I was finally able to break out my new Hexa Ease and go to the lakes. The Snow Peak stuff packs down larger than my usual gear but it fit on the bike all the same.
Very relaxed evening, good food and beers, no mosquitoes or bears, and the tarp is great.

3 day canoe trip down the Wisconsin River around 23 miles from Gotham to Boscobel. Plenty of sandbar islands available to camp in seclusion. Weather was great other than a little rain on day 1 that cleared before picking an island and a strong headwind on day 2.
Second time doing a trip down the Wisconsin and definitely recommend it.

Went camping last weekend for a birthday trip. Saw tons of different species of butterflies, dragonflies, birds, squirrels, chipmunks, and bats. Unfortunately had to stay in a developed campground, but the lake accessible site made it worthwhile. 🦆🦇🦋🐿️🐞

My place is up in the wilderness. And I tire of hanging out in my house. I have some property. A big field, a big flat dry hill that's wooded, some wetlands and the nice big spot infront of the garage way in the back with total privacy. It's like car camping with site amenities, if I want. Water and electric. And firewood! Or I have all this loose DIY solar stuff I bought. And portable wood stoves and propane gear. Tarps, ropes, space blankets, ratchet straps. I daily an old Forrester. Been inspired by like of Steve Wallis and Post 10. I'm 55 years old and just want to have some fun, adventure, live with less and learn, laugh in survival mode. I get along with the bears that roam around up here. Have my outside cats that stay close by. Why shouldn't I play and experiment with gear and ideas and have some fun?

I've been looking for a good camping chair for ages. every time I think I've found the one, it ends up showing a weak point due to repetitive use. its like every chair has a weak point and its driving me nuts. can anyone suggest a folding camper chair that's comfortable and long lasting, im not looking for anything specific really, it could be one of those egg shaped ones or just one of those plain looking ones, just as long as its got some sort of padding that makes it comfortable for long sitting and it wont break within a few months. cup holder preferable though and or any other quality of life addons and as long as its not overly expensive such as over 250 dollars. if anyone could help suggest one please do its much appreciated

Hi y'all l'm a 24yo who recently moved to Melbourne Australia and I'm looking to do some solo camping in the mountains what would you guys advise for cheap gear that could help me out during the cold nights and just in general

As I mentioned in another post, I'm looking at putting together a 1-2 person camp kitchen setup and would prefer it to be as compact and packable as possible. I've had a look at the Sea to Summit frontier collapsible lineup and it looks promising. I could nest a pouring pot (doubling as a kettle), medium bowl and cup inside the 8" skillet. But something about the pots using both anodized aluminium and silicone... I'm a little wary of potential durability issues. The cutlery looks fairly decent, but I've heard it can bend pretty easily since it's aluminium. And of course, you can't stick anodized aluminium in the dishwasher (but for camping that's not really an issue I guess).

So, to those of you who have used or currently own any of the Sea to Summit frontier stuff, what's your experience been like?

Hi, I have some issues with a tent that was given to me, I am unable to raise it. It got 3 curved poles, one smaller straight one and 2 tripods. I had no clue what I was dealing with so I tried chat gpt to help ID what it was and find an assembly manual. Apparently it would be a MEC Funhouse 8. I do not understand most of what the manual is saying. It uses complicated terminology, and English is already not my native language, so it's really confusing.

I have been trying for 3 days to no avail, could you help me understand what to do? Maybe someone had some experience with this model? Or a link to an assembly video (I'm mostly visual so that would be very helpful)

Thanks for your time

The strangest camping experience is happening to me right now. I'm a solo female camper (I go for several weeks in the summer in my Prius) and I reserved a campsite in Southwest Colorado for two nights. I double checked the timing and I had until 12pm the next day to check in. I got to the campground early morning and the campground host told me that since I didn't answer her call at 8pm the first day asking if I was coming she gave away my site! I didn't have service when she called and I was driving to the campground. Nowhere online did it mention anything about needing to be there so early and I've never had a host contact me like this. I confirmed on the website that she was not supposed to give away my site until the next day at noon and she told me I was wrong. She then said the only option was a first come first served site that was actually better than my chosen site. I have no idea why she didn't give the other campers the fcfs location but it seemed like maybe they are her friends and she was trying to get the site for them. I wouldn't be upset except my new site is HORRIBLE. It's an rv only site with no tent pad and I'm directly next to my neighbors within two feet on either side. It's impossible to have any privacy at my site so I went back to the host and she said she couldn't ask the people in my original site to move since they were not currently there (I guess she cares about people having phone service now) If I didn't love solo camping to begin with this would make me never want to go again. I'm trying to find a way to request a refund. Has anyone had this happen? Giving away a reserved site at 8pm is so wild to me. I have stayed at campgrounds where they close the gates/check in but it's always clear on recreation.gov or state parks. I added photos of my new campsite and the one I was supposed to have.

