Reducing the bulk - weekend camping

[Lucky j]

Same as mentioned before.

I would even add this to the exercise:

If you do not have one, borrow an expedition backpack. Pack everything into and atttach to it, including sleeping bag, sleeping pad. If yoy are two, devide the cooking stuff for two bag. Give your self the luxury of keeping the tent out. But remmenber that it usually it would fit around the backpack.

Everything else is just luxury. Then pack the car /truck.

Is should be your base of stuff to bring.

Good luck

 

[Boonie Buster]

I know these aren't the greatest pictures, but here is most of the stuff we took on a week long trip through Oregon just to give an idea of how little or lot you can bring..

Interior, We use those storage bins a lot to help with organization. We have 3 bins that can be grabbed quickly and aside from personal clothing, we are ready to camp.

Tent, bicycle pack with clothing, bin with kitchen and food supplies, the blue bag had our bike helmets, shoes, lights, etc.



Bin with sleeping pads, bags and other sleeping gear. and the open space behind the passenger seat was filled with personal clothing and stuff.



Road Bikes, Ammo Can with bike parts/tools, firewood and the cooler strapped into the rear.

 

[Loco]

This was the best way to fit everything into my FJ.

 

[Christophe Noel]

On lighter trips we can get two bags, two pads, one tent, inflatable pillows, and a few basic accessories like headlamps, small stove, etc, in a 70-liter North Face duffel bag. Pretty easy. In fact, we spent two weeks with a similar set up in Iceland with that kit, plus a small cooler and a months worth of luggage in - a Suzuki Jimny. Not hard. Plenty of room to spare.

The days when backpacking gear was uncomfortable, is long, long gone. We were also in a 4 person tent on 3 inch pads.

 

[jschmidt]

All the above plus... Leave behind all the just-in-case gear.

To bastardize the old budgeting advice: Take care of the cubic inches and the cubic feet take care of themselves.

 

[Kerensky97]

I think you should be prepared for all eventualities but look closely at your tools, emergency, and extraction gear to see what is duplicated or can be discarded.

Tools -Although you feel like you can do anything with a complete tool kit, the reality is you'll only need about 5% of those sockets and wrenches to completely dismantle your vehicle. Manufacturers standardize to 3-4 different sized sockets and bolts for the whole thing. Also look at specialized tools, although wheel bearings should be repacked after water crossings it can wait till you get home. Realistically you can probably shrink a 300pc tool kit to 20 pieces and still cover all backcountry emergency repairs.

Emergency Gear - I carry a ton of emergency gear in my truck just for day-to-day driving; if I run off the road in the mountains I can "camp" on my emergency gear long enough to wait for rescue. But since I'm overlanding/camping it's just duplicating what I already have but with better quality gear. Some things are good to have backups but others not so much. If I have a nice coleman 2 burner with me, I don't really need the esbit solid fuel stove.

Extraction gear - There isn't much I like skimping in this area but if you're doing a pavement based road trip you can probably leave much of the gear at home. Or if you know the terrain will be hardpack dirt and rock in the mountains you can leave the sand extraction gear out, etc.

I like to compartmentalize all my gear into individually packed "Kits" so that I can mix and match the parts needed for each trip. If it's a crazy long expedition into the last blank spot on the map take everything, better safe than sorry. But if you're on a road trip to the national park and you won't be hitting any dirt, feel free to shave off some gear.

As for hauling beer, get a camping growler. 1 growler is almost a 6-pack, no weight or bulk from glass bottles. I like the non-vacuum flask ones since it will be in the cooler and I want it to get cold fast.
http://amzn.to/2dpS4ck

 

[calicamper]

Weekend gear. I have packed my two kids and I in 40 minutes. Out the door gone no issues. When the wife goes its drama if god for bid some odd ball item some how gets left behind. Takes hours to pack... The biggest issue is what personality are you? The OMG the world is ending we are missing the wine stopper, this trip sucks etc. Or are you the problem solver hey look the old cork works just fine type?

Also pack your gear in dedicated boxes that get repacked after you get home. Makes packing for the next trip pretty quick.

I also have a camping gear shopping list / check list that I will note things during the trip. Like cooking oil container leaky replace when we get home. Or used last xtra lantern filiment get more. Etc

 

[CSG]

The people who said pack like your backpacking have got it right. One backpack or duffel bag per person. Of course, when I travel alone, I break all the rules.

 

[nwoods]

Upsize the FJ to a 100 series. Solved

 

[ludeykrus]

Back in my Boy Scout days (early 1960's) we practiced this drill:

Upon returning from a trip divide all of your gear into three piles:

1. Clothes/Gear you used;

2. Clothes/Gear you didn't use but would have needed in the event of an emergency or severe weather;

3. Everything else.

Take a hard look at pile #3, and unless a particular item would qualify as necessary survival or emergency gear (or clothes you would need if the weather changed dramatically) leave it at home next time.

