Camping gear list

[Guru]

Looking forward to taking my son camping/hunting, and camping at some trad archery events with him. I've started to buy some gear, but it's been a long time and would like to draw from the experience here for a good list of everything we might need.

 So how about a good list of supplies...thanx

[Roughcountry]

Curt
I built a kitchen box that sets on  two alum. dry goods boxes. I keep them full of all the staples and add what I use after each trip.

I just slide those boxes in the pickup, add a tent the size I need and fill one 5 day cooler with the  cold stuff.

[Fletcher]

You're both gonna love it, Curt.  

[BigRonHuntAlot]

Don't forget the Benadryl, Aspirin and First Aid Kit.

[mrgreenhead]

Lots of snacks for the little one,camera and last but not least bug spray for him , I like to bring my reflector oven wherever i go nothing like fresh baked cookies.Art

[Charlie Lamb]

Curt... supposing you will be "car camping" with Cade so the only limits are what you can get in your vehicle.

My own needs have always been pretty simple. So here a couple of basic items.

1. Tent...Walmart, bigger is better. Lots of room if the weather is bad. Keeps bugs and creepy crawly's at bay and give peace of mind to young campers.

2. Thermacell... you know why!

3. Propane catalytic heater for the tent when the weather is cool to cold... Coleman makes a 3000 BTU version with a blower fan.

4. Two burner propane cooking stove. Campfires are cool to sit around, but a pain to cook over... especially cleaning up pots and pans.

5. if you are going to camp for a week or more, a solar shower is nice.... a big pot to heat water will help it along.

[Charlie Lamb]

Forgot to add this... I really like the cheap queen size air mattresses you can find at Walmart. Put a furniture pad on them for insulation (air mattresses can be uncomfortably cold), a fitted sheet on the the mattress and a top sheet then sleeping bag spread over all and it's as good as being at home.

A cheap, rechargeable pump will be needed to fill the mattresses.

[Killdeer]

Curt, this is cushy! Spirit is  supposed  to sleep on her sheepskin...  :rolleyes:  

 

Tent, moving quilts and a cheap rug at the door.
Get two single Coleman inflatable mattresses and a rechargeable air pump. The Coleman mattresses are a snap to fill and seal with just a push of the pump at the valve. They also roll up into a compact, covered roll at the end of the trip. Couple of sleeping bags and you are set for sleeping.

I take a small propane stove, a couple of pots and a couple-three gallons of water. Most shoots will have food concessions, but I like to cook a little, or at least make coffee in the morning. I just bought a five-day cooler after being assigned a full-sun campsite. A shade tarp and a couple of chairs give you a place to socialize or hang out outside the tent. I have an EZ-Up, which can be had in varying degrees of sturdiness and cost, but I am looking into "wings", flies and tarps. My EZ-Up is a big heavy one that serves as a cookshack for three weeks every fall.

I also have a roll-up wooden-top table that fits in a case like the folding chairs. I use Coleman propane lanterns like the one on the "Stumper" target in the tent. Get spare mantles.

 

The Timberline 4 tent behind me is great for one (me) and the dog, but when my husband is with me it gets cramped. A Timberline 6 would be roomy and weathertight for you and Cade, but a tent is a very personal choice. I wanted a 6 man tent for a weekend for me and Clark, so I bought a Kelty Green River 6. I took it back to the store after ATAR, as it had design flaws that I didn't want to live with. I also needed help to set it up and a fiberglass pole split on its initial setup. I am torn between a Timberline 6 (Easy setup for me to do alone) or a Cabela's Alaskan Guide 6-man (better construction and small vestibule). I have an Alaskan Guide 8-man, and can erect it myself, but it is a major production for just a weekend. Probably go with the 6-man AG at the end of the year...maybe I can catch a sale.

I love shopping!    
Killdeer  

[Problem Child]

Personally I would stay away from the air mattresses. They will freeze you and it ain't nothing like having to get up at 2:00 AM and blowing the dang things back up. Get a couple of Thermarest self inflaters,kinda pricey but they're the best. A Eureka Timberline 4 is great for 2 people but like Killy said three's company and don't forget the ground sheet.Walmart has some inflatable pillows that work good. Don't skimp on sleeping bags. Gas lanterns are more campy but LED lanterns are easy and last long time. For car camping a Coleman one burner stove is hard to beat. Gotta have a Dutch oven to cook biscuits in.You need a hatchet for firewood and driving tent stakes.Dang.....now I want to go camping but it like 100 here.  

[fatman]

...don't forget extra batteries for the games and ALWAYS take a fishin' pole....just one pole, 'cause you won't have time to fish anyway....    

happy trails

Kevin
     

[Aeronut]

Here is a camping gear hauler I made out of a small trailer I had.  I can store all my gear, tent, sleeping bags, stoves, etc. in it and just hook up and go. The awning is made out of chain link fence pipe and a 10X20 poly tarp.  Everything is made to break down and store inside of the boxes and I can padlock them shut.

Not counting the trailer, which I had made a couple of years earlier, it cost me around $100-150 to make.  I can also slide the boxes out and use the trailer for other duties.

 

One lid hinges out and stands on removable legs so I can have a cook top, work table, or whatever.

