Let's Talk Outdoor Camping Tips, Tricks, Hacks

[Returntothefog]

Thinking about starting car camping for the occasional weekends along the gorgeous Cali coast I am so blessed to have at my disposal.
Anyone has any good recs for mattress situation? Deep sleep is on the top of the list but it is quite pricy, wanna hear some alternatives

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[swamp2]

I don't want to steer off course here with the overall theme, which is great. That said, both hard mounted aluminum drawer storage (AAL was my choice) and a refrigerator (Dometic CFX3 55IM) are two significant enhancements that have really made camping easier and more enjoyable.

The drawers keep things organized, keeps needed items at your fingertips, prevent noise and damage (with a little foam lining). The fridge extends possible durations, avoids ice stops, keeps mucky water away from food and out of the bottom of your cooler.

Anything that makes "making the memories" easier and more convenient are wins to me. I certainly wish I did these things long ago.

I suppose hard mounting the CO2 and propane was a pretty nice upgrade from stuff seriously jostling and rattling around in a passenger floor area was a nice change too.

Again, maybe not tricks or hacks, but the tip is, the more you can lower any hassle or pain points, the more likely you are to get out more often.

 

[swamp2]

Thinking about starting car camping for the occasional weekends along the gorgeous Cali coast I am so blessed to have at my disposal.
Anyone has any good recs for mattress situation? Deep sleep is on the top of the list but it is quite pricy, wanna hear some alternatives

This is my choice, not really suitable for back packing, but great for comfort when car camping. The foam supplemented by air makes it tunable to your choice of firmness.

https://www.rei.com/product/241041/therm-a-rest-luxurymap-sleeping-pad

 

[BigFootie]

Battery powered job site fan and / or a little buddy heater

Milwaukee M18 job site fan is awesome for keeping wet wood burning, skeeters from you, and air moving in the tent or vehicle.

 

[Returntothefog]

This is my choice, not really suitable for back packing, but great for comfort when car camping. The foam supplemented by air makes it tunable to your choice of firmness.

https://www.rei.com/product/241041/therm-a-rest-luxurymap-sleeping-pad

How did you level the back?

 

[suparee]

Not so much a hack or trick, although there are probably a few of those if I wanted to think back about how I've amended the camping experience over time.
"Amended" is a good choice vs. "improved" or "better".
There is a nostalgia from my childhood about basic no-frills camping under the stars from Boy Scout times. No camping LED area lights, no propane stuff, no fancy camping chairs or 12V refrigeration. No Jackeries or Starlink to connect you back to the digital world you are trying to get away from for a bit.
I think "Improvement" or "progress" does not always mean "better". It might mean easier, faster, less work. Or maybe more work?!
But I digress.
From the top of my head, my favorite camping upgrade/hack seems to be going with a Gazelle tent vs your standard Coleman variety with all of the extension poles and such.
Granted it does take up a larger footprint to store and transport. And it is a little heavier.
But set up and take down time spent is a premium thing for me.
I like to set up camp and get to relaxing and reflecting on my adventures in as little time as possible.
It really comes in handy in those situations where you arrive at camp after dark and don't want to fumble around too long. Or it's raining/snowing.

I think I understand what you are saying. On my place, there are now two concepts: camping lightly & camping heavily. Camping light means keeping everything light and usually not bringing anything particularly bulky or heavy. Re-installation means that it is fully equipped, and I have even seen people install almost the entire kitchen. But I have to say that the choice depends entirely on the individual. Depends on what kind of trip you want.

 

[suparee]

Here's a simple one that I do every night before bed...
I keep my next-day clothes in a small, compression dry-sack.
When the temps drop over night, and you get to that dew point, or any dampness inside the tent from the temp differential, waking up to put on cold, damp feeling clothes first thing in the morning is a real drag.

That makes sense!

 

[suparee]

Great idea for a thread!

I use a sleeping bag liner to keep the sleeping bag (relatively) clean. You can make one from a folded-over sheet sewn together, or else buy one if you don't sew (like me). The liner picks up your sweat, skin grease, and shed skin cells while you're sleeping. When the trip's over the liner goes in the wash. The sleeping bag just gets wiped down inside and out with a damp cloth to pick up any dust and dirt. Then it can also air out in the sun if you want.

I rarely use a sleeping bag on my current outdoor trips. So my use of sleeping bags is really not fully developed yet. This is definitely a very good trick for me. Thumbs up from me on this. Lol

 

[suparee]

Just wanted to start by saying I appreciate this not not having a reference to “overlanding.”

As to car camping, specifically doing it while wheeling like on the Rubicon, we removed the back seats. Saves a lot of weight and opens up room for storage. With a station wagon the storage isn’t as important, but that weight savings is nice when running a trail with all your camping gear with you. We also like to use water filtration systems like what is offered by Katadyn, assuming you will be near water while on the trail. Carrying around 20 gallons of water (2 adults and 2 dogs) adds up, and those that are only relying on what they pack in seem to be more reluctant to share with wary travelers for fear of running out. Bonus points for being able to drink absolutely delightful water on your trip. (At least in the mountains. Your results may vary)

Well, I have to say we do have some overlanding monment. Lol. Perhaps we have some problem just didn't found it. Water filtration system is a good point, especially for long-time trip and camping with others like partners and pets.

 

[suparee]

What a timely post! I've been sleeping in my truck the past week in some parks and I found a setup to fit diagonally in the back of the truck while it was raining! I push the passenger seat all the way up and chuck my duffel bags in the floor cavity. This fills in the space so I can position my sleeping bag and pillow over diagonally and fit inside!

Enjoy your trip and have a good sleep.

 

[suparee]

A regular full size pillow. I'll sacrifice space any day to avoid a "packable" pillow or rolled up sweatshirt.

I am the guy who use a packable pillow. Lol. Yeah. not feel that good.

 

[suparee]

I'll second that idea wholeheartedly... Our last "family" wheeling trip, to the Rubicon as it turns out, had us on the very ragged edge for water rations after 3 full days on the trail in very warm temps (early July) having suffered major mechanical damage that slowed our progress significantly and added to the need for hydration. If we'd had a good water filtration setup we would have been in a much, much better place...

Always learn something from what you experiented. Thanks for sharing.

 

[EasternSierra]

I rarely use a sleeping bag on my current outdoor trips. So my use of sleeping bags is really not fully developed yet. This is definitely a very good trick for me. Thumbs up from me on this. Lol

It's like using sheets with your blankets in bed. You don't need to wash the blankets very often. Plus sometimes, you can get really dirty in the outdoors, especially wheeling.

 

[swamp2]

How did you level the back?

I don't understand your question.

 

[Returntothefog]

I don't understand your question.

Sorry
I meant the unevenness between the cargo area and the folded down rear seats, what did u use to level that to support the mattress

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