Camping Gear Reviews, A Ton

[john101477]

I seen one of these tent cots from cabelas on a roof. looks comfy as heck.

Well I just bought 2 new coleman All In One stoves. A big Agnes Flying Diamond tent, and another $500 worth of camp gear. pretty stoked just waitin on UPS. also the tent is back ordered until the 16th so....

I have one of the first coleman single burnerw/ grill setups. it worked great for years but now I can not find the blasted hook up to attach the propane canister.

[ETAV8R]

Great reviews and I have to say Corey, your FJ is incredible.
I can picture a CF Maggiolina on one of the all sandstorm trail teams FJs set up similar to yours. I would look awesome. Keep up the good work here.

[Corey]

Thanks, I will have a few more for this season later on in my thread here.

I saw Trail Teams edition last Wednesday when I was at the dealership getting the new rack on.
She was in getting an oil change.

[kenallwine]

Awesome review list! It reinforces my decision on the BAD bags and looking to get the shower and one of the tables. Thanks!!

[Corey]

Thanks, glad I could be of help.
I like the fact the bag is made in the USA too, and not in some factory in China.
The guy who makes these is local to me too.

I will try adding some videos too of a few new things I bought for this new season when I get out to camp.

[The Adam Blaster]

Thanks again for all the reviews Corey!
Obviously there are a great number of people that have appreciated and benefited from your extensive write-ups.

I'm curious about your FJ.
After assembling all this gear, are you happy with the space of the FJ, could you go with a larger or smaller vehicle and still be as equally happy with carrying the amount of gear?

[Corey]

Thanks Adam, I enjoy reviewing the gear, especially after getting back into camping in 2008 after taking a ten year break from it.

I am pretty happy with the space in the FJ, taking the rear seats out was a big plus to get the fridge behind the drivers seat and open up more flat cargo room.

I would not want to go smaller than the FJ.
My only other choice for a "new rig" would have been a double cab Tacoma with the rear seats taken out.
Fridge would be inside, and more than likely a Canbak topper with a frame to hold a roof top tent on it.
Or...an AT FlipPack.

All in all I am happy with the FJ.
Wish it was a tad longer in the wheelbase though.
Handles around the same on the freeway as my old '91 4Runner, also a short wheelbase SUV.

The best handling Toyota I ever had was my '90 Xtracab 4x4 Toyota.
It was long wheelbase, and nothing phased it, not wind or pulling a good size tent trailer with it over mountain passes.
It was only a 22RE engine too, but had lots of torque, more so than the 3.0 V6 in the '91 4Runner.

[Corey]

New items I picked up for the 2010 camping season.



Byer TriLite Wash Station From REI
Byer TriLite Wash Station From Campmor

I wanted to try out a new product that I saw in a thread on Expedition Portal or IH8MUD's camping sub forum.
I am always game for trying out new gear to see if it will make my life easier when out camping.

I have always used a wash basin tub and traditional dish drying rack for taking care of the after meal dish washing chore.
This new item is a standalone gizmo that has pockets in it for washing, rinsing, and drying your dishes.
It folds to a compact size too to store in your gear box or wherever your store your stuff.

I just got back from a trip at the White River campground at Mt. Rainier, and quite a few campers up there liked it compared to lugging the usual wash basins and drying rack.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* One piece of gear instead of a separate wash basin and drying rack.
* Compact size when folded down, takes up a lot less space than using the above.

Cons:
* The legs could be longer in my opinion, as they are kind of short if setting this on the ground.
Stooping over at my age is not good.
Did I just say I am getting old???





Camp Chef Denali 3 Burner Grill & Stove Combo

I like it much better than my old propane stove I have had for years.
The burners on this get a lot hotter, a plus when I was wanting to have coffee on this trip.

The grille in the middle is genius, no need for a fry pan or a separate grille/griddle.
It made cooking breakfast and dinner meats much easier with the grille in the middle while you cooked other stuff in pots on the other burners.

I am having an issue with the far right burner not lighting up all the way in a circular pattern, but it is fixed by turning it off and relighting it again with the built in piezo starter.
Will have to keep an eye on this to see if it is an issue over time.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* The two outside burners can crank out some serous BTUs.
* Having a grille in the middle is one less item I have to carry.

Cons:
* Having an issue with the far right burner as stated above.