 

Dennis

[Killdeer]

Problem Child, I am on an air mattress at -15 degrees in November...and I can't get my DOG to sleep on a Therma-rest!  :D  
In my November camp, I have the wool blanket that you see in the pic, underneath the bag(s). This keeps down the condensation on the mattress. In the daytime, I roll the bags and blanket back to let the moisture from heat transfer dissipate into the air.

Now, these scenes are probably chillier than you will encounter in your travels to 3D events, Curt, even at your more northerly latitudes, but they illustrate the heatlessness at which I found the air mattress comfortable. Should you try winter camping, the best heater I could find for the tent is the Mr. Heater Portable Heat Buddy, available from many sources, including Sportsman's Guide.

 

 

I also have two sheepskins that go underneath me inside the bags. For summer I use the one bag and sleep on top of it, under the sheepskins if it gets chilly.

Everything wears out eventually, but since we started using an electric pump instead of blowing them up by Clark's humid breath, we have not had an air mattress fail. I think my mattress' valve might be going, or maybe it was the excessive heat in that sunsoaked campsite, but it didn't lose air. It was just hard to get the stopper out. I have used this particular mattress for four or five years.

Killdeer~I sleep on an air mattress at home, too!  

[wihill]

quote:Originally posted by Killdeer:
..Killdeer~I sleep on an air mattress at home, too!  

[Widowbender]

I use a couple of the large "totes" that hold most of my stuff. That way I can just slide it out of the truck and into storage.Another vote for air mattress and pump, great for getting dry air in and getting all the air out when you're done. I also have a folding camp table or three. for the stove I have a set of camp cookware that nests together so it stows away easily.

David

[Adam Keiper]

One of those 12' x 12' accordian frame canopies with a wind screen is great for keeping dry during rainstorms and out of the sun in the heat of the day.  

For light, I prefer battery powered lanterns over fuel powered ones.  They're not quite as bright and not at all nostalgic, but they don't get hot, and there's no globes to break, or mantles to change.  Overall, they're just much more rugged and simple.

The foam pads and Thermarests for sleeping do keep small rocks from poking you, but they make it feel like you're sleeping on a giant flat rock instead.  So for anything beyond a night or two, I prefer an air mattress.  I actually sleep as well on that as my own bed.  

If you plan to cook anything, take a bottle of McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning.  Makes almost anything palatable, even Spam for a meal or two.  Learned that one from a hunting buddy in Alaska.  Thankfully he packed some, as it made it possible to swallow the outfitter-provided food and stay "nourished".

More than anything, your biggest consideration should be towards what kind of camping you'll be doing and how much stuff you actually want to have.  Big, well outfitted camps are cozy, but take considerably more time to set up, tear down (a real pain when the trip is over, you're hot and tired, and just want to get home), plan for trips, restock, load/unload, and carry the often unconsidered burden of taking up precious storage space in your basement or garage for the other 99% of living, at home.

Before we had kids, my wife and I used to take frequent weekend camping trips.  Literally, all we packed was out little freestanding dome tent, a flashlight, sleeping bags and pillows, a couple of blankets to cushion the ground, a cooler with drinks, a change of clothes, and toothbrushes.  It wasn't uncommon for us to decide to take a spontaneous camping trip on a friday afternoon, and be packed and gone in 5 minutes.  We'd bounce around to different state parks, explore new areas, and eat out at local restaurants.  

Over the last few years, our camping supplies have "grown" quite a bit.  Those creature comforts are nice, but they do come at a price that goes well beyond what's printed on the bar code.

[Charlie Lamb]

Killy... never had a problem getting cold on my air mattress either. The furniture pads do the trick for me.
I find them to be very rugged and cheap enought to replace ever couple of years if I had to... but I haven't had to.

My down bag zips out square and covers my mattress nicely. If it gets really cold I just get in it.

[Miss Kim]

Curt,
We have an Action Packer we bought at wally world about 16 years ago. We keep it packed with most everything we need cooking wise. Most importantly it is water tight so things stay dry. We have the Cabelas Alaskan Guide tent and it is simply awesome. We have a dining canopy witch helps keep things dry and an air mattress to keep me happy.

Probably the most important thing I can tell you is to have the foods Cade enjoys as well as a way to keep things dry. A camp with wet towels, chairs and clothes is no fun...in my opinion!    

Also, something to entertain him if a thunder storm blows up and you are confined to the tent early in the evening. The boys have the battery powered lanturns from wally world and they play cards or read if that happens.
Good luck....he will have a blast. What a lucky little boy......

[akdd]

One thing to keep in mind about heaters in a tent is the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

[Stone Knife]

Curt, we have an old four man tent that we can all get into just make sure it is good in the rain. Bring some bungee cords and a cheap tarp to make a rain fly for the tent that is a must. a portable propane  grill will double as a two burner and grill, you can cook most anything on those if you choose not to use a campfire, a dutch oven and a cast iron fry pan are a must, by preseasoned or make sure they are seasoned good before you use them, propane lantern and spare tanks for that and the grill. Good sleeping bags and a cot or air mattress for everyone, especially if you have a 17 year old daughter that whines a lot    this advise come first hand from this weekend.

[hormoan]

All great advice from above,

      After this past years Texas Sweat hunt and using Whips shower tent. It was a gotta have, especially on the hot summer days. Sure makes ya feel 100% after a nice shower    
 
 

     Number one small creature comfort is plenty of wet baby wipes. Just ask Tippet & Whip for endorsements   :D  

    PS bring extras your friends will appreciate it.