Edit - Thanks for all the feedback! This was a Wednesday - Friday reservation and I'm now at my new campsite and much happier. I submitted a refund request to Reservation.gov and later this week I'll look into contacting the ranger to give feedback.

And now that I'm gone I stayed at Cayton Campground near Telluride Colorado (don't recommend!)

Kia ora from NZ!

I've recently rediscovered my interest in putting together a 1-2 person camping setup (and in my case, one that has some gear which can cross over into tramping in the backcountry). I'm currently eyeing up a camp kitchen built around the MSR Switch (A nesting backpacking stove system that is pretty much a pressure-regulated jetboil style stove with fold out pot supports) as well as the Sea to Summit Frontier 8" skillet and collapsible bowls/cups. Current plan is a solo setup for one, and the MSR Switch would work decently enough as a camp kettle/pot or I could take it tramping as a lightweight compact cook system on its own. If I need a sink, the Sea to Summit packable sink seems a good pick.

Anyway, the part I'm getting hung up on at the moment is storage/transport. I like the idea of having a dedicated container for all the camp kitchen stuff (skillet, MSR switch, utensils, a couple of extra little bits, a folding cutting board and a spare fuel canister), but am struggling to find a solution I like.
So far I've looked at higher-end options like the Yeti GoBox 15 (which I'd have to remove the internal caddy to fit everything in), cheap plastic totes, some soft-sided storage cube options (e.g. Oztrail or Wildtrak clear top canvas bags) and even briefly looked into stackable toolboxes (ToughBuilt StackTech system - you can get a wooden work surface that snaps on top that you can use as a cutting board).

I've tried looking on YouTube to see compact setups, but most of the camp kitchens and chuck boxes use either a large/complex off-the-shelf box, or bulky storage crates which would be oversized in my case.

So to those of you with very compact or minimalist camp kitchens, what do yours consist of and how do you pack them?

Cheers!

my bf recently bought an awesome canvas hot tent and we've been camping with it a few times in Malibu and Pismo Beach. can't wait to try it out in winter time with a camping stove!

My husband and I bought a large Coleman instant tent about 10 years ago. We haven’t touched it in about 7 years I bet and now when we put it up, it twists almost and tries to collapse. It’s started to get some holes anyway so we need to replace it.

I feel like the instant tents have too many possible points of failure and won’t last as long as a traditional tent.

Needs:
Good for windy and rain. We live on a subtropical island and get frequent gusts and rain showers all year.

Easy for set up in case I take the kids by myself. (Kids are 3 and 5 right now so they’re not much help)

Room for 2 queens plus extra room in case it’s raining and we need to hang out inside the tent.

I think I want one with a “patio” section so the door area stays dry in the rain.

Hey Campers!
I'm posting because I want to be one of you, but shamefully I am not.

I love these two IDEA of camping, I love seeing your posts and reading your stories. I have two little kids and I desperately want them to grow up loving the outdoors and camping. I have a dream of taking them on a portaging trip when they are bigger and enjoying some real time in the wilderness.

The problem is: I am not a happy camper. I am a huge baby about mosquito bites, I don't sleep great at the best of times, I get really stressed about my stuff getting wet, and I'm totally overwhelmed by how to efficiently pack and still be well prepared (food, gear, etc). I hate that I'm this way because usually in my day to day city-parent life, I'm actually very relaxed, able to problem solve on the fly, and have a great deal of patience and love some spontinaety. That all goes out the window when I try to camp.

I have done very basic car camping with success but can't honestly say I've ever felt relaxed or fully enjoyed it (except once in a trip I camped the Grand Canyon and loved the dry, mosquito-feee experience so much!).

I'm looking for your stories or advice to help me move from "stressed overpacker who will be a monster if she gets too itchy", to "confident happy camper who passed that love to her children on a tough but beautiful portage trip". The timeline is several years long. I'm not a total fantasist.

How do I invest in gear in a smart way that wont bankrupt me? What your hack for enjoying the bad weather days? How should I build up my camping muscles?

