What Is The One Thing From 2022...

Here's a question. What is the ONE thing you bought in 2022 that will now travel with you consistently? What impressed you about it?

Second bonus question, what do you have that you will not take with you next year? What did you find you didn't really need after all?

----

Especially in the spring and fall, campfires are just a necessity. Not only do they bring warmth, but they add that "je ne sais quoi" that makes camping, camping.

I am finding that State Parks are disallowing wood to be brought in, forcing campers to buy often substandard, wet, and difficult-to-burn wood from their vendor (I hate being forced to buy substandard! - I digress). We purchased a solo stove Ranger model to improve the burn efficiency and decrease the smoke.

The stoves hold in a lot more heat inside, meaning the wood burns more thoroughly than an open fire - even if it is slightly damp. Once it's hot, it is also more or less smokeless. Mostly -- I find that damp wood still burns better. 1 dry bundle intermixed with a damper one will burn pretty much normally. I think too, we use less wood. 2-3 bundles gets through an evening -- I think we would use 3-4 in an open firepit.

The only downside is it does take a lot of space, though it is hollow/empty, and could theoretically be used to transport things you don't mind getting a little dirty, such as a collapsing hose, hatchet, or string lights and extension cords.

What I'll leave home? The larger cast iron skillet. The old #10 by itself does the job nicely, and the larger size just didn't get used much. Fajitas fixin's can still be done in the #10 but perhaps in smaller batches. It isn't worth the extra weight.

 

I'm in the "campfire not required" camp. I tend be that person who no matter where they sit around the campfire, the smoke follows, and I prefer to not smell like a chimney for the duration of the outing.
This time of year a campfire would certainly be more enjoyable, but I don't understand the campfires going sometimes all day long during the middle of the summer when the daytime temps may be in the 90's and in the evening doesn't drop below 70. If I were going to regularly have a campfire however, the Solo stove does appear to be a nice way to go. With it's nearly smokeless burning, it seems like it would probably nearly put to and end the smoke following issue. It would be nice to see a version made, that was more collapsible, where maybe the outer cylinder is flat when stored and rolled into a cylinder with clasps to hold it in shape, with the rings, and ash pan laying flat between cylinder layers.

I find that what's considered essential to be packed or not depends on who will be in attendance on the camp outing. There is considerable difference when I camp at AirVenture at Oshkosh by myself vs what is packed for an outing where we both will be in attendance.

 

Solo would definitely be your friend. I too am the local smoke eater.

Solo really does a great job with the secondary burn, eliminating the smoke. Agree too -- a campfire at 85 degrees is pretty much worthless....But from April-May and Sept-Novebmer they are indispensable.

 

As I understand it, a large part of the prohibition on transporting wood is limiting the transfer of insects/pests/etc. from one area to another. I'm pretty sure no one wants "murder hornets" or whatever brought to their area.

 

Here I go, highjacking my own thread.

That's what I've been told too.

I am fully on board with stopping pests. In 1991 I drove through the black hills -- 5 years ago the mountains were bald. I am fine with discouraging transport of firewood. Tragic.

But there's a right way, and a wrong way to do it.

The right way would be to incentivize people to purchase locally -- by selling for a better price AND ensuring the quality is good.

A few weeks ago, I was camping at a park on the Ohio River, yet the park was selling firewood trucked in from 125 miles away. Last weekend I bought substandard firewood for a premium price -- It sizzled put on the fire. It also was not "local" wood. It also was not completely debarked.

This hasn't been uncommon in my state. I have seen it in most parks through the system not only this year but for the past decade or more.

Perhaps the USDA stamp can kill bugs, as do state lines. I don't know, I"m not an Ent...ento...enta...bug expert

The wrong way is to rule with an iron fist and demand you buy from them. Especially when the shower houses are run down, the showers don't have shower heads, the faucets drip, the sinks are dirty, and the guard shacks and officers are newly remodeled with new F150's parked outside with DNR logos on the side.

I did some research last week (long before I thought of this thread) and found a firewood wholesaler who sold bundles of firewood for about $3 a bundle. The park is selling for $7 . $6 is doubling their money.

I just want good firewood at a fair price and a good product. I hate the "Rules for thee, not for me" mindset when combined with the "Its overpriced trash...and you'll like it....we insist"

The best way is to do both --- The rules says you can't transport firewood here, BUT here's a high-quality and affordable option.

Its the second half that is missing.

BTW back to the topic. What gadget did you get this summer that proved indispensable? What will you leave home next year?

 

Gadget got last winter, now leaving behind on next trip:
Roadshower 7. Great for what it does but makes my TV a bit too top heavy and rolly.

If it was mounted on Necedah installed Yakima rails on the CI with a Bundawn on the other side- thats the bomb.

