Camping Gear Reviews, A Ton

[Corey]

PowerFilm F15-3600 60 watt Solar Panel
Please see my installation article too.

I give it two thumbs up, this is a great way to keep your battery or batteries fully charged without having to fire up your rig when base camping.

Pros:
* Keeps the battery/batteries charged when you have a load on them.
* Stop worrying that you may not have enough juice to start your rig after several days of running a fridge/freezer and other items.

Cons:
* You need sun for it to work.
* Can work with it partially cloudy out, but full power will be utilized when the sun can hit the panel.
* Expensive still at this time.
Accessories such as cables and charge controllers are competitively priced, but the panels themselves are a high dollar item.

Adventure Trailers solar page
PowerFilm Solar
F15-3600 60 watt model, also comes with female 12v (cigarette lighter) adapter that plugs into the solar panel, and you plug your 12v devices to it to charge them
Brunton Solar Controller 12-Volt Battery Charge Monitor
Bought Brunton Solar Controller at Amazon

You can see the voltage dipped down to 16.66 v in one of the pictures, that was in partial sunlight.
Still pretty good, but direct sunlight shoots it up to 18+ volts.
The solar panel kept my batteries charged during my recent trip in hot weather.

 

[Corey]

Cabela's Chaise Loungers - Black (other colors available)

I give it two thumbs up, very comfortable.

Pros:
* Huge chair, can get very comfortable in it.
* You can sleep in it, as it lays back almost flat.
* Chair locks into any position you pick.

Cons:
* Big chair, even when folded and using the available case for it.
Takes up a lot of room in my rig.
So much in fact I was not able to use my rear window at all, I drove only with my two side mirrors.
If you have an RV or Adventure type trailer to store it, it will not take up valuable room in your rig.

Gerber F.A.S.T. Covert Knife (full size and small)

I give it two thumbs up, very nice knife, and ************ looking

Pros:
* Opens with a flick of your thumb placed on the thumb stud, or by grasping both sides with your thumb and two fingers, and flipping it down.
* Both regular blade and serrated edge.
* Sharp from the factory.
* Positive reviews too at Cabelas.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, I like it.

Gerber LMF II Knife

I give it two thumbs up, very nice military knife

Pros:
* Big knife, well balanced.
* Both regular blade and serrated edge.
* Handle end can be used to break a vehicles window if needed.
* You can also use the end to drive in tent stakes or use as a hammer.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, another well made knife from Gerber.

 

[Corey]

Bad Bags Duffels

I give it two thumbs up, the model Duffel #4 SP I bought holds more than a weeks worth of clothing and gear

Pros:
* Huge, nice zippers, carry strap for shoulder, regular strap handle, compression straps to make duffel smaller.
* Very heavy duty bag, this one replaces a Cabelas bag I bought last year.
The Cabelas one is good, but this one is top of the line in my book, read about it in Overland Journal.
* Should last a very long time.
* Owner is local to me should I need a replacement for any reason, or to order more in different sizes.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, I like it.

Link to the model #4 SP I bought

Food Saver vacuum sealer

I give it two thumbs up, I bought model V3835 which is not listed, as it was built to be distributed via Fred Meyer retail stores

It is the same as model # V3840 listed at the time of this review on Food Savers homepage.

Pros:
* Makes food preparation before a trip easy.
* Less preparation of food while in camp.
* Food last longer thus staying fresh longer while camped.
* Can also seal up non food items such as clothing, batteries, and more.

Cons:
* Sometimes wet food may require more than one seal from liquid getting pulled up to the seal line interfering with the heat/seal process.

Some of the food I took on my trip sealed.

Surefire Nitrolon LED Flashlight

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* 80 lumens in a compact light is pretty bright.
* Puts out more light than a four D cell Maglite I have that I converted over to LED.
* Push button on the On/Off rotating base cap lets you signal with the light or just turn it on momentarily without having to turn the base On/Off..

Cons:
* Uses two 3-volt lithium batteries instead of readily available AA batteries.

Very bright light, I had fun shining it in the pitch dark up at tall trees in the spot I camped at.
Picture below on my down comforter in my roof top tent.

 

[Corey]

Outback Porta-Privy

I give it two thumbs up

I like this one much better than the one that came with my PETT toilet system.
It sets up much easier, and it a little bigger inside, and also has a removable floor.

Pros:
* Takes up very little space in a rig.
* Sets up like those tents you throw up in the air, sort of.
It is spring loaded, and once expanded, you only have to open it by hand.
* Comes with a removable floor held in with Velcro.
* Sky light opening in the roof.
If you are tall, you can stick your noggin' out the top to keep an eye on your campsite while showering.
If you hear banjo music, grab your rifle or run.
* Towel holder on the outside.

Cons:
* Break down can be a little confusing, I would suggest practicing at home first until you have it down good.
insert pics here
* The two way zipper on one side kept coming open as you would zip it down for privacy.
I think this was due to the tautness of having it staked at four corners, I do not know.

