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c/camping-gear-reviews

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hugo_robinson25•1d ago

My tent pole snapped in a storm up near Lake Tahoe last weekend

It was a cheap aluminum pole from a 5-year-old tent, and the wind just folded it in half. Had to use a bunch of duct tape and a trekking pole to get through the night. Anyone have a good fix for a broken pole section, or is it just time for a new tent?

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the_elizabeth•4d ago

Remember when tent poles were just a bundle of fiberglass sticks?

Had a pole snap on me in a storm near Sedona, and I had to use a roll of duct tape and a pine branch to get through the night. Anyone ever have to do a real field repair like that, or is everything just replaceable now?

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faith_king•6d ago

My old canvas tent from 2005 versus a new nylon one I got last fall

The canvas one took me and a friend almost an hour to set up in the rain at Yellowstone, and it weighed 25 pounds. The new one pops up in ten minutes, packs down small, and kept me bone dry in a storm last month. Has anyone else made a switch like this and been shocked by the difference?

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theagibson•6d ago

Rant: My old tent from a decade ago is a whole different beast than my new one

I was cleaning out my garage in Portland and found my first real backpacking tent, a basic two-person model I bought in 2014. Setting it up again, the poles felt heavy and the rainfly was this thick, crinkly plastic that weighed a ton. My new tent, which I got just last year, uses way thinner, lighter materials but somehow feels tougher and packs down to half the size. The big change seems to be in the fabrics and pole tech, making everything less bulky without giving up strength. It's wild how much lighter you can go now for the same amount of shelter. Anyone else have an old piece of gear that feels like a relic compared to the modern version?

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alexk60•6d ago

PSA: my old Coleman lantern finally gave up the ghost after 15 years

I tried a cheap LED conversion kit from Amazon, and the light is way brighter and whiter than I expected, almost too harsh for a campsite. Has anyone else swapped an old gas lantern and found a warmer LED option that feels more like firelight?

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burns.jenny•7d ago

My new $300 sleeping bag failed hard on a trip to the Sawtooths

Last week in Idaho, the temp dropped to 25 degrees and I woke up shivering because the baffles had shifted, leaving a huge cold spot right over my chest. The store won't take it back since I used it once, which feels pretty unfair. Has anyone else had a high-end bag fail like this right out of the gate?

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markt23•8d ago

My pack weight was way off for years because I never counted the water

I was getting ready for a 3-day trip in the White Mountains and finally put everything on my kitchen scale. My base gear was 18 pounds, which I thought was okay. Then I filled my two 1-liter bottles and my hydration bladder. Adding that 6.6 pounds of water put my total over 24, which explained why my shoulders were always wrecked on day one. I'd been so focused on the gear weight listed online that I completely ignored the heaviest thing I carry. Now I plan my routes around reliable water sources to cut what I carry. Anyone else have a simple thing they forgot to weigh that threw their whole system off?

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julia549•8d ago

My old Coleman stove was a total nightmare on our Yosemite trip

I used to just grab whatever cheap stove was on sale, but after a windy morning trying to boil water for 45 minutes with my old Coleman, I finally upgraded. I got a Jetboil Flash last year and it boils a liter in under two minutes, even when it's cold. Has anyone else made the switch to a faster cooking system and found it changed your whole morning routine?

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josepha32•8d ago

Pro tip: I used to think a cheap tarp was fine for my tent footprint until a downpour in the Smokies last fall.

Waking up in a puddle because my $10 plastic sheet tore on a rock made me finally spend $40 on a proper Tyvek footprint, and now I'll never go back, so what's your go-to ground cover for wet weather?

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phoenixb34•9d ago

My Coleman lantern versus a new LED headlamp on a rainy Boundary Waters trip

Got caught in a downpour for three days up north and my trusty old gas lantern sputtered out with wet mantles, but my buddy's basic Black Diamond Spot headlamp worked perfectly. I spent the last night cooking under his light while fumbling with matches, which totally changed my mind on reliable light sources. For wet fall trips, is a good headlamp just the better primary light now?

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the_anthony•9d ago

Just realized my new sleeping bag rating was a total lie on Mount Hood

I bought a Summit Ridge '20 degree' bag for a late spring trip up to Timberline Lodge. The temp dropped to 35 and I was shivering all night, my old thermometer doesn't lie. Learned the hard way that some brands are really optimistic with their ratings. Has anyone found a truly honest 20-degree bag that won't break the bank?

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ellis.susan•10d ago

Pro tip: my tent zipper broke in a storm at Crater Lake and I had to get creative

I was camping at Crater Lake last fall when a surprise rainstorm hit around 2 AM. The main door zipper on my old 2-person tent just gave up and got stuck halfway open. I ended up using a carabiner and some paracord from my pack to basically tie the door shut from the inside, which worked but was a soggy, cold mess until morning. Has anyone else had a tent fail like that and found a good, permanent fix for a busted zipper track?

