c/camping-gear-reviews

Why does nobody talk about how bad cheap tent stakes are in rocky ground

Last weekend up at Joshua Tree I set up camp around 7pm and everything seemed fine. By 2am a gust of wind ripped out three of my cheap aluminum stakes and my tent nearly flew into the next site. I ended up scrambling around with a headlamp at 3am using big rocks to pin down the corners. Anyone else had cheap stakes fail on them at the worst possible moment?

My old 90s tent finally gave out after that storm last weekend

I had a Kelty that was from like 1997, that thing survived dozens of trips. But that microburst up near Lake George on Saturday just shredded the rainfly in about 30 seconds. The new ones are lighter but the fabric feels thin, I wonder if they'll hold up for 25 years. Anyone else notice camp gear isn't built as bombproof as it used to be?

My Jetboil stove died on day 2 of a trip in Yosemite

The igniter stopped sparking, maybe got wet. I had to use a cheap Bic lighter for 4 days straight. Anyone else have a stove that crapped out at the worst time?

Why I stopped trusting those fancy ultralight camp stoves

I bought this $90 Jetboil system because everyone swore by it, but after 4 trips in the Smokies, it just kept flaring up and wasting fuel. Then I grabbed a $20 pocket rocket from a gas station outside Gatlinburg on a whim, and that thing boiled water in 3 minutes flat every single time. Makes me wonder if a lot of that high-end gear is just paying for the name and a flashy design. Has anyone else ditched a premium stove for a cheap one that actually works better?

Can we talk about tent stakes that actually hold in sandy soil?

I camped out at Great Sand Dunes last spring and my cheap aluminum stakes just pulled right out of the ground when the wind picked up around 2am. Switched to those 12 inch orange plastic spiral stakes before a trip to Padre Island this fall and they held solid through a whole weekend of 25mph gusts. Has anyone found a better option for soft ground that doesn't break the bank?

The moment I realized my tent stakes were doing nothing.

I was camping in Rocky Mountain National Park about 5 years ago and a gust of wind lifted my whole tent 2 feet off the ground while I was inside. Turned out I had been hammering those cheap aluminum stakes straight into gravel the whole time without even checking if they bit into the dirt below. Has anyone else switched to screw stakes and felt like they wasted years before that?

Condemned my tent after 4 years of use until a patch kit saved it last weekend

Got caught in a pretty good rain at Lake Como campground last Saturday. Water started dripping right on my face around 2 AM. Found a 2 inch tear along a seam I never noticed. Was ready to toss the whole thing and spend $200 on a new one. Buddy handed me a Gear Aid repair patch he had in his truck. Figured it would fail by morning but it held all night and still good now. Anyone else had luck with those patch kits or am I just waiting for it to give out again?

Question about how someone critiqued my tent setup at Yosemite

So last month I was camping at Yosemite and this older guy walks by my site. He points at my tent and says "your rainfly is too tight, you're gonna get condensation inside." I thought he was just being nosy lol. But I woke up at 3am with everything damp inside my tent. Next morning I loosened the fly so air could flow under it. Total game changer. Has anyone else dealt with that issue where you think tight is better but it actually makes things worse?

Shoutout to the guy who told me my sleeping pad was way too thin

Last month a random guy at the campsite in Shenandoah saw me setting up and asked if that pad was for summer only. I was like nah it's a 3 season. He laughed and said man that R value is probably like a 1.5 at best. I checked when I got home and he was totally right. I swapped to a 3.5 R value and slept warm the whole night on my trip last weekend. Has anyone else gotten gear advice from a stranger that actually saved them?

Review from a random hiker changed my tent setup completely

Met a guy on the PCT last summer who told me my rainfly was pitched too tight. Said it would lose waterproofing and trap condensation. I loosened it up that night and woke up dry for the first time in a week. Anyone else run into advice like that out on the trail?

Blew a gasket on my camp stove at 9,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park last weekend

I was trying to boil water for coffee and suddenly the whole burner flared up in a way I had never seen before, turns out the seals were shot from the altitude difference. Now I'm paranoid about my whole setup failing mid trip because of things I never think about down at sea level. Anyone else run into gear problems that only show up at higher elevations?

The weight of my tent shocked me when I finally weighed it on a proper scale

I always thought my 15-year-old tent was around 6 pounds, no big deal. Last week I was packing for a trip to the Smokies and threw it on a luggage scale at my buddy's house. It clocked in at 8.7 pounds with the rainfly, which explained why my back hurt after every hike. I found this old REI review from 2009 that listed the actual packed weight, and I couldn't believe I'd been lugging an extra 3 pounds for a decade. Has anyone else measured their gear years later and gotten a shock?

Ditched the pricey hiking stove for a twig burner last trip

Everyone in my group was using those fancy canister stoves at the campsite near Estes Park, but I tried a $15 twig burner instead. It took about 10 minutes longer to boil water for coffee, but I didn't have to pack out a spent fuel can. Has anyone else switched to burning found wood for longer backpacking trips?