Solo I can get by with whores bath from tin pot, like backpacking, or a stop in a rv park with shower which Dear Wife likes much better!

 

I only purchased one gadget this year: A Lion Energy ME solar generator. At 3000 watt hours and a 4000 watt surge it can run the AC overnight. The 24 volt system can recharge in about 4 hours with a 600 watt solar array or 2 hours plugin. The base unit (1000 watt hours) can run most everything except the AC for a typical 3 day weekend so that’s what I carry in cool weather with no 110 power. The converters are built in: two 110, Two USB, 12 volt anderson, 12 volt cigarette. I also use it as part of my safe room kit. With the CI I can feed the 12v directly in through a cigarette port, bypassing the built in battery, which acts as a backup.

 

We really like our shower toga. It’s revolutionized bathing/showering in camp.

 

Now that’s the more difficult consideration. My current use is as a home charger for power loss. The solar consists of six 100w24volt panels s. The carry cases are really nice but take a bit of space, totaling 21x25x16 inches for all six. For travel I plan to use a 2200w generator that I carry anyway. Everything is a sub-optimization.

 

Wow this actually seems really handy?

 

True --- the camp stores are often vendors and not actually ran by these DNR. But, I HAVE been to parks in Idniana (Salimonie near Marion Indiana) where the DNR was selling their own fallen timber as firewood. Frankly, it was the best firewood I got bought at a park in a LONG time.

This was back in 2018 --- they probably have succumbed to the ease of $3 wholesale bundles with no need to run a splitter....

 

I assume you need both the battery and the expansion to run AC overnight? I've looked at these....definitely something I've given some thought too. Not only for camping, to keep my freezer and internet running in the event of a power outage...which we, fortunately, do not have many of.

 

I use a Biolight FirePit for campfires. It has a rechargeable battery powered fan to make it burn hotter. I like it but think the solo stoves are probably better in the long run. The nice thing about it it it packs up fairly small and I keep it in a plastic storage box in the back of my pickup truck when traveling. If you keep the fan on low or medium the battery will keep a charge for several (5+) nights. If the fire wood is damp and I need to keep the fan on high or max then the battery will only last a couple of nights. The biggest issue is sometimes the wood they sell is too long to fit in the fire box. The metal mesh sides do rust and I have tried to never leave it out if it starts to rain but it still rusts. I will clean it with a wire brush this winter and paint it with black stove paint. I never leave the battery/fan pack with the firebox so I do not worry about theft because it would be pretty much worthless without the fan.

I bought a merino wool blanket this year and I will always bring it on trips. Soft (unlike the wool blankets the Navy gave me) and warm for my wife to wrap up in on cool nights and we use it over our blankets or sleeping bags when temperatures drop.

I quit carrying a long extension cord and a long hose. Carried both for years but I have always been able to park close enough to the source so I have I never used them.

 

I almost bought a biolite. A buddy had one on a trip a couple years ago---2019--- and it did a great job with damp wood. I would have bought one, but was concerned over longevity --- the reviews were pretty hard on the rust that it seems you are experiencing. Over winter storage, you may want to try Fluid Film -- its classified as non-toxic. I believe based on lanolin from sheep...

Hoses! Good topic! I stopped carrying them as well, except for the collapsing hoses. They shrink WAY down from their full size.

 

Yes, you would need both. After 8 hours I was down to 28%. The units have been tested with numerous AC units and they recommend a max output of 5000BTU, just right for the CI. My typical daily AC use is about 4 hours which seems enough for heat stress relief and falling asleep. I wake up and turn the AC off and open a window at night.

 

This was my new thing this year: HARIO(ハリオ) EMSG-2B Coffee Grinder, W59×D53×H332mm, black (black 19-3911tcx) https://a.co/d/9mjH7Gc A coffee grinder that can grind with a charge…or if you’ve been boon docking and it’s no longer charged, you can grind manually. And it’s small-ish.

what I’ll be leaving behind…many of the dishes and utensils I didn’t use.

 

We bought a Kingcamp Folding Table. It’s well made and has adjustable legs for height adjustment. It is available in various sizes.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09NDLTC3C?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

Keeping our Hasika awning for the galley & our Kelty Noah’s Tarp to put over the camper. Before we took off for Necedah this summer, we got rid of lots of things we weren’t using. Most of it was in the galley. Our daughter is on her own now and not camping with us so some of it was stuff we had for when she was there.

 

I think we talked about this. I settled on this one about the same time. Its purely manual and has stood up very to my somewhat abusive coffee habit I think I'll be upgrading --- the manual grind process is probably OK for the average drinker --- but I'm an IT guy and am looking for ways to take my coffee by IV.