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Airplane Camping

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Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:31 pm

Airplane Camping

I think I am in for the JC trip this year and am trying to figure out what to take.
What do you guys take for gear and food?
I am really wondering about food, can you count on a fire grate for cooking on?
Can we fall timber on the approach end for firewood? :shock:
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:21 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Match Light Charcoal makes a great fire starter.
If you have enough, you won't need to cut wood.
A large enamelware coffee pot will easily boil water over a fire.
You can even cook things like corn on the cob or boiled potatoes in it.
I have used it to cook pork ribs in boiling water for a couple of hours until tender, then put them on the grill will sauce.
Rice dishes are always easy. Cook a little protein and add it in, along with spices.

Jim
Last edited by jamesm417 on Tue Jun 29, 2010 12:50 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 4:58 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Dang, you guys live the life of luxury!!! My camping usually consists of good ol' MRE's!!! They are a delicousy compared to my beginning days of C-rats!!
I've stayed several weeks in the "woods" and survived on them. :)
WW
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 6:06 am

Re: Airplane Camping

We prepare and pre-cook a lot of our food and pack it a soft-sided cooler as it makes fitting it in the plane easier. We also cary a small camp stove and a couple of backpacking type aluminumn pans. Chirozo dogs are easy and only a stick is needed to warm them; we get the pre-cooked versions and bring buns and mustard. Lunch is just sandwiches and potato or macaroni salad and breakfast is any thing from oat meal to bacon, egss, hashbrowns or left-over lunch. Simple, quick and easy with minimal clean-up (paper plates, plastic utensils, etc). Cliff Bars are a great between meal snack and energy boost.
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:49 am

Re: Airplane Camping

J. Creek is the Ritz Carlton of airplane camping.

Hot ( usually ) showers.
Toilets
Water
Electricity at the showers
Single telephone ( remember prepaid phone card)
Can get ice and food from Yellow Pine (van(s) available from keepers)
Several campsites w/ fire grates, but don't depend on getting one
There normally is a huge wood pile of split wood available.

They REALLY don't like you putting a tent down on the runway edge grass for a lot of days. It is an ongoing battle to keep grass on the strip and tents make it tough. You also will get wet every time the sprinklers are moved to your side of the strip.

I spoke w/ Idaho Airport Div. and found the new "keepers" are Paul and Beverly Sunderlin. As much as I will miss Gene I hope he has his feet up sipping a cool one and not having to put up with a bunch of propeller heads.

TD
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 12:04 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

there is a small backpacker stove that uses unleaded gas (why not 100LL) then all you need is can foods and a spoon. I also pack like a backpacker, use what you have I have a cushion to see over the panel in my 108-1 I use it as a pillow. fishing pants that have the legs that come off have more option than bring shorts and pants.
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 7:18 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

Small Tail,

Enjoy! My son and I camped there three days and nights in mid June 2008. One night we got an 8 inch snow. We lived like kings. Picked wild mushrooms which grow there in abundance. Fried them up with eggs and bacon for dinner. I always carry a lot of dried packaged foods with rice or pasta. Just add water boil and dine. We use an MSR backpacking stove ....burning fuel right out of the airplane works fine. That little stove has followed me on a 15,000 mile flying/camping trip around our nations borders in 2003. 22 nights of camping and eating good. It never fails to work and carry the fuel in the aircraft tanks.

Went for a long hike while snowed in at Johnson Creek...saw a brown bear, mother moose and calf.....cougar tracks. Hiked up the mountain and bathed in the warm water bath tub during a heavy snow fall. Nothing like being nude in a warm tub on a mountain side while the snow falls around you.

Borrow a van for a night in Yellow Pine for a fine steak dinner. We took the left over meat back with us. Next day mixed it into a wonderful omelet with veggies and fried potatoes. Yummy. I gained 5 pounds in 12 days of backcounty flying and camping in Idaho and Montana last summer. Food never tasted so good. Carry my old perculator coffee maker...drank gallons of strong Starbucks French roast. My son managed to finish off two fifths of Captain Morgan's spice rum in 12 days! Delightful!

