Love the variety in the types of content. I feel like a lot of hardcore backpackers hate on car camping, but it will always have a special place in my heart!
Car camping and backpacking go hand and hand for me. I often car camp at trailheads or in random spots either before a backpacking trip or after one, it’s the perfect way to either get ready for a trip or unwind after one. Much better than driving home for 8+ hours!
@@chemistryflavoredAgree. I normally hike in the California Sierra between 9,000 and 12,000 feet, so I like to acclimate for 2-3 days prior to backpacking and rest at least one night post trail before driving home.
I like to backpack as much as I can but when daylight savings hits and the sun sets before 5 it's a much more enjoyable experience to car camp with a hot tent.
I'm an organization junkie when it comes to my car camping gear. I tried different ways to keep things organized for years. But about a year and a half ago, I bought a Milwaukee packout drawer system and another packout box. They lock into each other. The tool organizer options make it great to organize my gear in there. I don't always bring it if its just me or with one other person. But if its a group, I bring it. I always keep it stocked and everything charged in there. So when I am packing up the car I just grab the boxes. I know everything I need is always in there. It makes my site so much more organized so I can relax and have fun instead of looking in different bags, boxes, whatever.
For car camping, the way we do coffee for my wife is I'll make up a bunch of cold brew concentrate before we leave and that goes in our cooler. Then in the morning she can decide if she wants cold coffee or hot coffee, if she wants cold, I just add cold water to the concentrate, if she wants hot, I boil some water in the jet boil and mix the hot water with the concentrate. She gets her coffee, and I don't have to deal with cleaning up coffee grounds while camping.
Why you pocket watching? Not all content needs to be for poor people. Imagine if richer people complained as much. “Waaahhh show me better mote expensive stuff!”
I haven't upgraded anything recently, but I keep my eye out for second hand gear from people like you who are up-grading and trying out new stuff. When I get new-to-me gear, I'm always appreciative of those who have let their formerly loved items go.
My parents took me car camping when I was a kid - I continue the tradition; such a money saving strategy when we travel. I've been using gear that you have now upgraded - I'll be making changes. Delightful to see Snuggles 💙 Love to you guys
The one item that goes with me no matter where and what I'm doing: a USB powered fan. I have two different ones and they are great at moving the air when I'm sleeping. A little white noise, a little air movement and I'm asleep.
I bought one of these to use while in my tent on RAGBRAI 2023. There was a lot of extreme heat that week and the fan really helped me get some decent sleep. I hadn’t though about using it for other trips but your comment and car camping two weeks ago in Southern Oregon during a heat wave in a State Park campsite with no shade means I will be taking it on summer trips in the future. I carry the two power banks I use it with anyway, and it is very light and compact.
I always enjoy your content. I just bought a Jetboil Half-Gen to replace my 30-year old Coleman suitcase stove for car camping. Everything I take for my camp kitchen fits in one plastic tub, now I can eliminate the stove being outside on top of the tub. In the tub is a large thin plastic cutting board and a full-sized forged chef’s knife. These are wonderful for real camp cooking.
USB small rechargeable tent fans. They are great for controlling condensation on those muggy humid nights by hanging them from the top of the tent but then pointing them upwards and across the fly to keep the air moving. Then also pointing down for extra breeze when needed. They hardly weigh anything and have been super useful many times.
I just picked up an enormous cabin tent - with inflatable "poles" and a wood stove! I figured I'd keep all my spiffy backpacking gear just for that activity and go nuts with the car-camping set-up. 17' x 10', 7' tall, big enough for a queen bed, wood stove, folding recliners. I'm hoping to set it up somewhere along the Colorado Trail soon and provide a little Trail Magic to a few of this season's thru-hikers.
