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MC Camping on the Cheap

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Your Version

tshelfer said:
Though rare, there are occasionally hazards that can come with all that solitude. We were once parked way down beach with no one in sight in any direction. The Jeep rear hatch was wide open, and we were lounging on the shady (north) side of the vehicle. Two guys in a 4WD truck came roaring by northbound, then suddenly did a doughnut and pulled up maybe 50 feet beyond us, and just stared at the Jeep for several seconds. I realized they couldn't see us in the shade & were thinking about easy pickings for a car burglary. So I stood up. They sat there and kept staring at me, and I didn't like what they might have been thinking. So I reached over & picked up a trenching shovel, and just stared back. They took the hint & moved on.
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My Version

tricepilot said:
Though rare, there are occasionally hazards that can come with all that solitude. We were once parked way down beach with no one in sight in any direction. The Jeep rear hatch was wide open, and we were lounging on the shady (north) side of the vehicle. Two guys in a 4WD truck came roaring by northbound, then suddenly did a doughnut and pulled up maybe 50 feet beyond us, and just stared at the Jeep for several seconds. I realized they couldn't see us in the shade & were thinking about easy pickings for a car burglary. So I stood up. They sat there and kept staring at me, and I didn't like what they might have been thinking. So I reached over & picked up my SIG P229 and just stared back. They took the hint & moved on.
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Lately I have been frustrated by the Sterno cans. I'm OK with the lesser heat and I love the portability, the clean burn, and the size but... those dang lids. Even with the special tool included with the latest Sterno stove kit it's still almost impossible to get the lid pried off after the first use. Until they go to a screw on cap I think Sterno is in my mirror.

More and more I am using my alcohol stove using yellow cans of Heet or my gas mix stoves.
 
Keep the can when it is empty. Buy your fuel in quart bottles and fill the can for each use. You can ditch the lid entirely.
 
Means you have to carry a quart bottle with you.

Really wish Sterno would redesign the can lid. Or hack one together myself. Bet I'm not the only one that has problems with the lids after the first one or two burns.
 
SL350 said:
Lately I have been frustrated by the Sterno cans. I'm OK with the lesser heat and I love the portability, the clean burn, and the size but... those dang lids. Even with the special tool included with the latest Sterno stove kit it's still almost impossible to get the lid pried off after the first use. Until they go to a screw on cap I think Sterno is in my mirror.

More and more I am using my alcohol stove using yellow cans of Heet or my gas mix stoves.
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Have you tried the chaffing dish fuel at Sam's Club?

Screw on lids
 
No, I have tried the Dollar Store brand w screw on caps. Not hot enough for me to fry an egg. Sterno is just the right heat for that IMHO. Neither boil water for coffee or hydration packs of food.

What does work is my alcohol stove but it is several factors hotter. IT's the go to for now. I tried the tuna can wax/cardboard and it's almost perfect flame but it's quite dirty.
 
Have to vote thumbs up on a couple of ponchos after hunting in the rain about a week ago. My son used an Academy camo poncho that covered him well and was under $10. My Frogg Toggs worked well too. It's about $15 and the material super light weight. The Frogg Toggs also has a draw string for the hood.

They are not MilSpec and can't do the woobie but I did practice my bushcraft skills and set the Frogg Toggs poncho up as a tarp shelter. I always fiddle with stuff like that to practice knots and fire making in bad weather.
 
3 lbs tent with DAC poles. It’s only a one-person single wall tent, but has two vestibule.

Here is a quick video review of it setup inside my house. I’ll post a more detailed review after next week when I actually use it on my camping trip.

17” packed length and I only paid $27 for it. After I purchased it, the price went up to $82 ?!

329dd449e6f3fa4274c343ec8d17354c.jpg


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Solo-1-Person-Lightweight-Backpacking-Tent/192797559

A quick video review.