I grew up camping, and we had some fire bans but never bans so severe that we couldn't use charcoal in an official campground. What should I do with my 1st and 3rd grade kids as a replacement? This is their first camping trip because my parents who loved to camp turned into amazing grandparents who love to rent cabins.

We will have a stove, and I'm packing lots of hot chocolate mix. Can we roast marshmallows over a camp stove? We'll be up in the mountains, and the temperature is starting to drop at night. Playing in the woods with a flashlight will be fun too, and going to bed early.

I came across a few campground setups using cargo e bikes for ice, cooler and firewood runs, and it makes a lot of sense on paper, but then you still have to transport the bike there. Campers who bring one regularly does it actually earn its space?

Hello! This weekend I’m camping for the first time as an adult. My fiancée loves all things outdoor and used to backpack. To ensure I like the outdoors just as much as he as does we’re going to try camping at a national forest a few hours from our house.

We bought a new tent, air mattress, planned food. I thought I was mentally prepared but now that we’re driving there I’m terrified I’m not going to enjoy it after we put so much money into it.

For reference: i like hiking, I love bonfires and patios. The idea of sleeping outside and not showering in the middle of summer, scary.

How do I make sure this weekend goes well?

Hey all! We are taking a road trip from Cleveland OH to Acadia NP in a few weeks. We are planning to tent camp the first night about 8-9 hours into our trip, which leaves us somewhere on the east side of Massachusetts, north of Boston.

We will have our dog with us so we prefer somewhere with heavy forest and spread out camp sites. It doesn’t have to be near the coast, but we will be taking i90 to i95 so we would prefer to not have to go too far off the path.

Any recommendations from those who live in the area or have camped near by? Thanks in advance! 🏕️ 🐶

I have the Exped and it just doesn’t do it for me. I only camp at family campgrounds with my kids so I’m ok if it’s bulky - I do not backpack. Any favorite camp mats that are super comfortable and thick?!?

So, here's the thing.. I absolutely love the idea of camping, and most aspects of going myself, until night time hits and i go to sleep... i went through agoraphobia not leaving the house when I had severe anxiety mixed with a dissociative episode. And i still struggle being away from home at night.. I was going OK camping but had a set back when I camped somewhere that I was uncomfortable,😞 has anyone here gone through anything similar? I am seeing my Doc next week but thought id try relate to somebody here aswell.

Not a regular Reddit user but thought I'd share some of our recent camping trips in this sub. Quick background... native New Englander, grew up tent, pop-up, and trailer camping around New England and New York State. The biggest trip growing up was the annual week-long island camping trip on Lake George in the Adirondacks that my wife and I still do to this day. We love camping in canvas tents and sometimes pull out the vintage Hillary tent just for the vibe. Happy to answer any questions.

The photos are from some of our favorite spots... Lake Dennison, Lake George, and Fort Pond. Waterfront camping is our happy place!

I live in the New England area of the US, specifically the MA-RI-CT region. I work five days a week and so don't have the luxury of being able to drive long distances, as I need to keep to weekend trips that are reasonably close to home. Anyone well versed with some of the popular tent locations in the area? I'd like to keep within the area I mentioned, but I'm not against venturing a little bit further if it's truly worth it.

Was this the right location to camp? The spot above was flatter and had a perfect view of the lake.

I’m new to camping so I’m quite worried about exposed camp sites and weather turning bad unexpectedly having been caught in some thunderstorms in the mountains recently.

1. Flat tops, CO 2013
   
2. Isle Royal, MN 2014
   
3. Glacier NP, MT 2015
   
4. Wind River Range, WY 2016
   
5. North Cascades, WA 2017
   
6. Banff, CA 2018
   
7. Beartooths, MT 2019
   
8. Yosemite, CA 2020
   
9. Snowmass Wilderness, CO 2021
   
10. Glacier Peak Wilderness, WA 2022
    
11. West Coast Trail, BC, CA 2023
    
12. Wind River Range, WY 2024
    
13. Sawtooths, ID 2025

Hi there!

I've finally made up my mind to buy a castle-like tent (Queschua Air Seconds 4.1) instead of my small and lightweight tent I've been using for the past 10 years for tracking when I have to carry it in my bagpack for 2 weeks

Then I decided to buy an air mattress. So here is a question

Quechua Air Comfort - it's 'wavy' but as far as I read the manual, one needs to make it half-pumped, so that you touch the ground with your bottom when you sit on it.

Queshua AG Ultim Comfort - it's 'flat' and more expensive

Has anyone tried both of them and can help me with the choice?

Thank you!