Plenty of split firewood at the campsite. Had a roaring campfine every night and stirred it up each morning to fight off the chill and melt the snow. Must be the nicest place in the country to fly/camp. Although Sheafer Meadow in Montana ran a close second. We had the place to ourselve in Montana. Never had another overnight camper at Johnson Creek during the three days there.

Bob
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Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:24 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

z3skybolt wrote:Small Tail,

Enjoy! My son and I camped there three days and nights in mid June 2008. One night we got an 8 inch snow. We lived like kings. Picked wild mushrooms which grow there in abundance. Fried them up with eggs and bacon for dinner. I always carry a lot of dried packaged foods with rice or pasta. Just add water boil and dine. We use an MSR backpacking stove ....burning fuel right out of the airplane works fine. That little stove has followed me on a 15,000 mile flying/camping trip around our nations borders in 2003. 22 nights of camping and eating good. It never fails to work and carry the fuel in the aircraft tanks.

Went for a long hike while snowed in at Johnson Creek...saw a brown bear, mother moose and calf.....cougar tracks. Hiked up the mountain and bathed in the warm water bath tub during a heavy snow fall. Nothing like being nude in a warm tub on a mountain side while the snow falls around you.

Borrow a van for a night in Yellow Pine for a fine steak dinner. We took the left over meat back with us. Next day mixed it into a wonderful omelet with veggies and fried potatoes. Yummy. I gained 5 pounds in 12 days of backcounty flying and camping in Idaho and Montana last summer. Food never tasted so good. Carry my old perculator coffee maker...drank gallons of strong Starbucks French roast. My son managed to finish off two fifths of Captain Morgan's spice rum in 12 days! Delightful!

Plenty of split firewood at the campsite. Had a roaring campfine every night and stirred it up each morning to fight off the chill and melt the snow. Must be the nicest place in the country to fly/camp. Although Sheafer Meadow in Montana ran a close second. We had the place to ourselve in Montana. Never had another overnight camper at Johnson Creek during the three days there.

Bob


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Sat Jun 13, 2009 9:23 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

Dude

It's unlimited what you can take!! The cool thing is they have a freezer with frozen water
jugs to keep your food cold. If you like fly fishing it is way cool!!!! Lookin for a beer hauler,
if your up to it give me a call. Going to JC first part of July. The brewery is Cambell brewery
airstrip in Montana. Ph#(503) 510-2149.
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Sun Jun 14, 2009 12:01 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Tw flyer wrote:Dude

It's unlimited what you can take!! The cool thing is they have a freezer with frozen water
jugs to keep your food cold. If you like fly fishing it is way cool!!!! Lookin for a beer hauler,
if your up to it give me a call. Going to JC first part of July. The brewery is Cambell brewery
airstrip in Montana. Ph#(503) 510-2149.



Haha, this brewery thing caught my attention, as far as I am concerned it is more important to have beer in camp than cook stoves, matches, or sleeping bags.
I will be at JC the last weekend in June and would have room to pack you in some beer. I don't know the ropes around there but if nothing else I could stash it in the creek where you could pick it up when you arrived.
I am not sure what you mean by "the brewery is Cambell brewery airstrip in Montana".
Sounds like you are dealing in bulk and I should stick around for an extra week. =P~
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Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:21 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Small Tail Caddy wrote:
Tw flyer wrote:I am not sure what you mean by "the brewery is Cambell brewery airstrip in Montana".
Sounds like you are dealing in bulk and I should stick around for an extra week. =P~


http://langcreekbrewery.com/
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Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:05 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Small Tail

Yes it is Lang Creek Brewery, located on Cambell airsprip in Montana. About 200 miles north of JC. You need a decent sized bird with a little bit of extra airspeed to make it in a short day. Just as well pickup some brew in McCall a short
hop away from JC.

Take care
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Sun Jun 14, 2009 8:39 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Breakfast I drink coffee from my Jet Boil from Alaska Bush Wheel. Then fly out for food.

Lunch Peanut butter sandwich. Bag of baked chips.

For dinner I like my industrial hot dog stick. I put cut up chicken in a freezer bag in marinade. At cook time put it on the stick over the camp fire and eat right off the stick with me fingers. Some potato salad done.

Snacks fresh fruit. Diet pop, and COFFEE.

