c/camping-gear-reviews

Update: that $25 rain poncho from the gas station actually held up in a 3-day downpour near Aberdeen

I grabbed it on a whim because I forgot my jacket, and after two nights of steady rain and wind it kept my pack dry, so has anyone else found cheap emergency gear that surprised them, or am I just lucky?

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mason209•2d ago

That $40 tarp strap pack failed me on day 2 of a Smokies trip

We were camped near Cosby Knob, about 6 miles in, and a storm rolled in around 3pm. I had this cheap pack of bungee-style straps I grabbed at a gas station in Gatlinburg. First big gust, one snapped right at the plastic hook. Then another one let go and the tarp started flapping like crazy. Rain got in, my sleeping bag got damp, and I spent the night cold and miserable. I ended up using paracord and some knots I remembered from a scout video to rig it back up for the next two nights. It held, but not great. Why do these straps even sell if they can't handle a light breeze? Has anyone found a tarp tie-down that actually survives mountain weather without costing a fortune?

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susan350•4d ago

Found out my sleeping bag's temp rating is a lie after a 28 degree night in Flagstaff

I read the fine print on the REI website that said those ratings assume you're wearing thermal layers and a hat, but I was in just my base layer and froze, so has anyone else discovered their gear's specs only work in perfect conditions or am I the only one who trusts the label too much?

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eric540•4d ago

Spent 45 minutes fighting a tent pole at Lake Tahoe, it was upside down

Last weekend at Lake Tahoe I set up my new 3-person tent and the main pole kept bowing in weird. I wrestled it for a full 45 minutes, checking the diagram like 6 times, before realizing the shock cord was supposed to connect to the smaller grommet first. Has anyone else had a pole design where the order of insertion actually matters that much, or am I just dense?

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wyatta30•6d ago

That reviewer told me my sleeping pad was the problem, not my back pain

I did a 4 day loop in the Smokies last October and woke up sore every morning, blamed the ground and my age. A guy in the REI parking lot in Knoxville said my 2 inch foam pad was too thin for side sleeping and made me try his 3.5 inch inflatable. Now I sleep flat and my hips don't ache, has anyone else switched pads and felt that big of a difference?

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jason562•7d ago

My $80 tent pole snapped at 2am in the rain, the repair kit saved me

I was out near Lake Tahoe last month and a gust of wind folded my tent pole right at the seam. It snapped clean, not a bent section, just broke in half at like 2am. I had to tape it up with the cheap splint kit I bought on a whim from a gas station near Reno, of all places. The tape held for the rest of the trip, but it sagged enough that the rain pooled on the roof. Anyone else had luck with those aluminum splint kits or should I just buy a sturdier pole set next time?

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susan_nguyen•7d ago

Read a tip about tying knots with wet rope, tested it at Trout Lake

Someone on a bushcraft forum said wet rope loses 30% of its strength, so I tried their trick of using a double overhand stopper on my guy lines after a rainy night in Trout Lake. It held way better than my usual knot, even through a gusty morning. Anyone else adjust their knot game when the gear gets soaked?

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parkerb75•8d ago

40 nights in the same tent finally made me count

Got the tent back in 2019 for a weekend trip near Asheville. Kept using it for quick overnighters, then longer trips. Last month I sat down and added up the nights. 40 exactly. That is not a crazy number for some folks, but for me it was a shock. I never thought a $120 tent would last that long without a rip or a broken pole. The rain fly zipper is still smooth. The stakes are bent but hold. Made me realize I should probably review my own gear more often instead of chasing new stuff. Has anyone else kept a log of nights per tent? Or am I just weird about writing it down?

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nancy_owens•8d ago

Can we talk about how everyone stores their tent poles wrong

I was at a group campout in Shenandoah last month and watched three people shove their tent poles back into the bag all bunched up. Two of them snapped a section trying to force it in the next morning. I used to do the same thing until a buddy in the Marines showed me you have to fold each pole segment into a loose loop, not stack them straight. Took me 10 extra seconds to pack up, but my poles have survived 40+ trips since 2019. Am I the only one who sees this at every campsite, or does nobody else care about bent ferrules?

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mason.anna•8d ago

Noticed something at a state park last weekend that bugged me

Tbh, I was at Hocking Hills and saw three different groups set up tents right on the trail edge, like 10 feet from the marked sites. One ranger walked by and just shook his head, didn't say anything. Has anyone else seen campers ignoring site boundaries lately, or is it just getting more crowded everywhere?

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wesley_hart•10d ago

PSA: That $45 solar shower bag I bought froze solid on a 40 degree morning

Last October I drove up to Shenandoah for a weekend and figured I'd be fancy with a solar shower. Paid $45 for a 12 liter black bag, hung it on a tree at noon, water felt great by 3pm. Next morning I went to rinse off and the hose nozzle was a block of ice. The bag itself was fine but the little plastic valve cracked when I forced it. Tried to patch it with tape, then it leaked all over my boots. Ended up just using baby wipes for the rest of the trip. Anyone else lost money on gear that only works in perfect weather? What do you actually use for a cold morning rinse without spending $200 on a pump setup?

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lily511•10d ago

Watched a guy at Big Bend ditch his fancy stove

Saw someone at Big Bend last month boil water with just a twig fire and a cheap steel cup, no fuel canister to haul. Made me question every review I read about titanium cooksets being essential, so what's the lightest setup you've actually trusted?

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foster.ruby•12d ago

My $12 tarp repair kit saved a rainy weekend in Olympic National Park

Last month I got caught in a downpour at a campsite near Forks and my old rain fly ripped right down the seam at 11pm. I had a cheap patch kit with seam sealer and a spare stake that I'd thrown in my pack years ago, and it held up for the whole trip. Anyone else swear by a basic repair kit that never gets used until it's suddenly the most important thing you own?

