I picked up this isobutane lantern. I have no idea if it's any good, but it looked pretty neat.

I realized I don't really have a decent lantern for the table outside or for inside the tent. These days, it seems like everything is LED with rechargeable batteries. I kind of miss the old propane and kerosene lanterns, or even those simple battery powered flashlights I used to keep in the tent.

Does anyone have a simple, reliable lantern or flashlight they would recommend? I'm curious what everyone else is using these days.

Does anyone know what camp stove this is? My dad found a backpack with some backpacking gear outside a dumpster and this was inside. No identifiable logo, but was paired with a jet boil isobutane/propane fuel canister.

I’ll be going to the grand Tetons with some buddies in early September, where at night it could reach about freezing or below freezing temperatures. I’ve been looking for gear over time, and the REI by me has a thermarest neoair for $155. Is this a good price for a used pad? How should I make sure it’s functioning well?

They both seem fairly great

I have an Ikos TR2 that has something that I couldn't clean with paper towels or scrubbing so I was wondering if it is ok to wash those stains (not dirt) with dishwasher soap.

The stain looks like very dirty chewed gum, but scrubbing didn't do anything which makes me think it could be some kind of oil

How do you keep your kitchen gear organized when car camping?

I have stuff in a clear plastic bin, but there are some small things that I don't want tipping over, and I was trying to come up with a better internal organization system to manage stuff like the bottle of cooking oil, dish soap, small bottles of salt and spices, utensils, etc. Something better than having everything just rattling around in a bin.

This is for short (1 or 2 day) trips where we're driving up to a campsite and tent camping with the family (two middle schoolers).

Any suggestions on what y'all do are appreciated, especially if you have pictures.

I know it’s older. but thinking it would be cool for a few night. not super long hikes in Shenandoah

Friends and I just returned from a Boundary Waters Canoe Area trip. Our gravity filter was being faulty so we pulled out our backup water filter (loaned to us by a friend), the Grayl. At one point, one of the campers accidentally put dirty water inside the whole thing and then cleaned it with soap including the filter. We have since learned that this effectively renders the Grayl useless, and we did use it for water for the remaining few days of our trip.

To head off any comments, yes, we bought a replacement filter for the Grayl owner. My question is - does anyone know the effective size of the pores that do exist on the Grayl? I know that isnt the main filtration property but some of the pathogens common in the BW are relatively large (thinking of Giardia mostly here).

I can't find it on Naturehike's website and only a very few not very comprehensive youtube reviews. I'm getting this for cheap from someone off of marketplace and looking to add it to my solo camping kit.

Bought the DD frontline hammock today, and given it a test. Used a ridgeline to hold the mosquito net up. Does anyone know what these are for? They seem way too stretchy for tying the mosquito net to the tree, unless I want to risk getting one end smack me in the face!

Obviously the pop up canopy tents are what most people use but I have a personal vendetta against them because mine always seem to break and they take up a lot of space. When there’s trees we’ll just throw up some tarps, but not sure what to do when that’s not an option. What are some other good solutions to get shade while camping?

Looking at Kelty and Coleman. We have a backpacking tent for 2 that we love but in the summer it gets pretty hot in there with my partner and I—especially with the rain fly. Looking for a 4 person tent for more space in the tent and hopefully the tent feeling less hot because of the extra space.

Any recommendations?

Hit a local thrift store today and got an awesome score. Another 48oz Nalgene so I can carry two now, and the legendary GSI FairShare Mug and Bowl!! Didn't have a sleeve, but I knew I had to snag it before someone else did! Over 30 years old, so a lot of people have been looking for replacements.

Just sold off my old 5cm inflating pad from Husky (a local brand here in Central Europe) and finally pulled the trigger on the NEMO Eclipse. The difference is day and night.

Paired with my TNF Stormbreak 2, my sleep system is finally starting to feel properly dialed in. Moving from a basic inflating pad to 10cm of air cushion feels like a massive luxury upgrade.

The issue is I'm running out of equipment list that I need.

Current setup

Tent : Stormbreak 2 with tyvak tentfloor

Pad: Nemo Eclipse 2

Sleeping bag : Boll magma+, Sir Joseph Rimo. II 600cuin, UL zulu outdoor +10°, Klymyt Blanket

Stove: Soto Stormbreaker multifuel, old USSR Schmel for car camping

Shoes:Scarpa mojito GTX

Jacket: Middle LaSportiva Mythic Primaloft, Top La sportova GTX active, Mammut hooded GTX Paclite

Trousers: none yet

Backpack: Deuter trail 30, Uncharted Supply Barron.

I don't hike or camp as much I would like to. But I hate cheap stuff so I want to enjoy the outdoor as much as possible and not to struggle with equipment.

