- Joined
- Mar 17, 2010
- Messages
- 4,256
i went back to the "here...fishy...fishy" spot for a solo overnighter last thurs...home sweet home. that "head" on the sleeping bag is just the stuff sack. i wanted the opening covered up so there's no chance of any creatures crawling in and giving me a nasty surprise when i go in.
the snow was gone so the terrain looked very different and i got lost a few times and had to backtrack and use my compass to find my secret spot. in short, i went into autopilot after setting up my shelter so i didn't get to document my fire prep
i did a log-cabin style with the biggest pieces on the bottom and the smallest up top.
my stash for the trip
first visitor.
i'm filipino so i gotta have spam! it was playing hard to get so i had to heat it up a little.
it's been awhile since i went camping (been too busy mountain biking all summer) so i accumulated a lot of gear that needs testing. this one is a jetboil pan.
there's definitely a huge hot spot in the middle of the pan and it's nowhere near non-stick - two thumbs down. i forgot to use the 3-prong pan attachment though so maybe with that and a little oil will solve the sticking issue...next time.
the same salamander checking out my stuff. this water container was an impulse buy from campmor on my way there. it would be nice if it came with a blue one as well that way red = unfiltered water, blue = okay for drinking.
the camp fire is small but man that boulder does a great job of reflecting all that heat!
got too hot i had to move to the opposite side where the wind was coming from to cool down a bit.
the bk-10 & bk-2 basking in the heat. the main goal of this overnight was to test these two against each other to begin with but i ended up using the lite machete 99% of the time...i underestimated how quickly it gets dark during the winter. no worries, i poured water in that spot before setting them down.
camping is not the same without a little maker's mark
what an awesome spot indeed. there's this rock where i can sit against and have my head rest on it too. it's right next to the fire and fits my back perfectly so i was staring at the moon.
i'm using the fire to cut the logs in half.
look at all that gear...yeah i know, i'm a gear whore. i use them though so i don't feel as bad.
i was expecting to see a lot of creatures and just listening to them but it was very quiet. oh well, a little stripper music and maker's mark next to the fire is just as entertaining
another new gear - black diamond lamp. the dimmer feature is nice and coverage is fine. i wish it came with a red bulb though.
bear bag. the black diamond came in handy because i just followed the light from it to get back to camp. if there's one guy that can get lost setting up a bear bag it'll be me
a little midnight snack.
more new gear - thermarest sleeping pad and rei pillow. holy moly, expect at least 15-20 min inflating that pad! bring an extra lung or two. i'm not sure if the decreased bulk is worth it over a regular foam pad. not to mention i had to make sure there's nothing underneath it that might puncture it.
next day. the 5'x7' tarp was enough to keep the leaves off of me although next time i think i'll bring the 10'x10' to cut down on the cold wind a little more.
new pillows. the bean-shaped pillow works well if i slept on my back but since i like to toss and turn the normal shaped one worked much better for me.
i was also testing how much boil time i can get from a jetboil-brand 230g fuel canister. i can't believe i bought this thing last january and it's still going strong! after this trip it has a total of 42 boils now. for ~$5, it's incredibly efficient and cheap.
what a difference a few days make. it's a lot browner now than a few days ago on my day hike here.
i didn't use up all my firewood so i can go back there for a day hike and test out the bk-10 against the bk-2. this time i'll budget my time better and not bring so much new gear to test.
i'll setup my a-frame spine directly in the middle of those two trees next time. the depression in the ground shows my shelter wasn't perfectly centered over me given the way the ground is sloped.
the kifaru definitely got pushed to it's capacity. the sleeping pad and bag are inside the pack too. my whole load out was just under 50 lbs (with just a liter of water)
one last shot before heading back to the real world...sigh.
the snow was gone so the terrain looked very different and i got lost a few times and had to backtrack and use my compass to find my secret spot. in short, i went into autopilot after setting up my shelter so i didn't get to document my fire prep
i did a log-cabin style with the biggest pieces on the bottom and the smallest up top.
my stash for the trip
first visitor.
i'm filipino so i gotta have spam! it was playing hard to get so i had to heat it up a little.
it's been awhile since i went camping (been too busy mountain biking all summer) so i accumulated a lot of gear that needs testing. this one is a jetboil pan.
there's definitely a huge hot spot in the middle of the pan and it's nowhere near non-stick - two thumbs down. i forgot to use the 3-prong pan attachment though so maybe with that and a little oil will solve the sticking issue...next time.
the same salamander checking out my stuff. this water container was an impulse buy from campmor on my way there. it would be nice if it came with a blue one as well that way red = unfiltered water, blue = okay for drinking.
the camp fire is small but man that boulder does a great job of reflecting all that heat!
got too hot i had to move to the opposite side where the wind was coming from to cool down a bit.
the bk-10 & bk-2 basking in the heat. the main goal of this overnight was to test these two against each other to begin with but i ended up using the lite machete 99% of the time...i underestimated how quickly it gets dark during the winter. no worries, i poured water in that spot before setting them down.
camping is not the same without a little maker's mark
what an awesome spot indeed. there's this rock where i can sit against and have my head rest on it too. it's right next to the fire and fits my back perfectly so i was staring at the moon.
i'm using the fire to cut the logs in half.
look at all that gear...yeah i know, i'm a gear whore. i use them though so i don't feel as bad.
i was expecting to see a lot of creatures and just listening to them but it was very quiet. oh well, a little stripper music and maker's mark next to the fire is just as entertaining
another new gear - black diamond lamp. the dimmer feature is nice and coverage is fine. i wish it came with a red bulb though.
bear bag. the black diamond came in handy because i just followed the light from it to get back to camp. if there's one guy that can get lost setting up a bear bag it'll be me
a little midnight snack.
more new gear - thermarest sleeping pad and rei pillow. holy moly, expect at least 15-20 min inflating that pad! bring an extra lung or two. i'm not sure if the decreased bulk is worth it over a regular foam pad. not to mention i had to make sure there's nothing underneath it that might puncture it.
next day. the 5'x7' tarp was enough to keep the leaves off of me although next time i think i'll bring the 10'x10' to cut down on the cold wind a little more.
new pillows. the bean-shaped pillow works well if i slept on my back but since i like to toss and turn the normal shaped one worked much better for me.
i was also testing how much boil time i can get from a jetboil-brand 230g fuel canister. i can't believe i bought this thing last january and it's still going strong! after this trip it has a total of 42 boils now. for ~$5, it's incredibly efficient and cheap.
what a difference a few days make. it's a lot browner now than a few days ago on my day hike here.
i didn't use up all my firewood so i can go back there for a day hike and test out the bk-10 against the bk-2. this time i'll budget my time better and not bring so much new gear to test.
i'll setup my a-frame spine directly in the middle of those two trees next time. the depression in the ground shows my shelter wasn't perfectly centered over me given the way the ground is sloped.
the kifaru definitely got pushed to it's capacity. the sleeping pad and bag are inside the pack too. my whole load out was just under 50 lbs (with just a liter of water)
one last shot before heading back to the real world...sigh.
, sounds more like a NJ thing to me