Haven't checked your channel in a long time because I'm not a through hiker and I don't usually like their perspectives on gear. Very awesome to see you Give love to the car camp genre! I live in the midwest. You can car camp and complete solitude beautiful scenery. No one around but be comfortable on the cheap. Life is good as a car camp champ
Darwin, so good to see you thinking of the average hiker/backpacker/car camper. I am sure the majority of your viewers are not thru hikers. Most of us have jobs, kids and responsibilities that don’t allow the time for months on the trail. Great video.
Love that you are doing this style of video. Due to my circumstances, car camping is my main jam. And I travel with my cat cuz she is a special needs kitty so it’s hard to leave her with just anyone and she enjoys car camping. Since she prefers to sleep with me in my sleeping bag I had to buy an extra wide cot. She enjoys the cot for sleeping on and under so her kitties goes under there for her day time hang out space if it’s hot. If it’s chilly she goes inside her old fashioned flannel sleeping bag that I inherited from my dad. My thermarest thick self inflating pad goes in the cot for my comfort and a memory foam pad on top so she doesn’t pop my thermarest. At night I have a UGQ down quilt for warmth if it’s chilly. Otherwise the old Coleman flannel bag is enough, with a fleece throw if need be. For cooking I inherited my dad’s Coleman stove, tho I prefer cooking on the fire if possible. I have a jetboil style pot if I just want hot water. Mostly I used my good old Stanley adventure camp cook set that is my all in one set for pots and dishes and utensils. And my cast iron frypan with cast iron lid. I recently got the sea to summit kettle that came as a cook set with collapsible bowls and mugs that I have yet to try. I love how lightweight and collapsible it is. For camping when I just am not wanting a full on fire but want to cook over actual wood flames I have my tomshoo gasifier twig stove as well as my firebox twig stove. That way I don’t have to haul a bunch of wood in my car for cooking. I just put these stoves on an aluminum pie pan over the campsites fire grate and make my hot water in the gasifier and my bacon and eggs on the firebox. Save my gas for places with fire bans or for quick stops for lunch at a picnic area when all I need is some quick hot water at a lunch spot. Nothing like a fresh iced mocha made from fresh hot coffee in my moka pot mixed with a bit of a chocolate bar poured over ice from the cooler. Thanks for sharing your awesome car camping suggestions. I’m curious about the tents you use while camping. My cat prefers the big 6 person tent cuz it has plenty of room for the cot, a big chair, a table and her litter box. The rain fly comes off so she can pretty much live in the tent all day and at night run around and play. If I’m out cooking she can see me at the picnic table. Snd I bring her out on her harness and leash when I’m not busy cooking. But I also have a three man tent that the cot fits into as well as her litter box. But that’s for only an overnight jaunt. Then off to the next location. It’s the best tent for warmth when it’s cold and rainy. It’s my old faithful alps mountaineering tent. The big one is a no name off Amazon. It’s not as good on quality but it’s survived in rain storms without a leak but I’m always having to patch the floor cuz it’s so not a durable floor. Grateful for the ground sheet and tenacious tape. lol. Thanks again. I’d love to hear more about some of your other gear if you want to explore this genre in future videos
Exped does make a smaller lighter megamat. It is a single, Megamat lite. Two can go together to make a double. They are definitely backpackage. Not as light as your ultra light backpacking pads, but certainly light enough to backpack. About two pounds each. If you look at it as your one luxury item, everything else being ultra light, this will guarantee an excellent sleep.
I absolutely love cooking in the outdoors. Must have been a cattle drive cook in a previous life. I run a three-burner Coleman stove with a Coleman roadtrip grill. But I never forget my cast-iron Dutch ovens & my cast-iron griddle.
I recently made a box that drops into my trailer hitch cargo rack to hold all of our kitchen gear, except for the 5lb propane tank. Once the camp stove is on the box, it is within an inch or so of our house stove’s height, so it’s quite comfortable to use and we don’t need to have a picnic table at the site. If it rains, or is in the sun, we can stand between the rack and the SUV with the rear door open for protection. It also frees up space on the inside.
