c/camping-gear-reviews

That $8 groundsheet under my tent saved me from a flooded night

Last month in Shenandoah, I set up camp right before a downpour and woke up to a puddle forming inside my tent floor. Turned out my rainfly was fine, but the ground was just soaked through. I grabbed a cheap polycro sheet from REI for $8, laid it under my tent, and the next night stayed bone dry even with steady rain. Has anyone else tried using window insulation film as a makeshift groundsheet?

Three hours wasted trying to set up a tent in the dark

Got to my campsite near Lake Tahoe last Friday at 8pm and thought I could pitch my tent by headlamp. Took forever because the poles didn't line up and I kept stepping on the rain fly. By the time I was done at 11pm, I was too tired to even cook dinner. Anyone else learn the hard way to always set up camp before sunset?

Can we talk about that friend who swore cheap sleeping bags were fine for winter camping?

My buddy Dave told me a $30 Walmart bag would work for a January trip in Utah, and after shivering through 18 degree nights and nearly getting hypothermia, I'm wondering if anyone else has been burned by bad gear advice from someone who's never actually tested their own recommendations?

Last weekend's rain turned my cheap tent into a swimming pool

I went camping up near Lake Tahoe last Saturday and it poured all night. My old $40 tent from the discount store just couldn't handle it. Water seeped right through the floor and I woke up in a puddle at 3 AM. I'm thinking about spending around $150 on a proper tent with a bathtub floor. Has anyone else dealt with a tent that just gave up in heavy rain?

I think everyone overrates those $400 ultralight sleeping pads

Maybe it's just me but I've been using a $40 foam pad from Walmart for the last 3 years and it still works fine on rocky ground in the Smokies. People keep saying you need that inflated R-value for cold nights but I slept just fine at 28 degrees last November with my foam pad and a good bag. Idk, are we sure these expensive pads aren't just a comfort thing rather than a necessity? Has anyone else stuck with a basic foam pad for a long time?

That campground in Utah had the quietest tent spots I've ever used

I was up at Sand Hollow State Park last month and noticed almost everyone was using those heavy duty canvas wall tents instead of the usual nylon domes. The ranger said it's because the wind rips through there something fierce, and canvas really muffles the noise. Has anyone else switched to canvas for windy spots or is that just a Utah thing?

Switched to a sleeping pad with a foam layer after years of just air pads

I kept waking up cold even with a high R-value air pad on trips in the Rockies. Tried adding a 1/4 inch foam pad underneath and it made a huge difference for warmth and stability. Has anyone else tried this combo?

Why does nobody seem to know how to stake a tent properly anymore?

I was out at Lake Tahoe last weekend and watched three separate groups set up their tents with the stakes barely an inch in the ground. Within an hour, the wind picked up and two of those tents were flying across the campsite like kites. I remember when we used to pound stakes in at a 45-degree angle, right through that tough ground, and they'd hold solid all night. Has anyone else noticed folks skipping the basics like this, or is it just me getting old and cranky about gear setup?

PSA: I tested a $15 tarp vs a $70 one for 6 months in the rain

Everyone says you gotta spend big on a tarp, but my cheap blue one from the hardware store lasted just as long as my buddy's expensive name-brand one after six months of Pacific Northwest drizzle. The expensive one actually got a pinhole first - guess the hype doesn't always match the reality, right? Anybody else notice their budget gear outlasting the premium stuff?

Remember when I thought a cheap tarp was fine for rain cover? Yeah that changed fast after a trip to Yosemite last spring.

Debate: Should you trust a $20 tarp or buy the $80 heavy duty one? My river trip taught me both sides.

So I was camping along the Rogue River in Oregon last summer. Storm hit, my cheap $20 tarp ripped right at the grommet and soaked my gear. I patched it with duct tape and it held for another night, but barely. Meanwhile my buddy's $80 Kodiak canvas tarp kept his stuff bone dry the whole time. Part of me thinks cheap tarps are fine if you carry repair tape, but the other part says pay once, cry once. What do you all do when a tarp fails mid-trip and you have to fix it fast?

I finally see why people hate those cheap sleeping bag liners

I always thought buying the $15 sleeping bag liner was fine. Then I spent a night at a site near Lake Tahoe last month where it got down to 40 degrees. Buddy of mine had a nice Sea to Summit liner and he was cozy while I was shivering in my cheap one. He showed me the weight difference and how his packed down way smaller too. Has anyone else had a cheap liner ruin a solid trip?

Bought a cheap tarp at Walmart and it ripped on day two in the Smokies

I was camping up near Cades Cove last spring and a storm rolled in around midnight. I had grabbed one of those blue tarps from Walmart thinking it would save me $12 versus getting something decent. The wind picked up around 3 AM and I watched the tarp just shred right where the grommets were. My gear got soaked, my sleeping bag was a sponge, and I spent the rest of the night huddled in my car. After that trip I dropped $60 on a proper poly tarp with reinforced corners and it's been solid through three trips now. Anybody else learn the hard way that cheap tarps are just not worth the hassle?

