One advantage a tricycle gear plane has over a tailwheel: Bring a table cloth with you, throw it over one side of the horizontal stabilizer and you have a nice table!

Tent -big enough for several folks -I have Coleman ,6 place that I can stand up in 8x10 floor . Dual thickness airbed with little air blower (run off 12volt battery ) sleeping bag ,extra bottles of propane for 2 burner stove ,several pans from kitchen at home ,lots of "deet" . extra clothes including several sweat shirt/pants combo , el cheapo tarp to put under tent floor ,Candles (I like canned ones that drive off bugs)
rain protector ,guns and ammo ,fishing gear ,food for 5-7 days ,breakfast bars ,I pack all this in back of extended baggage of 182 (about 70 lbs) add a couple of folding chairs ,folding 4 ' table and your set. Water bag/shower about 5 gallon size for drinking and cleaning . Case of water or beer > beef jerkey ,spam and ???. Totals out about 100lbs. Put in backpacks and cooler .

Well I guess it would depend on WHERE you plan to go airplane camping. We don't wilderness camp in Georgia.
For fly-ins/air shows where we camp we found the following items make our lives much better. Most will not fit in a back back...

- Eureka Sunrise 9x9 done tent
- 5 gallon collapsible water bottle
- 30 qt collapsible ice chest (beer/ice)
- Air mattress! And DC pump
- Solar panel for light charging (cell phones, etc)
- Small aluminum camp table (Coleman is excellent and comes with 2 folding stools)
- 1/4" x 50 nylon rope (clothes line, etc)
- 10x10 tarp

Of course, there is lots more that fits in the Maule. If you like I can email you a copy of our camp gear check list so you can pick and choose what best fits your needs.

RanchPilot wrote:I'd like to compile a list of the essential gear that folks take on airplane camping trips that they may not be able to take on a backpack trip. I'm looking for a list of those few magical additions that will allow me, as an airplane camper, to openly taunt my still-earthbound backpacking buddies[/u].

I was a raft guide in a past life, and your recommendations make me realize that many of the best gear tips for airplane camping are strikingly similar to what I pack for multi-day raft trips (with the exception of the generator!).

--tent or good rainfly
--large all purpose tarp
--mosquito netting and spray
--citronella camp candle (I have found these to be indispensable)
--lantern
--parachute cord or cam straps
--Thermalounger (used as both chair and sleeping pad)
--roll up table
--2 burner Coleman (or single burner pump stove if going light)
--collapsible cooler
--dry ice, if needed for extended refrigeration
--pocket hammock (depending on proximity of trees)
--collapsible water bag
--coffee press or percolator pot
--water filter
--backpack griddle (less than $20 at Walmart, and a great addition to any trip)
--camp chair (optional, as Thermalounger works fine)
--cot (still a question mark for me, so I may borrow one before I buy)
--guns and ammo--as essential as they are self explanatory
--beverages--as essential as they are self explanatory
--decent first aid kit
--hatchet
--fishing gear
--duct tape
--aluminum foil
--solar shower (if trip lasts more than 4 days)

I like the dutch oven tip. I've eaten a lot of meals out of them over the years, but always discounted their usefulness a little due to the weight penalty.

The one other luxury I always take on raft trips, which I wouldn't consider on a backpack, is a set of horseshoes and stakes. I have yet to find a better excuse to stand around and drink beer!

More than anything, I'm looking forward to lots and lots of opportunities for trial and error in my quest to find the right airplane camping setup. "Field research." Yeah, that's it. I need to fly to (fill in the blank) again this weekend to conduct some more "field research."

I think I've asked this question before in another thread. Maybe not. I had a Coleman propane canister start leaking while in flight. We were at about 11500 when we noticed the smell. I made a precautionary landing at Quincy and dug it out of there and let the Mooney air out. Anybody here ever had that happen? Kinda spooky.

About two years ago I gave up the cot and went with a bedroll manufactured by David Ellis Canvas Products based in Durango, Colorado.

These bed rolls are great, simply slide your sleeping bag inside and they will provide comfort and warmth second to none. In the warm weather, simply unzip them or put your sleeping bag on top and your good. Check them out at the following link http://cowboycamp.net/bedrolls.html

Emory Bored wrote:I think I've asked this question before in another thread. Maybe not. I had a Coleman propane canister start leaking while in flight. We were at about 11500 when we noticed the smell. I made a precautionary landing at Quincy and dug it out of there and let the Mooney air out. Anybody here ever had that happen? Kinda spooky.

I tried to hook one into a lantern one time and it somehow punctured the seal in a way that wouldn't flow into the lantern. I stood there and watched my full, and only, fuel bottle sputter away into the atmosphere, despite my best efforts to stop it. Ever since then, I have run all my stoves and lanterns on white gas instead of those little green bombs! I decided that adding my own pressure one plunger stroke at a time is a small price to pay for not having to use (or transport) a pre-pressurized vessel.

RanchPilot wrote:

Emory Bored wrote:I think I've asked this question before in another thread. Maybe not. I had a Coleman propane canister start leaking while in flight. We were at about 11500 when we noticed the smell. I made a precautionary landing at Quincy and dug it out of there and let the Mooney air out. Anybody here ever had that happen? Kinda spooky.