It might seem a bit unnecessary, but I just went car camping for 5 days, 4 nights with some close friends and I scooped up the Flextail shower head/pump and shower tent, and it was the hit of the trip. We didn’t have access to showers other than the river, and it helped bring a bit of an added cleanly refresh to the outdoor adventure, and let us head to bed feeling clean as well! Surprisingly, I’d highly recommend when yer out getting your glamp on!
Exped megamat is so good! I've been car camping with mine for more years than I can remember. A sunshade of some sort and bug screen/management of some sort is also critical.
Army cot with a closed cell pad. Sleep like baby, can get up in am with bad knees, makes sleeping outdoors enjoyable. Perfect for car camping. On road trips, easy to set up to sleep under the stars. Mountain Smith tarp for overhead cover as needed.
I’ve tried many car camping stoves. My favorite is the Gas One GS-800 mini butane stove. It packs small and you can cook a meal on it easily. If you need only one burner check it out.
Coffee! Electric kettle/french press that has SS internal parts from GoSun has been amazing. It’s vacuum insulated and heats up in less than 15 min, put it into a coffee mug because i like the hot cup feeling especially when it’s chilly. Great price too, just connect to battery bank and there is no noise or fuel other than solar charged batteries used.
Love the video!!! Sounds silly but my favorite thing to bring is camping string lights. Just makes camp that cozy along with our Kelty two seater chair!
My best friend and I were camping this past week and I was making eggs and sausage for breakfast on our stove; while I was making them I was thinking some toast would be great since we had bread. Luckily our campsite had service and I saw that Coghlan makes a camp stove toast maker. Picked one up at the nearest Fred Meyers later that day and had toast with our eggs and sausage the next morning! It totally works! Just make sure the burner is turned up all the way on a Coleman stove!
I’ve never hiked, I almost did twice, but I have car camped and I am so excited for this video. I have upgraded my camping gear to lighter weight and the planning for hiking sure helped me rethink excess and makes camping more manageable. We now bring our jet boil on all camping trips.
For our camp coffee we have used the same Italian coffee maker. The handle eventually melted so my husband put a motorcycle brake handle on it. It still works 37 years later.
Best piece of car camping gear I’ve ever had was a collapsible folding table. No longer have it sadly, but the this was long and narrow. Perfect for beer pong. Me and my delinquent friends would go to the woods and throw down. The table also was used for food and junk, but you haven’t lived until you played beer point by lantern light.
We like Teton Vista 2 instant tent with Coleman Packaway Cots, Coleman Big & Tall sleeping bags and Thermarest pads. Total luxury, no crawling, quick set up. 0:220:220:22
Top two must haves for my family and I when car camping are the storage "tool boxes" and cooler for food. We went with a Rigid 3 tool box system that sits on top each and has a wheeled base. Boxes are filled with camping gear basics and a major portion of our cook system. It is perfect for those walk in sites. The cooler otherwise is a Kenai 65 that holds ice for days especially using a good layering technique for ice and food/drinks. The cooler is definitely heavy when filled and one needs to be sure to lift properly. Cheers!
Thanks for the video! I upgraded my car camping tent to a 'fast-frame' design from Oztrail that sets up very quickly, as we often use our car camping tent on road trips where we need to set up camp every day in a new place. It made a huge difference to not have to spend 30 minutes setting up a big dome tent and rather quickly deploy a 10 minute tent.
When traveling & camping, I fix a majority of my meals & beverages with the Jet Boil Big Mug for boiling water. I boil the water & put instant coffee in a thermos. Then I boil another big mug of water & add it to my dehydrated food, in a jet boil pot. I let the food hydrate an hour , then do a quick re-heat & meal is ready. I do not like to cook my food with jet boil, just heat up. These items are game changers for enjoying the outdoors without a lot of fuss. Happy Trails!
