[How To] Camping-The Basics - What do I need?

Don't know about ravens but raccoons seem to. When on a Scout training course we came beck to camp and found on of our fellow trainee's band new back pack had bee ripped open and a bag of chips removed. The raccoon ate ONE chip. He also ruined the back pack. NEVER leave food in tents.
 
Very well thought out and excellently written. Your experience shows. Thanks for sharing.
 
Mellow,

Well, if you can't tell, I have "proven" all your points.

Some that I doubted I proved anyway, like wearing gloves when sleeping. Never did that before this trip and I doubted it would make a difference. After all, I've slept out in near zero weather before without them. But, I also had a sleeping system made for that kind of weather. When you need just a bit extra it works. Oh, and if you don't have any gloves, try a thicker pair of socks over your hands. Works great :)

And the pillows are worth their weight in gold. I used to get by with a bag full of clothes, but, no more.

Couple questions.

Space blankets. Are they good for anything? I thought about putting one under my air mattress or maybe between air mattress and bag. I thought about over the bag but feared condensation would make it a bad idea.

I had read something about using trash bags over the feet when sleeping to keep condensation from getting the bag wet. Any truth to that?
 
charlie b said:
Mellow,

Well, if you can't tell, I have "proven" all your points.

Some that I doubted I proved anyway, like wearing gloves when sleeping. Never did that before this trip and I doubted it would make a difference. After all, I've slept out in near zero weather before without them. But, I also had a sleeping system made for that kind of weather. When you need just a bit extra it works. Oh, and if you don't have any gloves, try a thicker pair of socks over your hands. Works great :)

And the pillows are worth their weight in gold. I used to get by with a bag full of clothes, but, no more.

Couple questions.

Space blankets. Are they good for anything? I thought about putting one under my air mattress or maybe between air mattress and bag. I thought about over the bag but feared condensation would make it a bad idea.

I had read something about using trash bags over the feet when sleeping to keep condensation from getting the bag wet. Any truth to that?
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I think if you have a good air mattress w/R rating then you are good. A bag over your feet might feel good at first but if there is condensation then your feet will feel even colder. I've never had a bag get soaked from condensation inside the tent.
 
You're doing great Charlie. Everyone is different and you may still need to tweak things as you utilize your current setup but it should be a very solid platform for a comfortable nights sleep in most situations.
 
Mellow said:
A bag over your feet might feel good at first but if there is condensation then your feet will feel even colder.
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Not to mention the interesting things the trapped moisture might start growing....:eek1:
 
Thanks.

Being a gadget guy the tweaking part is fun. Buy something, try it out, then decide if I want to keep using it. I am getting better about m,y addiction :) I think about it quite a bit now before buying. Will I really use it? And, is it worth the space it will use up when packed?

The cooking stuff is something I could probably do without. But, I have found it makes me take a more laid back approach to the trip. I stop earlier and set up camp. Then take a bit to cook and eat. In the morning I can sit and have a cup of coffee and something to eat before tearing down camp and getting going again. Just slows the pace a lot.

And, it means I can buy more gadgets :)

Packing is something that I have almost perfect. The key is to have all the camping stuff packed so that I carry the minimum amount of stuff into a hotel room, ie, two bags and the helmet. The camping gear stays on the bike.

Yes, I still stay in a hotel room every now and then too. :)
 
I would think the space blanket would help with the heat loss if your mattress does not have a decent R-value like the more expensive expeds and thermarests do. Actually, I would heartily recommend that you try it out because space blankets are cheap, and heat loss to the ground is very real and will ruin your night's sleep.
 
charlie b said:
Yes, I still stay in a hotel room every now and then too. :)
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Me Too. Especially when you just had a long day with lots of interstate and the next day is another long day. It doesn't take me long to setup and tear down camp, but sometimes you just want to make tracks.
 
artemedes said:
Me Too. Especially when you just had a long day with lots of interstate and the next day is another long day. It doesn't take me long to setup and tear down camp, but sometimes you just want to make tracks.
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Yep. This last trip was a good example. Almost 600 mile day to get to Vegas. Then 4 days of camping. Then a hotel in barstow before the almost 700mi ride home.


Rob said:
I would think the space blanket would help with the heat loss if your mattress does not have a decent R-value like the more expensive expeds and thermarests do. Actually, I would heartily recommend that you try it out because space blankets are cheap, and heat loss to the ground is very real and will ruin your night's sleep.
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The surplus mattress I have is very well insulated, probably better than most. Have use one in temps down in the single digits.

I only asked cause I have two space blankets and never used them. I may just throw them back in the car for winter emergencies.
 
yeah might as well. i keep one in my car and one in the bike's panniers in case of emergency.
 
Coyote Chris said:
ref: Just be careful with the food issue. In all my camping the only time I've heard of a bear nearby was in a residential looking campground in Lake Tahoe where a bear went through the trash containers about 100 ft away.
Very good point. I have never been to a south west lake Tahoe campground where the bears DIDNT roam around at night looking for food. Many campgounds with bear issues, like the exquisit Colter Bay campground on Jackson lake in the Tetons (where there is a camping section for bicyclists and motorcyclists) have steel food containers. Dont leave anything that smells good in or on the bike....
this raven got my gooey roll at Old Faithful!
tent4.jpg
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Those birds are smart out there. I was at Norris Geyser Basin in Yellowstone last June and one got my Raven Bag (go figure) open and was pulling out crackers and a few other items within 3 minutes after I walked away. As I ran for the bike he took off with the cheese I had put in there for the days snack. LOL. Had to put bungie nets over everything to keep them from stealing me blind while I was walking the Basin. Could see where they had tried every zipper when I got back.
 
Emergency Blanket or Bivy;
I read through a bunch of these however didn't see one thing I will mention. Last year the first week of June we made our way to the Tetons and Yellowstone before heading back into Montana, Wyoming and SD. I took a 40 degree bag and a liner and have been good down into the 30's with that. Well that was fine for all but three nights in the Tetons and Yellowstone when temps surprised us and dropped into the low 20's with a good wind. I had my underarmor tights, top, fleece pullover, socks etc on and was still having difficulty staying warm so I dug out my trusty, go with me everywhere, cheap emergency blanket and wrapped it around my other bag. Instant relief ! ! I used that emergency blanket three nights till we got back into warmer temps in Wyoming and SD. I have always carried one while hiking, camping, bicycle touring, etc. and am soo glad I had one with me on that trip. Just something easy to carry and could keep you warm or even save your life in an emergency.
 
I carry a 15 degree sleeping bag and exped mattress, I have camped in a 40 degree bad and same mattress before in the 20's and was fine. Insulating from the ground is key in my opinion.
 
RedNigel said:
is the emergency blanket something you could use in lieu of a real blanket?
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Well, not really. It doesn't provide any insulation. It's Mylar, so it it reflects heat and is windproof. You wrap it shiny side in to reflect your own heat back to you or shiny side out to protect you from heat.
 
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