c/camping-gear-reviews

My 20 year old tent finally gave up at Big Bend last week

Took my old dome tent out near the Chisos Mountains and a pole snapped clean in two during a gust. That thing survived maybe 40 trips since 2005, so I can't be too mad. I patched the rainfly twice and re-sealed the seams three years ago, but the fabric just got too brittle. The new tent I bought weighs half as much and sets up in 5 minutes, but part of me misses the creaky zipper and the worn-out patch smell. Anyone else struggle to retire gear that's seen more miles than most of your friends?

My stove melted its own fuel line at Lost Creek last night

Set up camp near the creek, fired up my butane stove for coffee. After 10 minutes there was gas smell, then the line just softened and dripped. I shut it off quick but the damage was done, burned a small patch in my pack's side pocket. Soaked the whole thing in the creek to cool it down. Anyone seen this with a specific brand they used to trust, or is it all junk now?

Old timer's advice on stove windscreens saved my bacon in Montana

Ran into this retired smokejumper at a gas station outside Missoula and he told me to ditch my fancy carbon fiber windscreen and just cut a piece of aluminum flashing to fit around my MSR stove. Figured he was full of it, but after a 25 mph wind gust nearly blew out my dinner at Badlands Campground, I gave it a shot. That 3 dollar flashing hack outperformed the 40 dollar screen I'd been hauling around for years, it even weighs less. Anyone else find that the cheap DIY stuff beats the name brand gear in real conditions?

I ditched my inflatable pad for a foam one after 3 rainy nights in Oregon

Everyone online swears by inflatables for comfort, but mine kept sliding and losing air on wet ground. I swapped to a closed-cell foam pad for a weekend trip to Crater Lake, and honestly the firmness was fine plus it never failed me. Anyone else find foam pads more reliable than the hyped-up air models?

Question about hitting 50 tent setups without a single pole snap...

So I hit 50 weekend setups with my trusty dome tent last month, and not one pole broke, which honestly surprised me after hauling it through rocky spots near Big Bend twice. I've seen reviews trash this brand left and right, but my experience says they're built fine for normal use, maybe folks are just unlucky or rough. On the flip side, my buddy's identical tent snapped a pole on setup 12, so is it luck of the batch or how you treat it? Anyone else track how many pitches their gear survives before something fails, and does that number sway your review opinion?

One comment about my cheap tarp changed my whole setup

A guy at a campsite in Shenandoah told me my blue tarp was fine for a day trip but not for real weather, so I swapped to a 10x12 siliconed one for $45 at REI. He was right, the wind noise alone made me stop waking up at 3am. Anyone else got told their gear was holding them back and actually listened?

My $45 sleeping pad failed on the first night in Big Bend

I set up camp near the Chisos Basin last March, temps dropped to 38. By 2am I was on the hard ground, the pad had a slow leak right along the seam. Turns out the valve was fine, the weld just gave up. I've switched to a closed cell foam pad since, no way I'm trusting an inflatable again below 40 degrees. Has anyone else had a cheap pad bust on the first outing or did I just get unlucky?

My $80 sleeping pad failed on night 2 of a 5 day trip

Bought a bargain inflatable pad online, seemed fine in the living room test. First night was okay, second night I woke up at 3am flat on the cold ground. The seam split right near the valve, no patch kit in the box. Ended up using my camp chair cushion for the rest of the trip, which wrecked my back. Anyone else trust cheap pads and regret it, or have a budget brand that actually holds air?

The $40 tarp that saved my week in the Smokies

Last May I spent 6 days at Elkmont Campground and the first two nights were pure misery. Rain got in through my tent seams even though the fly seemed tight, so everything felt damp and cold. On day three I grabbed a cheap 10x12 poly tarp from the Gatlinburg Walmart and rigged it as a second roof with paracord. That tarp kept the rain off my whole camp setup, and I slept dry the rest of the trip. Has anyone else found that a basic tarp beats a fancy tent upgrade for wet weather?

PSA: Mark your tent stakes with neon tape before your first trip

Lost three stakes in the dark at Lost Lake last month because they all looked the same. Wrapped the tops with cheap orange duct tape and now I can spot them from 10 feet away. Anyone else got a low-cost fix for finding gear in the dark?

Water weight ratings on my tent bag were way off

I weighed my 3-person tent after a wet weekend in the Smokies and it came in at 9.2 pounds, but the tag said 6.8. I used a luggage scale, so I'm pretty confident. Has anyone else found that manufacturers fudge these numbers, or did I just get a weird batch?

That $89 camp stove failed on day 2 of a 5 day trip in Yosemite

Bought a compact butane stove from a big box store because it was light and cheap, figured it would handle some simple cooking. By the second morning the regulator started sputtering and the flame died completely while I was boiling water for coffee, wasted a whole canister and an hour messing with it. Anyone else have good luck with a specific budget stove that actually lasts more than one outing?