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grace565•12d ago

That $18 tarp strap snapped at 2am in the Smokies, check yours now

Last week I was camped at Elkmont and a sudden storm rolled in around midnight. My rain fly was held with those cheap bungee straps I bought 3 years ago, and one just let go, flapping water straight onto my sleeping bag. I fixed it with a paracord loop I keep in my repair kit, but it was a wet, cold mess for the rest of the night. How often do you replace your tarp straps, or do you just trust them until they fail like I did?

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gracecarr•13d ago

Dad's old coleman lantern still outshines my new LED setup

My neighbor Dave saw me fiddling with my fancy rechargeable lantern last weekend and just laughed. He pulled out his dad's 1970s Coleman double mantle, fired it up in 30 seconds, and that thing lit the whole site. Hit me that I spent $120 on gear that needs a USB cable while he runs on a $4 fuel bottle. I grew up with those lanterns and somehow convinced myself newer meant better without ever testing my assumption. Now I'm thinking about getting an old one refurbished instead of upgrading my battery bank again. Anyone else go back to older tech after a reality check like this?

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lee.cole•14d ago

Two sleeping bags side by side in 40 degree weather settled it for me

Last month I camped at Big Bend with my brother. He brought his new 800-fill down bag from a big name brand, I brought my old 20 year synthetic bag that cost $60. Overnight it hit 39 degrees. I woke up warm, he woke up shivering and had to layer on a fleece. We swapped bags the next night just to test. Same result, he was cold in his, I was warm in mine. Difference was he rented his from a friend who kept it compressed in a stuff sack for two years. Down loses loft when stored that way, and his had maybe half the insulation left. I always hang my synthetic loose in the closet. So before you spend $300 on down, check how the previous owner stored it. Has anyone else found a beat-up cheaper bag that out-performed a fancy one?

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robert275•16d ago

Mixed feelings on my new inflatable sleeping pad after 3 rainy nights

I picked up a name brand inflatable pad on sale for $89 at the REI in Denver. First night it felt great, so light I forgot it was in my pack. But then we got rain for 3 nights straight and the ground was cold. The pad kept me off the dirt but I woke up stiff both mornings because it lost air overnight, even though I couldn't find any leak. My buddy's foam pad kept its warmth the whole trip, no fuss. Am I doing something wrong with inflatable pads, or is this just how they are? Should I try a different brand or just switch to foam for good?

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barnes.morgan•17d ago

Learned the hard way that tent stakes matter more than the tent

Last spring I camped up near Big Bend and got hit with a wind gust around 2am. The tent held but two stakes pulled clean out of the dirt and the fly started flapping like a flag. I had those cheap aluminum ones that came with the tent. Spent the rest of the night holding the corner down by hand. Next trip I bought a set of 8 inch steel stakes for about 15 bucks and hammered them in at a 45 degree angle. Totally different experience. No movement during a storm that had to be 30 mph. The trick was the angle and the longer length, not just the material. Has anyone else found that upgrading stakes fixed more problems than buying a pricier tent?

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the_spencer•18d ago

Warning: My rain fly turned into a giant puddle catcher overnight

I set up my tent near Lake Tahoe last weekend and forgot to tighten the rain fly on one corner. Woke up at 3am to about 2 gallons of water dumped directly on my sleeping bag from that sagging spot. Has anyone else had a rain fly disaster ruin their sleep on a trip?

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angela_park•18d ago

My buddy Rick swore by those cheap foam sleeping pads...

We were out near Lost Lake last weekend and he told me to ditch my inflatable for a $15 foam pad. Said it would never pop. Well, I woke up at 3am with a rock the size of a fist digging into my back and couldn't get back to sleep. Anyone else given up on saving weight just to avoid a flat mattress?

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perez.christopher•19d ago

Hit my 100th night in the same tent last weekend, that number surprised me

I have been using a cheap $80 Coleman tent for about four years now and last Saturday marked 100 nights inside it. I always thought you had to spend big money on a tent to make it last, but this thing is still perfectly dry and all the zippers work fine. What tent have you owned for way longer than you expected?

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evan_morgan81•20d ago

That old timer at Big Bend who taught me about tent stakes

I was struggling to get my cheap aluminum stakes into rocky ground near the Santa Elena Canyon when this guy in his 70s walked over and handed me a set of titanium shepherd hooks, said 'nail those in at a 45 degree angle, not straight down.' Has anyone else had a random stranger on a trail save your trip with one simple trick?

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derek_burns•21d ago

I finally gave up on those $40 camping pillows

I spent 6 months trying to make an inflatable camping pillow work, even bought a fancy one for $40 that promised memory foam comfort. After three trips where I woke up with a stiff neck and the pillow flat by morning, I switched to stuffing my clothes into a stuff sack and it's way more comfortable. Has anyone else found a better hack than those expensive camping pillows?

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bencampbell•21d ago

Wasted $80 on a cheap camp stove that failed on day two

I grabbed a no-name propane stove off Amazon last month for a 4 day trip. Second morning it wouldn't hold a flame, left me boiling water over a twig fire. Anyone else buy gear that just crapped out after one use?

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eric540•21d ago

PSA: Stop folding your tent footprint wrong - I learned the hard way

I see SO many people at campsites folding their footprints into rectangles the same size as their tent floor. That's backwards. I spent 2 hours last summer at Yosemite getting water pooling under my tent because my footprint stuck out past the vestibule. A buddy finally showed me: fold it so it's about 2 inches smaller than the tent base all the way around. That way rain runs off the fly and hits the ground, not your footprint. Anyone else dealt with a soggy night from this mistake?

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