BORELLI CONSULTING: Recreational Equipment Reviews

Fall Camping Season Preparation
22 October 2007

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As fall has finally arrived in the Mid-Atlantic area, and since I've got a weekend camping trip planned, it seemed the ideal time to go through my equipment to assess what was serviceable and what needed to be replaced. As I dug into my camping gear I realized that there is much I have some folks may not have or know about, and other stuff that all you readers might have or know about that I've never heard of. So, as I type today's review, discussing how to go about inventorying and checking your camping gear, I invite you readers to send me feedback to tell me what I've missed, forgotten, unnecessarily included, etc.

First thing you have to know is whether you are driving or walking / hiking to your campsite. It makes a huge difference in what supplies you can have. If you're walking / hiking then you need to get out your pack and check it over. Look at the stitching in all seams and double check the stitching where your shoulder straps meet the pack body at the top and bottom. The last thing you need is a heavy pack that you can only carry on one shoulder. Next, check your zippers. If they're nylon / plastic then they should move freely without lubrication. If they're metal (it's a really old pack) then you need to put a drop or two on the teeth just below the manipulator... then run it up and down a few times to spread out the lubricant. Be sure to wipe off any excess so that it doesn't stain any clothing or clean materials inside the pack.

Next, check your shelter material. If you're driving then bigger tents make for more comfortable camping. Set the tent up and inspect it. Look at the support poles, especially if they are fiber glass shock-corded poles. These tend to crack with use and time. The metal attachment ends sometimes come unglued and the shock cord can break. If the poles are cracked you need to replace them. If the metal attachments are lose a couple drops of super glue or hot glue will usually fix the problem pretty quick. If the shock cord is broken you can find new lengths online or at certain hardware stores. Just like you did with your pack, check all the tent seams and look for frays or seperated areas. These can usually be taped and stitched back together. Since most of today's tents are made out of nylon I recommend BOTH taping and stitching. Stitching alone tends to create potential tears in the fabric - and trust me, it will seperate on you at the absolute worst time. Check the zippers. Make sure they work smoothly. Look at the micro-mesh netting and check out any stand alone material that you have (room dividers, rainflys, etc.). Small holes can usually be taped over with a couple small squares of duct tape. One piece on each side should square it away.

If you're carrying all your gear on your back it usually means a much smaller shelter such as a pup tent, tarp or poncho. These materials must also be checked to insure that they're in serviceable condition. For directions on how to set up a tarp or poncho as an emergency shelter, check out this article. Check that you have the right number of stakes and that your cords aren't overly frayed. Even paracrod / 550 cord frays and wears out. If you're using a pup tent inspect just as was described above for larger tents.

Inside of your shelter you're going to need to keep warm - or cool depending on the season. Since we're discussing fall, let's focus on warm. Your sleeping back needs to be checked out as well. First, it should be clean - and that doesn't mean you washed it months ago and then stuck it inside a sealed plastic bag in your garage or attic since then. It needs to be opened up and aired out. If it has synthetic fill then it shouldn't be stored compressed anyway. My preferred sleeping bag (at the moment) is the SnugPak B32 which

is rated down to 32 Degrees Ferenheit (and if it's colder than that at night I don't consider camping "fun"). It stuffs into a sack that is about sixteen inches long and eight inches around. You can read a review about it by following this link.

With your method of transportation, shelter and sleeping bag taken care of, your next concerns are going to be food and water. No food you've had stored in your pantry more than 30 to 60 days - depending on packaging and storage methods - is any good. If you're driving to your campsite then you have tons of options in food because you can bring a cooler along. If you're carrying everything on your back then you want to have a planned and set menu primarily consisting of dehydrated and/or powdered foods. In either event, you want to have an emergency nutrition source available. Whether you like protein bars, trail mix, etc you need to have a day or two supply of "emergency rations". I have a preference for Hoo-Ah Bars. I know, from past experience, that one of them will fill me for six to eight hours. Two per day can maintain me. So, four to six of them - which don't weigh much or take a lot of space - is two to three days worth of emergency rations. I prefer the Apple Cinnamon ones to the Chocolate Crisp, but trust me: if I was hungry enough, that Chocolate Crisp one would taste like a banquet at the Ritz.

