c/camping-gear-reviews

20 years of using a Coleman two-burner stove and I finally switched to a Jetboil. No regrets.

I was a diehard Coleman guy since my first camping trip in 1998. That old green stove survived rain, wind, and me dropping it off the tailgate. But last summer I borrowed a buddy's Jetboil on a trip up to Lake George and boiled water in like 90 seconds. Picked one up for $80 on sale and honestly I don't miss hauling the big stove for solo trips. Anyone else made a late switch that surprised them?

That REI employee who told me to 'just buy a better tent' when I asked about fixing my zipper

Guy at the Portland store literally shrugged and pointed to a $600 tent when I showed him my 3 year old model with a stuck zipper. Has anyone actually had luck getting a zipper repaired instead of replacing the whole thing?

That one week in June when my tent flooded on 3 separate nights

Honestly, I thought I was being smart with a budget tent I picked up for $60. First night it rained and I woke up in a puddle around 2 AM. Second night I tried adding a tarp underneath, but water just seeped in from the sides. Third night I gave up and slept in my car at the Pine Grove campsite. Anyone else have a tent that just couldn't handle a little rain?

Ran into an old ranger at Yellowstone who changed how I pack my tent

He showed me how to roll a tent instead of stuffing it, and now my zippers actually last more than one season. Anybody else get a tip from a stranger that totally fixed a gear problem?

That $15 camp shovel I laughed at actually saved my trip last Saturday

I was at the REI in Denver and saw this little folding shovel, thought it was a joke for $15. My buddy swore by it for digging cat holes and fire pits. I grabbed one on a whim, and last weekend I used it to clear a muddy patch for my tent stakes. It took me 4 minutes to dig a proper hole for my fire, way faster than my old trowel. Who knew a cheap shovel could beat a fancy $40 trowel? Has anyone else found a random piece of gear that weirdly outperformed?

A guy at a campsite told me my propane stove was ruining the flavor of my morning coffee, so I switched to a dual fuel setup

He showed me how the propane leaves a weird chemical residue on the pot that boils into the water, and after one try with white gas I tasted the difference immediately, has anyone else noticed that?

Overheard a guy at REI say he never checks his tent for leaks before a trip

Thing is he told me he woke up in a puddle last weekend in Olympic National Park after a $300 tent let water right through the seams, so now I'm wondering how many of us actually test our gear before heading out.

Just learned that backpacking stoves lose 20% efficiency in wind from a random YouTube comment

I was watching a review of that little BRS 3000T stove and scrolling through the comments when some guy posted actual test numbers. He said he measured boil times in his backyard with a fan on and it took almost 4 minutes extra for a cup of water. I never really thought about how much wind messes with those tiny burners. Has anyone here actually timed their stove in breezy conditions or do you just wing it like I have been?

That old timer at REI who saved my tent

I was about to buy a cheap $40 tent at REI in Portland last summer. An older guy stocking shelves walked over and asked what I was using it for. He told me the floor seams on that model always fail after 2 trips. He pointed me to a used Alps Mountaineering tent for $65 instead and said it would last 5 years easy. Anyone else run into random employees who actually know their stuff?

Had to pick between a cheap air mattress and a pricey sleeping pad for a 5 day trip

I chose the $40 air mattress from Target over the $180 sleeping pad my buddy recommended. By night 2 I was waking up on the cold ground with a slow leak and my back killing me. Has anyone else gambled on cheaper sleep gear and regretted it after the first night?

Rain turned my $200 tent into a swimming pool at Big Sur last weekend

Finally got a proper night's sleep at Moraine Lake last weekend

I camped at Moraine Lake in Banff last Saturday and something finally clicked with my sleep system. I've been using a foam pad for like 3 years and always woke up with my hips sore. This time I swapped to a used Therm-a-Rest I found at a gear swap for $30 and I actually slept through the night. The difference was insane, like I woke up and actually felt rested enough to hike the Larch Valley trail by 7am. What caught me off guard was how reflective the ground felt through the old pad versus the new one. I mean, you don't realize how much heat you lose until you're not losing it anymore. Has anyone else noticed a huge jump in sleep quality just from changing their sleeping pad?

