I've backpacked, although I'm a long way from any kind of expert at it. So when I started airplane camping, I used my backpacking equipment at first, including my little tiny tent and my minimalist sleeping pad and my backpacking stove. Well, all but the stove got old, fast. So over the last several years, I've changed to "comfort camping".

I have a Big Agnes Big House 4 tent with a vestibule. I use a Rollacot (I have 2 of them if a buddy accompanies), which is fairly lightweight and very comfortable. I have a thick Thermarest on it, and depending on where I go and the time of year, either a holofill sleeping bag or a down sleeping bag. I have tried several battery lights, and I've found the Black Diamond Orbit and Apollo to be as good as any--long battery life, plenty of illumination, and small and sturdy--a little pricey, though. I have 2 aluminum tables, a small one for inside the tent and a larger one for outside--they both roll up compactly. I have a coffee grinder, a 6 cup percolator, and a cappuccino maker. I carry either 1 or 2 bag chairs. I have a variety of coolers to choose from, all relatively smallish in size. I have carried 1 or 2 Dahon folding bicycles.

I still use my backpacking stoves, though, as two of them are as reliable and useful as a larger 2-burner stove, and they fold up more compactly. Both will run on avgas if necessary, although I prefer to use Coleman fuel.

Last year for the first time, I brought my Portable Buddy tent heater to Marble, and that will be part of my colder weather equipment for the future. While everyone else was cold in their tents, I was comfy--I shut it off and just ran the pilot during the night, and relit it in the morning to take the chill off.

When I camp "alone", my Golden Retriever is with me, and she also has her bed and other accouterments.

Caveat--when you look too comfortable, you can expect a lot of kidding. It's a small price to pay, though.

Cary

PS, all that's in my P172D.

I think any further posts on the subject should START with: I fly a Maule, I fly a back pack powered parachute, etc! It has been fun though to read the previous posts, and before the writer tells what he flys, to guess.....the Maule guys are easy to guess, they got it all!

For us guys flying the smaller birds, feeling smug with our fuel burn, it is enlightening, and frustrating, to see the amount of gear you guys in the larger birds can carry, and still think you are roughing it! Good on ya....I am still overjoyed with what I can carry now in my S-7, compared to going XC in my previous ultralights years ago, bivy sack and sleeping bag with pad, that was IT, no coffee maker or chairs/tables/generator etc.

I have had an idea for years now: I want an airplane that has slideouts, like the RV's all have nowadays, so once you land you extend the slideouts and move in. I'll start on a prototype as soon as cetain center of gravity and strutural matters are addressed

Don't feel too bad CG, in addition to all our stuff, those of us with room to spare don't mind hauling enough beer for the rest of you. We usually have enough extra breakfast and dinner to make sure the neighbors are well fed, too. Come on over and say hello.

Blackrock
O-540 Bearhawk

listen guys, I'm 66 years old and I love my Maule and I love camping and fly fishing... but when it comes to "roughing it" forget it... I have my tent an a cot and my wiggy's bag and a shit load of cooking and camping "luxuries", so to speak...I enjoy being comfortable in the mountains,/desert or wherever I'm camping...If I have a gas powered margarita maker or generator or any other extravagent luxury along with me so much the better... experience has shown that there's no shortage of "roughing it guys" who gather in my camp site to share in the"luxuries" i've brought...So if you have flown in and are sleeping on the cold ground under your wing with a tarp over your sleeping bag ,"in case it rains", then don't complain or scoff at me in my 12 x 14 foot tent with the 7 foot inside height. But then I'll still offer you a hot coffee in the morning or a good single malt "taste" in the evening beside my fire before I crawl into my nice warm dry tent and Sleeping bag... Then I'll sit on my cot and pull on my pants in the morning and stroll out to my Maule for a days flying and or fly fishing with a hot cup of coffee or chocolate while you're debating whether or not to exit your sleeping bag/tarp to brave the cold . So many years camping at JC have shown me how to have a great camping experience with as little discomforts as possible...