It came in handy also for showering with my Zodi Extreme Series Water Heater/Shower.
I retrofitted a a kitchen faucet sprayer on it several month back, and it makes showering a lot easier with it since you do not have to keep turning off the tank to stop the flow.
Just release the sprayer button to save on water when soaping up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XzI-sXNrIFA

Kelty Shadehouse 12 (This links to a newer version than the one I bought last year)

I took it along, but I did not set it up.
The site I choose was not really big enough to open it up, and the weather was in the 80s with zero rain.

Cabela's Deluxe Roll-Top Tables (Mine is the bigger one)

Another item I took but did not set it up.
To be honest with you, I may not have a need for it.
The Cabelas folding picnic table holds a lot, I simply did not see the need to set it up, even with my brother camping with me.
I will leave this at home on single trips, and perhaps only bring it along if there is going to be a lot of us that could utilize the storage space it can provide.

 

[stevenmd]

I have several of the same BAD duffel bags and love them!:victory:

...er... I also have the same porta-privy and find it easy to take down...:ylsmoke:

 

[cosmiccharlie]

What are the dimensions of the chaise lounger when folded?

 

[Corey]

40"x30"x7" deep at the deepest part, about the middle.
Mine is the bigger of the two chairs.

What is nice is it has the two locking levers on the side to lock it in any position.

It is big, but I am glad I brought it instead of one I have had for years.

I was sitting around the campfire last night positioned about half way back watching the stars and having the fire warm my legs.
I could have fallen asleep out there but the temps were dropping.
This was around 9:45 PM and the sun had already gone down at 8:30.
It cools off pretty fast up there when the sun goes down.

I see they are on sale right now, that is when I grabbed mine earlier in the year.

 

[Corey]

I have several of the same BAD duffel bags and love them!:victory:

...er... I also have the same porta-privy and find it easy to take down...:ylsmoke:

Very high quality.
I wrestled with it a few times this morning when packing up.
It actually broke down easier at home than it did today.

I read somewhere the trick was to have a red part facing down, but I did not see a red part.
That may have referred to the glow in the dark zipper pull?
Not sure, but I read it on some forum, may have been IH8MUD's site or here.

 

[morgan01]

Its simply great.

 

[05LR3AZ]

Camping Gear

Some great writeups and information here...reinforces some of the decisions I've made and some of the equipment I've checked out but haven't purchased yet. Thanks!

 

[Corey]

Thanks, you are welcome.
I think I am pretty much set now on gear.
But then we have all said that at one time or another.

I have my rig and gear setup for what works for me.

I may end up getting a different stove for next season, I kind of like the ones that have one burner on one side, and a grille on the other.
It would be easier than using that FoxHill oven I have, but really that is not to bad.
But the grille part of those stoves looks like it would work out well.

 

[Scott39]

Yes, great write up and info here. I have the older model Coleman stove/grilel like this one. It works great, grilles steaks just like at home.

 

[Corey]

Thank you.
I saw over on Mud's camping section a post by Rhino about a new Camp Chef coming out that looks nice.
http://www.campchef.com/new_items.html

They have three new stoves coming out, and two of them have a grille.
One has a single burner/grille, the other one has two burners/one grille, and a traditional two burner stove.

I would go for this one.
Denali Three Burner Stove (Model #: MS3G)

 

[mcunningham25]

Jet Boil Rocks!!!!

I bought the Jet Boil PCS and liked it so much I bought the GCS a week later. I would HIGHLY RECCOMMEND it to anybody! The weight and space it saves along with options of food you can cook is endless!:chef: The butane canisters last SOOOOOO much longer that I bought the Brunton Liberty lantern and have to say, no mantel and no globe is GREAT! If you know someone who is on the fence about either of them get either one of these. It has made camping and off roading alot more fun. To be able to brew coffee while driving (passenger) down the trail (safety first) is priceless:coffeedrink:. My wife bought me the Cabela's Tent Cot. I put it on the roof or on the ground. I wake up and make coffee before I get out of the sack and love it. The joys of modern tech. is sooo great! I cant wait to see what comes around next gen.

 

[Scott39]

I bought the Jet Boil PCS and liked it so much I bought the GCS a week later. I would HIGHLY RECCOMMEND it to anybody! The weight and space it saves along with options of food you can cook is endless!:chef: The butane canisters last SOOOOOO much longer that I bought the Brunton Liberty lantern and have to say, no mantel and no globe is GREAT! If you know someone who is on the fence about either of them get either one of these. It has made camping and off roading alot more fun. To be able to brew coffee while driving (passenger) down the trail (safety first) is priceless:coffeedrink:. My wife bought me the Cabela's Tent Cot. I put it on the roof or on the ground. I wake up and make coffee before I get out of the sack and love it. The joys of modern tech. is sooo great! I cant wait to see what comes around next gen.

Pics please, and links, especially of the tent cot on the roof.:sombrero: