Camping

[LIBRA]

Tis the season to start camping!!! Well for those of us who dont endore the below freezing camping trips, "cowboy" Anyway who is excited??? I am I am!!!!!

What are some must haves for camping, recipes, gear etc... what cant you camp with out?

Any good reviews on camping gear, tents,stuff?????

Favorite places to camp, got any cool stories??

[dcochran5]

Tis the season to start camping!!! Well for those of us who dont endore the below freezing camping trips, "cowboy" Anyway who is excited??? I am I am!!!!!

What are some must haves for camping, recipes, gear etc... what cant you camp with out?

Any good reviews on camping gear, tents,stuff?????

Favorite places to camp, got any cool stories??

OMG!!! I love camping---but I can't camp with the hubbie--me and the kids just take off--he hates it and I love it!! I was just thinking this same thing this morning how the season is about here!!!

[StellaBlue]

I love camping! I can't go without my comfy camping chair, the one with the drink holders. And Guinness to go in the drink holder is a must have for me, unless my little girl is along on the trip.

S'mores, of course. Gotta have those. And supplies to make campfire cake. Yum.

[NCW_Woodnymph]

Oh, I can't wait to go! Unfortunately, I think our weekends are booked until mid-May. :( I'm hoping gas prices will go down by then but not holding my breath. :)

My must haves:
Camp chairs
Blow up mattress (I know I'm a wimp :))
Good wildcrafting book
Backpack for the little one

Happy camping! :D

[CowboyHippy]

a pair of clean underwear and a hat

I draw a line between camping and backpacking

for backpacking
I keep and reuse handy items, and give away what i classify as unfunctional or novelty items

my pack is always packed
it is a kelty tornado 4900 with a hydration resivor

for summer...
it contains:
a very small and light sleeping bag
travel hammock double
Kelty travel pillow
light my fire meal kit (really cool)
msr pocket rocket stove (also really cool)
folding frying pan with msr lexan utensils
waterproof camera (snap sights brand, very cheap, so-so pictures)
a film canister with salt and pepper packets stolen from fast food places
a packet of fish hooks and a spool of fishing line.
led headlamp and 2 glowsticks
small binocular
self inflating camp pad

i also pack
2 pair of socks per day of planned trip
1 long sleeved fleece pullover
zip off cargo pants
2 tie dyes

when we go camping it's a pretty complex ordeal
16x32 military surplus party haus
coolers, folding camp chairs, air matresses, lanterns, coleman stoves, 200 foot zipline. it's basically better than the fun we can have at home

[LIBRA]

Stella I gotta know what campfire cake is and how to make it!!! Sounds yumm!!

My camping gear is
Tent
Chair
picnic blanket
cast iron moon pie maker ( sandwich maker)
beer, wine :D
Axe
matches, lighter
garbage bags
5 gallon water tote thing
cards, toys for Kris
Dutch oven ( depending on if its a group of us or just kris and I)
citronella
glowsticks
lantern
bubbles
I have a tote I keep most stuff in, if I run out I refill it. So its always ready to go if we decide on whim to hit the road.
Umm I cant think if anything else, other then clothes and food. We generally just eat fruit, granola, yogurt, bread, veggies, eggs etc...lots of grilled sandwiches over the fire.

I love making egg and cheese sandwiches over the fire with the cast iron pie maker, so good. Or roasted veggie sandwiches. Kris loves strawberry pies made the same way!
Id like get a portable hammock this year and new sleeping bags. I just bring blankets and it takes up way to much room. Im iffy on mummy bags though I like to move around alot when I sleep,lol

Cowboy, whats your meal kit and rocket stove thats so cool?

[Unkle_John]

JuJu and I love to camp. We are trying to find a way to get a van we can convert. Oh well. We'll just have to rough it.

Most if not all of our camping gear, tents and such are military surplus. M.S. is the best way to go, b/c we all know that governments (especially ours) will spend top dollar and the highest quality material. Hence the $500 hammer we've all heard about. But anyways I find the gear the best in the world for wear and tear and for the price.

But we would love to have a van we can equip with solar cells and such. I already have it planned out. Just not the funds.

[oceanchild78307]

I love to camp and really wish I could take the kids but my husband does not camp at all. So maybe when the kids get a little older I can take them.

[CowboyHippy]

Those would be my highly reccomended items

meal kit via campmor (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=39198568&engine=googlebase&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=GoogleBase&utm_term=82725&CS_003=2477120&CS_010=82725)

And the pocket rocket (http://www.campmor.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=14104244&memberId=12500226&storeId=226&catalogId=40000000226&langId=-1)

you need to cart an isobutane canister which are fairly cheap, about $4, but they are lighter, smaller and last longer than the green propane tanks that i come across littered everywhere. they also work at a lot colder temps than propane

[LIBRA]

I love campmor, great site. I buy from there if and when I get gear online!
Ive seen those pocket rockets before, for some reason I thought they were alot more$$, how quick does it boil water?

I havent used this yet, it was a christmas present to me :D but I cant wait to use it!!! Even if its not great for camping, I have lots of bonfires in the summer with friends so we could use it them. But Im hoping to take it camping from now on!

http://i105.photobucket.com/albums/m214/denisedkris/grill.gif

[LIBRA]

Hey I forgot to ask, whats your opinion on the self inflating camp pads? Kris gets cold on the ground, so we have an air mattress, I dont get cold with out it just uncomfortable depending on where we camp at. I was thinkin about getting those instead of haulin around the mattress, but I read bad reviews and it soured me from them.