[ame="https://youtu.be/ZLhWcOmEqwA"]Review: Ozark Trail 1-Person lightweight backpacking tent - YouTube[/ame]
 
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There is an app called Airbnb. You can search an area you’re traveling to and it will show all available bed and breakfast spots, their prices, ratings. Some prices are very reasonable, some prices cheaper then local hotels.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Whether you buy a $30 tent or a $500 dollar tent invest in some insurance to help you out down the road. Buy a bottle of seam sealer and go over all the seams(inside, over the factory sealer job) of the tent prior to your trip. Cheap and easy to do. I use an artist type paint brush to apply it. Easier to control how much you're applying.
 
erd said:
3 lbs tent with DAC poles. It’s only a one-person single wall tent, but has two vestibule.

Here is a quick video review of it setup inside my house. I’ll post a more detailed review after next week when I actually use it on my camping trip.

17” packed length and I only paid $27 for it. After I purchased it, the price went up to $82 ?!

329dd449e6f3fa4274c343ec8d17354c.jpg


https://www.walmart.com/ip/Solo-1-Person-Lightweight-Backpacking-Tent/192797559

A quick video review.

Review: Ozark Trail 1-Person lightweight backpacking tent - YouTube
Click to expand...




ERD,
Is this your son? He does a great job!
 
Yes. My son loves to review camping gears. We were camping this weekend with his scout troop. I did not use this tent as I knew it would get all my gears wet due to the high moisture in the air after a week of rain.
 
One of the "take it or leave it" items I value even though I found its weakness is my Cabela's Boundary Waters duffle bags(multiple sizes). Roll top closures, cinch straps to secure those and snaps at the ends to keep the roll more secure. I think I have the large and extra large. The Magnum is only $122. I used it multiple times, several years and its held up quite well. When not using it I keep it in our hobby room just off the garage with my other scooter equipment. Last year I loaded it up and went to cinch it down and all of the straps just ripped off. I don't think its the fault of the manufacturer as much as where I stored it with no constant temperature control. I still just rolled the top closed and tossed it up on the pillion position and secured it with my Rok Straps.

Never had any issues but did discover its waterproofness when I put some wet items in it and it held its moisture until I got home and was able to unload everything to dry out! On a couple of occasions I got home from a long trip and parked the bike, not tending to it for a few days only to discover the growth rate of mold over a few days....
 
dfwscotty said:
One of the "take it or leave it" items I value even though I found its weakness is my Cabela's Boundary Waters duffle bags(multiple sizes). Roll top closures, cinch straps to secure those and snaps at the ends to keep the roll more secure. I think I have the large and extra large. The Magnum is only $122. I used it multiple times, several years and its held up quite well. When not using it I keep it in our hobby room just off the garage with my other scooter equipment. Last year I loaded it up and went to cinch it down and all of the straps just ripped off. I don't think its the fault of the manufacturer as much as where I stored it with no constant temperature control. I still just rolled the top closed and tossed it up on the pillion position and secured it with my Rok Straps.

Never had any issues but did discover its waterproofness when I put some wet items in it and it held its moisture until I got home and was able to unload everything to dry out! On a couple of occasions I got home from a long trip and parked the bike, not tending to it for a few days only to discover the growth rate of mold over a few days....
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This probably falls under Cabela's awesome warranty policy. The gave me quite a refund on a several years old Alaskan Guide tent that started leaking.
 
dfwscotty said:
One of the "take it or leave it" items I value even though I found its weakness is my Cabela's Boundary Waters duffle bags(multiple sizes). Roll top closures, cinch straps to secure those and snaps at the ends to keep the roll more secure. I think I have the large and extra large. The Magnum is only $122. I used it multiple times, several years and its held up quite well. When not using it I keep it in our hobby room just off the garage with my other scooter equipment. Last year I loaded it up and went to cinch it down and all of the straps just ripped off. I don't think its the fault of the manufacturer as much as where I stored it with no constant temperature control. I still just rolled the top closed and tossed it up on the pillion position and secured it with my Rok Straps.

