Camping Gear!

[BikerG]

Some new gear that has been added to the assortment lately. Some of it is pretty cool and some of it is just plain silly:

1. Katabatic Gear Pinon Bivy. This is a great bivy/bugshelter that in the tall size (for up to folks 6 feet 6 inches tall) weighs less than 8 ounces. Coupled with a lightweight tarp and some titanium stakes you end up with a stormproof and bug proof 1-person shelter that weighs just over a pound.
2. Mayfly Ultralight Equipment Imago Sandals. These sandals are certainly very light and compact and seem to be fine for being around camp. I'd want to put on normal shoes if I went for a walk though.
3. Flextail Gear Portable Air Pump. This is a tiny battery powered pump that is perfect for inflating or deflating an air mattress. Interestingly, it weighs less than the inflation bag that comes with my Big Agnes air mattress. Rechargeable via USB-C and has a useless little camp light in it as well.
4. Knog Quokka Run LED Headlamp. This is my new go-to headlamp. Rechargeable via USB.

How do you like the Pinion Bivy? I have a couple of UL tarps I use with my hammock so this might work.

My latest headlamp is the NEBO RED. It’s their red light only lamp, tiny, and USB rechargeable. I have their green light only version as well.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

How do you like the Pinion Bivy? I have a couple of UL tarps I use with my hammock so this might work.

The Pinion Bivy works just fine. There are attachment points for cords (I used some thin stretchy cord and a small hook) that let you hang it from your tarp ridgeline. I don't stake the bivy out.

This bug shelter from Oware in Spokane also is a good choice:

Bivysack Hot Weather

Lots of ventilation, yet inexpensively keep the bugs out. Full top of noseeum netting, bottom of UNCOATED 1.1 ounce ripstop nylon for maximum airflow. Flip it over for extra protection from wind and weather. The DWR finish and calandaring of the ripstop nylon has a Hydrostatic Head that resists...

bivysack.com

I use this bivy for colder and less buggy weather:

Bivysack Drawcord Closure

A great bivy for use with an ultralight tarp. Keep the bugs out, wind off and resists snow and spray. Very water repellent and breathable top with 1.1 oz. silicone impregnated waterproof 30d ripstop nylon on the bottom,Black Noseeum netting over the face. Seams are rolled but not taped. Drawcord...

bivysack.com

One of the huge advantages of tarp camping is that you can change your configuration for different trips.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

My latest headlamp is the NEBO RED. It’s their red light only lamp, tiny, and USB rechargeable. I have their green light only version as well.

The Knog didn't work out. So I'm back with the Black Diamond Spot 400. In practice if you use 3 AAA lithium batteries in it you'll need to change batteries maybe once a year.

 

[BikerG]

As far as headlamps go, I need a single button/switch only headlamp. My fingertips over the years have gone a little numb so I can’t sometimes feel what I’m pressing. And another criteria is the headlamp needs to turn on to low red or low green, initially, and no cycling through the different modes. It needs to be very simple.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

Yeah, a lot of headlamps are very complicated to operate.

 

[Mr. Coffee]

The utensil configuration:

Left to Right:

• Cheap kitchen paring knife for cutting food. I think it was $10 at Safeway. The same knife is about $11 on Amazon.
• Light My Fire Spork. This is an awful little spork but gives me a decent fork to eat salad and spear meatballs. The spoon is also helpful for scooping food out of a nonstick pot without damaging it.
• Big Wall Spoon. I got this from A5 Equipment about forty years ago. It is an awesome long-handled stainless steel spoon with a decent can opener on the end. There isn't really an equivalent to this available today.

Ooops! Wrong thread.