OAUSA Net January 30, 2014 Comfort Camping

[toms]

This week we will be a continuation of our net October 10th last year. We will discuss gear that makes for a comfortable camp. This doesn't mean pulling a 35 foot trailer or an RV, but stuff you can easily carry into a wilderness camp over a road that often needs 4WD to navigate. Camping in remote locations (or even not-so-remote locations) doesn't mean that you have to "rough it". With some clever planning, the right equipment and a need to get away, your camp can be very comfortable and pleasant. And, there's no better way to introduce new campers to the outdoors.
Join us with your suggestions for comfort camping.

link to the October 10, 2013 net preview post. viewtopic.php?f=70&t=3580

[DaveK]

Here are some of the products that we will be discussing this week. Since this is a continuation of the net we started some months ago, there are several products that are described in an earlier net preview at:

1. Camping means that much of the time at camp, whether it be for a short lunch on the trail or actually at camp, involves sitting. Having a good chair during meals or at the campfire, adds a lot to the comfort of the camp. Too many of the "outdoor chairs" sold today are uncomfortable and very delicate (translated - cheap). For us, the criteria for a good chair is not only that it be comfortable, but that it be compact and durable.

In the comfort department, there are many candidates and the choice is purely personal, but the one of the qualities of a good chair is that the seat not form into a V when you sit down. If you look at the picture of the MacCabee chair (below) you can see that the seat is flat, and it stays that way even when seated. The chair is durable, with a steel frame, and folds up into a very compact sack (included). The chair is available from the manufacturer and goes by the name of "Aviator Portable Chair, see: http://www.macsports-store.com/The-Avia ... 04s-bl.htm. Or, Amazon carries it. For about $50.00, it's hard to beat!

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2. Any camping trip requires some sort of cooler. The longer the trip the more important it is to have a high quality cooler. Ice is the traditional favorite, but in recent years there has been a whole new approach to keeping your food cool - the 12 Volt refrigerator/freezer. For a lot of good reasons, including the ability to adjust the temperature of the cooler and the avoidance of the wet mess of ice, the fridge freeze units have become very popular. For long terms trips, the 12v refrigerators freezers are a must as ice will just not last much beyond about 5 or 6 days. There are several units on the market and most of them are very high quality. Keep in mind that I am not referring to 12v "coolers". These units have the means to adjust the temperaure from the 60s to below freezing.

There is only one such unit made in the US, the Fridge Freeze. The company is located in San Diego and the quality of the units is first class. The shell of this unit is made from aluminum diamond plate and the inside of the unit is stainless steel. See: http://www.sportfridge.com/. Looking for some "hero" status??? Next time you are on a trip, especially when its hot outside, just offer your guests some ice cream right from the Fridge Freeze.

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3. Keeping your gear safe and clean, especially for the kitchen and cooking , is difficult. I've used everything from the plastic bins to paper bags and nothing really worked well until I discovered the storage cases (boxes) made by Zarges. The cases are made from aluminum with stainless hardware and are made to take a beating. The come in almost any size to fit the space you have available in the 4x4. The cases are water resistant, dust proof, rugged and stackable. See:http://www.zargescases.com/products/shi ... s/k470.cfm .

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4. Step Stool. See post #2 for the net preview at: viewtopic.php?f=70&t=3631.

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5. One of the most important comfort things that you can bring along on ay camping trip, and especially the cold ones, is a good quality sleeping bag. Butler Bags makes one of the very finest, and as an extra bonus, it's made in the US (one of the few that is). Their all season bag is made to last a long time and is good down to -20. Aside for the quality construction and the warmth factor, it is a generously sized rectangular bag and that means you don't have to be shoe-horned into one of those mummy bags.
See: http://www.butlerbags.com/cms/index.php .

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[toms]

A few more items.
Once you have an on board refrigerator and Trasharoo, you will not know how you got along without them.

The paper towel roller is magnetic. It was about $8.00 at Harbor Freight. You can place it anywhere that is convenient. It could be the side of the vehicle, your metal camp box, or on the swing out. It is 2 pieces to handle any length roll.

The Engle and the ARB fridge freeze where very much the same until ARB redesign a few years ago. This is the 45 qt. version.

The Trasharoo is about $45 and will hold a 30 gallon trash bag.

[taugust]

Here is a link to the LL Bean website for the Strongback Elite Chair. Just found that they are on sale at about $20 off, and no shipping charges. I may order another one.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/77020?pr ... 1b2166c2c0

[DaveK]

Here is a link to the LL Bean website for the Strongback Elite Chair. Just found that they are on sale at about $20 off, and no shipping charges. I may order another one.

http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/77020?pr ... 1b2166c2c0

Tim

Nice! I'll have to check it out. Hope to see you at the Redondo Meet & Greet. If you can make it, be sure to bring the chair (and the fixins' for the triple chocolate cake!!!)

[traveltoad]

We talked about putting coals under your camp chair to keep warm... I just ran into this on line:

http://chimneychair.com/Chimney/The_Chi ... ation.html

[toms]

very cool Aaron - I mean warm!