Living with diabetes.

Rob
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Fri Jun 19, 2009 4:54 am

Re: Airplane Camping

Bump. There are lots more great ideas out there to share.........
Come on, guys........this is the campin' season.

I have a 1/4'' x ~30" x ~22'' Aluminum diamond plate that is a campfire grill (diamonds down! duh). Very versatile, too much for a couple guys, but great for 5+ people. You can really put out the food! If I had to start over I would go for 3/8" thickness for more even heat distribution. I got mine as leftover scrap 30+ yrs ago and it works too well to start over and pay the difference.

Pancakes, eggs, bacon, burgers, hashbrowns, hot sandwiches, the list goes on. Coffee pot or hot water on a corner.
It takes practice to feed the fire as needed with lots of small dry sticks after you start with a good bed of coals.

It travels to and from campsite, and is stored, in a heavy duty contractors trash bag. Otherwise grease and black 'trail'.
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Wed Jun 30, 2010 7:44 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

BUMP. Summertime and time for camping and sharing camping ideas/tips/hints/recipes/whatever........

JC ought to have those juices flowing.

I know there is a lot more out there to be 'shared'.....

Come on guys.......and gals......

lc
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 1:46 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

I was really missing my little rollup aluminum camp table that I never take with me because it's a bit heavy and it's always the first thing to get jettisoned. I really missed it while cooking in the grass, and kicking my coffee over more than once.

Image
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:00 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

1SeventyZ wrote:I was really missing my little rollup aluminum camp table that I never take with me because it's a bit heavy and it's always the first thing to get jettisoned. I really missed it while cooking in the grass, and kicking my coffee over more than once.

Image

Z..where did you get your little table?..I can use it outside of airplane camping. I've been looking for something like that.
HC
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 2:59 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

Seeing how well those tables worked at JC got me thinking about picking one up too, is this the one you have Z? This one weighs 8 lbs, doesn't seem horrible.

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/p/,990 ... minum.html
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:31 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

This is what I've settled on:

A little wood-burning stove called a "Bushbuddy". It'll boil a quart of water with just a handful of chips or pinecones. I like it because there's no moving parts to break, no fuel to carry, spill, or run out of. It does make the pots sooty, though.

It nests inside a Snow Peak titanium .9 liter pot, which in turn fits inside a 1.4 liter titanium pot, like those Russian Matryoshka dolls. The frying pans are used mostly as lids and plates because I tend to burn things in them, but sometimes I fry up mushrooms or whatever successfully. I use ghee (clarified butter) because it keeps without refrigeration and burns at a higher temp than butter or oil.

Waxed paper between each 'Matryoshka doll' layer controls the soot and rattling, and then becomes tinder.

All that and a spork or two totals two pounds. Both the stove and the titanium pots are expensive, but if I'd just bought them in the first place instead of all the others I've tried and discarded over the years, I'd have come out way ahead.

Image

For food, pop bottles full of instant brown rice and couscous are light and waterproof, and they'll make a meal out of almost anything you can forage. And my wife usually sends me off with "bear poo", which is plops of some mixture of peanut butter, honey, cocoa, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and I don't know what else. It tastes good and it's calorie-dense, and doesn't require cooking or refrigeration or clean-up or packaging other than waxed paper.

I sleep in a hammock with a nice down bag, total weight 7 pounds. No ground pad required, no worries about finding smooth, level ground. A sil-nylon rain fly above it gives me a big dry area underneath for storing gear, cooking, etc.

Image

Made a very light .22 with a folding stock that's fun, fits behind the seat or in a backpack, and would keep you in squirrels if necessary. Here where it's legal, I screw a suppressor on it and can plink away without disturbing anyone.

Image

For winter, I swap the hammock for an Egyptian cotton tent and a titanium woodstove. Weighs considerably more, of course, but it's as warm as our living room.

Image
Last edited by Oblio13 on Thu Jul 01, 2010 10:18 pm, edited 6 times in total.
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Thu Jul 01, 2010 3:37 pm

Re: Airplane Camping

A northface tent with a foam pad to sleep on,

Jerkey,

Water

If your in the real backcounty a gun and a few cans to shoot at.
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