Camping?

[Nate]

Anyone? Any other outdoor enthusiasts?

[JMG]

Er yes... Sometimes...

[Nate]

Hey, you still doing the vegetarian thing?

[HotShot53]

Hmm... we have a trailer up the pocono mountains that we visit like once a year or so... is that close enough? (It has no anything up there... no electricity, no water, no telephone, no nothing ;))

[jtucker]

i love to camp just not all the time

[JoeC]

Outdoors is where it's at. Great for getting alone and getting your head cleared of all this world's trash.

[BroTrevor]

cleared of all this world's trash.

taking this literally for a moment. Don't you all hate that just about the time you think you're so deep in the woods, no man has ever been before, you look down and see a beer can.

It makes me so mad.

Me and the boys just went camping the other night. See here (http://zionsdad.blogspot.com) for pictures.

I cleaned up a yard sale of camping stuff one time. 2 coleman camp stoves, metal dishes, pots, pans... etc. I just need a good latern or two.

[Nate]

The more I do it, the more I'm becoming a fan of ultralight camping. If I can go out and have fun for a few days with less than 10 pounds of gear, I'm a happy camper.

[BroTrevor]

A good buddy of mine is really into that.

Lightweight everything... Sounds kinda expensive to me, but if I were made of more money, and had the time, I'd probably be into it too.

[Nate]

Really, the only expensive things that are lightweight are the cooking gear and possibly the sleeping bag. Everything else is about the same.

For the most part, it just involves taking less. Do you really need three flashlights? Three pairs of clothes? A tent big enough for four people, when a bivy works just fine for you? A behemoth stove, and a giant water filter? Four water bottles?

You can usually trim that stuff down to a photon light, and a small but powerful flashlight, the clothes on your back, a few changes of underwear, depending on how long you're going to be out, jacket, hat, y'know, layers, a bivy, lightweight sleeping bag, and if it's going to be really cold out, you can get sleeping bag cover or liner for added warmth.
Cookwear, like pots and pans can get a little pricy if you go for the ultralight stuff, but that's wholey optional. You can easily make your own stoves that are fueled with alchohol. They usually have the same weight as the lighter stoves on the market. Or, you can really rough it, and just cook over a fire. For water filters, well, do what you gotta do. Risking the plague for an extra pound saved probably isn't worth it. For water, just carry a few water bladders. When you empty them, they take up no room whatsoever.

Just a few thoughts.

[BroTrevor]

over the fire cooking....

oh yeah...

Good stuff.

[JoeC]

Nate, you're making me homesick for the wilderness. I need to go back to the Grand Canyon. Or maybe the woods up north, but then you've got all those bugs... grrr.

[Nate]

Nate, you're making me homesick for the wilderness. I need to go back to the Grand Canyon. Or maybe the woods up north, but then you've got all those bugs... grrr.

bugspray = awesome