BajaRacks MG Edition
Ordered and bought via Mike at Autohome

Last year on fjcruiserforums site in a thread on racks for the FJs I had asked Sergio at BajaRacks if they could design a rack for the FJ Cruiser to specifically work for the AutoHome Maggiolina style roof top tents.
I had my roof top tent on the stock rack from March of 2008 until April of 2010, and to be honest with you, it was way to high.
It affected the way the rig handled in a high wind on the freeway commuting.
Since my rig is a daily driver also I needed to have the tent lowered.

The new rack lowered the tent I would say by 7", much better handling now.
Still get shaken around a bit with a very high wind at 55+ MPH, but not like before.

The rack is not listed in BajaRacks site yet, so you would have to call them or Mike at AutoHome to get setup with one.
I am sure this model can also be made for other vehicles too such as the 4Runner and other brands of vehicles that BajaRacks already makes them for.

It is a good flat design and fits the tent perfectly, and sure gets a lot of attention from those who are in the know as to what its main purpose is for.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* Much lower to the roof now than the stock rack and Yakima crossbar setup I used for two years.
* Better handling in windy conditions and a slight increase in gas mileage.
* The price, other rack companies can not even come close to the price on this.
* Powder coating it top notch, and the airdam in front of the rack looks pretty cool.

Cons:
* There are none at this time.

[Corey]

Lodge Cast Iron Cookware
8" skillet
8" 2 qt Dutch Oven
Lodge Logic Pro Grid/Iron Griddle
[ame="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0008G2W02/ref=oss_product"]Lodge Camp 8-Inch Dutch Oven Tote Bag[/ame]




I was reading on Expedition Portals forum about cooking with cast iron.
I had a really cheap set from Fingerhut my X wife bought back in the 80s, and that soured me on cooking with cast iron.
I decided to try cast iron again, so I went with perhaps the best out there Lodge.
Lodge now has a complete line of pre-seasoned cookware, so you no longer have to bake them in the oven and season them yourself before the first use.
I first bought a grill/griddle combo that is around 20"x10", and I tried it at home on my new Camp Chef Denali stove cooking pancakes.
No sticking, and they turned out great.

Later I bought a 10" skillet and a 10" Dutch Oven for home use, and they worked great as well.
I ended up buying an 8" skillet and an 8" Dutch Oven for camping, as the 10" ones for the home are a little to big for the camp stove.
Even though these com pre-seasoned, it is recommended to put some kind of oil on them.
I spray some of that canned vegetable oil onto a paper towel and wipe it all over the pans inner surface.
It is a good idea to do this too after cleaning them each time.
To clean them, I use a soft brush with hot water only, then paper towel dry, then re-oil.
Do not use soap on cast iron, it is said to take off any of the seasoning that is from the factory or that you have put on.

Cooked two jumbo fried eggs in the 8" skillet on my camping trip I just returned from, and it is pretty cool to just tilt the pan and let the eggs slide out onto you plate with no sticking.
Cleanup was a cinch with a wipe from a paper towel.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* Virtually non stick if you keep them seasoned correctly.
* Food seems to taste better in them.
* Will last a very long time, and not wear out like non stick cookware does.
Plus the cast iron surface is better for you than the non stick cooking surfaces are made from.

Cons:
* Heavy, very heavy compared to other cookware.
* Must take good care of them and wipe them out or wash with water only to not take off the seasoned coating you are trying to build up.

Did not get a picture of them in use camping this time.



Cabela's Alaskan Outfitter™ All-Weather Lighter

I have had my eye on this lighter for a few years now, and finally ordered one.
To be honest with you, I do not like the disposable lighters.
I like being able to refill this when it is empty, one less thing to go into our landfills.
Plus it will not break as easily as the disposable ones either.
I got this mainly for starting the campfire, the Zodi Hotman Extreme shower, ect.
My lantern and stove have the piezo starters on them, no need to light them.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* Nice compact lighter with an adjustable flame.
* No need to throw this away when empty since it is refillable.
That was the whole idea behind buying this.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, the lighter does what it was designed to do.
I have read they have trouble above 8,000', but where I go camping, I am rarely over 5,000'.






