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Camping Gear Review: Energizer Weather Ready 3 in 1 Flashlight
Here is another video camping gear review, this time covering my favorite flashlight. I basically have two flashlights that go with me on every trip; this one and my headlamp which I'll review at a later time (also keep your eyes out for a review from my wife of her favorite headlamp).
If you're interested in adding one of these great flashlights to your camping gear, here is an affiliate link to it on Amazon.com.
Camping Gear Review: Buck Grip Saw
As I was enjoying a beautiful fall-like morning and thinking about my camping trip next weekend, I decided today would be a great day to do my first camping gear review. Below is my video review of the Buck Grip Saw, a nice compact saw that is great for car camping, backpacking, or just to have around the house.
In general, I've always thought that Buck makes a really good quality product and all their knives and saws come with a lifetime warranty.
Before we get into the video, I should be completely honest. If I needed to buy a new saw today, I'd probably go with the Sven 21" Backpacker's Saw. I've read some great reviews and it just feels like it might be more capable (you're limited by the small blade of the Buck), without taking up any more room (and maybe even a bit less because of how it collapses). It sells for just under $35 and here's an affiliate link (to a very reputable Amazon seller of the saw) if you're interested: Sven Saw 21" Backpacker's Saw
As you can tell from this review, though, this saw has served me very well!
While the saw has been discontinued, I did find some places where it is still available so check out the links below if you're interested in picking one up. Where to buy (I have no affiliation with either of these vendors):
http://www.armorysupply.com/merchant.ihtml?&lastcid=261&pid=45635&Step=4
http://www.peak62.com/search/itemno/100352/
Camping Gear Tip: Dealing with Wet Gear (video)
I was just thinking about the last camping trip I took which left my tent and ground cloth slightly wet as I packed it up, and thought I should share a quick tip for how to best deal with this. While it may not seem all that important or necessary at the time, drying out your gear (if necessary) after each trip can definitely make a big difference in terms of how long your gear will last, and how pleasant that next trip will be!
Camping in the Rain: 4 Keys to Preventing a Washout
For anyone who has been camping more than a couple times it’s inevitable; you either have or will end up caught in the rain during a camping trip. Whether just a quick passing storm, or persistent precipitation that lasts through the trip, it’s obviously not the ideal scenario. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to make sure these trips aren’t a total washout!
First things first, the tent. If you’re spending the night battling rain and scooping puddles out of your tent you aren’t going to be a happy camper in the morning – in fact, this may very well be where that expression came from! Few quick tips for setting up your tent for a rain:
Camping with Your 4-Legged Friend
Let me start with a simple disclaimer; I’m a dog lover. Plain and simple, I love the furry four-legged buddies and have indeed found them to be “man’s best friend” throughout the years. I mean seriously, who else would get excited to see you after you’ve been gone for just 3 minutes to run up the street to pick up some milk? Want to know what unconditional love looks like? Get a dog! Let me also make a quick note that all dogs are obviously very different and likewise, what they bring to your camping adventures may vary greatly as well.
The only way to really know the exact good (and bad) that your pup might bring to your outdoor adventures is to take them. The following points are based on my experiences with the dogs I’ve had or been around. Overall I'd say in most cases I think bringing your pup can be a great experience, but it certainly is not without it’s drawbacks. Let’s start with a few things that may make dog camping a bit less than ideal.
Motorcycle Camping Part II: Meet my 02 BMW R1150GS
I don’t know about you, but I work hard. Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, but I do find myself working a lot of hours many weeks. One way I make sure it doesn’t become too much is by finding ways, on a regular basis, to play hardtoo. How do I do this? Well something that has become a bit of a passion for me over the last several years, and a great way for me to “unwind,” is taking off on two wheels. Whether it’s just taking the motorcycle instead of a car when headed out and about around town, or just taking off with no particular place to go, I love the feeling of the “open road” while on two wheels.
Well this year that just got even more exciting. About a month ago I decided it was time to sell the trusty 1999 Honda CB750 Nighthawk that had been my first and only bike, to date, and do a bit of an upgrade. Nothing against the Nighthawk, really did love that bike, but I was just ready for something a little bigger that would be more comfortable (for me and the wife) on longer trips and easier to pack up with gear. Luckily there were (in pretty short order) a number of very interested buyers, one guy who was even willing to make a trip all the way from Tennessee (ended up selling before he could make the trip though). I kept the bike in really good shape overall, so I’m not surprised it sold quickly for the amount I was hoping to get, but still always nice to not have to drag that process out.