I tried to hook one into a lantern one time and it somehow punctured the seal in a way that wouldn't flow into the lantern. I stood there and watched my full, and only, fuel bottle sputter away into the atmosphere, despite my best efforts to stop it. Ever since then, I have run all my stoves and lanterns on white gas instead of those little green bombs! I decided that adding my own pressure one plunger stroke at a time is a small price to pay for not having to use (or transport) a pre-pressurized vessel.

Will that white gas stuff run on 100LL? I know it runs on 91 Mogas.

DBI wrote:About two years ago I gave up the cot and went with a bedroll manufactured by David Ellis Canvas Products based in Durango, Colorado.

These bed rolls are great, simply slide your sleeping bag inside and they will provide comfort and warmth second to none. In the warm weather, simply unzip them or put your sleeping bag on top and your good. Check them out at the following link http://cowboycamp.net/bedrolls.html

Those look like great set-ups and would work with a thermarest and light down bag too (for space/weight savings). I've been looking for something really durable to try that with and the zippered cavalry model would work great for that.

check your PM I sent... I sent it before I checked this thread so if you want transfer it to here.. It's too long to do over... Rob and I have camped side by side several times both at JC and Austin... Generator isn't a problem at all... We both go with what many here would consider luxury camping but after many years we've learned the best and lightest equipment to get. And I don't have 235 HP... I have 210HP and before I got this Maule I did it in a 150 HP tripacer.....My stuff usualy totals 150 to 175 lbs...but it fills the back to the ceiling...

I'm sure you guys know I was jackin with Rob about the generator, right?

Anyway........ I'll just stroll on over to the corner for a short time out.

by the way if you are packing and planning for JC they have horseshoes and a horseshoe pit....I noticed the horseshoes on the list above..is why I mentioned it...and I sleep on a cot... found one that weighs less than 10 lbs and folds in half to go against the side of the plane behind my seat for travel..never been cold cause I have a wiggy's sleeping bag...

gbflyer wrote:I'd really like to see your backpacking list if you wouldn't mind sharing. The tales of my family are legendary when it comes to over-packing. My mother once included a full chest of drawers on a weekend excursion to Lake Powell when I was a lad.

Honestly I have no idea how to pack light, and it is genetic. Any tips greatly appreciated.

gb

gb u have a C206 U don't have to go light don't think I have ever hauled a chester drawer but have hauled just about everything else u can think of.

a hand full of U shaped fence staples and 100ft of parachute cord

58Skylane wrote:I'm sure you guys know I was jackin with Rob about the generator, right?

The Honda's and Yamaha's are so quiet I have yet to run into anyone who has a problem.
Its great at night you got the party music on, a light to mix drinks by, morning hot plate to make coffee and breakfast. I have a 6 plug strip and buddies charge their phones etc. If a battery in a plane needs a charge we can do that too.

I have been standing in a group a 7 AM when a 180/185 takes off at max noise setting. No one is smiling at that moment. At JC you don't need max noise TO. I know it sounds cool inside the plane.

Good day

OregonMaule wrote:I have been standing in a group a 7 AM when a 180/185 takes off at max noise setting. No one is smiling at that moment. At JC you don't need max noise TO. I know it sounds cool inside the plane.

And we all love it when a firetruck goes by with the sirens blaring on their way to the donut shop...
Or to aid the fellow who stubbed their toe

I'm sure it sounded cool inside the truck....

OT sorry. I used to camp with some folks at Columbia, CA and stay up late laughing a carrying on. We had great fun until all hours. One year, a guy got up at 5:00AM and started making low passes up and down the (grass) runway in his Chief. He was singing out the window at the top of his lungs too. Payback.

I thought it was funny and later had a cup of coffee with the guy but some of my group thought he was rude. It's all a matter of perspective I guess.

Emory Bored wrote:OT sorry. I used to camp with some folks at Columbia, CA and stay up late laughing a carrying on. We had great fun until all hours. One year, a guy got up at 5:00AM and started making low passes up and down the (grass) runway in his Chief. He was singing out the window at the top of his lungs too. Payback.

I thought it was funny and later had a cup of coffee with the guy but some of my group thought he was rude. It's all a matter of perspective I guess.

I was staying at a 3 star hotel in New York one year for a race. Well, my room was right in the middle of a bunch of other people there for a wedding reception. They were up till the whee hours of the morning partying and making loud noises while I'm trying to sleep and get up around 5am. Around 5:30am on my way out of the hotel wing I was staying in, I pulled the Fire Alarm and ran like hell. Got into the rental car with my crew and hauled ass outa there!!

58Skylane wrote:I was staying at a 3 star hotel in New York one year for a race. Well, my room was right in the middle of a bunch of other people there for a wedding reception. They were up till the whee hours of the morning partying and making loud noises while I'm trying to sleep and get up around 5am. Around 5:30am on my way out of the hotel wing I was staying in, I pulled the Fire Alarm and ran like hell. Got into the rental car with my crew and hauled ass outa there!!

If they were in the rooms around you, make note of the room numbers and start calling them after they go to sleep
That's what I do, and there are no sirens to annoy the innocent.

Back on subject, I forgot to mention that a chain saw is always with me when I travel to the backcountry. Darn handy.

OregonMaule wrote:
I have been standing in a group a 7 AM when a 180/185 takes off at max noise setting. No one is smiling at that moment. At JC you don't need max noise TO. I know it sounds cool inside the plane.

Good day

That noise is music, but if you could here it inside the plane like you can outside, you would here a lot less of it.

Beer. That's pretty much all the essentials......

MTV