GCI Outdoors Top-Shelf Camp Table

I had bought the GSI Xpress Lounger chair last year from Sierra last season, and I saw that Wil was now carrying a matching table for the chair.
I decided to order one for the 2010 camping season to try out.
Like the chair, it takes up little space in my rig.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* Compact, very easy to stuff away in an already over stuff rig.
* Nice little table that is the right height for the GSI Xpress Lounger chair I bought from Wil at Sierra Expeditions last year.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, it is a very nice compact unit.

Shown with other stuff to give you an idea how small the case for the table is.

[Corey]

ECS Composites Cases
Loadmaster Military Footlocker Cases

I have used the Rubbermaid Action Packer cases for the past two years to hold my camping gear in the rig.
While they are low in price, they are very slippery if you need to double stack them, and they are not waterproof if you leave your cases outside after your campsite is setup like I do.

I saw an ad for Zarges aluminum cases in every issue of Overland Journal and that got me interested in getting new ones.
I also checked into Pelican and the Storm cases that are made by them and of a little higher quality, but I was not satisfied with any size for my needs.
Zarges did not even have the size that would work best in my rig.
As nice as the Zarges cases look, they will dent easily, and the one thing that really turned me off was the high price tag (as if these ECS ones were cheap ) and the fact that there is about a ten week turnaround once you place your order.

In a thread of mine I started on Expedition Portals forum a guy mentioned the ECS cases to me and right away I liked what I saw.
They stack like Legos!
Any size case will be able to stack with another.

I looked at the cases and had one picked out, then that size was discontinued.
Then I took a look at the military footlockers they make, and two of them would be a perfect fit stacked on top of each other to the right of my ARB fridge/freezer.
Two of these footlockers are about the equivalent of four of the 8 gallon Action Packers I had been using.
Some of the long gear that I had to lay (OK, I pile it if you have seen all the gear I take, I am working on that...) in the rig loose will now fit into the footlockers.
Also each footlocker has two removable trays that sit on top that can hold smaller items to keep them organized.

They worked out great for my trip I just took.
Also the big Cabelas lounger chair I bought last year was strapped to the cases with ratchet straps, made the chair very secure running the straps through the indentations for the cases to stack.

I give them two thumbs up

Pros:
* Cases are totally water/weather proof.
* Cases have a purge valve to equalize the pressure should you need to.
* Very tough material, looks like it will last a very long time.
* Military tough, this company sells a lot of the cases they make to the military and government.
* Made in the USA in Oregon.

Cons:
* $$$ as in expensive.
But you get what you pay for, and I have a feeling I will be passing these along to my son's when I am much older.







Here is a YouTube video from their site.
They have quite a few videos at their site in a pull down menu if you are interested in looking at more of their products.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkmZbdgyG3w&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- Military Footlocker Case from ECS[/ame]

Another video showing some features of their cases.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwJJ9538rMg&feature=player_embedded"]YouTube- Loadmaster? Shipping Cases from ECS Composites[/ame]

By the way, I lined the trays that sit at the top of the footlockers with Griots Deluxe Drawer Liner.
I use this is all of my toolboxes at home, my cargobox in the FJ Cruiser, and also in the top glovebox on the dash in the Cruiser.
It keeps anything from sliding around.
Same type of stuff that boaters/RVer's use on their dashes to keep a cup or glass from sliding around.
I highly recommend this stuff for use in any drawers where you want your gear to not slide around.
I even have a piece cut to go under the Camp Chef Denali stove to keep it from sliding.





TRIDENT RUBBER
LP Gas Fiberglass Tank
Also sold under the Ragasco name

I have been wanting a 10 lb tank to replace my very old 5 lb tank I have had for years.
They simply drain to fast.
I saw a thread on IH8MUD's and Expedition Portals forum by a woman that goes by Ash there.
She had just purchased the 11 lb tank from West Marine and liked it, so I called them up and bought one.
I paid for two day shipping and was surprised to get it the very next day.
Talk about service!

The two main advantages to a fiberglass tank is they are much lighter than a steel one of the same size, and you can see how much fuel you have in there.
No more guess work or running out since you can physically see how much is left in the bottle.

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* Light weight compared to a steel one of the same size.
* Since it made of fiberglass, you can see how much propane is left in the tank.
* Less chance of running out since you know how much fuel is left.

Cons:
* More expensive than their steel counterparts.