Got caught in a downpour at Big Bend and my tent flooded

Last spring I was camping at the Chisos Basin in Big Bend National Park and a surprise storm rolled in around 2 AM. My budget tent from Walmart just couldn't handle that kind of rain, and I woke up in about an inch of water inside. Anyone else have a tent fail on them in a heavy storm and switch to something more reliable?

Heard someone at REI say their down sleeping bag lost all loft after one wet trip and I wonder how many people skip the waterproof stuff sack

I was standing in line at the Colorado Springs REI last Saturday and overheard this guy telling his friend his $300 down bag was basically flat after a single rainy night in the backcountry. He didn't use a dry sack, just stuffed it in his pack with everything else. I get that down is warm and light but isn't the whole point of spending that much to keep it dry? The moisture soaked through his pack liner and that was it. Anyone else think stores should push a waterproof compression sack every time someone buys a down bag?

My cheap tarp setup was garbage until I switched to a silnylon fly

I spent 3 summers fighting with a blue tarp from the hardware store. Every morning I woke up with puddles inside because the grommets leaked and the whole thing sagged like crazy after a bit of rain. Finally dropped $80 on a silnylon tarp from a small brand out of Colorado last spring. The difference is night and day honestly. It packs down way smaller, no water pooling because the fabric actually stretches tight, and I stopped waking up damp. Made my canoe trips in the Boundary Waters way more pleasant. Anyone else ditch the heavy plastic and notice how much better their sleep is?

Rant: My uncle called my fancy tent a 'glorified plastic bag'

Last weekend my uncle Dave came over to borrow my air mattress. He saw my new 4-season tent set up in the garage and just laughed. He said back in 1992 he used a canvas tarp and a rope for 3 weeks straight in the Smokies and never had issues. It hit different because he's not wrong about some things. My tent weighs 8 pounds and cost me $350, his whole setup was like 15 bucks at a surplus store. I started thinking about how gear has changed but the basics are still the same. Has anyone else had an older relative make you feel like you're overcomplicating camping?

Tarp shelter debate: is the A-frame actually overrated?

Last month I spent a week in the Smokies and tested two tarp setups. First three nights I used a standard A-frame, then switched to a lean-to for the rest. The A-frame was fine in the rain but felt cramped when I needed to cook or change clothes. The lean-to gave me way more room but left me exposed when the wind shifted one night around 2 AM. I'm wondering if the A-frame gets too much praise for being the default setup. Has anyone else found a different tarp pitch that beats both of them for real conditions?

Bought a $150 'all weather' tent that leaked on night one in the rain

Last spring I saw this tent online that claimed to handle anything. It was one of those with the fancy coating and taped seams. I dropped $150 on it thinking I was set for years. First real trip to a site near Huntsville, Alabama, it poured rain around 2 AM. Woke up with a wet sleeping bag and puddles inside the tent. The floor had no sealant under the bathtub part, just cheap nylon. I tried to return it but the company said I used it and that voids the warranty. Lost the whole $150 and had to buy a used Kelty from a guy on Facebook for $60. That old tent has never let a drop in. Anyone else get burned by a brand that hypes their gear but cuts corners on the basics?

Got caught in a downpour at Big Sur and my tent held up perfectly

I camped at Pfeiffer Beach last month and a storm rolled in around 2 AM. The rain was hitting hard for about 4 hours straight. I was surprised my old tent didn't leak at all, not even around the zippers. That night convinced me to always seam seal my gear before any trip. Has anyone else had a tent fail on them during a heavy storm?

Spent 2 hours trying to set up a tent in the dark last weekend

I got to the campsite near Flagstaff way later than planned and fumbled with my old dome tent for what felt like forever before realizing I had the poles backwards. Turns out it was a 15 minute setup in daylight, but the dark and my impatience made it take over 2 hours. Anyone else have a piece of gear that becomes impossible to use when conditions aren't perfect?

Am I the only one who ditched my heavy sleeping pad for a foam one?

Used a $150 inflatable pad for years on weekend trips in the Smokies, but after three punctures in six months I switched to a closed-cell foam roll and actually sleep better now, anyone else trade comfort for durability?

Ran into an old hiker who taught me about tent stakes at a trailhead near Moab

Found out my trusty old tent poles are actually repairable with a $2 part

Talked to an old backpacker at REI who made me rethink my whole sleep system

I was in the tent section last weekend and this guy in his 70s starts chatting with me. He asked what pad I use and I said my big inflatable one that weighs almost 3 pounds. He just laughed and said he uses a thin foam pad from the 80s and sleeps better than me. It hit different because I've been chasing comfort with all this heavy gear... but he's been doing this longer than I've been alive. Now I'm wondering if I'm overcomplicating things with my setup. Has anyone else downsized their pad and actually liked it more?