iceman wrote:listen guys, I'm 66 years old and I love my Maule and I love camping and fly fishing... but when it comes to "roughing it" forget it... I have my tent an a cot and my wiggy's bag and a shit load of cooking and camping "luxuries", so to speak...I enjoy being comfortable in the mountains,/desert or wherever I'm camping...If I have a gas powered margarita maker or generator or any other extravagent luxury along with me so much the better... experience has shown that there's no shortage of "roughing it guys" who gather in my camp site to share in the"luxuries" i've brought...So if you have flown in and are sleeping on the cold ground under your wing with a tarp over your sleeping bag ,"in case it rains", then don't complain or scoff at me in my 12 x 14 foot tent with the 7 foot inside height. But then I'll still offer you a hot coffee in the morning or a good single malt "taste" in the evening beside my fire before I crawl into my nice warm dry tent and Sleeping bag... Then I'll sit on my cot and pull on my pants in the morning and stroll out to my Maule for a days flying and or fly fishing with a hot cup of coffee or chocolate while you're debating whether or not to exit your sleeping bag/tarp to brave the cold . So many years camping at JC have shown me how to have a great camping experience with as little discomforts as possible...

And.... after UtahMaule flew into my place last summer, I think you guys have the best of both worlds: great STOL ops and enough room for necessities like a magarita maker. I just bought a new coffee percolater, and agonized over 1 cup or 2, and finally sprung for the huge 4 cup pot and feel damn lucky to have that.

One of my highpoints of last years JC was getting a tour of Rob's compound, it took a while..... one drawback is I think he needs to apply for a building permit with the local authorites every time he sets up camp

this has been a great thread so far... enjoy it immensely... I did JC alone last summer missing the fly in cause I felt it was too early in the summer for my fly fishing... streams were raging until a couple weeks after that...which is why I waited...but I missed the fun of the fly in...looking at JC today I don't see as much snow as last year so maybe the runoff won't be as long or severe..

courierguy wrote:

iceman wrote:listen guys, I'm 66 years old and I love my Maule and I love camping and fly fishing... but when it comes to "roughing it" forget it... I have my tent an a cot and my wiggy's bag and a shit load of cooking and camping "luxuries", so to speak...I enjoy being comfortable in the mountains,/desert or wherever I'm camping...If I have a gas powered margarita maker or generator or any other extravagent luxury along with me so much the better... experience has shown that there's no shortage of "roughing it guys" who gather in my camp site to share in the"luxuries" i've brought...So if you have flown in and are sleeping on the cold ground under your wing with a tarp over your sleeping bag ,"in case it rains", then don't complain or scoff at me in my 12 x 14 foot tent with the 7 foot inside height. But then I'll still offer you a hot coffee in the morning or a good single malt "taste" in the evening beside my fire before I crawl into my nice warm dry tent and Sleeping bag... Then I'll sit on my cot and pull on my pants in the morning and stroll out to my Maule for a days flying and or fly fishing with a hot cup of coffee or chocolate while you're debating whether or not to exit your sleeping bag/tarp to brave the cold . So many years camping at JC have shown me how to have a great camping experience with as little discomforts as possible...

And.... after UtahMaule flew into my place last summer, I think you guys have the best of both worlds: great STOL ops and enough room for necessities like a magarita maker. I just bought a new coffee percolater, and agonized over 1 cup or 2, and finally sprung for the huge 4 cup pot and feel damn lucky to have that.

One of highpoints of last years JC was getting a tour of Rob's compound, it took a while..... one drawback is I think he needs to apply for a building permit with the local authorites every time he sets up camp

see that's the start of everything... You went for the bigger coffee maker... it doesn't stop there. Next thing you'll be looking at the bigger cooler and then the bigger tent an then you'll run out of room in the plane and you'll start looking for a bigger plane to carry all your shit. remember I started with a tripacer and then I needed more room and HP to carry all my stuff so I found the maule.

SkyTruck wrote:

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....