Repeat after each trip.

Over time you will learn what you need and don't need, where to find small items at reasonable prices that allow you to save on space, items that can serve more than one purpose, etc. My goal is never to have so much stuff that I block the rear or side windows but not be so minimalist that I don't have what I need or am uncomfortable in camp. It is a balancing act.

One of the things I learned when camping out of a jeep for extended periods is to provide a small duffel bag for each passenger, a list of recommended items, and instruct them that all of their clothes and toiletries must fit in that bag, including any heavy jackets, towels, etc. That way I would know exactly how much cargo space would be needed for each person and I could devise a packing plan in advance. [I also supplied the sleeping bags and pads for guests so that I would know the size and bulk of these items and maintain uniformity.]

Best of luck in refining your gear.

This. I was also a Scout, and learned quickly that humping in heavy army surplus hand-me-downs made you very careful of packing only what is necessary.

My addition would be make a very complete and thorough pack list of everything you took with you. Either during the trip or IMMEDIATELY after (say, on the way home with the wife), go over each item and determine what was used and what wasn't, and physically checking off that list to use the next trip as your beginning pack list. Do this over two trips and you'll have a much shorter pack list.

 

[Offroadmuch]

Same as mentioned before.

I would even add this to the exercise:

If you do not have one, borrow an expedition backpack. Pack everything into and atttach to it, including sleeping bag, sleeping pad. If yoy are two, devide the cooking stuff for two bag. Give your self the luxury of keeping the tent out. But remmenber that it usually it would fit around the backpack.

Everything else is just luxury. Then pack the car /truck.

Is should be your base of stuff to bring.

Good luck

Great advice! I worked at REI in my 20's and people bring a lot of unneeded gear they don't need. Sleep comfortable, bring good food, emergency gear, (recovery gear) and trim the fat!

 

[MagicMtnDan]

I like this thread - been there done that (and still do it).

Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has Limited space (even without the ridiculous subwoofer which I removed to get precious more inches of storage space).

Key items we take that eat up space:

* Bin of firewood (no spare tire rack or roof rack yet)
* Fridge/Cooler - finally gave up on soggy food
* 2 burner stove
* Chairs
* Folded aluminum table
* Tent
* Sleeping bags
* Clothes bag
* Food bag
* Small barbecue

The list goes on...

 

[jgaz]

On lighter trips we can get two bags, two pads, one tent, inflatable pillows, and a few basic accessories like headlamps, small stove, etc, in a 70-liter North Face duffel bag. Pretty easy. In fact, we spent two weeks with a similar set up in Iceland with that kit, plus a small cooler and a months worth of luggage in - a Suzuki Jimny. Not hard. Plenty of room to spare.

The days when backpacking gear was uncomfortable, is long, long gone. We were also in a 4 person tent on 3 inch pads.

May I ask what brand/model tent you used? Also, which sleeping pad? Thx!

 

[Christophe Noel]

May I ask what brand/model tent you used? Also, which sleeping pad? Thx!

I've got quite a quiver of gear, but the tent we most frequently use is an MSR Pappa Hubba. We sometimes use a much smaller Hubba Hubba, or a Hilleberg Nammajt 2P GT. Pads vary, but we most often use Thermarest NeoAir XTherm pads for super light travel, or Sea to Summit Comfort Light Insulated Pads in the large rectangular size. We also have a bunch of bags depending on the weather. My wife's favorite is an Eddie Bauer Karakorum 20, and I often use a Sea to Summit Talus TsII.

BTW, the reason this varies is simple. I spent the last 8 months testing 24 sleeping pads for a review on ExPo's home page next month. The big discovery? Sea to Summit proves you really don't need more than 2.5 inches of thickness if the baffles are designed properly.

We usually cook on an MSR Reactor Stove system, treat water with an MSR Guardian Filter, and tuck all of that in a North Face Basecamp Duffel, or if we're going somewhat heavy, I pack everything in a Tepui Gear Container, which has fast become a favorite piece of mine.

I actually have a tent, bag, pad, and stove system that is so tiny, I can fit it in a motorcycle tank bag. I have several riffs on this stuff. If we decide to go big and luxurious, we can do that too with 5-inch pads, double person bags, and a 6 person tent, but we don't do that all too often.

 

[Lucky j]

I actually have a tent, bag, pad, and stove system that is so tiny, I can fit it in a motorcycle tank bag. I have several riffs on this stuff. If we decide to go big and luxurious, we can do that too with 5-inch pads, double person bags, and a 6 person tent, but we don't do that all too often.

Ok, now you got my curiosity going M. Noel.

Any picture of those gear set-up. I'm curious cause I satarted purchassing my gear for motorcycle travel and then backpacking all that with limited budget at the time.

So would it be possible to have a pick at that set-up and also the tank bag. I was also always limited by the tank shape of my 1987 transalp.