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taylor.sean•12d ago

Just learned how much a sleeping bag's fill power rating actually matters

I was reading a review on OutdoorGearLab about a 20-degree bag, and they said a 650-fill down bag weighs almost a pound more than an 800-fill one for the same warmth. I always thought fill power was just marketing. Now I get why my old, heavy bag was such a pain to pack. Has anyone else switched to a higher fill power bag and noticed a real difference on the trail?

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clairen85•15d ago

My neighbor in Bend said his cheap foam pad was better than my fancy air mattress

We were packing for a weekend trip and he pointed out his simple $30 pad never pops and keeps him warm even when it's 20 degrees out. I tried it on a cold night last week and was shocked how much warmer I stayed. What's your go-to for staying warm on the ground?

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emma_dixon70•15d ago

My old sleeping bag made it to 150 nights in the field

I was cleaning out my gear closet and found my first real sleeping bag, a basic synthetic one I bought for a trip to Yellowstone in 2015. I decided to tally up every trip in my old log book, and it came to a solid 150 nights of use. I'm honestly shocked it held up that long without losing much loft, considering I never babied it. It saw rain in the Olympics, cold snaps in the Adirondacks, and a lot of dusty car camping. Has anyone else had a piece of gear far outlive its expected life? I'm curious what your record is.

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uma_ellis•16d ago

Remember when we all thought you needed a separate pot just for boiling water?

After a rainy week in the Adirondacks where everything was damp, I started boiling my morning coffee water right in my old steel mug over the fire, and it cut my pack weight by over a pound and saved a ton of space.

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markt23•16d ago

Heard a couple at the trailhead say they ditched their tent for a hammock system

I was packing up at the trailhead near Mount Hood last weekend when I overheard two hikers talking. One said they had not used a tent in over a year, just a hammock with a tarp and an underquilt. They claimed it cut their pack weight by almost 8 pounds and was way more comfortable. I've always been a tent person, but that weight saving is huge. Has anyone here made a full switch and what's the real downside in colder weather?

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blair_webb•17d ago

My tent choice came down to a 2-person or a 4-person for solo trips

I was getting a new tent for mostly solo backpacking in the Rockies and had to pick. The 2-person was lighter at 4 pounds, but the 4-person gave way more space for gear. I went with the bigger one for the extra room, and it was a game changer during a 3-day rainstorm last fall. Has anyone else picked a bigger tent for solo trips, or do you stick with the lighter option?

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ryantorres•18d ago

Tried a new camp stove fuel and it totally failed on me in the rain

I was testing a bioethanol gel fuel on a weekend trip to the Red River Gorge. The first night was fine, but on the second night, a light drizzle started. The flame sputtered and went out in under two minutes, even with a windscreen. I learned that some alternative fuels just don't handle moisture well at all. Has anyone found a good wet-weather fuel that isn't the usual propane canister?

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grantw32•18d ago

Heads up about those new 'quick-dry' camp towels

I bought a popular brand's quick-dry towel for a trip to Yosemite last year and it worked great. I used it again on a trip last month and it felt totally different, like a cheap car wash rag. The towel lost almost all its softness and took over an hour to dry instead of 20 minutes. I think they changed the material but kept the same name and packaging. Has anyone else noticed a big drop in quality with their camp towels recently?

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harper_foster•19d ago

My Coleman tent vs. a friend's Kelty on a rainy weekend in the Smokies

Had to pick a tent for a 3-day trip last October, and my old Coleman Sundome was up against my buddy's newer Kelty Late Start. I went with the Coleman because I knew it well. Big mistake. We got steady rain for 36 hours and a small leak started at one seam. My sleeping bag got a little wet. His Kelty stayed totally dry. I'm looking at maybe getting a new 3-season tent now. Anyone have a solid pick for under $200 that can handle real rain?

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kevin_west•19d ago

My buddy called my sleeping bag setup 'a good way to freeze' and he wasn't wrong

We were camping near Lake Tahoe last fall and I just threw my old bag on top of my pad like always. He saw it and said, 'Dude, you're losing all your heat to the ground, the pad goes under the bag.' I switched it that night and it felt like I gained 10 degrees of warmth, no joke. Has anyone else made a basic mistake like that for years without knowing?

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jenny_hall•20d ago

My tent setup went from a 45-minute struggle to under 10 minutes after I switched to a freestanding model.

For years I used a trekking pole tent on my Colorado trips, but a windy night in Rocky Mountain National Park last fall where I couldn't get the stakes to hold made me change. I bought a Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2 and now I'm pitching in minutes, rain or shine, without worrying about the soil. Do you think the speed and reliability of a freestanding tent is worth the slight weight penalty over an ultralight shelter?

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lunag30•20d ago

Cleaned out my gear shed and found my first sleeping bag from 1998.

I unrolled it and saw the price tag still on it, $29.99 from a Kmart in Spokane. That bag got me through a dozen trips before I even knew what a temperature rating was. What's the oldest piece of gear you still have kicking around?

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anthony129•21d ago

Hot take: My 15-year-old sleeping bag just hit 200 nights in the field and I'm not replacing it.

Honestly, I thought the 600-fill down would be shot by now, but it's still keeping me warm below freezing at Crater Lake, so why fix what isn't broken?