Camping gear, old and new.

[Hovannes]

It's that time of year that I go through my camping gear, repair what needs repairing and replace what needs replacing, rid what needs being rid of and add what needs adding.
My "requirements" have changed what with my family getting older, my retirement from the local BSA Troop's geezer patrol, and my bride decided she doesn't want to camp anymore .
I've got a lot to think about!
Has anyone else here been there---done that and have any tips?

Back to camping gear:
My tents, both back packing and car camping, have had it.
The cook set is over the top---not sure what needs to go---i could probably feed platoon with what I've got, I need to donate some of it to the Scouts.
Rain gear also needs replacing.
My back packs are old but still have a lot of miles left in 'em (fortunately my son returned my Kelty Redwing in good condition after he replaced it with an Osprey. My ultra-light Mountain Smith(? that label came off) Ghost is still in excellent shape.
The Coleman car camping stuff is bullet proof but the backpacking stove is useless for anything but boiling water. I'd sure like to find something better.

What about you? Have you done an off season camping gear check, or plan to?

[sweetandsour]

My gear check is easy. I pretty much need all new stuff. I've retired both of the old lanterns, and the camping stove and tents are gone.

I'm focused now on the last half of quail and woodcock seasons, and the final days of duck season. In Feb I'll start maintenance on boat, motor and trailer.

[JimVH]

When my scout leader career ended I gave all my camping gear, less the bare essentials needed for a hurricane prep, away. My wife has never and will never camp with me unless it involves a Hilton, my grandsons lost interest, and I don't like to camp alone. If I have to get to the lake the night before for a fishing trip I just sleep in the car. It's really no less comfortable than the ground and I don't need to maintain gear.

I do miss camping, though.

[durangopipe]

When my scout leader career ended I gave all my camping gear, less the bare essentials needed for a hurricane prep, away. My wife has never and will never camp with me unless it involves a Hilton, my grandsons lost interest, and I don't like to camp alone. If I have to get to the lake the night before for a fishing trip I just sleep in the car. It's really no less comfortable than the ground and I don't need to maintain gear.

I do miss camping, though.

We got a small, light camper called a Scamp a few years ago. We’ve hauled it into some pretty remote places on 4WD roads without problems. It’s like having a motel room in the middle of the woods or on the bank of a trout Stream. We love it.

It’s beeen years since we slept on the ground.

[Bloodhound]

When we sold the camper 3 years ago, I got a Coleman tent and bags and started down the slippery slope of vintage Coleman lanterns and stoves. But my wife has called STOP to sleeping in a tent. So last Summer we bought the cabin and now all "Gear" and efforts will be for that endeavor.

So the Lanterns will be of use. The stoves not so much. I will keep the tent and bags as I might use them for bird season or if I get the wild idea that I need to fish somewhere other than near the cabin.

[UncleBob]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

[Bloodhound]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Yup that caught my eye too

[Hovannes]

One of the most beautiful sights ever is seeing my bride emerge from a tent on a frosty morning and wrap her hands around a cup of campfire coffee.
I'm really going to miss that.

[hugodrax]

One of the most beautiful sights ever is seeing my bride emerge from a tent on a frosty morning and wrap her hands around a cup of campfire coffee.
I'm really going to miss that.

You're a good man, Hov.

[JimVH]

When my scout leader career ended I gave all my camping gear, less the bare essentials needed for a hurricane prep, away. My wife has never and will never camp with me unless it involves a Hilton, my grandsons lost interest, and I don't like to camp alone. If I have to get to the lake the night before for a fishing trip I just sleep in the car. It's really no less comfortable than the ground and I don't need to maintain gear.

I do miss camping, though.

We got a small, light camper called a Scamp a few years ago. We’ve hauled it into some pretty remote places on 4WD roads without problems. It’s like having a motel room in the middle of the woods or on the bank of a trout Stream. We love it.

It’s beeen years since we slept on the ground.

I've been looking at similar trailers, the Casita, lately. I'm getting the 'this could work' look from Rita, so there may be hope. We really enjoy the 2-3 day gettaway and this seems like a perfect solution.

