thing for fun

the other things I do thanks though and hope it comes in handy for someone

I figure compression sacks are fine for short term some things like my bags I keep in the regular stuff sack and then I can shove them into areas around stuff I pack

also for my snow peak BBQ I pre pack the charcoal in bags and store it inside the BBQ along with the torch head
same with my gas grill take off the grates and store the propane bottle inside along with the lighter I use
things like the mess kit or stacking pans we store our extra things like dish towel inside etc..

 

[nwoods]

My family went through this phase. In the Montero, we just family camped traditional USA style, big Coleman plaid quilted sleeping bags and all. Then when we got the LR3, and ventured much further out, I had to dedicate a lot of space towards recovery gear, tools, spares, etc. That forced us to start thinking small, but not much. Then we started using the Jeep on longer trips, with even more trail support gear, and a lot less space. Started getting smaller and better sleeping bags, microfiber towels, nested bowls, less firewood (or none), etc.... Never quite got to the point of using ultralight hiking gear, but thought about it a lot!

What always amazed me was that it didn't matter if it was a weekend or a two week trip, was always the same amount of crap in the vehicle!

 

[MicroOverland]

We downsized from a 25 ft rv to a roof top tent on the 4runner. I have to say I like it. Can get out further, to more interesting places, with less people. I am now building a Suzuki Samurai, so we will be 'downsizing' again. After looking around at the expo this year, the overland motorcycle crowd have some great, compact, gear and fairly innovative ideas for small/light stuff. In my case, I will go smaller on the stove and cookware in order to make enough room for decent bedding. (Still need to find a better camp toilet though.)

 

[Honu]

yeah the bike crowd has some cool stuff
we use a PETT but not sure if we are going to go with a dif kind in the future ?
what is your camp potty now

 

[the dude]

That old saying "A place for everything and everything in its place" is critical in tight spaces. We have gone full circle and have landed some where in the middle.

Repackaging everything has always been big on the list.

The RTT has really helped but with a new born we are back to a big ground tent.

I ALWAYS struggle with the kitchen. I LOVE cast iron but it is a PITA to store and carry. Same goes with stove, propane, grills etc. All big and bulky items. I am taking a serious look at the volcano II stove (which I think you looked into) Looks like it will fill our needs. With that and a 12" cast iron frying pan and dutch oven the, we should be able to cook anything. We are finding that the cooking is becoming more of the adventure, especially now with a kid. But it takes up space

 

[Honu]

one thing from living in the islands most my life I am very good at packing and space
and can carry that over
like the dude I love cast iron especially for breakfast crunchy outside french toast yummmmy that is where my struggle is I do not want to give that up yet ! maybe I try a aluminum one from partner steel ? also at fire bans no charcoal I can do meat on cast iron and it comes out quite nice
and like others I love the cooking side of camping and a kitchen that is nice is a big part of it IMHO of my camping experience with the kids

 

[marlin4570]

Love this thread because my head is in exactly the same space. I'm making do with an xterra because downtown Seattle isn't conducive to a 3/4 ton truck and pop up camper. So I have the same mix of backpack gear and safari type gear. Recommendation on chairs: http://www.aerostich.com/camping/campsite/packable-chairs-tables/kermit-s-kamping-chair.html

My wife and I have two Kermits with leg extensions. A bit spendy but fantastic quality.

Dealing with my old REi tent but it's EOL. Any recommendations? I've been thinking about A Springbar but I'm interested in other opinions. http://www.springbar.com/shop/proddetail.php?prod=41010076

Our nested camp pot setup: http://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-STO...8&qid=1344093520&sr=1-2&keywords=nesting+pots

Wonderful set and pretty reasonable. Not a backpacking set up but works great out of a vehicle and the camp kitchen experience is important to us. It's been discontinued but you can still find them in stock at Amazon.

 

[CaliMobber]

Dealing with my old REi tent but it's EOL. Any recommendations? I've been thinking about A Springbar but I'm interested in other opinions. http://www.springbar.com/shop/proddetail.php?prod=41010076

I thought this was a light weight thread. that thing weighs 62lb lol

 

[nwoods]

Be cautious with the Springbar style of tent. They are fantastic, but fitting one in an Xterra will displace quite a lot of other things you might need, such as a cooler, passengers, etc....