Getting ready to go camping
 

I would like to know of brand preference for actual camping out of you plane.
I am planning to camp with my plane at OSH, but need to buy some light weight gear to go in the baggage compartment.
I have a sleeping roll (just a blanked with a zipper), but will need to be buying at least the following:
Tent / ground cloth.
air mattress (56 YO and counting). :o
ice chest/cooler
small stove
light weight utensils
????

Any suggestions? Favorites?

Kent

Sounds like fun! Im hoping to get out to OSH this year though it will not be by plane :(

I do a lot of backpacking... or at least I did. I swear by Sierra Designs tents. They are ultra light and can be used in most conditions. I also would recommend a therm-a-rest matress pad. These can be had in all kinds of sizes and thicknesses, again quite light. Beyond that sleeping bags can be quite subjective. I have a Norht Face but I got it because it was light. The model is called a super light. I think it weighs a couple pounds and is rated to 0 degrees, which is not really necessary even in the Northwest! :)

MSR camp stoves are also reliable light units which take up very little space. The fuel takes up more space than the burner. Utensils I use are just plastic throw aways. Theyre light, cheap and you can take a few sets as back ups.

Anyway... my ramblings and preferences for sure. Good luck, it can be as fun as buying tools to build our planes!

Cheers,
Josh

http://www.tarptent.com/products.html

This link is to a line of tents that are extremely light weight... the backpacking stuff is a big bonus for airplane camping due to weight considerations.

If you go to camp at Oshkosh, no matter how nice it looks, find a spot for your tent with a ground elevation at least 1" higher than anyone else has picked. A foot would be better!

Great thread.
I, too, am interested in what others feel are the MUST have items for light duty camping....like at SunNFun where I am planning to fly with my 11yo son next month.

For lightweight chairs and a cooler bag, I recommend the 2.5lb Roll-A-Chair along with a soft sided cooler in a color to match your plane. Both fit very nicely in the back of an RV! :) Rosie

Paul, which size is that cooler?
 

How long have you been able to camp from the food/ice that you put in it?

Kent

From Rosie: I use the 9-pack cooler, and it's only good for the day's flying trip and then overnight. For more than that, you'd need a bigger one and/or access to ice. At OSH, I do what Walter suggests in buying a stryofoam cooler at Walmart then stock it with water and your other favorite beverages.

Don't worry about coolers and big items. Plan to buy them at Target or K-mart
next to the field. They sell them for dirt cheap and I just give them away at
the end of the show. I've even done this with nice comfortable chairs. Buy
it and give it away. The prices are drastically discounted and they always have
plenty on hand even if you come late to the show. Same goes for supplies;
food, water, ice, booze and anything else you forgot to bring.

Even though the RV is a low wing, I would highly recommend a tent that can
go under the wing/fuselage. When it rains *and it will* you will be much much
much happier. And like has been said before here, stick to higher ground if
you can!

I air camp every year at SnF and Osh, and will offer a few suggestions:

1) REI.com is a good resource for good information on campgear. Also, they carry mid to high quality stuff, so you won't be buying junk if you purchase from them.

2) Buy a quality tent. Not from the camping department at Wal-mart. You want a rain fly that goes all the way to the ground. That keeps the water out during t-storms. Also, you want a tent with aluminum poles. They don't flex as much in storms (nothing like having the tent flex so far it is about 2' tall during a windstorm) and don't tend to shatter like the fiberglass poles in inexpensive tents. Another nice feature is doors on both sides. Far more convenient if someone needs to get up in the middle of the night. Also allows cross ventilation if there are no mosquitos around.

As someone else posted, Sierra Designs makes nice tents. .

At Oshkosh 2 years ago, the sky opened on Monday evening. I promise you that Kelly (my wife) and I were the only people within 50 yards of our campsite who were not pouring water out of their tent and wringing out sleeping bags, etc. the next morning. I bet a lot of people junked their cheapie tents before the next time they went air camping.

3) I like self inflating therm-a-rest mattresses too. They are more comfortable to me than plain 'ol air mattresses. A suggestion - try several inflation levels to find your comfort zone. Too little air or too much can be uncomfortable.

4) Forget buying a sleeping bag for air camping.. They are not comfortable and are hard to regulate temperature wise. Instead, take several sheets and a couple of fleece blankets. Put one sheet on top of the air mattress and layer the rest of the stuff to provide the warmth you need. Very comfortable!

4) Get a couple of aluminum frame camp chairs. Coleman makes some that are extremely light. You can find 'em at Wal-mart.

5) I like the flexible coolers. They don't keep stuff as cool as a hard side cooler, but pack into the back of an airplane very well and don't weigh much.

6) Take throw away towels, sheets, underwear,etc. It makes go-home day much easier if you don't have to worry about packing wet, dirty, and/or spoiled stuff. Also, you'll have 5 more pounds of cargo room for all the stuff you buy.

7) Air camping is a whole lot of fun, but make sure your airplane is really tied down well. Your neighbor's too. In the middle of a 3 AM thunderstorm, you don't want to be wondering whether the airplanes parked a few feed away are going to stay put or not.

8) Carry earplugs. You may want to sleep while other campers drink a six pack and loudly discuss their favorite subject.

Love that A/C camping!
 

Howdy Kent!

One that that is important is a tent's ability to withstand high winds and driving rain. I say this because last OSH I was standing up in my tent trying to keep it from collapsing in the high winds and driving rains :) .

Ross, one plane over, bought a new 'heavy duty' tent when he got back from OSH - he spent the night soaking up water with a towel.

Best always,
Doug

Having gone from Texas to Canada in all kinds of weather, on a motorcycle with a passenger. You learn to pack small and light as you do not have much room. This has given me experience with equipment that works well in my airplane. My first motorcycle camping trip I purchased a cheap tent, the kind with the plastic tarp for a floor. This was a big mistake; by all means get a good quality tent. For the next trip I purchased a Eureka Back Country 2; it has served me very well.

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/eureka!/backcountry-outfitter-2/

It Packs small, and is easy to set up in the dark by yourself. It is known as a clip tent. It has clips that clip to the poles very easy. There where many nights in the mountains where we would be camped out in some rather large thunderstorms. With two persons on cold nights, you would get a little condensation, other than that we never got wet inside the tent. I have since purchased an REI tent.

http://www.rei.com/online/store/Prod..._category_rn=0

It is a little larger, and a little harder to set up than the Eureka. Both have the ?bath tub? design with 7000 series aluminum frames. I have used both the air mattress, and the sleeping pads. The air mattress is comfortable, but they are heavy and do not insulate very well. As the night gets colder, the air inside the mattress gets colder and condenses. You will wake up in the middle of the night when your hip starts hitting the hard ground. The sleeping pad has better insulation and will not shrink so much during the cold night.

http://www.rei.com/rei/learn/noDetai...MPING_TOC#ORIG