Camping Supplies

[Ghery]

Grant,

From my experiences as a Boy Scout leader when our son was growing up -

2 man tent = 1 person plus gear in reasonable comfort.
3 man tent = 2 people plus gear in reasonable comfort.

You and Leslie will be very cozy in a 2 man tent.

We used MSR Wisperlight stoves. I still have mine. Haven't lit it since December 1996, but I'll bet it would fire right up it I dug it out and set it up. Secret is cleaning it up before putting it away. The MSR bottles are solid. Just don't carry one with the pump/valve assembly installed. Take it out and put the stopper in place. These bottles operate pressurized when the stove is in operation, so I wouldn't be particularly worried about leaks when properly sealed. Your other option is to make sure you can buy fuel at your destination and carry them empty in the plane. Also, there is a version (or was 15+ years ago) that would burn just about anything that would flow (kind of like a turbine engine) and wasn't limited to MSR fuel (which is really unleaded gasoline, IIRC). If leaded gas is OK in those you could run it on 100LL (I think you have a ready source of that stuff ).

REI was a regular destination when I was a Scouter. They didn't nickel and dime me to death, they 100 dollar billed me to death. Good stuff, however.

Have fun.

 

[TMetzinger]

Grant,

From my experiences as a Boy Scout leader when our son was growing up -

2 man tent = 1 person plus gear in reasonable comfort.
3 man tent = 2 people plus gear in reasonable comfort.

You and Leslie will be very cozy in a 2 man tent.

Ain't that the truth. I took a two man backpacking tent to OSH the first time I camped there. It worked, but just wasn't comfortable for a week's time. So Now I have a 6 or 8 person tent. Plenty of room for an air mattress, space to put my duffle and keep clean and dirty stuff separate, and will hold my daughter too when she wants to come along. I wouldn't do this if I had to carry the stuff on my back, but since it goes in the plane I don't mind the extra 10 lbs the big tent requires.

 

[colomtnflyer]

OK, I splurge when I'm airplane camping, because I can afford the weight... This is NOT the way I go backpacking...

I take a 4 man tent (7'x7') to OSH, for 2 of us. I also decided after getting eaten alive by mosquitos one year that a screen tent would be nice... I got a 12'x14' aluminum frame one which I can actually set up right over my tent and over the wing of the 310 at the same time! This way I can cook and hang out in bug-free comfort... even if its raining!

I also stole a page from my house building days... I went to Lowes and got a few sheets of the blue styrofoam insulation. It is t+g, so I fit it together before I go, and cut it to fit under my tent. This gives me a reasonably solid 'floor', with 2" of lift to keep me of the ground and out of the water, if it rains. I had the last laugh a few years ago at OSH, when people saw me putting it together, and a day later they were flooded and I was high and dry! This also weighs next to nothing, maybe a pound or two for the entire floor.

I have had no issues flying with propane bottles, but I do put them in my wing lockers. As I have under wing exhaust, I'm not concerned about them getting heated up, and they actually stay cooler at 13,000' than they would be in the cabin.

Here are few OSH tips-

• Keep all of your extra clothes inside the plane! I have seen so many tents get flooded, with all clothes getting completely soaked.
• If your tent is the type which uses segmented fiberglass poles, invest in a few spares. When a windstorm hit OSH a few years ago, many tents went down with multiple broken poles, and the local stores had no spares...
• Unless you are camping with an organized group somewhere else, I prefer to camp in the area between the Hilton Hotel and the Kermit Weekes Hangar (where all the airshow planes are kept). It usually does not fill up until later in the week, meaning less wait for showers, etc. It is also just a few minute walk to the "all-you-can-eat" breakfast in the Hilton, for $7!!! It is also a very close walk to Friar Tuck's and other restaurants. The one downside of being way over there is the slow bus ride to the entrance of the show area. (Bring a folding bike or a motorized scooter if you have one!)

 

[TMetzinger]

I like the styrofoam idea - I'll try it next time, thanks!

 

[SkyHog]

I bought a tent at WalMart before going to 6Y9 last year. It cost me $24.95, and has been put to use quite a few times. By far, its the best tent I ever owned.

My camping chair cost me something around $12, and is also very, very comfortable and nice (for the price).

I am a budget camper. The only thing I splurge on is bait for the fish. They can tell the difference!