Never had any issues but did discover its waterproofness when I put some wet items in it and it held its moisture until I got home and was able to unload everything to dry out! On a couple of occasions I got home from a long trip and parked the bike, not tending to it for a few days only to discover the growth rate of mold over a few days....
Click to expand...

Being THE cheapest camper next to Drew, my roll-top came from Walmart- $22.
It's what ALL my clothes,and personal stuff goes in. And it's my basck rest on the long rides.
 
mikes old virago said:
Being THE cheapest camper next to Drew, my roll-top came from Walmart- $22.
It's what ALL my clothes,and personal stuff goes in. And it's my basck rest on the long rides.
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Excuse me - I started this thread because I am the cheapest camper! Drew is simply the laziest camper. I buy everything super cheap, compress it, and bring it along on my VStrom. Drew doesn't bring anything because, rather than be bothered by properly packing his GS, he'd rather just borrow my stuff. In fact, Drew was too lazy to start this thread in the first place, so he conned me into doing it instead. :lol2: Drew would admit it, but he's probably too lazy to respond.
 
mikes old virago said:
Being THE cheapest camper next to Drew, my roll-top came from Walmart- $22.
It's what ALL my clothes,and personal stuff goes in. And it's my basck rest on the long rides.
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+1 on the walmart roll tops. I have 2 and they've seen me thru many camping trips on the Wee. And yes, they make for a decent backrest too!
 
tshelfer said:
Excuse me - I started this thread because I am the cheapest camper! Drew is simply the laziest camper. I buy everything super cheap, compress it, and bring it along on my VStrom. Drew doesn't bring anything because, rather than be bothered by properly packing his GS, he'd rather just borrow my stuff. In fact, Drew was too lazy to start this thread in the first place, so he conned me into doing it instead. :lol2: Drew would admit it, but he's probably too lazy to respond.
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:rofl:
 
tshelfer said:
Excuse me - I started this thread because I am the cheapest camper! Drew is simply the laziest camper. I buy everything super cheap, compress it, and bring it along on my VStrom. Drew doesn't bring anything because, rather than be bothered by properly packing his GS, he'd rather just borrow my stuff. In fact, Drew was too lazy to start this thread in the first place, so he conned me into doing it instead. :lol2: Drew would admit it, but he's probably too lazy to respond.
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:moon: Last camp out I had I did not even bother to remove my gear, just slept on all three cases lined up on the ground.:trust:
 
Here’s another site I was introduced to. It has search filters for all sorts of things. Like free campsites, state and national parks, national forests and much more.

Appears most members (free) are RV and camper folks. However, there is a great deal of information added to the campsite details like how many tent sites there are, prices, difficulties accessing, site quality, water/electrical availability, and more.

Members can log in and leave photos and reviews on the campgrounds.

I’ve even contemplated going to the free sites as a day ride just to do a review from a motorcycle adventure view point.

www.campendium.com


Karl
 
That's a good one, Karl. I'm saving that link, thanks.

Something I posted probably 60 or 70 pages ago, and now long forgotten, is a similar app. The app name is Campfinder. I think I paid $3 to download it - it's available from both Amazon and Google Play as an Android app, and I'm sure there's an I-version of it as well.

It has pretty much the same features - campground description, amenities, price, user pictures & reviews. Plus, it being on your phone, you can locate a campground while you're on the move, then let Google Maps from your phone lead the way for you.

Since so many campground guides only cover private parks, I'm a big proponent of any that list city & state parks, national forests, national parks, etc. Good one, Karl - thanks for posting it.
 
I've been meaning to post pictures of my beer can stove, but I came across this video on youtube, [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mg91VsButWE"]Arizona penny can alcohol stove - YouTube[/ame] I use large beer cans because the base is wider. My current stove says "The Champaign of Beers." In the past, I have used soda cans. Also, I put more holes around the outer ring of the can. My holes are about 1/4" apart. The more holes, the shorter the flames and I tend to cook on a very narrow pot.
 
Alcohol works good, but I have also used old premix 40/1 with no problems.
 
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