c/camping-gear-reviews

A shoelace trick saved my sleeping pad from a slow leak on the trail

Woke up on day 4 of a Deschutes River trip with my pad half flat, and a tiny hole near the valve that I could only find by pouring water on it. Some guy at the campground told me to thread a wet shoelace through the puncture and pull it back and forth, it roughed up the edges enough for the patch kit to actually stick. Has anyone else used a similar field fix for gear repairs, or do you carry a specific repair kit I should know about?

Talked to a ranger in Yosemite, now I doubt my whole sleeping bag rating approach

I always bought bags based on the comfort rating number, figured lower is better. Last month I was talking to this ranger at the Yosemite visitor center, and she said most people ignore the ground insulation factor, which is like half the battle. She told me her own bag is rated 20 degrees but she pairs it with a foam pad that adds like 15 degrees of warmth, and she sleeps fine in freezing weather. Made me realize I've been overpacking heavy bags for summer trips when a lighter bag plus the right pad could work. Anyone else factor in pad R-value when picking a bag, or am I the only one who never thought about it?

I finally tried a tarp-only shelter setup and it rained all night

Last weekend I ditched my tent and rigged a 10x10 tarp over a ridgeline in the Smokies, thinking it would be fine until a storm rolled in at 2 AM. The tarp held up but my groundsheet placement was off, so water pooled right under my sleep pad and I woke up soaked. Anyone else have a trick for angling the tarp or groundsheet to avoid that on wet nights?

Actually had a great night with a $30 tent I bought on a whim

Everyone online hates those budget tents but mine held up through a thunderstorm near Lake Tahoe last month without a single drip. Has anyone else had a surprisingly good run with gear reviewers trash talk?

My 3-season tent finally gave up on a rainy night in Asheville

The zipper ripped right at 2am during a downpour and I had to hold the flap shut with my boot for the rest of the night. I patched it with duct tape this morning, but has anyone had luck with replacing just the zipper slider or is a new tent the smarter move?

That $70 dry bag ripped on day two of a Boundary Waters trip

Took a cheap dry bag from a big box store up to the Boundary Waters last July, paid 70 bucks for it because I figured name brand was overkill. Second day, I set it on a granite ledge for 5 minutes and the bottom seam split like wet paper, soaking my sleeping bag. Do I just need to pay the $150 for a roll-top brand, or is there a middle ground that actually holds up to canoe portages?

Sawyer Squeeze vs Platypus GravityWorks, the cheap one won for me

I ran both filters side by side on a 3 day trip in the Adirondacks last month. Filled the Sawyer from a muddy stream and it took maybe 4 minutes to squeeze out 2 liters, plus my arms were shot after. The Platypus did the same volume in about 90 seconds hanging from a tree, no effort at all. But the Sawyer never clogged once, while the Platypus slowed way down by day 2 with silt. For solo trips I'm sticking with the squeeze, even if it's more work, because I don't want to backflush gear in the middle of nowhere. Anyone else find the fancy systems not worth the weight?

That YouTuber's 3-season tent advice nearly got me soaked in Shenandoah

Some guy with 200k subs swore a 3-season tent was fine for early April in the mountains. I trusted him because he had a cool beard and a fancy camera. Hit Shenandoah last month, 34 degrees and rain for two straight nights. Condensation dripped on my face both nights, and my sleeping bag felt like a wet sponge. He never mentioned the wind flaps fail below 40 degrees either. I checked his gear list after and he had a 4-season for his own trips. Anyone else ever follow a reviewer's advice and regret it at 2 AM?

Ditch the heavy lantern for a headlamp after one stormy night

I spent years hauling a 4 pound propane lantern on every trip, but last October on the Olympic Peninsula a gust knocked it over and cracked the mantle, leaving us in the dark. A buddy handed me his $25 headlamp with a red mode and I realized it lit the campsite just fine while also freeing up a hand for cooking. Anyone else made the switch and never looked back, or do you still bring a lantern for the ambient glow?

The 9 day trip where every piece of gear either saved or ruined us

TIL the expensive camp stove fuel canister was a scam

My buddy kept telling me to skip the cheap propane canisters and grab the fancy brand, said they burn cleaner and last longer. Took his word for it, spent $28 on one at a shop near Estes Park. It ran out in about the same time as the $9 one I normally buy, and honestly I couldn't tell any difference in flame quality. Has anyone else had a similar "upgrade" that just didn't hold up on the trail?

Saw a cracked tent pole repair at Yosemite that changed my packing list

Last weekend I was camped near Tuolumne Meadows and watched a guy tape up a broken aluminum pole with duct tape and a splint made from a fork. It held for the night but he admitted it bent again on the way down. That got me thinking about how I never carry a spare pole section, just patch kits. I've camped maybe 40 times in 20 years and never had a pole snap, but he was 300 miles from home. Now I'm looking at those collapsible repair splints that fit over the pole, they weigh about 4 ounces. Has anyone actually used one of those in a real storm, or is the fork trick just as good? I'd rather carry the weight than be stuck like that guy.

Folded my tarp wrong for years, fixed in 10 minutes

I used to just stuff my tarp in the bag, took forever to untangle at night. Then a guy at a site in Asheville showed me the accordion fold trick. Lay it flat, fold longways in thirds, then zigzag end to end. Takes maybe 5 minutes but spreads clean under the tent. No more wrestling in the dark. Anyone else skip learning basic folds and regret it later?

