c/camping-gear-reviews

Hit 50 nights in my budget sleeping bag before it gave out

I bought this cheap 40-degree bag off Amazon for $45 about two years ago. It held up through maybe 45 trips, mostly car camping in state parks around Ohio. The zipper finally split on night 48, and by night 50 the baffles were toast. Honestly I'm surprised it lasted that long for the price. Anyone else had a budget piece of gear that just wouldn't die?

2 comments

mark_price•1d ago

TIL most sleeping bag temperature ratings are based on a survival test, not comfort

I was reading through the ASTM standard for sleeping bag ratings and found out the '20 degree' rating means you probably won't freeze to death at 20 degrees, not that you'll sleep warm. Has anyone else tested this themselves or am I just a cold sleeper?

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drew_bennett24•2d ago

Ran into an old scout leader at REI last Saturday who completely changed my mind about hammock camping

He said he's been sleeping in a hammock for 40 years and never once used an underquilt, just a foam pad inside the hammock like we did as kids. Made me wonder if I've been overpaying for gear that doesn't really do the job better, has anyone else gone back to simpler setups?

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logan236•3d ago

Pro tip: stop buying those expensive dry bags after a buddy told me to just use contractor trash bags instead

I spent $60 on a name-brand dry bag for my canoe trip on the Current River last fall, and my friend laughed and handed me a 3-mil contractor bag that kept my sleeping bag bone-dry through a whole afternoon of Class II rapids - has anyone else tried this hack and found it works just as good?

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williamb29•5d ago

Finally got a better night's sleep with a simple tent mod

I always woke up with a sore back after camping, even with a good sleeping pad. Last trip I tried putting my folded up camp chair under the pad at my knees. It raised them up just an inch or two and took all the pressure off my lower back. Slept 6 hours straight for the first time in years. Anyone else got weird hacks for making a tent setup more comfortable?

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victorhill•5d ago

Ditched my old three-season tent for a hammock setup last spring

I used to fight with tent poles and wet ground on every trip. Switched to a hammock with a bug net and tarp after a rainy night in Shenandoah left me sleeping in a puddle. Anyone else made the jump and dealt with finding good trees?

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wendyk56•6d ago

My buddy swore by a $5 blue tarp as a tent footprint

He said spend the money on beer instead of expensive gear. First rainstorm and water pooled under my tent, soaked everything I owned. Has anyone else found a cheap footprint that actually works?

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christopherwilson•6d ago

Took one review seriously and tossed all my old fire starters

Some guy on here said my homemade cotton ball and Vaseline starters were leaving too much residue, so I switched to fatwood shavings. Has anyone else had to overhaul their fire kit after a random comment online?

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john650•6d ago

Almost ruined my tent with a cheap footprint - here's what I use now

I bought a $15 tarp from the hardware store for my tent footprint and after one rainy night in the Smokies, water pooled under the tent because it stuck out too far. Switched to a cut-to-size Tyvek sheet that I measured exactly to the tent floor dimensions, cost me $8 and has worked perfect through 4 trips now. Anyone else had water issues with a too-big footprint?

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the_jordan•10d ago

Hot take: a cheap tarp setup worked better than my fancy tent in the rain last weekend

I was out at Red River Gorge last weekend and it poured for about 6 hours straight. My buddy had this basic blue tarp he rigged up with some paracord and carabiners, and he stayed bone dry while my $300 tent had water seeping through the floor by morning. I don't know if it was condensation or just bad waterproofing, but it got me thinking. Over the past 5 years, I've spent way more on 'upgraded' gear that fails in real conditions. Meanwhile, his cheap setup held up fine with zero issues. Am I wrong for thinking that simple gear sometimes beats the expensive stuff, or did I just buy a lemon? Has anyone else had a cheap piece of gear outlast or outperform their high-end stuff?

2 comments

the_mila•13d ago

Appreciation post: that cheap Coleman camp stove I got at a yard sale

I see everyone hyping these $300 stoves online, but I picked up a used Coleman two-burner for $12 three years ago and it still works perfectly. Found out from a blog called "Camping Made Simple" that those old green stoves have a fuel regulator that's actually more reliable than most new ones. Anybody else still using old gear instead of upgrading?

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hayden_nelson85•14d ago

Took me 3 rainy trips to figure out my tent leak was just the rainfly seam

Last June I set up my old dome tent at Lake Tahoe and woke up with a puddle inside after just a light drizzle. Tried resealing the floor, bought a new footprint, wasted like 6 hours across two weekends. Anyone else ever chase a phantom leak for way too long before finding it was something simple?

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hunt.nora•19d ago

Finally got my tent poles to fit right after 3 years of struggle

Last week in Shenandoah, I set up my old 4-person tent and for the first time the poles clicked together without me fighting them for 15 minutes. It took me 3 years to realize I was pushing them in at the wrong angle. My buddy Matt pointed it out when he saw me cursing at the rainfly last month. Now I can get the whole thing up in under 10 minutes flat. Has anyone else figured out a small trick that makes camping gear way less annoying?