 

[steingar]

I was a heavy-duty camper/backpacker when I lived in the west. After I moved back east I had to replace my gear; and got rather robust and expesive stuff. A few months later I gave myself a really hard time, thinking that I don't do as much big mountain camping as I used to. However, I attended Oshkosh with my gear 3 times and never got wet or uncomfortable, despite storms that brought down many (on one occasion most) other tents. The last two years I've gone with friends who brought cheap gear. I've gotten wet and had to hold the damn tents up in the middle of the night.

I like these guys. Good stuff, good prices, and good service.

 

[Anthony]

I like these guys. Good stuff, good prices, and good service.

Me too! I actually flew up there last summer when I still lived in Denver. Cheyenne is a short flight. I found out the family that owns the business also raises and competes with German Shorthaired Pointers. They had pictures everywhere and the kennels out back. I've got a GSP, they are wonderful dogs.

 

[steingar]

Cool, I've been really happy with them. I once bought a winter coat that, after 3 months of wear, ripped down the middle. I very sheepishly called to see if I could get an exchange and got all my money back with no questions asked. They get nothing but good press from me, great products, great prices, and really good service. Its cool that they're dog people too.

 

[ejensen]

Here's a picture of all our gear/clothes/food on an trip to West Yellowstone (WYS). Most is backpacking size but after starting in a 2-person backpacking tent, we realized we didn't have to carry that far so found a 4 person tent with a 6.5+ ceiling so we could stand up and dress, REI Hobitat-4. And still carry my 40 year old Coleman 2-burner stove and double mantle lantern. Also one medium cast iron frying pan. I hate trying to make eggs or pancakes on the backpacking aluminum stuff.

 

[Bill M.]

I do some backpacking and camping and get most of my stuff from REI also. They are a green organization (co-op) and you get credit back from purchases. Also, if there's an REI outlet near you, most of the folks that work there are very helpful.

 

[flyingcheesehead]

From my experiences as a Boy Scout leader when our son was growing up -

2 man tent = 1 person plus gear in reasonable comfort.
3 man tent = 2 people plus gear in reasonable comfort.

And that was when some of the "people" were mere Boy Scouts! Heck, I took a 4-man tent to Oshkosh last year, and it fit me just about right.

Grant, FWIW, here's what I've got. I started with the aforementioned 4-man tent:

This particular one has some nice features...

* Enough room for the queen size air mattress with built-in pump:

The top is actually just a screen under the rain fly so it has good air circulation, but another reason I picked this particular tent is that it also has a mesh "hanging gear loft" for stashing cell phones, wallets, other stuff that may be easily lost, or in my case a battery powered fan:

I already had a sleeping bag I've had for years that's still good. Three-season stuff-in-the-bag variety. I also bought some cheap-ass tarp to throw over the wing and some spare tent stakes to drive it in. Then, add a camping chair, and you have a little piece of heaven:

Hope this helps.

 

[Ghery]

Kent, I like the way you camp at an airport. Looks like a well thought out plan.

 

[ScottM]

Grant I do quite a bit of camping. Your purchases for camping supplies can run the gamut from K-Mart el cheapo to top of the line muhco expensive stuff from REI. REI makes me drool like a well stocked pilot shop.

2nd ont eh REI stuff. And Grant there is a great REI store in Northbrook. They do have some cheaper stuff but their quality is always good. I have been an REI member for more than 30 years. Become a member and you get a kick back from your purchases.

 

[CJones]

And that was when some of the "people" were mere Boy Scouts! Heck, I took a 4-man tent to Oshkosh last year, and it fit me just about right.

HA! You're preaching to the choir, man! I feel your pain.

I already had a sleeping bag I've had for years that's still good. Three-season stuff-in-the-bag variety. I also bought some cheap-ass tarp to throw over the wing and some spare tent stakes to drive it in. Then, add a camping chair, and you have a little piece of heaven:

That's the ONLY thing I don't like about camping with the RV - no high wing to throw a tarp over for shade. I have, in the past when camping with the 177RG, thrown the tarp only half-way over the wing to block the sun from the west so we can sit under the wing in the shade and watch planes take of.

Oh yeah and one of the most forgotten piece of camping equipment -- A HAMMER! Especially at OSH, it's a coin flip as to whether you will be parked over soft, "Let's grow a garden here" dirt or hard, "Oh god, we're parked on an plate of iron" dirt. Either way, hammers are a necessity.

 

[tonycondon]

if I camp, its going to be with Leah. Shes a hardcore lets go canoe through the woods for 40 days camper. so that should be interesting.