That older couple in the Smokies taught me about sleeping bags

Back in 2019 I was at a campsite near Gatlinburg, freezing my tail off with a cheap bag rated for 40 degrees. This retired couple, probably in their 70s, noticed me shivering and the wife just said, "cotton kills, honey." She showed me their old down bag from the 80s, still fluffy and warm, and told me to stop chasing the fancy new synthetics. I went out and found a used down bag for $60 and I still use it every fall trip. Anyone else get gear advice from strangers that actually beat the reviews?

Ranger told me to pitch my tent in the open, saved my whole trip

Last May at Rocky Mountain National Park a ranger said keep away from the treeline, I thought it was just storm talk. That night a gust snapped a branch off a pine right where I almost set up. Paid for a $200 tent and still use his advice every time now, anyone else ignore park staff and regret it?

My neighbor's 20 year old tent made me question my gear spending

Last weekend at Green Mountain State Forest, my neighbor showed up with this beat up tent from the 90s that weighed a ton but handled a crazy thunderstorm no problem. Meanwhile my ultralight $400 shelter leaked at the seams after just 8 trips. Has anyone else gone back to older, heavier gear after seeing it work better in real conditions?

My old coleman stove from 1998 still outworks my new one

I dug out my dad's old Coleman two burner from the garage last month after my new one started sputtering on a trip near Lake Tahoe. That thing is 26 years old, rust on the legs, and the pump cup was dried out. I replaced the cup for like 8 bucks and it fired up on the third pump. My newer stove, bought in 2021 for around $120, has a finicky regulator that flares up when it's below 40 degrees. The old one just has a simple knob and it boils water faster than my electric kettle at home. I think the newer stuff tries too hard with fancy wind guards and push buttons that jam. Has anyone else had better luck with their older gear than the modern replacements?

My buddy's $40 tarp setup made me question my whole tent habit

Last month a friend from my hiking group in Oregon showed me his overnight setup using just a flat tarp and a ground sheet. He spent maybe 40 bucks total and it weighed less than my tent's footprint alone. At first I thought he was being cheap, but then we got dumped on with rain for two hours and he stayed totally dry under a simple A-frame pitch. The thing that really hit me was when he said he'd been doing this for 6 years and never felt the need for poles or zippers. Now I'm wondering if I've been carrying 3 extra pounds for no real reason. Has anyone else made the switch from a tent to a tarp and actually stuck with it? What was the steepest learning curve for you?

Hit 40 nights of tent camping this season and it hit different than I expected

I was tracking my trips mostly for fun and when I counted up 40 nights at spots like the Red River Gorge and Shenandoah, I realized my gear reviews started getting way more honest, so has anyone else had a milestone number like that shift how they judge their equipment?

Rant: My 'waterproof' tent leaked like a sieve in a downpour at Lake Tahoe

Camped at Emerald Bay last weekend and woke up in a puddle at 3 AM, had to pack everything wet and drive home. Anyone have a solid 3-season tent that actually holds up in heavy rain?

Pro tip: A park ranger in Yosemite changed my whole setup last June

I was struggling with my tent stakes in this rocky campsite near the Merced River when this older ranger walked over and showed me how to tie a trucker's hitch with my guy lines instead. He said 'stop fighting the ground and let the rope do the work' and now I barely use stakes at all in hard dirt. Has anyone else tried ditching metal stakes for knots in tough terrain?

Old coleman stove vs the new one i got last month

I finally retired my dad's old Coleman two burner from the 80s last month. It still worked but the rust was getting bad and one of the knobs broke off. I picked up a newer model for like $80 and figured it would be an upgrade. Man, the new one just doesn't heat as evenly and the little wind guards are flimsy plastic instead of metal. Took it on a trip up to Lake Tahoe and couldn't even boil water in a breeze. Anyone else find the older gear just holds up way better?

Talked to a guy at a thrift store who laughed at my tarp setup

I was grabbing a cheap camp stove at this Goodwill outside Boise, and this older dude saw my tent tarp strapped to my pack. He said my tarp lines were too loose and that I'd be fighting puddles in the rain. Told me he's been thru 4 hurricanes camping and never had a wet spot cause he cinches everything at a 45 degree angle. I laughed it off, but when I got home I looked up what he meant about tension angles. Read about it for about 20 minutes and now I think I've been doing it wrong for 2 seasons. Has anyone else had some random stranger change their whole approach to setting up camp?

Ran into a guy at REI who roasted my 20 year old tent on the spot

I was in the REI in Portland last weekend looking at new sleeping bags when this older dude walks up and points at my tent that was poking out of my pack. He straight up says "you still using that 2002 model?" Then he spent like 10 minutes explaining why the newer poles are way stronger and won't snap in wind like mine did two summers ago. Has anyone else had a random stranger at a store call out your gear like that?

Rant: Tried a cheap tarp for 3 nights in the Smokies and it was a disaster vs my old blue one

Okay so I've been using an old blue polyethylene tarp for years, figured I'd upgrade to one of those lightweight silnylon ones everyone raves about. Spent $40 on a budget brand from Amazon. First night, it sagged so bad after some rain that water pooled on top and nearly collapsed on my bivvy. Second night a gust of wind ripped one of the grommets right out. My old blue tarp has been through dozens of storms and never failed me like that. Has anyone else had better luck with silnylon or am I just doing something wrong?