Bought a $30 tarp instead of a $120 tent footprint, big mistake in the rain

Last weekend up near Ashland I skipped the brand-specific footprint for my tent and grabbed a cheap blue tarp from the hardware store. Cut it down to size, thought I was being smart. Three hours of steady rain later, water pooled under the tent floor because the tarp stuck out past the edges and funneled runoff right underneath. My sleeping bag got soaked through, had to pack up at 2 AM and sleep in the truck. Has anyone else tried the tarp shortcut and regretted it, or did I just cut it wrong?

Why I flipped on cheap sleeping pads after one night at Big Bend

I used to think any old foam pad was fine, but last March I hit Big Bend and woke up frozen at 4am with my hips screaming. A buddy let me try his insulated inflatable that weighed like 2 pounds and I slept great the next night. Now I'm shopping for one around $80 to $120, anyone else had a similar wake up call with their pad?

The camp host at Lost Lake saved my trip with a $4 tarp trick

After fighting a leaky rainfly for two nights near Bend, the host showed me how to angle a cheap blue tarp over the high side of my tent, and honestly that simple fix kept everything dry through a 3 hour downpour, so has anyone else leaned on host tips instead of buying new gear?

Sleeping pad went from balloon to pancake on the third night of a 6 night trip in Glacier

I bought a self inflating pad in 2018 and it was great until this July. Woke up on cold dirt at Bowman Lake, checked for leaks with soapy water and found a tiny hole near the valve, probably from folding it sharp. Has anyone else had these fail after a few years or should I just patch it and move on?

My brother's 'just use carabiners' tent advice nearly cost me a night in a field

He swore 15mm locking biners would hold my tarp in a Kansas thunderstorm, but by 2 AM the grommet ripped clean through the fabric and I ended up wrapping myself in a wet tarp like a burrito, so has anyone else had a savvy relative's shortcut wreck their whole shelter setup?

The $60 camp stove that quit on day 2 of a 9 day trip

I read a review last month about a cheap butane stove from someone who took it to Big Bend. They said it worked fine on the first day. Then the regulator froze up during a cold morning. I bought the same model for a trip to the Smokies last week. Same thing happened. Flame sputtered, then died. Had to borrow a buddy's backup. Is there a reliable stove under $100 that won't do this? Or am I just stuck paying more for a name brand?

Got caught in a downpour at Lost Lake and my gear review opinions flipped

Last weekend I was up at Lost Lake near Hood River when a storm rolled in around 2pm, way earlier than the forecast said. My 3-season tent held up fine, but my cheap rain fly stakes just ripped right out of the mud. I had to tie off to a log with paracord for two hours until the rain stopped. That night I went through every gear review I'd ever posted and realized I never tested anything in actual wet ground conditions. It made me wonder, how many of you stress test stakes or anchors during a storm, or do you just trust the specs? Has anyone else had a brand new piece of gear fail in a totally basic scenario like this?

I was a jetboil loyalist until I borrowed a friend's pocket rocket

I've been using my Jetboil Flash for about 5 years now, swore by it for quick boiling. Last month in Shenandoah I forgot my fuel canister and my buddy let me use his MSR Pocket Rocket 2. It boiled my 2 cups of water in maybe a minute longer but the whole setup packed way smaller in my cook kit. Makes me wonder if I've been hauling extra weight for no reason. Anyone else make the switch from an all-in-one stove to a more modular setup?

Just realized I've been hanging my bear bag way too low for years

Saw a ranger at Yosemite last month demonstrate the PCT method and my 15 foot hang that I thought was perfect was actually just giving smart bears a free snack.

After 3 seasons of hating my backpacking stove, I finally switched to a different fuel type and wish I'd done it sooner.

Tracked my hiking mileage last season and hit 312 miles total

I started keeping a log on my phone just for fun and ended up with 312 miles by November. That included 14 different trails across three states. Has anyone else been surprised by their actual numbers after a season of camping trips?

Why does nobody talk about down sleeping bags losing loft after 2 seasons?

I was dead set that synthetic was the way to go forever, thought down was fragile and overpriced. Then a guy at a group campsite showed me his 6 year old down bag that still lofted up after a proper wash and dry cycle. Am I wrong to think down is actually more durable if you treat it right?

My uncle swore by a $15 tarp for years

Back in 2019 my uncle told me to never spend more than 15 bucks on a camp tarp. He said the expensive ones just have fancier packaging and you'll tear them anyway. I didn't believe him until I bought a 40 dollar tarp from a well known brand and it ripped on a tree branch the second trip out. Then I found a basic blue tarp at a hardware store for 14.50 and it's still going strong after 4 seasons. That old guy knew what he was talking about. Anybody else have a cheap piece of gear that just won't quit?