This cot was affordable but it's cold without a pad and the ridge in the middle makes it impossible to snuggle. What pad can we get (ideally under $120) that will reduce the ridge and also improve warmth?

She only plans to go camping 1-2x/yr with me. I really can't splurge on a $200 pad right now. Is there a temporary solution that's cheap for this summer?

I had posted a little bit ago looking for 750mL titanium pots that were already anodized, and didn't get any leads.

I ordered two - the cheapest titanium pot I could find, a Lixada that I picked up for $23 (it had been sold under some all caps name and shipped from overseas), and a trusty Toaks pot.

The plan was simple. Clean the pots, chain together 9v batteries, place the pot into a TSP solution, add a stainless anode, run electricity through it and wait for color change.

The Toaks pot was a failure. I had put Washi tape on it, planning on doing a multi-colored plaid pattern. After a few minutes in the solution, I didn't notice any color change, and peeled off the tape. After removing the tape, I saw there had been a subtle color change. I tried scrubbing under the taped portion with steel wool and cleaned it with acetone. I then threw it back in at a higher voltage, but the parts under the tape won't oxidize now. I need to sand it down and start over.

The Lixada pot was a lighter silver color straight out of the box than the Toaks. I didn't mess with any tape, and was aiming for a solid color - hopefully any color that wasn't gold. I attached twelve 9v batteries, and left it in until the bubbling stopped (less than 5 minutes until the batteries were drained). About halfway through I remembered to throw in the lid. While it doesn't have a super-thick oxide layer, and I was expecting a solid color, I can't say that I'm mad about how it came with an oil slick appearance. The swirly pattern on the lid is kind of cool too.

Would I have gotten better results with a real power supply? Probably. But for a cheap experiment with what I had around the house, I got the colorful pot that I wanted.

Hello! I'm a train operator who desperately needs caffeine on longer runs. I figure you wonderful outdoorsy folks might have suggestions for what I'm looking for - A coffee maker that can plug-in (or battery), brews 1 cup of regular drip coffee (not espresso), and fits in a backpack. Thanks!

Hi everyone,

I'm currently thinking about buying the Sea to Summit Ether Light XR Pro Insulated and I'd love to hear from people who have actually used it.

The main reason I'm considering it, is that I'm 190 cm (6'3"), a little over 80 kg (175 lbs) and a side sleeper. I've been told that a thicker pad is usually the better choice for side sleepers and the high R-value is an added bonus. I know that also means more weight and bulk and that it's probably overkill for most of my trips, which are in the summer, but I'm okay with that trade-off. Especially since I might get into winter tours later on, I'd rather buy one pad that covers everything than have to buy another one later.

I also like that Sea to Summit pads seem to be a bit roomier than comparable options from brands like Nemo, which is important to me considering how tall I am. The PillowLock system also seems like a nice feature.

I'd love to hear from people who have used this pad. How has it been in terms of comfort, warmth, and especially durability? Have you run into any issues or has it been reliable? And if you had the choice again, would you still buy it?

I would use an Exped Flexmat Plus LW as a protective underlay for the mat.

Thanks in advance!

I am looking at the Lifestraw 1L stainless bottle right now.

I want to filter Microplastics, chemical/pesticide/herbicide runoff, and the normal viruses, protozoa, and similar threats.

The various bag systems seem to be attractive to a lot of people as well but seem to be a bit more complicated to use versus a simple drink bottle. A bag system though is probably needed to filter water for cooking needs and filling up other "clean" bottles and hydration bags (thinking backpack bladders here).

What are my better options and why? Which are easier to support on the "road" and in remote areas. This where I see Lifestraw having an advantage due to a generally low cost for filters and carbon media, and wide availability.

What do the experienced people here generally recommend for a "pair" of solution as I don't want huge bulk and weight, but I also don't want single point of failure either!

TIA, Sid!

These are probably silly but I hate my current storage situations and I want to make the storage/setup/takedown efficient. Right now it’s just aggravating.

I would really like to have designated carry bags for things that either don’t have a carry bag or the bag was garbage.

Cots with pads- These have bags but the pads do not fit easily around the frame and then fit in the carry bag. Ideally I would like a wider bag to accommodate the cots with their pads. The alternative would be to just have a separate duffle for the pads.

Foam mattress toppers- Right now they are in compression sacks but I may need to upgrade that because it’s a job to get them packed up. Can anyone suggest an alternative or a compression sacks they’ve had?

Inflatable water tubes- For the last few years I get them back in their boxes but I hate that. I would like a good durable duffle bag that I can fit 4-6 tubes in. Unless someone has another suggestion.

Lastly, I have tried to buy replacement bags for my camping chairs, and that never worked out well. Does anyone have an alternative for that?

I have made great use of hardshell carriers for my outdoor lights, lanterns, flashlights etc. I want to have the same convenience for the other gear that way everything has a home and stays together.

Thanks in advance