 

[CJones]

Shes a hardcore lets go canoe through the woods for 40 days camper.

Wow.. That IS hardcore! No water or anything!?

 

[tonycondon]

well of course they had water...they were canoeing! they got dropped off in northern canaday and then paddled north about 600 miles over the next 44 days. they carried supplies but also had some drops along the way where an airplane left them some food. got damn close to the arctic circle. then a Beaver on floats picked them up outta the lake and took them to the nearest airport where they caught a Beech 1900 back to civilization.

 

[flygirl34q]

OK... but for those of us who are not QUITE as hard core... in other words, "camping" to them would fall somewhere in between AdamZ's wife at the Day's Inn and Leah C. canoeing through the woods for 40 days and nights and who appreciates the need for the occasional manicure and pedicure... what are the camping accomodations like at 6Y9?? Electricity and showers?? I have camped before at Airventure and did fine... already have all the usual stuff in the garage. Am I going to have a good time or is it too much to hope for that I can get through the weekend and not be scared to look at the photos afterwards??

 

[EdFred]

No electricity at the field. There is a shower at the school.

 

[AdamZ]

Despite my lovely wife thinking the Days in is camping I will tell you that my version of camping is perhaps even a bit more extreme than Leahs and my view of the camping at 6Y9 is that it is dang luxurious. It isn't roughing it by any stretch of the imagination.

Will you have a good time? Well does Raggedy Ann have cotton boobs? If you don't have a good time at 6Y9 then its only because you don't know how and from what I hear thats not the situation.

 

[Missa]

OK... but for those of us who are not QUITE as hard core... in other words, "camping" to them would fall somewhere in between AdamZ's wife at the Day's Inn and Leah C. canoeing through the woods for 40 days and nights and who appreciates the need for the occasional manicure and pedicure... what are the camping accomodations like at 6Y9?? Electricity and showers?? I have camped before at Airventure and did fine... already have all the usual stuff in the garage. Am I going to have a good time or is it too much to hope for that I can get through the weekend and not be scared to look at the photos afterwards??

6Y9 is rougher then Osh. Do not bring a hairdryer or curling iron unless you have a butane one.

If you have and are ok with a backwoods look, you shouldn't be troubled by the pictures.

Regardless of the pictures it's a fun time in the back woods and no one really cares what you look like.

Missa

 

[Troska]

<snip>
6Y9
<snip>
Am I going to have a good time or is it too much to hope for that I can get through the weekend and not be scared to look at the photos afterwards??

Yes, and because of that, yes.

:wink2:

Tim

 

[Maxmosbey]

 

[Richard]

Ladies, from the lists of stuff you have I gather you're not camping as much as moving from one place to another. Camping is one each, knife and a flint. Here's to ya

 

[steingar]

Ladies, from the lists of stuff you have I gather you're not camping as much as moving from one place to another. Camping is one each, knife and a flint. Here's to ya

Might be fun to watch you try and survive one night in the Sierras with that.

 

[kgruber]

Make sure you get one of those Queen size air mattresses, sold at Walmart. There is nothing like comfort. Also, bring your Remington 870.

 

[dmccormack]

I've had a Mountain Hardware 3 man (Skyview 3) tent for over 12 years now, and it has been flawless. 8 lbs makes it a bit heavy for backpacking, but it's perfect for canoe camping, dry, airy, and sets up in 5 minutes.

I economize when it makes sense. So I'm ok with Wal Mart paper towels, but use ThermaRest brand Guide Lite mattress.

I've been plenty happy with Coleman Peak One products. Cookware, backpacking stove, and even utensils have lasted for years.

Camping is supposed to be a get away from it all expereince, but I get the same vibe in REI that I used to get in certain bike shops -- if you didn't have a certain label you were no one.

Meanwhile you actually use the stuff while the guy in the North Face jacket looking down his well-suntanned nose just reads about it in Outside magazine.

 

[Anthony]

Might be fun to watch you try and survive one night in the Sierras with that.

I've done it in the Rockies. Wanna go with me?

Oh, yeah, had a sleeping bag, tent, Whisperlite Stove, good knife, saw, .45, and a bunch of other stuff, but it all came with me on my back.

 

[Richard]

Might be fun to watch you try and survive one night in the Sierras with that.

Funny you should specify the Sierra. I've spent many weeks in the back country in that range. I used to snow camp, we'd dig caves in the snow and lay down a bed of pine brush. Well, I had crampons too so I guess I was cheating with that extra equipment.

