Camping/Overlanding Thread

In prep for wanting a RTT, I Amazon'd a cheapo Coleman 6 person tent and some upgraded stakes. Wanted to see how the girls do before I drop a few grand on a RTT setup. First stop..backyard camping. My youngest enjoys wearing her bike helmet essentially 24/7....

Any tips on gear to pickup? We've got an air mattress, LED lanterns, and a jump box/inverter for charging electronics so already. I'm not a big outdoorsy guy per se so this is all new to me too.

Closest spot will be beach camping on Assateague Island, MD...eventually traveling elsewhere if they like it permanently.

 

So I like using a cheap roll of Astro turf infront of the tent as a shoe staging area, helps keep dirt out of the tent. Any little 2 burner propane camping stove will do fine, I got a tree adapter so I can run it off a bigger propane tank. Solar shower bags are nice if you get super dirty.
Also propane fire pits are nice to have, especially with all the fire bans usually in effect.

 

A decent camp stove. I had one similar to this. It's heavy but really durable and versatile.

 

That's awesome! One thing I would say, don't let the ground tent experience spook you off of a good hard top RTT. I hate ground tents, but I absolutely adore my RTT. It's not even comparable, honestly. Buy a quality one when you are ready, and you'll never regret it.

An air mattress is a smart move. I've also heard really good things about Exped sleeping mats. https://www.exped.com/en/products/sleeping-mats I've not used them, but have a brother that swears by them. Basically an air mattress with foam in it that makes it self inflate to about 80% just by opening a valve. The foam gives a little more support so they can be thinner, too.

As for gear I would recommend, check out a Rumpl blanket. https://www.rumpl.com/ They are not cheap, but they are made with recycled materials and are freakin' amazing. Last weekend I spent a couple nights in my RTT with temps getting right around or a couple degrees below 40° F. I slept on top of my bag with nothing but the Rumpl covering me, and it was glorious. The tent was cold, so it kept the pillow cold too, but I was toasty warm under the blanket. If you are on expertvoice https://www.expertvoice.com/ I am pretty sure they do a solid (huge) discount, and Rumpl might even do one for LEOs.

 

So I have the backpacking exped matress(lighter weight) but I bet the foam one is nice. Sea2summit also makes one similar that I’ve tested in the store and it was AMAZING!!! REI used to be a good place to test stuff like that out if your near one, not sure how it is now.
But exped had a amazing customer service, mine ripped 2 ribs, so I had to send it in for inspection/replacement; they offered to send me a loaner pad if I had any trips planned!!!! How cool is that?! They sent me a brand new model pad and a blow up pillow when it was all said and done!
Do the rumple blankskins come in different sizes? I’ve seen you rave about them before

 

Helmets on when dad is in charge!

Planning on taking my almost 4y/o this fall for the first time. Hoping he likes it.

thanks for the reminder. I’ll pack his helmet to wear around the camp site

 

There are at least 2 sizes of rumpl blankets. I have the single and I know there's at least a double.

 

This was also an essential piece of gear when rough camping. In some campgrounds too.

 

Pffft. Glamper.

 

I'm on board. But try telling that to a couple of kids not far removed from potty training.

 

Appreciate all the responses! Definitely will look into all of the suggestions. I may not be outdoorsy but I'm not deterred by it all...just too busy to get a chance to do stuff outside.

The girls requested Kung Fu Panda 3 so I caved and brought the laptop out...we are 50ft from the house so nothing an extension cord couldn't solve lol. Our 8 week old boy ended up coming to hangout for a bit. They're only 3 and 2 respectively so anything to keep them contained.

Baby steps with the luxuries lol...

 

Keep up the good work, they will be to tired to watch that stuff when they have been playing in the dirt all day in the woods.

 

Family and I just moved up to Grass Valley. Love it up here. Walk outside to deer in my front yard and being within a few minutes of countless trails. I'm getting to finish out my tundra build up here. Like your setup.

 

I had a thought that I should have mentioned earlier. The Perseids meteor shower is peaking right now. If you're in a low light area it's like a fireworks show without the explosions. Even if you have some light pollution there will be shooting stars. We took our kids at a slightly later age than yours to OBX for it. My oldest now 36 still makes the trip every year. You might have to rouse them at 3 or 4, but do it. Changes your whole perspective on the night sky vs screens.

 

I have that same shovel/axe combo on my camper van. Nice choice

 

Thanks man! It’s a great jump off point for adventure. I’m often gone to sea, or camping in the mountains. But maybe you’ll see me in town at some point. Track me down if you do!

 

1'st time out this year.

 

Maiden tow voyage for the new GMC.

This is around Brian Head / Duck Creek, UT. Summit is 9910ft, camped at about 8700ft. Took the BIL's pontoon boat out on Navajo Lake and caught about 40 fish (brook, rainbow, and splake) between the 6 of us (myself and my 5-year-old daughter are not pictured).

New rig tows great. In a few years we'll upgrade to a larger camper. =]

 

Looks good. I’m noticing more and more that a good majority of the trucks pulling travel trailers in the campgrounds are all HD trucks. A good mixture of all 3 of the domestics. I rarity see a Tundra pulling kn a campground.,

 

Granted, not some huge TT but here's a Tundra in a campground.

 

If Toyota had a 3/4 or 1 ton truck I would never have purchased a domestic.

My trailer is technically towable by a Tundra, but it's sketchy in these high mountains with steep ascents and descents. This feels much more stable and safe.

 

Same. Only reason we buy Chevy 6.0 motors is Tundra doesn’t make one…

 

funky

 

The perfect combination!

 

And the perfect color!

 

Let's not get carried away here

 

I have the single also works well enough for me

 

I’ve been eye balling them, are they worth it?

 

only used at the ice rink wearing shorts so far but keeps my legs toasty