Ditched my heavy coleman tent for a tarp and bivy setup after a rainy trip in the Smokies last fall

Carrying a wet 8-pound tent down the trail made me realize how much weight I was wasting on walls I didn't use, so now I'm sleeping lighter but wondering if anyone else has tried a simple tarp shelter in buggy weather and regretted it?

I finally tried that cheap sleeping pad my buddy swore by and it was a disaster

My friend Dave kept saying the $30 foam pad from Amazon was just as good as my old Therm-a-Rest (which finally sprang a leak). First night out in Shenandoah last weekend, I woke up at 2 AM every rock digging into my hip through that thin thing. Anyone else get tricked by a budget recommendation that left you sore for days?

Why does nobody talk about how tent rainflies shrink over time?

Honestly I picked up a used REI tent off Craigslist a few years back and the first couple trips it was fine. But last summer I took it up to a site near Lake George and after a night of heavy rain I woke up soaked. Turns out the rainfly had shrunk just enough that it pulled away from the bathtub floor on one corner. Water just ran right in. I checked online and apparently polyester flys can shrink if they get too hot or if they're stored damp. I've got a buddy who swears by treating his with Nikwax every spring but I'm wondering if there's a better way to stop the shrinking in the first place. Anyone else run into this or am I the only one who didn't think to measure my fly before a trip?

My old sleeping bag weighed 7 pounds, last month I finally swapped it out

I had this ancient Coleman bag from 2012 that I thought was fine. Took it on a 4-day trip in the Smokies and my pack felt like a brick. Got a 2-pound down bag off a clearance sale and the difference in how I felt hiking in was insane. Has anyone else noticed how much lighter gear has gotten over the last 10 years or just me?

A guy at REI told me my tent stake setup was garbage and he was right

Last fall I was out at Yosemite and this older hiker watched me struggle with my tent for like 10 minutes. He finally walked over and said "you know those plastic stakes are for soft ground only, right?" I had been using the same cheap stakes for years and just figured all dirt was the same. He showed me his titanium shepherds hooks and how to angle them into hard packed dirt. Now I carry two different types of stakes depending on the site. Has anyone else had a random stranger save them from bad gear habits?

Hit 3 years of backpacking with the same tent and it finally let go on me near the Pecos River in New Mexico.

I got 36 months out of a $200 REI Half Dome 2. The zipper finally gave out in a windstorm last month. Waterproofing was basically gone after year two but it still kept me dry enough. I patched the floor four times with Tenacious Tape. Has anyone else stretched a piece of gear way past its expected life?

Pro tip: old camping stoves are built way different than new ones

I was down at a flea market in Knoxville last weekend and picked up a 1970s Coleman single burner for 15 bucks. Fired it up this morning and that thing boiled water in like 3 minutes flat without any fancy regulator nonsense. Has anyone else noticed new stoves just don't hold up like the old metal ones used to?

Warning: My $40 magnesium fire starter left me shivering in the rain for 45 minutes

Tried using a cheap magnesium rod from Amazon on a damp Washington evening last fall and it took 37 strikes just to get a weak spark that died before touching the tinder, has anyone else found that the price jump to a ferrocerium rod actually makes a difference in wet conditions?

Switched from a $50 coleman stove to a $200 two-burner camp chef last summer

I used to just boil water and cook hot dogs on that tiny green coleman stove for years. Then my buddy brought his camp chef on a trip to Lake Tahoe and I could actually simmer a big pot of chili without burning it. The temperature control is way better, and the BTU output is more even. I ended up buying one a week later after my mac and cheese turned into a smoky mess. Has anyone else made the leap from a basic camp stove to something like this? What model did you pick?

Bought a cheap camp stove on clearance last month and it taught me a lesson

I was at a Walmart in Flagstaff and grabbed a no-name propane stove for $12 just to have a backup, and it failed on me during a rainy night near the Grand Canyon. The regulator froze up after 10 minutes of cooking dinner and I had to eat cold beans with a spork while my buddy's Coleman worked fine. Has anyone else had luck with bargain bin gear or should I just stick to the big brands from now on?

I still think expensive sleeping pads are overrated after that guy at Gila National Forest proved me wrong

Ran into a dude near the Gila River last October who swore by his $40 foam pad over my $250 inflatable, and after he slept through a 40-degree night without a peep while I was adjusting air pressure at 3 AM, I started to see his point. Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear totally change how you view the premium stuff?

Saw a guy at the campsite with a $15 tarp setup that outlasted my $200 tent in that storm last weekend

He was using some basic poly tarp and paracord ridge line while I was fighting with my tent poles at 2 AM, so now I'm wondering if I've been overcomplicating my whole shelter game for years, has anyone else tried going super minimalist with just a tarp?