Camping Accessories

[Toad-O-Line]

Usually twice a year I get together with some friends and do some "Car Camping" at a provincial park. I'm wondering if any Terbites have had experience with some of the accessories that go with camping:

1. Coolers. I use the typical cooler that needs to have ice applied to it every day (I hate having to go get ice & also having my food floating in a couple of inches of water once it melts). I was checking out the coolers that run off of your car/truck battery. Has anyone had any experience with these coolers? If so, here are my questions:

* How effective are they?
* Are they similar to an actual fridge?
* Do you need to keep them plugged in all day/night?
* How much power does it drain from the truck battery? (Do you have to start up the truck every couple of hours to re-charge the battery?)
* Was it worth your time to purchase the cooler or do you think that I would be better off with a regular cooler?

2. Air Matresses. Currently I use the old rolled up piece of foam. It's not bad, but it is cumbersome & if it happens to get wet it can be a real pain in the ass. I was checking out the inflatible mattresses and was impressed with either the Coleman or the Woods models (twin/queen size is a must). My questions are:

* Are the air mattresses comfortable?
* Is it much of a hassle to inflate them with a foot pump?

When I was much younger (and single) camping generally was loading up the back-pack, grabbing the canoe & doing a 3-6 day portage - There is nothing like it! However, with work it is hard to get away like that. Fortunately car camping is a great way to spend a long weekend relaxing & getting drunk with friends.

Some tips for other campers:

* I usually season & freeze my food ahead of time. That way the food acts like a block of ice.
* If you drink beer, cans are lighter & easier to pack
* A portable hammock is great!
* Surprisingly, those bamboo torches throw off a great amount of light.
* A deck of cards helps pass the time.

Any other accessory and/or car camping tips are welcome.

 

[Taber]

* Are the air mattresses comfortable?.

We use to go camping @ Killbear. I found the air mattress uncomfortable. A solution would be to get drunk, pass out on a lawn chair .

 

[Gentle Ben]

coolers that run off of your car/truck battery.

They are great for what their purpose is meant for, they are simply coolers, they work off T.E.C technology, Thermal Electric Coupler Technology , or pelletier effect, to see more tey this link http://www.howstuffworks.com/refrigerator6.htm
the principal behind it is that 2 disimilar metals(of the correct type) joined together either cool or heat, depending on what direction the d.c. voltage is travelling thru it .
The maximum heat differentil that can be obtained is 40degrees farenheight , so with an ambient air temp of say 80 deg, the coolest it will cool is to 40deg or hotttest it will heat is 120 deg.
As far as running them off your car/truck battery, thats another story when the car is'nt running, when you're travelling its fine but when car is shut off you wont get more than an hour or even less before the car battery is dead.
I camp with a bunch of freinds the week after Labour Day in southern Pennsylvania every year and there are dozens of them around the campground, every year there are many people that require boosts to get their vehichles started, and the smart ones have purchased the a/c adapter that is an option(fortunately the campground has electricity)
as far as keeping stuff cold? well they work great in my eyes for keeping stuff cool!, bearing in mind they are'nt refridgerators
do you need to keep them plugged in all the time? yes I do believe so , or at least most of the time, the recovery rate on them is much slower than a fridge thus takes longer to cool down
hope this helps, if I can help any further pm me
Happy Camping

 

[fflowley]

Foam coolant

There is a freezable foam coolant out on the market that is really amazing. It's used by biotech companies to ship things like anti - hemophiliac factor and other perishable enzyme therapies. These drugs cost thousands of dollars for each dose so it is essential that they stay chilled.

The product is wrapped in white plastic and is about the size of a brick. You freeze it in your freezer and it can be re-used over and over again. I've had them keep a cooler cold for several days in a hot car, and theres no messy melt water like with ice. Funny thing is I have never seen them for sale in the store, but the companies that use them for shipping never re-use them. If you can find a biotech lab or hemophilia center they are usually giving the things away.

For sleep I would recommend a Therma-Rest. Much lighter and less bulky than an air matttress, and I think they are more comfy.

best of luck

Flooey!

 

[Garrett]

Air mattresses do not work well. The worst thing you can have below you is air. You want something insulated... therm-a-rests are generally recommended and work well. A good bag can make the difference between heaven and hell.

If you are going to car camp, I second the electric pump idea. Useful as a good maintenance tool if you ever get a flat too.

As for the electric coolers, I know some who have them and they like power. I would not recommend them. Your freezing idea works... if you have access to a river/lake they can be good for keeping things cool.

My recommendation is to buy simple, proven, light equipment. Even if you are car camping now, you can use it if you want to go off the beaten track a bit. Harder to take that 70lb coleman stove camping.

Someone recommended Killbear as a good park for car camping. I would add Arrowhead to that list (I like Killbear... though a friend caught girardia there...one reason to stick to beer... or better yet margaritas... anyone know of a good pre-mixed margarita?).

 

[Toad-O-Line]

Thanks for the replys, much appreciated. I am heading to Kilbear for the long weekend - It is a beautiful place, especially the rock point at sunset.

Sounds like the electric coolers are not worth the price. Think I'll stick to good old ice for now - Thanks Terbites!!!

 

[tboy]

Hey Toad, yeah, I second the opinion of the electric cooler/heaters, they work well when you're moving but not when you're stopped.

there are a number of parks around that offer electricity at every second or third camp site. I used to go to Tudhope in orillia a lot and used to bring along a couple or three 50' extension cords.

