Camping

[doc]

I am new to Cub Crafters and now own a CC11-160. I am interested in attending fly-ins that will involve "camping under the wing". I have not camped since I was a Boy Scout in the early to mid fifties and used army surplus equipment. Having no need for cooking equipment, request information re "tried and true" camping equipment to include the basic necessary equipment vs desired equipment - to include brand names. Thank you for any information that is based upon experience.

[EVRoosevelt]

How was the trip back from YKM and what route did you come back on?

EV

[Tahoe Cub]

I use a sleeping pad I never would use backpacking. It is excellent for plane camping. http://www.rei.com/product/812005/ex...0-sleeping-pad

An option or complement is the Therma-a-rest cot: http://www.rei.com/product/866263/th...-ultralite-cot

I carry them both. When the ground is rough or the temperature is high I use the cot. Otherwise the pad. They can be used together. The combination is better than a high end mattress.

Both are highly recommended. Definitely not roughing it in the sleep department. Also, I use a larger bag than my mummy bag for comfort when plane camping. Mike

[fancypants]

I'll second the Thermarest cot and Exped mat combination if you have room for some luxury. I use an Exped Synmat 9 DLX and have a few different Big Agnes sleeping bags for different temperatures. If camping alone, I'll bring the cot. With a companion, two Big Agnes bags can be zipped together to form one big bag. Your optimal choice of bag/pad/cot will depend a lot on your size and how you sleep. I would not be happy in a mummy style sleeping bag.

I've used a Black Diamond megalight tent for a good number of years. It's typically supported by a single carbon fiber pole in the middle, but it works well enough without the pole if suspended from your tiedown ring. It's as simple as can be, sets up quick, packs down to the size of a football, weighs next to nothing, but it's not the taj mahal.

Just like airplanes, there are tradeoffs. Weight, packed volume, complexity, durability, warmth, cost, etc. I've gone through a few iterations of sleeping gear and I think I've found a good balance for my needs. Comfortable sleep is a pretty high priority for me. Here's my setup at Oshkosh last year:

AGnmOvjl.jpg


Also, the Black Diamond Spot headlamp is really handy. It's dimmable with spot and flood modes, plus red LEDs for preserving night vision. I keep one in my hangar and one in my truck. There are few things more frustrating than trying to fix something while holding a flashlight in your mouth or the crook of your neck.

[Cubdriver2]

I camp outa the plane quite a bit. I have spent 5 days at Lock Haven where it rained all day, every day and stayed dry. You need a good tent. One that the rain fly goes all the way to the ground so that the tent can stay dry and still breathe. Vestibule is nice for things like wet boot and stinky socks.
Something like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-MARMOT-P...item2eddc92fed
Problem with tents that use the plane for support is that when you go flying it sits in a heap and then it's tough to get in for things you forgot last minute. And if it rains while your out flying the heap of tent collects water sitting there

Walmart has a 6" $20 air mattress that works great, 12v inflator helps.

Bag chair is also nice and fits on jury struts if you run out of room inside

Glenn

[randylervold]

Hi Doc,

The good news about airplane camping is that you have enough space and weight capacity where you can use regular inexpensive "car camping" gear that you can buy at Walmart, or you can go with high-tech lightweight backpacking gear and save weight and space. A good source for that sort of thing is www.rei.com which can be a one stop shop for everything you would need.

Before I dive into a few recommendations of my own choices let me say that I'm convinced that the careful selection of each and every piece of gear is a uniquely male endeavor, one that I thoroughly enjoy, and one that I know a lot of other guys enjoy as well. That said let me also admit my bias toward high-tech and lightweight solutions -- I'm a bit of an efficiency freak and take great joy in finding the lightest and most functional solutions I can, and that doesn't always mean the most expensive. Also, I like all my gear to double as motorcycle camping gear as well (BMW R1200GS) which does place more constraints on size and weight than airplane use, though is still not as rigorous as gear for pure backpacking. For example I just bought a 12'x12' lightweight tarp with two poles and various cords for motorcycle or airplane camping. You'd never carry that on a mountain climbing expedition but could really use it on a motorcycle trip or even plane trip if you get stuck in the rain.

Here's a few recommendations:
Tent (be sure and get the "footprint" to go with it)
Sleeping bag (I don't have this bag but it looks like a good all around choice. I prefer synthetic to down for cleaning purposes, and they are also retain some heat when they get wet)
Sleeping pad (I don't like to take the time to inflate and deflate that type, be sure and watch the video on this page)
Jetboil stove (I'm not much of a cook so when camping out I'm all about freeze dried food which is light and small, and this stove is the pick of the litter for heating water IMHO)
Jetboil French press accessory (gotta have good coffee! Starbucks Via instant coffee works well for camping also)

I would also advise:

• A good lightweight headlamp
• A flashlight that will convert to a tent light and hang up in the top of your tent
• Some sort of collapsible water container, at least 2.5 gallons
• Fire starting materials, lots of options available
• A small hatchet and a small saw
• Lightweight folding chair
• All the usual personal items such as soaps, towels, TP, etc.

For your airplane be sure and bring:

• Tie-downs
• Windshield cleaning materials
• Extra quarts of oil, spout, and paper towels

Lastly, some fine Scotch or Tennessee sipping Whiskey for when around the camp fire after a memorable day of flying and setting up your camp comprised of just the right gear... you've earned it!

[J2cub]

Hi Doc -

I see you are actually pretty close to our group. We are over in St Louis. We have a number of camping events coming up. Probably the closest is a trip we make to Gastons in Arkansas. We spend Memorial day hitting a number of local back country strips, as well as camping, fishing ect. Here is a link to some of our events for the spring and summer months.

http://www.iacsales.com/events/

Chip is the dealer in your area. You may want to check in with him too, to see what he has going on his direction.

[Cubdriver2]

Randy, Imo that rei tent is not going to keep you dry in a driving rain. You need a fly that goes to the ground on all sides and lets the tent below breathe. I also find that the sloped sides hang in your face if you over 5'10. I like one end vertical so that it doesn't hang in your face while sleeping

Glenn

[randylervold]

Hi Doc -

I see you are actually pretty close to our group. We are over in St Louis. We have a number of camping events coming up. Probably the closest is a trip we make to Gastons in Arkansas. We spend Memorial day hitting a number of local back country strips, as well as camping, fishing ect. Here is a link to some of our events for the spring and summer months.

http://www.iacsales.com/events/

Chip is the dealer in your area. You may want to check in with him too, to see what he has going on his direction.

Doc, I forgot the mention the other camping method... "credit card camping" where the only required equipment is your VISA or MasterCard! The Gaston's event looks great and I think you have the option of credit card camping or real camping. I confess, I've credit card camped myself!

[randylervold]

Randy, Imo that rei tent is not going to keep you dry in a driving rain. You need a fly that goes to the ground on all sides and lets the tent below breathe. I also find that the sloped sides hang in your face if you over 5'10. I like one end vertical so that it doesn't hang in your face while sleeping

Glenn

Good considerations Glenn, but the REI tent does have a rain fly that goes fairly low but it is not pictured. I know what you mean about the tent hanging in your face while sleeping if you're tall.

REI alone has a zillion tent designs, lots to choose from.