Posts Tagged camping
Easy Set-up Family Tent From Grand Trunk
My natural reaction was to be skeptical when I saw this Grand Trunk tent billed as “The easiest tent to set up in the world.” We’ve all heard that one before, right?
So I pulled this out of the carrying case, unrolled it, and took a crack at it with my 11-year-old daughter. Some thirty seconds later, no lie, she jumped inside our set-up tent and said, “Cool!” It wasn’t just the easiest tent I’ve ever set up, it was the first one where I haven’t had to look at the instructions or wrestle with a bunch of hinged-together poles I was trying to get through fabric tunnels. In fact I didn’t look at anything. I just pulled up the handle, locking it into place on top with the attached hook. Done!
Once open, it’s billed as a “4-man tent” or a family car camping tent. That gives you some clue to what the catch is: this is a rather heavy tent you would not want to carry very far. It comes in a bag that would not qualify as a carry-0n if you were flying and it weighs 15 pounds. If you’re using it for its intended purpose though, who cares? It’s big, easy to assemble with the attached fiberglass poles, and well-made without any shortcuts to make it ultralight.
This Grand Trunk tent has a front door and a back door should you choose to use them without the rain fl. There are lots of no-see-um mesh opening with flaps you can zip closed, and places to stake it into the ground. My daughter liked the little stowaway pouched on the sides and at the “loft” top, plus there’s a hook for hanging a lantern. An attached flap extends out from the front for leaving your hiking boots outside. The included rain flap not only protects the tent, but it extends out over this vestibule flap to keep those boots dry or give one person a place to sit with their head dry.
The tent itself is 95 X 95 inches—more than 7 feet/2.3 meters in each direction. That’s a little tight for four if anyone is too plump, but downright spacious for three or a family with one or two small children. We fit in a twin Aerobed mattress and two sleeping pads and had room to spare.
When you’re finished, take-down is just as fast as the set-up, with it easily fitting into the carrying case without knowing any origami. Just like that, you toss it in the car and you’re off.
The Grand Truck Easy Set-up Tent for Four is available direct from Grand Trunk for $225 or check prices online at REI and Overstock.com.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear, Kids and Family on May 17th, 2012
Scout ‘Stiff One’ Cooler
When Scout asked me if I’d try out one of their new soft-sided coolers in time for summer travel, I admit my first thought was, ‘but I already have a soft-sided cooler.’ As does everybody, right? So what makes the Scout ‘Stiff One special enough to feature here? In a word: design.
The Stiff One (by the way, all Scout products have fun names that will go right over your kid’s head–hopefully–but make your grandmother blush) is a traditional cube shape of 14x12x9, made out of standard insolated, coated polyester, and is water resistant, but what sets it apart is its hard, flat bottom. Not only does this bottom keep the cooler upright even in the back of the car or on uneven surfaces (think riverbanks, lakesides, and less-than-perfect picnic spots), but…wait for it…it does not leak. Not at all! Until trying the Stiff One, I’d never met a soft-sided cooler that didn’t get soggy and drippy as the ice inside melted, and had all but given up on using them (even when my large hard-sided cooler was overkill). Thanks to the Stiff One, I can pack lunch for a day at the lake and not look like I’m planning to be gone for a weekend.
The Stiff One comfortably fits a six-pack of your preferred beverage, plenty of sandwiches, and extras like fruit, cheese, yogurt, etc. We easily fit a lunch for a family of five, or a variety of snacks for an afternoon away. On a recent soccer trip, I packed sports drinks on ice for a half a dozen thirsty boys. (And did I mention the lack of leaking?) Aside from the hard bottom, it features a three-sided double-zipper at the top (top-loading), and two outside side pockets, big enough to fit silverware, cutlery, or a stack of paper plates. The sturdy fabric shoulder straps are generous in length, velcro together for easier carrying, and are nice and thick. The interior is water resistant and wipes clean, as you’d expect in any soft-sided cooler.
What I wish it had: a slide-in pocket for an ice pack, preferrably on the underside of the lid. There’s space for a large ice pack on the bottom, but it’d be nice to tag-team it.
The Stiff One’s hard bottom is by far its best feature, but it’s probably not what you’d notice first: these coolers come in fun, funky colors and patterns. Half the fun is picking which one you’d like on the Scout website. I choose Indigo Girl (shown), which, if I do say so myself, looks quite classy at the beach or on the road. It also comes in Racy Lacy (black and pink), Meryl Stripe (pink stripe), Flashback Paisley (spring toned paisley), and Barbara Stripesand (in either coral or blue toned stripe). See what I mean? No matter which you choose, this cooler screams fun. The colors and designs are certainly more geared to women than men, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
The Stiff One’s a good value at $38, and will make for a versatile travel companion throughout the summer months. I anticipate bringing it along on winter ski days as well…it will certainly be easy to spot amid all the plain colored coolers in the lodge. Find it at the Scout site or at Amazon for a few dollars less. While you’re purusing the site, check out all the other totes and bags Scout makes: they’re all equally colorful and fun.
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Posted by Amy in General Gear, Kids and Family on May 15th, 2012
Eagles Nest DoubleNest Hammock
I’ll admit it: When traveling in Central America, I often want to bring home a colorful hammock. It’s the image of relaxation, and I always think the colorful mesh bed will be the perfect thing in my yard. Now that I’ve discovered the Eagles Nest DoubleNest Hammock, my shopping days are over.