With food taken care of water is your next - and probably biggest - concern. Fresh water weighs about 7 pounds per gallon. Many emergency managers say that you need one gallon per day to survive. That's for drinking, cleaning and food preparation. Under true emergency conditions I'll limit how much cleaning I do to bare necessity. If it's that kind of emergency then I won't need water to prepare food either. I'll be eating those Hoo-Ah Bars listed just above. But if you're driving up to your campsite then weight isn't an issue and having more fresh water than you need is a good thing. 5-gallon collapsible water jugs with handles can be had cheap at many outlet stores. Get some. If you're filling the bed of your truck to go camping and you're not sure there will be a fresh water source, take plenty. On the last camping trip I took with my wife we filled six so that we had 30 gallons for the weekend. Extreme? Maybe. But it didn't cost us anything and it's better to have more than you need than not enough.

If you're packing I would recommend that you plan a way to carry at least one gallon at a time. Most hiking trails - laid out by state or federal park services - have fresh water supplies marked on maps so you can plan your route and refill accordingly. There are an abundance of hydration systems available today that will carry approximately 3 liters of water, and at any surplus store you can find 2-quart collapsible canteens that are easily attached to your pack. Yes, I know I just mixed metric and imperial, but get over it. That's how they're listed, so that's how I include them.

With all of the above taken care of you'll only have to insure your ability to do two other things: build a fire (for cooking and heat) and see your way around camp. Light is easy if you're driving. Once again, we see a market flooded with options for lanterns, flashlights, etc. Propane-fueled lanterns are available as well as duel-fuel lanterns such as the one shown to the left here. Such lanterns put off a great deal of light and just one can provide plenty of light for an entire camp. Two or three is even better and if you're driving carrying such numbers isn't a problem. However, if you're packing then these lanterns are out of the question. There are candle lanterns made that are smaller (about 6" long and 2" in diameter) that you can get reflectors for. These small candle lanterns put out an acceptable amount of light - recognizing that the reduced light is a trade off for the reduced weight. Extra candles are recommended if this is going to be your sole source of light at night. After all, the hours of darkness are longer during the fall and winter months. You'll burn your lantern more.

That brings us to the fire. Unless you're a highly skilled lifelong Boy Scout, TAKE MATCHES. The white head strike anywhere matches are my preference but they can be hard to find these days. So, get some sturdy wooden matches and put them in a ziploc bag. If you're driving, cheat. Throw a cup of lantern fuel or other flammable material onto your woodpile (be safe of course) before lighting it. If you're packing, then I'd suggest a bundle of cotton balls with vaseline rubbed into them as fire starter. Use your knife or hatchet (last items on this list) to shave and chip small pieces of tinder that you can pile around your starter material. Pile it on three sides to leave room for air flow.

A good knife is mandatory, as is a sharp hatchet. If you're packing, carrying one sturdy and well maintained knife is a better way to go. Of course, there are companies out there (Gerber comes to mind) that make camp cutting packs that include saws, hatchets and knives in fairly compact carry systems. At a bare minimum, you need to make sure that you have a good knife capable of handling all cutting and chopping chores you might require of it. Such a knife doesn't have to be a Rambo-esque 16" monster with fake saw teeth, a hollow handle and a custom tooled leather sheath. Most knives with a 5 to 6 inch blade and a polymer sheath will work just fine. Stick to proven manufacturers rather than buying the $10 "survival knife" you find at the hardware store clearance aisle.

Of course, there's a ton of stuff not covered here. These are the BASICS. Travel, shelter, food, water, heat, light, tool. The bottom line is that, before you go betting your life and/or comfort on any of what you THINK is ready, you should actually take the time to inspect it and maintain it accordingly.

BE SAFE!

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Don't forget to check out our Tactical Equipment Review revisiting the outstanding performance of Revision Eyewear.

This week's Training Article discussing administrative preparation for the AS/IR evolution that is mandatory.

For a listing of all reviews in chronological order, GO HERE.

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