[durangopipe]

When my scout leader career ended I gave all my camping gear, less the bare essentials needed for a hurricane prep, away. My wife has never and will never camp with me unless it involves a Hilton, my grandsons lost interest, and I don't like to camp alone. If I have to get to the lake the night before for a fishing trip I just sleep in the car. It's really no less comfortable than the ground and I don't need to maintain gear.

I do miss camping, though.

We got a small, light camper called a Scamp a few years ago. We’ve hauled it into some pretty remote places on 4WD roads without problems. It’s like having a motel room in the middle of the woods or on the bank of a trout Stream. We love it.

It’s beeen years since we slept on the ground.

I've been looking at similar trailers, the Casita, lately. I'm getting the 'this could work' look from Rita, so there may be hope. We really enjoy the 2-3 day gettaway and this seems like a perfect solution.

Scamps and Casitas are pretty much the same thing.
We have the smallest, lightest one. The bathroom is a Porta-Potty, but the kitchen is pretty nice.
The dining table makes into a good-sized double bed. The bench in the front converts into a two-tiered bunkbed for grandkids.

Best of all, its short, totally self-contained (no need for RV parks or hookups if you don't want them), weights less than 1,000lbs. - loaded, and you can get it into some wonderfully wild places.

Mrs. Durangopipe and I say go for it!

[Hovannes]

I used to ride the locomotive on a mule train in the Sierra, so the niceties of a tent were considered the domains of our guests.
It wasn't so bad as I didn't get much sleep anyway what with checking on the sardonic mules and tending the camp fire. If it did rain, we'd pull the manties (small canvas tarps used to cover the top pack and panniers) over us. Nearly every night on those trips was spent under the stars.

Quite a while back it occurred to me that my kids had never slept under the stars so I took them to Granite Flat so they'd have the experience
http://www.californiasbestcamping.com/t ... _flat.html
for a quick over nighter. It was off season so we had the whole place to ourselves, which was nice.
Of course they insisted that I pitch a tent so they'd have somewhere to hide if a bear showed up but we didn't use it.
Good thing dome tents are so easy to set up and take down!
The Truckee was making it's river sounds and I kept the camp fire going all night for warmth (it'll keep bears and snakes away too, my kids informed me)
We slept on cots (snakes are too lazy to climb into a cot, I was told by the little people)around the fire and watched as the stars reeled overhead (we were at 5,870' elevation)
Everyone survived.

Good memories!

[SlowToke]

My kids are getting to the age where they are old enough to take some extended overnight hiking trips so I've been giving this some thought. My kit is pretty well fine tuned and I have some extra gear for them but there's some gear I'm going to have to fill in for them. This thread reminds me that I need to make plans.

[sweetandsour]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

[JimVH]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

You just set off a couple of alarms around here, S&S.

[sweetandsour]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

You just set off a couple of alarms around here, S&S.

Must be another thread I missed somewhere.

[UncleBob]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

Hello! Bloodhound and I both collect those, you know. Can we have some pics?

[sweetandsour]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

Hello! Bloodhound and I both collect those, you know. Can we have some pics?

I'll take a pic tmrw. But they're just old double mantle lanterns. My dad kept a can of "white gas" for lantern use, until it became a thing of the past. Then Coleman began selling their own brand of fuel.

[UncleBob]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

Hello! Bloodhound and I both collect those, you know. Can we have some pics?

I'll take a pic tmrw. But they're just old double mantle lanterns. My dad kept a can of "white gas" for lantern use, until it became a thing of the past. Then Coleman began selling their own brand of fuel.

Take a look at the COLEMAN! thread.

[sweetandsour]

I've retired both of the old lanterns...

Whoa! Easy now. What kind of lanterns are we talking about, here.

Just old Coleman double mantle lanterns. The newest one I bought abt 30 years ago. The oldest one was my dad's and I don't know exactly when he bought it, 55+ years perhaps.

Hello! Bloodhound and I both collect those, you know. Can we have some pics?

I'll take a pic tmrw. But they're just old double mantle lanterns. My dad kept a can of "white gas" for lantern use, until it became a thing of the past. Then Coleman began selling their own brand of fuel.

Take a look at the COLEMAN! thread.

two lanterns on a messy table in the office.