Unusual camping accessories...

H

Happy Joe

Joined
Jan 9, 2005
Messages
218
I just finished setting up a 5 watt solar charger for my tent light (13 watt spiral flourescent in a globe fixture powered by an inverter on a 12 v 7.5 AH gelcell), and was wondering if there are other unusual things that people take camping.
The tent light and this tent are used for extended Jeep camping, (a 65lb tent is just a trifle heavy for backpacking). I grew disgusted with the glare from coleman lanterns and decided that I need a more civilised light in the tent. I used the flourescent because I haven't been able to find an LED light source with a color that I like.
Enjoy!
 
I like to take a wok with me when I camp with the family. It's excellent for cooking just about anything. Especially good for bacon because you can push the finished bacon up the side and let the grease drain back into the bottom.

If you do it right, you can attach it to your pack and look like one of those Ninja Turtles while you walk through the woods.
 
A wok - now that's a great idea! It would probably work good in a campfire also!
Thanks
Ted
 
Hello, Happy Joe.

You lose a lot of efficiency everytime you turn electricity from sort to another (DC to AC). Your inverter is squandaring all kinds of scarce juice.

Instead of going from 12v DC to 120v AC, I just try to work with the 12 volts I have stored in my battery. For light, I plugged one of those 10(?) Watt, brake-lamp type of trouble lights into my storage batt. For an expensive solution, you could use one of those 12volt DC flourescents, I suppose.

That 10 Watt bulb makes way more light than I need, too. Maybe I need to find a 5W one.

CHEERS

----------------
And "yes", frying pans should be re-discovered for camping. A frying pan full of fried potatoes and steak (and ketchup)keeps me going all day!
 
I agree that the inverter is inefficient. However, the equivalent light of a 60 or 70 watt bulb thats easy on the eyes is worth it IMO. The battery gives me 4-5 hours of continous light (more than enough unless we play cards untill the wee hours)If I need more runtime I throw another gelcell battery at it. I would like to get the equivalent light using LEDs (much more efficient) however mixing and matching the colors to get a comfortable spectrum is just too much trouble. I have tried variously; coleman lantens, aladin lamps, flat wick lamps and lanterns, candles, LED replacement "bulbs" straight 12 v flourescent tubes, 12v incandesent bulbs and gaslights. So far the best quality of light with the best battery life (least hassel) is the spiral flourescent in a globe fixture. For some reason all of the mantle type lights generate glare that is quite bothersome and wick type sources are too dim (25 watt equivalent, or less).

Another strange thing, I bring a 3'x4' or 2'x'3' piece of carpet to use as a doormat (keeps the tent much cleaner)
Went out and got some sponges, I'll keep them with my canvas bucket & fold up canvas washbasin.
Enjoy!
 
Ted Voorde said:
A wok - now that's a great idea! It would probably work good in a campfire also!
Thanks
Ted
Click to expand...

I use my wok with coals only, but that's because mine has wooden handles. I'm too lazy to replace them with something made of metal before the original handles break. When that happens, I'm going to have a friend weld the new handles on.

I like my woks. The only time I have a problem with them is when my wife decides to use an SOS pad (or something similar) on them! :mad: Grrrrrrr!
 
They make 12v bulbs that are regular size... use them in boats all the time.

They dont last real long, but they are fairly bright. Dont know if this helps with the 12v bulb situation...

I'm going to slice up an old trouble light and put some aligator clips on the end to latch onto car batteries... :cool:
 
45-70 said:
What kind (make) of wok are you using?
Click to expand...
I'm not sure. Two that I have were passed down to me after my dad died. They aren't anything spectacular, probably made of steel too thin to pass the scrutiny of the true Wok Snobs. I'm sure they didn't cost much, or my dad wouldn't have bought two.

I have a Cast Iron one that I got for Christmas. It came from Dick's Sporting Goods. It's nice and heavy and could not possibly be worth the effort of packing it down a long trail. It's definately going in the truck when I take the family camping! I already have visions of eggs frying in that wonderfully bad for you bacon grease! I can almost feel my arteries getting blocked!