Towards the end of my camping days, I had all the toys, heck even one night I had the TV and VCR plugged in and we watched friday the 13th movies around the campfire. We were a hit with the hot air popcorn maker going continuously filling up garbage bags full of the stuff.

The coleman air bed's are the cat's backside. A friend of mine used one as his home bed its that good. Almost as important to me, is a good pillow. I tell you, a pair of rolled up jeans has about as much give as a brick!!!

Something I never tried but have been told about is putting your foam mattress and pillow into a plastic bag then sucking all the air out of it with a vacuum cleaner (shop vac's work well I'm told). It makes them flat for packing!.

If you're not going to be doing this often, I think there are places around toronto where you can rent your equipment. A good camp stove, lantern (extra mantels), are a must. I remember many a night spent playing cards around the picnic table with the hiss of the lantern beside us.

A good solution to your ice problem is something I picked up by my parents. Buy bottled water and freeze it all. Not only does it keep your food cool, but you have a great source for pure water when it melts and doesn't make your food soggy. ALso freeze EVERYTHING that can be frozen and plan your meals around this.

For instance: plan to have burgers on your second night, so it is thawed out by the time you need it. If you buy or make your own patties put some waxed paper between them so even if they are not thawed out, you can still begin the cooking process.

Keep everything that is non perishable out of the cooler, Pasturized OJ can keep for a day or two as long as its not in the sun, and while warm soft drinks aren't the best, they don't need to be kept cold.

Talk to your buddies and organize your coolers. Keep one cooler for beer, and one or more for food or other perishable items. THat way you don't constantly open the cooler with your food, which quickens the thawing process.

Put the ice on TOP of the food etc. not the bottom. COld air falls, warm air rises and this goes the same for coolers.

Keep your coolers in the shade and NOT in your tent. Those things become ovens in the sun.

Oh yeah, don't forget your deep woods off. With the influx of the west nile virus the only thing that will help is a DEET based repellant. The SUN had a column on it the other day and deep woods off offerred a 90 minute protection where some others were as low as 12 seconds!!!

 

[anotherhappy]

Air mattress has become essential equipment. It's not as comfortable as a bed, but it beats the hell out of sleeping on the ground. They do have a few weaknesses, though:
- you need level ground, as I find that me, my sleeping bag and my partner migrate downhill during the night.
- slow leaks. You can go to bed on a nice full air mattress, and wake up with your butt on the floor.
- sleeping with partners. similar problems to a waterbed, where you both roll into each other.
- can be COLD (as already pointed out)

IMHO, it's worth the extra few dollars for the Coleman version with the one way valve.

Have a great trip!

 

[kingcobra]

My idea of essential camping equipment? Room Service and a hot tub in the room. I'll make a tent out of the sheets given the right motivation from the right woman.

 

[Meister]

Someone recommended Killbear as a good park for car camping. I would add Arrowhead to that list (I like Killbear... though a friend caught girardia there...one reason to stick to beer... or better yet margaritas... anyone know of a good pre-mixed margarita?).

I am currently deciding between Killbear and Bon Echo.
Killbear only has Lighthouse campground left, but I heard it can be noisy there.
Bon Echo supposed to have a great cliff.

Man, I haven't been camping for about 20 years. I'm looking forward to roughing it. lol

Important:
- sandy beach
- canadian shield feel
- no party atmosphere

I can't decide, where would you go?

 

[markvee]

Thanks everyone for the camping info.

 

[Hockey_MLnut]

Don't need an air mattress the best thing is a sleeping bag on the ground.

 

[benstt]

Some people use a two cooler approach for longer durations. One cooler for longer-term storage, packed full of stuff in the order you need it. Added newspaper or cool packs to fill in the cracks. Transfer items to everyday cooler that you use and open often, add some ice to it as needed.

I generally just use one cooler, and don't rely on cooled stuff beyond a couple days. Keep frozen stuff at bottom, under some thick newspaper barrier. Frozen chilli thaws out in a day, etc. Menus starts getting into dehydrated foods longer term, or do a run for more ice & food.

Forget running a Koolatron off a battery. You'd need an electrical campsite. They are useful for keeping things cool for a drive, but generally not as well insulated as the newer heavy duty regular coolers -- they will warm up faster once they lose power.

Air mattresses are fine in the summer. Would be damn cold in fall unless you added some insulation between you and the mattress. Get an electric pump, either one powered by D-cells or 12V car battery. Get a high volume pump designed for inflating mattresses, etc, not high pressure pump designed for car tires. Puff it up by lung power the last little bit, and top up before sleeping.

Thermarests are very comfortable for the thickness they have, but not as nice as air mattresses. They're more for hard core types that need to schlep their gear around and live in a small tent (or no tent.)

For two people, get two single air mattresses. Isolates problems, easier to move them around, can be used outside the tent for relaxing on ground or water.

If you're on an incline, pitch your tent so your feet are downhill.

Take earplugs for a provincial park and/or copious beer to stun you into not caring.


(all my opinion... of course...)

 

[Meister]

I am currently deciding between Killbear and Bon Echo.
Killbear only has Lighthouse campground left, but I heard it can be noisy there.
Bon Echo supposed to have a great cliff.

Man, I haven't been camping for about 20 years. I'm looking forward to roughing it. lol

Important:
- sandy beach
- canadian shield feel
- no party atmosphere

I can't decide, where would you go?

Here are the links:
http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/killb.html
http://www.ontarioparks.com/english/bone.html
What's your recommendation?