Another thumbs up for exped megamat. It ain't cheap, but so comfy, and seems very durable. Been stealth camping regularly in my Tesla for a few years now. Maybe 50 nights or so, no sign of wear.
For 'minimalist' car camping with some hiking crossover, I recommend the Jetboil 1.5l pot. Ceramic coated for easy clean. Soups, stews etc, wipe out with a paper towel. Solid handle so good for 1l water boil. I use it on a Mighty Mo, a bit fiddly but very efficient.
For camping in the summer gotta have 1-2 O2COOL 10 inch Battery or Electric Portable Fan, Camping Fan, Tent $20 at Walmart, folds flat, also good at keeping bugs away if your sitting around
As I've camped more over the years, the number of friends that come with grows. I recently got the GCI folding cook station to make sure everyone's well fed and the picnic tables stay cleared for us to eat at. Also, we have the same car! It's tiny but wonderful. I'd love to see a video on how you organize your car camping gear on the road and at the campsite.
My favorite thing in my car camping set up are the books I keep in the car to brush up on my outdoor / ecological reading. I've been slowly working on Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac and recently I went through an extensive published account of a Forest Service career biologist in the Wallowa Whitman NF in NE Oregon where he accounted various projects he and his team did over his career in that area. For the places I'm very familiar with exploring, I like to learn more about the conservation and anthropological history.
My cook system consists of a 2 burner coleman stove, but the old style that runs on liquid fuel. I also have the same style Coleman lantern and of course cast iron. I like the liquid fuel Colemans because i can bring a single can of gasoline and not wonder when the propane canister is going to run out. Yes, those old Colemans run great on pump gas which is a fraction of the cost of Coleman fuel.
Thank you for this video, as I get older, shorter excursions are necessary and the opportunity to bring more gear by car is nice. I also discovered ExPed last year and it’s the best pad I’ve ever used. Enjoyed your recent talk with Dan, hope you two do more, thank you again.
I use Plano Sportsman trunks to organize gear. Usually I can fit 3 crates in most SUVs I've used including RAV4, Outback, Highlander, etc. I use one for food, one for cook system, and one for camp gear such as chairs, tarps, lights, etc.
I exclusively car camp, but because I sleep in my Forester I still try to keep things compact and easy to remove from the car (a storage box I can shift to the roof and things in the front seats.) I love my Exped megamat 10 King single (for the same reason as you) Furno 360 stove set Fire maple Saturn stove and grill pan Bluetti AC70 (I run a CPAP overnight) Yeti roadie 25 cooler Darche eclipse awning Gerber survival knife and flint set
I love my Genesis, its too big for my normal hidden pouch, where I keep all my other lets just disappear into the woods gear. But its easy to grab on the way with my clothes. FYI that kettle fits happily into the top of the jetboil bag where the regulator sits. I just picked up the skotti grill, very much loving it. Packs flat, because its size not weight when Ive got my car. It can use wood, charcoal, or even gas(iso or propane) which is great if you've had a long day adventuring and dont want to make or wait for coals when you get back to base, or burn bans.
I agree on the Exped Megamat Duo. Absolutely the most comfortable air mattress I’ve slept on easy. It fits perfectly in my Subaru Outback. Definitely look into getting a tiny air pump though. I got a FLEXTAILGEAR air pump and it makes it so much easier to setup. I also just fold it in 3 instead of rolling it up. I find it takes up less space when folded.
Teflon coating for comfort camping seems like good thing. It just makes things so much easier when it comes to clean up and cooking itself. I have only stainless steel and carbon steel pans at home, but I do see advantage for this specific kind of camping. As avid cook I can't stand teflon, not even for eggs, but I have to say, I wouldn't mind it for that jetboil system.
