Great Thread Mike..

The 185 is amazing for camping.. My experience is that if it will fit in the bed of a pick-up, it will fit in the 185...and still have room for 3 people(Assuming you have extended baggage). You will be able to take just about everything you took on your car camping adventures..

My must haves....

1. Jet Boil.... The jetboil is hasle free and will have your coffee ready for you in the morning faster than anything else. (Or more importantly your wife's coffee) I watch all these other guys fussing with aluminum windshields, pumping up fuel cans, filling fuel cans, balancing expensive titanium pots on top of miniature stoves, etc while I am sipping on my hot coffee.. The Jetboil is great for mountain house too.. I have a separate cook stove & grill for cooking.. http://www.jetboil.com/Products/Flash-C ... em-Carbon/

2. Action Packer rubbermaid containers.. I like because they close up tight and fit thru the baggage door... Or float locker door. I imagine that if you lock them up with a carabeaner they will slow a bear down. I put all that cooking and camping junk in them and leave them in the hangar/garage for a quick getaway. http://www.amazon.com/Rubbermaid-1170-A ... B00002N9F9

3. Kijaro folding chairs. We just picked up these chairs this year and they are awesome! Way more comfortable than any other fold-up chair. The locking mechanics makes all the difference. The bad part is they are big and heavy... But you have a 185! http://kijaro.com/products/chairs/dual-lock/

4. Hammock.. We use this in Idaho camping.. Not so good in AK due to the type of trees there. The wife loves it for lounging around while I am off hiking and other things.. I like it because it has a simple cord system for wrapping it around a tree. Sometimes I wish the cord was a bit longer. If I were more motivated, I would just go buy some cord, but haven't got around to it. http://www.rei.com/product/783003/byer- ... er-hammock.

5. Smoky Joe.. We use it on every trip... Way better than trying to cook over a fire, and I use it when it is too wet or too dry for a real fire. Unfortunately it does not fit in the baggage door or the float locker..
http://www.weber.com/grills/series/smokey-joe

6. Folding Aluminum Table.. These things are not all made equal.. I have been thru 2 or 3. I have this one and wish it were larger and sturdier. http://www.rei.com/product/765280/rei-camp-roll-table. The plastic things that slide up and down the legs seem to break easy.

When it breaks, I will be going with one like this.. http://www.rei.com/product/868762/alps- ... pecial-buy

Hope to see you all out in the woods soon!

Scott

I forgot about this... The wife wants one of these...

Anyone ever use one of these instant hot water heaters for camp shower?

http://www.hotcampshowers.com/zodi_prop ... er_heaters

If I was a lone wolf bachelor I'd prob still be using my 1.5" Thermarest. Having a wife/girlfriend though... Priorities shift.

A Rubbermaid Action Packer wouldn't even begin to slow down any bear, if there is food or food residue in it, trust me. They are strong and very persistent.

If you're carrying food into bear country, keep it in real "bear proof" containers, like this: http://www.rei.com/product/709075/count ... t-bear-keg

MTV

Zzz wrote:
These are the sleeping pads I and the Mrs will be using this season:

http://www.exped.com/usa/en/product-cat ... mat-10-lxw

Best sleeping pads I have ever used!

I had an exped and really liked it. Had a built pump that I thought was pretty cool. Think I spent around $150 for it. Last couple times I used it, it started loosin air. \ I think they are great quality, but here in the SW where everything has a sticker on it and is trying to get in your foot or air mattress it seems like a loosing battle to get something to hold air. Sooner or later it id gonna go flat. I don't want any more mattresses that you have to put air into.

Now I want a good foam pad, that even if it gets a goat head or two in it wont go flat in the middle of the night. Haven't found one that I really like yet. If anyone has experience/suggestions I would like to hear em.
Thanks Gary

Hsivany wrote:I forgot about this... The wife wants one of these...

Anyone ever use one of these instant hot water heaters for camp shower?

http://www.hotcampshowers.com/zodi_prop ... er_heaters

Yes. Ours works as advertised.

gbflyer wrote:

Hsivany wrote:I forgot about this... The wife wants one of these...

Anyone ever use one of these instant hot water heaters for camp shower?

http://www.hotcampshowers.com/zodi_prop ... er_heaters

Yes. Ours works as advertised.

Mine too. I really like it. Very civilized!

I'd be very grateful if if someone could make me a amazon/rei wish list of everything needed for him and her in a 172, for the person who really has no or limited camping experience, but I'm starting to piece together a list.

Cary wrote:Adding to my list in the other thread, I just bought this hanging chair a few weeks ago, so I haven't had a chance to use it yet: http://www.eaglesnestoutfittersinc.com/ ... -black.jpg

But I did try it out in the hangar, hanging it from a wing tie-down. It sits pretty low, but by adjusting the straps, I have my rump maybe 4" off the ground--and it's comfortable enough that I almost fell asleep!

I also have added a lightweight tarp with the necessary hardware and poles to create a nice shade ahead of one wing. I often sit under the wing, and this way, there's more shade and so more room for visitors. I haven't tried it out yet, either, but summer is almost here!

Cary

I got to try out my ENO lounger at La Garita--had to shorten the straps some more to keep from poking my butt on the Claw tie down, but once that was done--oh the comfort!

The tarp might work in a no-wind or very light breeze situation, but it didn't work at La Garita--way too much wind. I was trying to set it up with the windsock sticking straight out. So that's still a maybe.

Cary