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lucasjackson•22d ago

Rant: My $300 tent flooded on day 2 at Yosemite and I nearly quit camping

I was at Yosemite last June and a storm hit hard. My expensive tent leaked through the seams and I woke up in three inches of water at 3 AM. Turns out I never seam-sealed it because I thought it was already factory treated. Has anyone else had a brand new tent fail on them like that?

3 comments

jana_scott•24d ago

Had a guy at a campground in Montana tell me my tent stakes were trash

He said my cheap aluminum ones were bending because I was hammering them at the wrong angle, so I switched to those orange plastic MSR Groundhogs and they actually held through a 40mph windstorm last weekend, anyone else had to learn proper stake placement the hard way?

2 comments

raymitchell•24d ago

That budget sleeping pad I almost returned turned out fine after 4 nights

I picked up a $35 foam pad from Walmart last minute before a trip to the Smokies. First night I woke up sore and figured I'd made a mistake. But after adding a cheap closed cell foam layer underneath, it felt way better by night three. The combo still isn't as plush as an inflatable, but for the price it held up on rocky ground. Anyone else had a cheap pad surprise them after a few nights of use?

3 comments

viola_ward•25d ago

Pro tip: Drying out a wet sleeping bag in under 2 hours with a car heater

I overheard a guy at the REI parking lot say he blasts his car's heat with the bag laid across the seats, rotated every 20 minutes, and it worked way better than my usual damp-air disaster. Has anyone else tried this trick after a rainy trip?

3 comments

finley_price24•28d ago

Thought those expensive dry bags were a waste of money until my clothes got soaked on day 2 of a trip

I used to swear by cheap dry bags from discount stores. Figured a bag is a bag, right? Took a 4 day trip to Lake Tahoe last summer and my stuff got soaked inside a $8 dry bag after a quick rainstorm. Had to wear damp socks for two days. Picked up a Sea to Summit roll top bag for $35 after that. Tested it in my bathtub and stayed bone dry inside. Now I get why people spend more on something that actually seals right. Anyone else learn the hard way that saving money on gear just costs you later?

2 comments

alice89•1mo ago

The $15 tent stake set I laughed at actually saved my trip

I was convinced those cheap plastic stakes from the gas station would snap in the first gust of wind, but they held through a 30 mph storm at Lake Tahoe last weekend. The orange color made them super easy to spot when packing up in the dark too. Has anyone else had a similar surprise with budget gear actually working out?

3 comments

raymitchell•1mo ago

Warning: I chose the inflatable sleeping pad over foam and regretted it by mile 8

Last summer I had to pick between a $40 foam pad and a $90 inflatable one for a 3-day hike on the Appalachian Trail. I went inflatable because it packed smaller, but on night two I woke up on bare rocks after a slow leak from a tiny thorn. The foam pad would've been heavier but bulletproof, and I spent the last day hiking with a half-flat pad that felt like sleeping on a lawn chair. Has anyone else had a similar experience where going lighter cost you sleep?

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charliestone•1mo ago

Overheard a guy at REI say his old coleman stove outlasted two jetboils

I've been eyeing a fancy lightweight stove for years but that comment made me realize I spend more time worrying about gear specs than actually using my stuff. Has anyone else gone back to older gear after chasing the newest thing?

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cole356•1mo ago

Hit 50 nights in my hammock setup this season

I switched from a tent to a hammock last spring and just passed 50 nights sleeping in it. The surprising part was how little condensation I got compared to my tent. Anyone else track their nights per year and notice something shift?

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mila_harris•1mo ago

Vent: My buddy laughed at me for bringing a cast iron skillet camping, then he ate his burnt scrambled eggs out of a plastic bag

He said 'dude it's too heavy' but after watching me make perfect pancakes on day two he shut up, and now I'm wondering if I'm the only one who drags the heavier gear for better camp meals?

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karen_roberts4•1mo ago

Ran into an old timer at a thrift store who knew everything about canvas tents

Last Saturday I was browsing this tiny thrift shop in Bend, Oregon, digging through a pile of old camping gear. This guy in his 70s walks up and points at this beat up canvas tent I was eyeing, says 'that's a 1964 Eureka, son, built like a tank.' He spent the next 20 minutes telling me how he used that exact model for 30 years on family trips, even through a nasty hailstorm in Yellowstone. I ended up buying the tent for $12, took it home, and after patching two small holes it's been solid on three weekend trips since. Made me think how much knowledge we lose when we just buy new gear without talking to folks who've used it. Anybody else ever get a great tip from a random stranger in a weird spot?

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skylerrobinson•1mo ago

Ran into a guy named Dave at REI who completely changed how I pack my camping stove

I was at the REI in Denver about 6 months ago just browsing stoves when this older guy Dave comes up and asks what I cook. I told him mostly backpacker meals and he laughed and said I was missing out. He showed me his setup with a little alcohol stove he built from a cat food can and said it weighs nothing and boils water in 7 minutes flat. I thought he was crazy but I tried it and honestly haven't touched my big propane stove for solo trips since. Anyone else switched to a diy alcohol stove for lightweight camping?

3 comments