That's for all your videos... We just recently added the Trangia 25-23 Duossal with gas and spirit burner to our camp kitchen setup and we love using the, Kindling Cracker xl, Snowpeak takibi firepit with 2 sets of tongs for the campfire fun 🔥🏕 ❄ 🇨🇦
Did 2 hikes in the arapaho national forest this past weekend. One was lots of up to devils thumb pass and was steady gradual up for 4.9 miles. Great time with wife and cousins. See you on trail
😅 crazy. I’ve been watching your videos for years and I’m going car camping for the first time with my family next weekend. I have exclusively been going backpacking during that time. Wild timing!
Exped sleeping pads are some of the best underrated pads imo. I’ve been switching over all my pads to them after spending years with thermarest and nemo ones
I love car camping as much as a backcountry trip. The two of us use a large six person tent we acquired at a yard sale. After a few fails we settled on two fold up cots. This way we aren't getting dressed on the ground and we have storage room underneath.
Great video. I've been looking at the JB Genesis system. Gear that goes on every camp trip are my Kelty Window Seat. I have one for my gear and one for my food. They fold down when not in use. Gazelle G5 for the colder months, with panels(can be hung up fully or down 1/2 way to see out) Add little buddy heater. Now I camp year around.
You'll have to pry my Coleman 2 burner stove from my cold dead hands. I have decent simmer control with mine. I love the flat profile of it. It makes it easy to slide into many different storage spaces. I recently picked up a Kelty sunshade/canopy. I love the extra shade on those hot summer days.
I grew up camping in a VW van, but not the full camper so we had a green Coleman. I've been using the DualFuel stove the last few years. It's amazing AND costs less than $1 to fill the tank & backup.
Hi Darwin! We’ve Ben watching you for a while and love your content and podcasts. We car camp and use the JetBoil stove that you featured here. One thing though…I believe the fry pan is ceramic coated not Teflon, unless that has changed somewhere along the line. I hope you read this and feel more comfortable using it. It’s a great set up. Thanks for always providing great stuff!
When we go car camping we bring a geodesic pop up kitchen tent. It takes 5-10 minutes to setup and we lift it down over a camping table. Besides the weight the only drawback is that it packs down 6 feet long.
Whoa...Darwin does car camping, really1?😁😉😜 I'm all in on this vid and hope for a few more every now and than. Really getting the hang of OnX Backcountry , liking it, and will check out their coffee press. As I've gotten older (started backpacking in 1974), I've used my Evolved lightweight backpacking style to ease me into a lightweight "car" camping style in the last 10 years or so. Well actually an FJ Cruiser and Aliner that I can go just about anywhere with in the Rockies backcountry. Often use that combination as a basecamp for hikes, overnight backpacking and fly fishing. Keeps me still getting out there, especially in the National Forests to avoid the over stressed National Parks. And a big THANKS for being a public lands advocate!
Good video! Car camping is what we do. In our 60's, and i have knee and hip issues, so backpacking isn't really an option. We did do a canoe camp a couple summers ago. The closest we'll get. Nice to see some new car campjng gear options!
great ideas. Like the jetboil dual cooker and the big mattress. I have not car camped since 1991 though, and thought if I needed to do so I'd just use my UL backpacking gear, now that it is pretty comfortable. The jetboil might be useful during power outages here at home, I've used by basic jetboil during outages plenty but it can only boil water.
I wouldn’t be able to tent camp without the exped mat. I have back problems and thank goodness for it. I did upgrade the inflater thingy for a tiny battery pump.
Purch the Nemo Roamer DBL mattress last year. I love it! Use it with a Keltey DBL 20° bag which is decent for 45° temp. Also I really like the insta crates from Costco for packing my stuff.
On my Genesis stove I use the Ignik 5 lb propane tank. For half the price of one Coleman bottle I can fill my Ignik and have four times the gas. And not have to bother with the empty bottles, i.e landfills.
4" memory foam in 2 compression sacks with 2 Static Vs underneath. About the same size packed as a 3" Kelty double wide, and subjectively more comfortable. Eureka full size bag on top. Timberline Outfitter FTW.