[StellaBlue]

Campfire cake is the best. You take the top off of an orange (but save it) and take the orange out of the peel, leaving the peel in one piece. Then you fill the orange peel with white or yellow cake batter and put the orange lid back on. Then you wrap the orange in aluminum foil, and put it in the fire. The cake bakes. Just don't put it right in the flames, or else it scorches the orange, and makes the cake gross. When the cake is done, you just eat it right out of the orange. I usually make the batter at home, and have it in the cooler so I don't have to do it on the campsite. Also, be prepared with lots of washcloths, because getting the oranges out of the peels is some messy, sticky business. But so worth it.

Here I am thinking about camping, and it's snowing outside. Sigh.

[PEACE FROG]

Living in the beautiful natural setting that you do why don't you just pitch a tent in your yard? Get cold? Go in the house. :D

[LIBRA]

We do,lol But thats not as fun!!! Sometimes in the summer my friends come over and we camp out in the yard!!


YUMMM Stella that sound great, messy, but great!!!!! I cant wait to try that. How long does it need to cook? And you put it in the coals around the outside of the fire?

[StellaBlue]

I could pitch a tent in the backyard, but then I would have to pick up dog poo, and I prefer to let that naturally compost... ;)

Really I'm just lazy when it comes to picking up the poo.

Libra, I've never really timed how long it takes, I couldn't even hazard a guess, really. When it's done, some of the batter starts coming out of the orange, and it makes a bubbling sound. That's usually when I take it out. I have eaten when the cake was still a tiny bit raw in the middle, but I'm okay with that. And yes, put them in the coals around the fire.

[dcochran5]

what is everyone's favorite meal that they cook, I am looking for new ideas.... :)

[CowboyHippy]

i picked up campmors self inflating pad, the full length one

i havent seen one yet that fully slef inflates, but it isnt that difficult to fill them up the rest of the way

i like it, it is light and compact compared to an air matress. not as thick but if you think about how long it takes to fill a twin air matress it's worth it. I spent the extra $5 i think it was to get their one with a heaver shell.

if i recall it cost me $25 bucks a few years back. i did like the looks fo a big agnes brand air matress, mummy shaped but super light and packed to the size of a nalgene bottle. (unfortunatley it was $75 and not as highy rated on gear review sites)

[CowboyHippy]

what is everyone's favorite meal that they cook, I am looking for new ideas.... :)

the old standby is a can of cream of chicken soup and 2 cups of rice.

trout cooked with butter and parsley rolled up in foil in the coals

we have a method of cooking a turkey, uses 30-40 lbs of charcoal and an old metal trash can.

i also like to core out apples fill the centers with sugar and roast them in the fire.

use hobo pie makers to make smores, melts the chocolate, toasts the marshmallow and melts the chocolate to glue it all together

hobo pie makers with bread mozzarella cheese and pepperoni

1/3 coke 1/3 oj and 1/3 vodka

3/4 hot cocoa and 1/4 peppermint schnapps

take a bit of dough (pillsbury type tubes work well) and wrap it around a debarked stick and brown it over the coals turning it every minute or so.

[Unkle_John]

Mother Earth News has a great dutch oven bread recipe.

[dcochran5]

the old standby is a can of cream of chicken soup and 2 cups of rice.

trout cooked with butter and parsley rolled up in foil in the coals

we have a method of cooking a turkey, uses 30-40 lbs of charcoal and an old metal trash can.

i also like to core out apples fill the centers with sugar and roast them in the fire.

use hobo pie makers to make smores, melts the chocolate, toasts the marshmallow and melts the chocolate to glue it all together

hobo pie makers with bread mozzarella cheese and pepperoni

1/3 coke 1/3 oj and 1/3 vodka

3/4 hot cocoa and 1/4 peppermint schnapps

take a bit of dough (pillsbury type tubes work well) and wrap it around a debarked stick and brown it over the coals turning it every minute or so.
you made me hungry and "thirsty".... :hb:

[Unkle_John]

Easy, No Kneed Crusty Bread (http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/2007-12-01/Easy-No-Knead-Dutch-Oven-Crusty-Bread.aspx)

[NCW_Woodnymph]

Thanks for the link. I am definitely going to make that as soon as I get a dutch oven. :D

:hippie:

[Unkle_John]

NP

Remember to make the dough a day before you go camping (unless you plan on camping for many days).

[NCW_Woodnymph]

Have you tried it? How do you make sure the temp stays high enough without an oven?

:hippie:

[Earth_Momma_06]

I love camping its great my whole family goes meaning me and the baby and my grandparents...
Me and my friends plan on camping by the creek this summer.. cant wait

cliff bars are a must when we hike
baby carrier lol
sometimes a stroller depending
we have an awesome huge outdoor play pin for when the fires going lol....
Smores as said before
bottled water
we don't make many "Camping recipies" I would like some though

[Unkle_John]

I haven't tried it yet, Woodnymph. :snail:

We use old prescription pill bottles & OTC wide mouth bottles to hold items like salt, pepper, seasonings, matches, or anything small we don't want to loose or get wet. We then put them all in a smaller bag that will fit in our duffel bag or med pack. If you go camping for the first time away from camp grounds, or someone who does often, I recommend getting a copy of the SAS Survival Handbook. Bring it with you and read it b the camp fire and familiarize yourself with surviving if you go get lost.