I finally hit 100 nights in my hammock setup last weekend

I've been camping with a hammock for about 3 years now but always kept a tent as backup. Last Saturday on a trip up near Lake Tahoma I realized I've spent exactly 100 nights sleeping in that hammock. It surprised me because I always thought tents were the safer bet for bad weather. But after that many nights I've learned how to pitch a tarp right and stay dry even in heavy rain. What made me change my mind was that 100th night coming with no problems at all. Has anyone else kept a counter on their gear and been surprised by how much you actually use one thing over another?

PSA: My rain fly ripped at 2am in the Smokies and a trash bag saved my trip

I was camped at Elkmont in the Smokies back in April when a sudden storm hit and my cheap rain fly tore right down the seam. Water started pouring in through the mesh and I had to grab a contractor bag from my car to rig a temporary cover. It held for the rest of the night but now I'm wondering - should I spend $80 on a name brand replacement or just go with a heavy duty tarp setup for half the cost? What do you all do when gear fails in the field?

Camping at Big Bend and noticed everyone either loves or hates the backcountry sites

I was at Big Bend last month and heard two guys arguing about whether the backcountry sites are worth the hike or just overhyped. One said the solitude is unbeatable, the other said the car camping spots have better views and way less hassle. Which side do you lean on for desert camping?

Talked to a park ranger about my tent choice and now I feel like an idiot

Ran into a ranger at Yellowstone last weekend who said my fancy ultralight tent was useless for anything but fair weather camping. He pointed to his decades-old canvas tent and said that thing has survived 40 mph winds. Makes me wonder if I've been overpaying for hype.

I finally tried that sleeping pad trick my buddy Mark told me about

Mark said to put a cheap foam pad under my inflatable sleeping pad for extra warmth. I thought he was nuts, but I tried it last weekend at Big Creek Campground in Alabama. It was 38 degrees that night and I stayed warm while my friend on just an inflatable was freezing. Has anyone else tried layering pads like that or is it just a old guy thing?

That $80 inflatable sleeping pad I got off Craigslist springs a new leak every single trip.

I've patched it four times now after last weekend at Yosemite, and I'm starting to wonder if the savings were even worth the headache. Has anyone found a brand that actually holds air past year one?

Just crossed 200 nights in my tent this year

I keep a log of every campout and hit 200 nights last Tuesday. That number surprised me because it means I've spent more time sleeping outdoors than indoors since March. Has anyone else tracked a milestone like that and found it changed how you look at gear?

Heard a ranger say something about tent seams that made me rethink everything

I was at a campground near Lake Tahoe last weekend and overheard a ranger telling someone that most tent failures happen because people skip resealing the seams. He said a $6 tube of seam sealer can double the life of a cheap tent but almost nobody does it. I came home and checked mine and sure enough the tape was peeling. Has anyone else had a tent start leaking because of this?

Found out my trusty old gas stove uses way more fuel than I thought

I was reading the manual for my Coleman stove while killing time at a campsite in Shenandoah. It said on high it burns through a full propane bottle in about 2 hours. I've been running it wide open for years without thinking. Anyone else find a weird stat like that in their gear manual that totally changed how you camp?

Vent: I used to throw all my gear in a duffel bag and call it good

Last trip I spent 20 minutes digging for my headlamp at 2am in the rain near Lake Tahoe. Now I use those little zippered mesh pouches from the dollar store for each category. Anyone else have a cheap fix that saved your sanity?

Overheard a guy at Cabella's say 'these new tents don't breathe' and it made me miss my old canvas

I was grabbing some stove fuel last Saturday and this older fella was griping to a clerk about how his new polyester tent fogs up bad. That got me thinking about my first tent, a heavy canvas job from the 90s I used for about 8 years up in the Adirondacks. It was a pain to dry out but you'd never wake up with condensation dripping on your face. Has anyone else switched back to canvas or found a modern tent that handles moisture as well?

Wasted $80 on a cheap air mattress from Amazon last summer

Bought this random brand air mattress for a 4 day trip to Lake Tahoe. Worked fine the first night but by night two it had a slow leak. Woke up at 3am on the ground with my back killing me. Tried patching it with the kit they included but that glue was basically useless. Ended up sleeping in my car the rest of the trip. Anyone else had bad luck with those no name blow up mattresses?

Dropped $120 on a cheap sleeping pad and my back still hasn't forgiven me

Bought this no-name inflatable pad off Amazon for $120 back in June. First trip out to Lake Placid it lost half its air by 3 AM. Woke up on cold hard ground with a stiff back that lasted three days. Should have just spent the extra $80 on a Therm-a-Rest. Has anyone else had a bad experience with those off-brand pads?