Nice, our national forest lands are truly our last frontier. I LOVE my Exped mega mat single. I bought it a few years ago. On some trips where it is questionable who is sharing the bed with whom, I’m always the first to say I’ll be on the floor with my Exped bed. Same with visiting relatives. Fold out couch? Nope.I’ve got my Exped bed.
Gsi outdoors. Love their anodized aluminum pots. I use their sauce pans and their stainless steel skillet. Of course I also bring the cast iron skillet. As for coffee, pour over.
I got the Stanley Camp Pro cookset, was a bit of a splurge buth worth it having quality stainless cookware in the woods. I still bring a 10" flat cast iron skillet though, I'll cook my bacon on the CI and my eggs on stainless. All on the good ol coleman classic stove. But with a 5lb tank from the ranch supply store. $3 to fill it, will last all summer, no half full 1lb bottles.
A new subscriber here. I recently bought a 2024 Subaru Forester Wilderness, just got my Inspired Overland RTT on it , gearing it up and about to hit the road in the next week or two into some forests. Thanks for some great suggestions on gear I don't have yet.
Love the variety in the types of content. I feel like a lot of hardcore backpackers hate on car camping, but it will always have a special place in my heart!
Car camping will always be fun & enjoyable to me! It's definitely the entry drug into the outdoors as far as I'm concerned! 😉
Car camping and backpacking go hand and hand for me. I often car camp at trailheads or in random spots either before a backpacking trip or after one, it’s the perfect way to either get ready for a trip or unwind after one. Much better than driving home for 8+ hours!
@@chemistryflavoredAgree. I normally hike in the California Sierra between 9,000 and 12,000 feet, so I like to acclimate for 2-3 days prior to backpacking and rest at least one night post trail before driving home.
I like to backpack as much as I can but when daylight savings hits and the sun sets before 5 it's a much more enjoyable experience to car camp with a hot tent.
I'm an organization junkie when it comes to my car camping gear. I tried different ways to keep things organized for years. But about a year and a half ago, I bought a Milwaukee packout drawer system and another packout box. They lock into each other. The tool organizer options make it great to organize my gear in there.
I don't always bring it if its just me or with one other person. But if its a group, I bring it. I always keep it stocked and everything charged in there. So when I am packing up the car I just grab the boxes. I know everything I need is always in there. It makes my site so much more organized so I can relax and have fun instead of looking in different bags, boxes, whatever.
For car camping, the way we do coffee for my wife is I'll make up a bunch of cold brew concentrate before we leave and that goes in our cooler. Then in the morning she can decide if she wants cold coffee or hot coffee, if she wants cold, I just add cold water to the concentrate, if she wants hot, I boil some water in the jet boil and mix the hot water with the concentrate. She gets her coffee, and I don't have to deal with cleaning up coffee grounds while camping.
Perfect, been doing this long time- Dad started in 1970s.
Now that is fricken smart sir.
Indoor/outdoor carpet for the tent floor is a game changer.
Wowza! $400 Jetboil, $400 pad, $500 quilt.......you should do a #balleronabudget version for us car campers who don't have that kind of dough to drop.
Why you pocket watching? Not all content needs to be for poor people. Imagine if richer people complained as much. “Waaahhh show me better mote expensive stuff!”
I haven't upgraded anything recently, but I keep my eye out for second hand gear from people like you who are up-grading and trying out new stuff. When I get new-to-me gear, I'm always appreciative of those who have let their formerly loved items go.
Great to see no "overland" word associated with car camping.Thanks for the video
"Overlanding" is a nice word to encapsulate its purpose: Spend $30,000 to go car camping.
Now we’re talking. The thru hike is neat but Car Camping is so much with friends, kids, dogs and
My parents took me car camping when I was a kid - I continue the tradition; such a money saving strategy when we travel. I've been using gear that you have now upgraded - I'll be making changes. Delightful to see Snuggles 💙 Love to you guys
The one item that goes with me no matter where and what I'm doing: a USB powered fan. I have two different ones and they are great at moving the air when I'm sleeping. A little white noise, a little air movement and I'm asleep.