Who is that feller K Lester All anyway?
 
Thin steel is precisely the point of woks. You get a range of temps as you go up the sides, from being as hot in the bottom as you want.
 
randjack said:
Thin steel is precisely the point of woks. You get a range of temps as you go up the sides, from being as hot in the bottom as you want.
Click to expand...

From the stuff that I've read and seen on TV, the perfect wok has a thick center (bottom) and is evenly tapered towards the edges. Of course they have to be hand hammered and come with an extremely high price tag.

I on the other hand, have the cheaper one made with same guage steel throughout, and I'm really happy with them. The only wok I haven't been happy with was an electric one that I had. I never did get the temps right on that one.
 
WayneH said:
I use my wok with coals only, but that's because mine has wooden handles. I'm too lazy to replace them with something made of metal before the original handles break. When that happens, I'm going to have a friend weld the new handles on.

I like my woks. The only time I have a problem with them is when my wife decides to use an SOS pad (or something similar) on them! :mad: Grrrrrrr!
Click to expand...

On GOOD EATS, host Alton Brown was demonstrating how to prepare a stir-fried dish on his wok while out on the beach.

Afterwards, for clean up, he heated up the wok to the point where it started smoking. He then poured in hot water from a kettle, swirled the water around the wok, and pitched the water away. The wok was clean at that point.

I tried this technique at home to see if it worked. It seemed to work fine. It really loosens up any gunk stuck to the wok.

Just be careful where you throw the water away.
 
m_calingo said:
On GOOD EATS, host Alton Brown was demonstrating how to prepare a stir-fried dish on his wok while out on the beach.

Afterwards, for clean up, he heated up the wok to the point where it started smoking. He then poured in hot water from a kettle, swirled the water around the wok, and pitched the water away. The wok was clean at that point.

I tried this technique at home to see if it worked. It seemed to work fine. It really loosens up any gunk stuck to the wok.

Just be careful where you throw the water away.
Click to expand...

Yeah this works best if you do it immediately after cooking. After cleaning it like this, I heat it back up and put a thin coat of oil over mine. It helps prevent rust. I never use soap or scrub pads on my wok.
 
How big of a wok are you using?

I've seen some that are 20 inches or so across...

Do they boil water well? :D
 
Hotrod said:
How big of a wok are you using?

I've seen some that are 20 inches or so across...

Do they boil water well? :D
Click to expand...

They boil water great. They hold the volume of a decent sized pot and the bottom surface area of a skillet. The only reason I don't use a wok to boil water for drinking is because it's hard to pour from the wok to another container. I'm sure lot of people can do it, but I guess i get impatient and try to pour too fast. They tend not to dump over like a pot does though. Just set it down in some loose soil, or what I usually do is roll up a wet towel and make a ring out of it. Then set the wok on the ring.

Steaming vegies is easy in a wok. Just push the vegies up on the side and fill the bottom with water. Then cover with a lid or foil. They make a rack that fits inside for steaming, but I've never used it.
 
Here's an unusual accessory:

My father-in-law always takes a golf-ball-retriever (the extendable pole with the grapper at the end) with him when he camps or hikes--he swears that it is too handy to leave behind.

Allen.
 
allenC said:
Here's an unusual accessory:

My father-in-law always takes a golf-ball-retriever (the extendable pole with the grapper at the end) with him when he camps or hikes--he swears that it is too handy to leave behind.

Allen.
Click to expand...

About as far in that direction as I've gone is screwing a 1.5" diameter cup hook into the end of my walking staff. It's great for snagging bear bags if you use the balance method for bear bags. (Good for snaggin' persnickity Scouts by the ear as well. :p )
 
the metal has alot to do with the wok but it is really the design. i have no clue why this affects it but i know it does in some way. also we all now that the asians have been around for a much longer period of time. the wok has been around for a very, very long time. it has withstood the test of time and is a regular in chinese kichens all over the world!
 
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