Good point! I would alway dial the seiren back unless I really needed it. But I know what you mean. My boy says if it's to loud your to old.
Cheers

"see that's the start of everything... You went for the bigger coffee maker... it doesn't stop there. Next thing you'll be looking at the bigger cooler and then the bigger tent an then you'll run out of room in the plane and you'll start looking for a bigger plane to carry all your shit. remember I started with a tripacer and then I needed more room and HP to carry all my stuff so I found the maule."

I've always lusted afor a Cessna Caravan !

Just came to mind. A buddy of mine carries a cordless Sawzall with extra batteries sometimes. Makes collecting small pieces of firewood very effortless sometimes. Even better if you have a generator to recharge the batteries

I wanna folding camp chair that won't double my gear weight. I've found light ones that are too spendy, and cheaper ones that weigh 9-10#. Is there an opinion out there as to what kind to look for?
Thanks (I hope)

Nimpo, I've put lots and lots of miles on my Thermalounger. Sleeping pad and very comfortable chair, all in one. When I was backpacking, it WAS the comfortable camp chair. Then I had some babies,and we started car camping out of necessity, and I got used to sitting up off the ground and having a drink holder (or two drink holders, when I got fancy). In reality, if you don't mind sitting a little lower, the Thermalounger is still pretty tough to beat. Great sleeping pad, with no weight penalty for also having a really comfortable camping chair.

That said, I just broke down and paid too much money for the Alps reclining, foot rest, camp chair.
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=alps+chair&hl=en&prmd=imvns&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&ion=1&biw=1066&bih=594&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=6721008627330732695&sa=X&ei=ec9BT7n7DIbg2QW-ppSWCA&ved=0CHQQ8wIwBw

Heavy (10 pounds) and expensive--and I'm still going to bring my 20 year old Thermalounger to sleep on!

(PS--I justified my purchase by reasoning that I could use the foot rest as a small camp table of sorts and, if I use the drink holder on this chair enthusiastically enough, it should actually double as a pretty good cot.)

[deleted]

RanchPilot wrote:

58Skylane wrote:Just came to mind. A buddy of mine carries a cordless Skillsaw with extra batteries sometimes. Makes collecting small pieces of firewood very effortless sometimes. Even better if you have a generator to recharge the batteries

Great tip, 58S. I would modify it only slightly, by carrying a cordless Sawzall instead of a skill saw. For essentially the same weight, you get much deeper depth of cut, extra blades are easy to bring and replace, and you can carry both metal and wood blades with little weight penalty (never know when one might have to make a "field repair" to the plane). I consider the cordless Sawzall to be the duct tape of power tools.

My bad

I did mean to say "Sawzall". I'll go back and edit that post

"If you CAN'T hump it -You don't need it" .U.S. Army Ranger School 1966---Graduate with Tab

I got a ride in this flying camper once, it was about like a UPS van inside. Room enough for a bed across the rear, a small kitchen, kind of like the old VW van campers. This puts a whole different spin on things, as no tent etc. etc. would be required.... belated warning:thread drift!http://www.airliners.net/photo/1479465/

This is it's larger relative, now we're talking large motorhome size!http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson_Global_Explorer

A few years back there was an LSA contender that was being marketed called the Eco-flyer. I would have seriously thought of building one but unfortunately the designer crashed and the design was buried along with him. I personally thought it had a lot of promise.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ils0QezjRL8
I could see where to guy not paying attention may overload it.

You Maule guys could probably fit an entire Swiss room in your planes...

http://manneli.com/movies/tech/Swiss-RoomBox.html

I'm pretty sure the sales lady would cost extra. A lot extra.

(reminds me of the old Willie Nelson joke about not getting married again, instead just finding a woman he didn't like and giving her a house)

I don't even want to begin to fathom the model price since the box itself (the one that goes in the car) is a mere $8,230:

http://strayoutdoors.com/price-announce ... rmy-knives

Yikes!

260Driver wrote:I don't even want to begin to fathom the model price since the box itself (the one that goes in the car) is a mere $8,230:

http://strayoutdoors.com/price-announce ... rmy-knives

Yikes!

That puts both models well out of my league...