Yes, it’s a pretty strong statement, but after testing the hammock in my yard and on a short camping excursion, there are a few reasons why I love it:
Portability
Those big colorful mesh hammocks are pretty, but they’re murder on a backpack. The DoubleNest Hammock measures 6’8” by 9’4” and weighs 22 ounces. It packs up into a compression bag that’s smaller than a travel pillow (about 4” by 5”). Even when you include the smaller bag that contains the straps for the hammock, there will be plenty of room left in your bag. That’s not the case for your souvenir hammock.
Size
The hammock truly fits two people and is extremely roomy for one. The breathable nylon hammock seems so delicate, but will fit a maximum weight of 400 pounds, and the nylon interlocked stitching helps keep everything solidly strong.
Straps
The hammock suspension system from Eagles Nest allows your hammock to get set up super fast. The .75” UV-treated nylon webbing is easy to adjust. All you have to do is wrap it around a sturdy object, pass an end through the loop, pull it tight and attach the hammock to your desired length. There is a selection of loops to which you can attach your hammock, so you don’t have to worry about finding the perfectly spaced trees or other objects.
The Eagles Nest DoubleNest Hammock lists for $64.95 on the Eagles Nest website or check prices on Amazon and Backcountry.com.
There’s also a slightly more expensive Double Nest version with Insect Shield protection from the bugs. See the details here.
Posted by Jill in Adventure Gear, Kids and Family, Travel Light on May 11th, 2012
EcoQue Portable Charcoal Grill is a Winner
Want to grill a few burgers and hot dogs without using half a bag of charcoal? This EcoQue portable, stainless steel grill is ultra-efficient, using only 9 briquettes to get blazing hot and stay that way for more than an hour.
This funky-looking grill’s shape is the key to both its efficiency and its portability. When set up, it directs the heat to where it’s needed, getting far hotter than most charcoal grills. When not in use, it folds up into a little bag that’s easy to throw into your car or even a bike pannier. (It’s all stainless steel, so at ten pounds it’s too heavy to be a hiking item unless you’re not taking much else.)
It’s all about the design with this product: although it packs down into a small bag with a handle, it folds out into something that will get quite hot with a minimal amount of energy. It’s made from a series of unfolding steel plates that wrap around the grate and part that holds the charcoal. It was a little tricky to set up, but intuitive enough that you could probably figure it out without the instructions.
Some of the edges are a little sharp, so probably asking your 8-year-old to set it up isn’t the best idea, but it didn’t take but a couple minutes. You then place something to light the charcoal on the bottom (they sell some starters made of sawdust and wax, but you could improvise with sticks and leaves). Since the heat is concentrated, you don’t need to put the coals in a pyramid and flatten them out later. They’ll start and burn where they’re supposed to be.
You can cook in the open like the photo at the top and that worked fine for me. There’s a cover though as you can see in the photo to the left and that would work well for smoking after the heat has died down a bit, or if it’s a windy day and you need the protection. There’s a nifty handle that comes with this kit for taking that hood on and off easily. Obviously the surface of this thing gets quite hot.
Clean-up was quick and straightforward. The optional foil liners make it faster since they keep a lot of gunk off the frame.
The 12-inch Eco-Que grill sells for $120 and if you want the foil liners (recommended for easy clean-up, though not so eco unless recycled), they’re another $8. You see more details at the EcoQue site and get it online at Amazon.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, General Gear on May 9th, 2012
GSI Halulite Microdualist Camping Kit
Just how compact can you make a full cooking and dining kit for a camping couple? And how practical will it be under real-world conditions outdoors?
I’d put my money on GSI Outdoors for knowing the answers to those questions better than anyone. They’ve got a whole range of nifty camping kits that are a thing of wonder when it comes to both design and practicality. This Halulite Microdualist kit I’ve been checking out takes “packing light” to a whole new level. 
You see, that whole big kit at the top packs down into one small container with a protective cover, like in the photo to the right. The whole thing is under six inches high. It’s impressively designed, with everything in its place yet so simple my daughter packed it all back up without any help. The protective cover doubles as a wash basin. The next layer is the cooking pot, with a handle that folds onto the top after the other things go inside.
Those other things are like a collection of items a magician pulled out of a top hat: two bowls, two mugs with lids, two retractable sporks, and a pot lid that doubles as a colander for draining off water from pasta or other items. The pot is made from lightweight non-stick aluminum. The Infinity plastic is stain resistant, BPA-free, and dishwasher safe.
After my real-world tests in the great outdoors, I’d give everything an A except maybe the washbin idea. It’ll work in a pinch, but it’s not much bigger than the pot, so kind of tricky to use for that item. And you might want to carry plates along if you’re going to eat more than what you just cooked in the one pot. But hey, this is meant to be for minimalists.
This whole kits weighs just a shade over one pound: probably less than the pair of shoes you’re wearing right now. So carrying this Microdualist kit along is not going to require much sacrificing in terms of weight or bulk.
Even if you’re not the backcountry primitive camping type, this kit is worth buying for the ease of use and the cool factor. Car camping? Heck, you can do “scooter camping” with this kit.
The GSI Halulite Microdualist kit sells for around $55. Follow these links to buy it at Backcountry or REI.
See reviews of more camping items at Practical Travel Gear.
Posted by Tim L. in Adventure Gear, Travel Light on May 3rd, 2012