I bought one of these to use while in my tent on RAGBRAI 2023. There was a lot of extreme heat that week and the fan really helped me get some decent sleep. I hadn’t though about using it for other trips but your comment and car camping two weeks ago in Southern Oregon during a heat wave in a State Park campsite with no shade means I will be taking it on summer trips in the future. I carry the two power banks I use it with anyway, and it is very light and compact.
@@AWBabbage the two I got barely use any charge from my banks. It actually shocks me each morning how little the power goes down.
The exped duo mat is the best! Absolutely the best mattress I’ve ever used.
I always enjoy your content. I just bought a Jetboil Half-Gen to replace my 30-year old Coleman suitcase stove for car camping. Everything I take for my camp kitchen fits in one plastic tub, now I can eliminate the stove being outside on top of the tub. In the tub is a large thin plastic cutting board and a full-sized forged chef’s knife. These are wonderful for real camp cooking.
USB small rechargeable tent fans. They are great for controlling condensation on those muggy humid nights by hanging them from the top of the tent but then pointing them upwards and across the fly to keep the air moving. Then also pointing down for extra breeze when needed. They hardly weigh anything and have been super useful many times.
My husband brings the battery from his Ego mower w/ a converter to recharge have, lights, phones, etc.
I just picked up an enormous cabin tent - with inflatable "poles" and a wood stove! I figured I'd keep all my spiffy backpacking gear just for that activity and go nuts with the car-camping set-up. 17' x 10', 7' tall, big enough for a queen bed, wood stove, folding recliners. I'm hoping to set it up somewhere along the Colorado Trail soon and provide a little Trail Magic to a few of this season's thru-hikers.
What brand of tent?
Haven't checked your channel in a long time because I'm not a through hiker and I don't usually like their perspectives on gear. Very awesome to see you Give love to the car camp genre! I live in the midwest. You can car camp and complete solitude beautiful scenery. No one around but be comfortable on the cheap. Life is good as a car camp champ
Darwin, so good to see you thinking of the average hiker/backpacker/car camper. I am sure the majority of your viewers are not thru hikers. Most of us have jobs, kids and responsibilities that don’t allow the time for months on the trail. Great video.
Darwin thru-hikes so that you don't have to.
😂
I save my care camping for family and freinds who arent really into camping. Items like the Genesis make it all the more luxurious.
The folks at the National Forest refused to even consider my suggested slogan: "Find Your Wood."
😂 Missed opportunity
You win the internet 😂😂😂😂😂
I guess there was stiff competition.
@@daved6351 It just didn't make them "pitch a tent".