Then came the difficult part, deciding what the heck was going to be my next bike. Should I just get a bigger cruiser? A sport touring machine? Something a little better suited for exploring? It wasn’t easy, and I spent hours upon hours of researching various styles and models before eventually deciding that “adventure touring” is the category that best suited my immediate needs. I decided I want something that I can just as easily take down gravel and dirt roads to explore, camp, etc, as I can jump on for hours at a time for longer touring. The eventual winner? Meet my 2002 BMW R1150 GS. I found this bike for a very reasonable price with pretty low miles for the age (and kind of bike it is) AND that was owned by a mechanic who took pretty meticulous care of it.
I've had the bike since last Friday and already put a couple hundred miles on it (including the ride home from Dayton, where I purchased it), and can’t wait to take it on its first camping trip!
My takeaway and suggestion to you? Whether you’re a motorcycle guy, a traveler, a musician, or anything else by hobby, find some ways to REALLY feed those hobbies. I’m not advocating taking on a ton of debt in order to finance extravagant hobbies, but I am saying that the enjoyment, stress relief, peace of mind and generally happy spirit that spending time pursuing your hobbies can bring, will absolutely pay dividends in the long run (in your personal and professional life)!
Motorcycle Camping
I’ve been wanting to plan a motorcycle camping trip for quite some time now, but just don’t have a very big bike for loading up and transporting a bunch of gear with me. I have finally decided, however, that it might be time to upgrade the motorcycle to something a little bigger this year. It’s a tough call since my current bike (pictured) has been such a great starter bike and very reliable since I’ve owned it, but it feels like it’s time (for more reasons than I want to be able to take camping trips on it). Any thoughts or tips on loading up the gear on two wheels and heading out? Special gear or saddle bags you recommend?
How to Pick the Perfect Campsite
While reading up on some camping and outdoor articles tonight, I came across the following article about how to pick a good backcountry campsite. I wanted to share this with you not because I think it's a mind-blowing great article, but because I think it's a great topic to discuss.
Here's the article if you're interested: http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-10429-Chicago-Adventure-Travel-Examiner~y2009m8d21-Backcountry-camping-101--Where-do-I-pitch-the-tent
I think it does a pretty good job of covering some of the basics and giving readers a reasonably good idea of what they should be looking for, particularly in the backcountry, but one thing I believe it misses is a pretty basic point; what are your personal preferences? Admittedly this is much easier to think about when car camping since you have an easier way to survey your options, but either way, most people definitely have (or develop) a set of preferences they should keep in mind when deciding. Since everyone's list is probably different, I can't really tell YOU what to look for, but I can give you a quick list of things that I take into consideration when looking for the place I'm going to settle on.
1. Privacy Factor: Do you prefer to be around lots of other campers that you and/or your kids can socialize, share a campfire and maybe even some s'mores with? Or, like me, would you prefer to find a secluded spot that is surrounded mostly by trees and scenery rather than other campers? Again, no right or wrong answer here, it totally depends on your preferences or mood for the trip. Just keep in mind that some campgrounds are great for socializing but not for privacy, and vis-versa, so be sure to ask ahead of time.
2. Scenery: What is your ideal backdrop? Mountains, water, forest or some combo of them all? Whether your car camping or off in the backcountry, you'll like have many different options for where you can set up camp for the night. Obviously this really needs to be taken into account when planning the trip so you know where to head to give you the best chance of finding your ideal setting, but it's very doable.
3. Daily Recreation: This may seem obvious, but have you taken into account what type of activities you'll want to busy yourself with during the trip? Some people prefer to just hang at the campground and look for places with lots of activities while others have some specific trails or attractions they would like to explore - so ask yourself whether you want to be close to something specific or prefer a campground with lots of recreation activities built in.
What does your ideal campsite look like? Have any other criteria that should be on this list?
How to Build a Campfire - Without Cheating!
In fact, I’ve found that being able to reliably build a good fire without any artificial starters seems to be such a rare skill that most people are often quite impressed by those who can (which always amazes me)!
So, without further ado, let’s jump into how to actually do it!