I've hiked across several glaciers (Lyell being my favorite) and climbed Whitney with nothing but the aformentioned knife and clothes on my back. Stayed several nights too. Done that several times. Hiked from Yosemite Valley to May Lake as the crow flies and after first snow in October. Hiked from Mammoth to Mariposa without a pack.

Actually I'm a nobody. I'm just saying it can be done enjoyably even by the likes of me.

 

[Richard]

Meanwhile you actually use the stuff while the guy in the North Face jacket looking down his well-suntanned nose just reads about it in Outside magazine.

Aint it the truth. My GF had a subscription to Outside and I would scoff and sneer as I wondered how many of the guys they wrote about were actually doing what they said?

For some reason you remind me of a guy I took off with on a longish jaunt across several ranges. He had his GI knife and field uniform. I had a canteen, a knife and 25' of line. He broke trail the whole way from Cambria, CA to Monterey where he was to report for duty. Took 4 days, exactly as he said. The guy was my hero for his amazing ability.

 

[Richard]

I've done it in the Rockies. Wanna go with me?

Oh, yeah, had a sleeping bag, tent, Whisperlite Stove, good knife, saw, .45, and a bunch of other stuff, but it all came with me on my back.

You're talking of a mtn range at altitude. That's different than wooded flatland and staying in one place with maybe an ocassional day hike.

 

[colohan]

Might be fun to watch you try and survive one night in the Sierras with that.

Funny you choose the Sierras. In the late-summer/fall I'd argue that most folks would be comfortable up there with a sleeping pad and sleeping bag -- no tent required. It gets so dry that there are not many bugs to bother you, and no rain -- so who needs a tent?

(When staying at camp 4 in Yosemite several folks near me in the campground didn't even bother to set up a tent...)

Chris

 

[Anthony]

You're talking of a mtn range at altitude. That's different than wooded flatland and staying in one place with maybe an ocassional day hike.

True dat. I'm not much of a base camp kinda guy. Driving up to a "campsite", unpacking and setting up all the conveniences of home is not "camping" to me.

I realize we are talking about a totally different requirment here, I was just responding to the gentleman's post about the Sierras.

 

[wabower]

I have been camping since boy scout days when Ike was president, and offer the following observations:

1. As the earth ages, the ground gets harder. It is much harder now than in the early 50's. Ask anybody in my age group and they will agree. It's also farther down to it, and even further back up, but that's another issue.

2. The earth's surface gets harder the farther north you go. OSH is really hard.

3. Once properly inflated, air mattresses are guaranteed to remain inflated for at least half the time the user intends to sleep. Good ones float slightly better when it rains.

4. Cabelas and others sell some really nice cots with storage pockets that hang from one side, and that will usually be above the water line in your tent.

 

[steingar]

Funny you should specify the Sierra. I've spent many weeks in the back country in that range. I used to snow camp, we'd dig caves in the snow and lay down a bed of pine brush. Well, I had crampons too so I guess I was cheating with that extra equipment.

I've hiked across several glaciers (Lyell being my favorite) and climbed Whitney with nothing but the aformentioned knife and clothes on my back. Stayed several nights too. Done that several times. Hiked from Yosemite Valley to May Lake as the crow flies and after first snow in October. Hiked from Mammoth to Mariposa without a pack.

Actually I'm a nobody. I'm just saying it can be done enjoyably even by the likes of me.

Goodness aren't we studly today.

 

[Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe]

3. Once properly inflated, air mattresses are guaranteed to remain inflated for at least half the time the user intends to sleep. Good ones float slightly better when it rains.

According to my sister, one advantage of a really heavy husband is that her half of the air mattress stays inflated much longer.

 

[Ghery]

I have been camping since boy scout days when Ike was president, and offer the following observations:

1. As the earth ages, the ground gets harder. It is much harder now than in the early 50's. Ask anybody in my age group and they will agree. It's also farther down to it, and even further back up, but that's another issue.

2. The earth's surface gets harder the farther north you go. OSH is really hard.

3. Once properly inflated, air mattresses are guaranteed to remain inflated for at least half the time the user intends to sleep. Good ones float slightly better when it rains.

4. Cabelas and others sell some really nice cots with storage pockets that hang from one side, and that will usually be above the water line in your tent.

An interesting set of (true) observations.

Wandered into the local Cabelas for the first time today. Oh boy! Think flying damages the budget? I could get in some serious trouble in that place. My Dad and my father-in-law would have loved it.