Get excited by your National Forest... "Pitch a Tent"
Love that you are doing this style of video. Due to my circumstances, car camping is my main jam. And I travel with my cat cuz she is a special needs kitty so it’s hard to leave her with just anyone and she enjoys car camping. Since she prefers to sleep with me in my sleeping bag I had to buy an extra wide cot. She enjoys the cot for sleeping on and under so her kitties goes under there for her day time hang out space if it’s hot. If it’s chilly she goes inside her old fashioned flannel sleeping bag that I inherited from my dad. My thermarest thick self inflating pad goes in the cot for my comfort and a memory foam pad on top so she doesn’t pop my thermarest. At night I have a UGQ down quilt for warmth if it’s chilly. Otherwise the old Coleman flannel bag is enough, with a fleece throw if need be. For cooking I inherited my dad’s Coleman stove, tho I prefer cooking on the fire if possible. I have a jetboil style pot if I just want hot water. Mostly I used my good old Stanley adventure camp cook set that is my all in one set for pots and dishes and utensils. And my cast iron frypan with cast iron lid. I recently got the sea to summit kettle that came as a cook set with collapsible bowls and mugs that I have yet to try. I love how lightweight and collapsible it is. For camping when I just am not wanting a full on fire but want to cook over actual wood flames I have my tomshoo gasifier twig stove as well as my firebox twig stove. That way I don’t have to haul a bunch of wood in my car for cooking. I just put these stoves on an aluminum pie pan over the campsites fire grate and make my hot water in the gasifier and my bacon and eggs on the firebox. Save my gas for places with fire bans or for quick stops for lunch at a picnic area when all I need is some quick hot water at a lunch spot. Nothing like a fresh iced mocha made from fresh hot coffee in my moka pot mixed with a bit of a chocolate bar poured over ice from the cooler. Thanks for sharing your awesome car camping suggestions. I’m curious about the tents you use while camping. My cat prefers the big 6 person tent cuz it has plenty of room for the cot, a big chair, a table and her litter box. The rain fly comes off so she can pretty much live in the tent all day and at night run around and play. If I’m out cooking she can see me at the picnic table. Snd I bring her out on her harness and leash when I’m not busy cooking. But I also have a three man tent that the cot fits into as well as her litter box. But that’s for only an overnight jaunt. Then off to the next location. It’s the best tent for warmth when it’s cold and rainy. It’s my old faithful alps mountaineering tent. The big one is a no name off Amazon. It’s not as good on quality but it’s survived in rain storms without a leak but I’m always having to patch the floor cuz it’s so not a durable floor. Grateful for the ground sheet and tenacious tape. lol. Thanks again. I’d love to hear more about some of your other gear if you want to explore this genre in future videos
This was fun to read
Exped does make a smaller lighter megamat. It is a single, Megamat lite. Two can go together to make a double. They are definitely backpackage. Not as light as your ultra light backpacking pads, but certainly light enough to backpack. About two pounds each. If you look at it as your one luxury item, everything else being ultra light, this will guarantee an excellent sleep.
Absolutely agree about the Exped Megamat. I have one in my adventure rig, and I sleep better on it than at home in my "real" bed.
I love this! Backpacking/bikepacking/packrafting is all great, but car camping is the perfect weekend getaway for relaxation, good food, and quiet.
I absolutely love cooking in the outdoors. Must have been a cattle drive cook in a previous life. I run a three-burner Coleman stove with a Coleman roadtrip grill. But I never forget my cast-iron Dutch ovens & my cast-iron griddle.
I recently made a box that drops into my trailer hitch cargo rack to hold all of our kitchen gear, except for the 5lb propane tank. Once the camp stove is on the box, it is within an inch or so of our house stove’s height, so it’s quite comfortable to use and we don’t need to have a picnic table at the site. If it rains, or is in the sun, we can stand between the rack and the SUV with the rear door open for protection. It also frees up space on the inside.
It might seem a bit unnecessary, but I just went car camping for 5 days, 4 nights with some close friends and I scooped up the Flextail shower head/pump and shower tent, and it was the hit of the trip.
We didn’t have access to showers other than the river, and it helped bring a bit of an added cleanly refresh to the outdoor adventure, and let us head to bed feeling clean as well! Surprisingly, I’d highly recommend when yer out getting your glamp on!
When he said, “this is a Coleman two-burner propane stove; you probably have one in your garage…” 🤣🤣🤣
Exactly what I was thinking!! 😂
What better than watching your thru hiking posts while sitting around a campfire after setting up my car camping gear.
Thanks for doing this video. Personally I can't imagine going car camping without a cast iron Dutch oven.
I do love me some campfire dutch oven cooking!
Never thought I would see a car camping gear video from your channel 😂. I love it! Thank you.
Exped megamat is so good! I've been car camping with mine for more years than I can remember. A sunshade of some sort and bug screen/management of some sort is also critical.
My essential car camping item is cold beer. Also love cooking on cast iron over an open flame.
Army cot with a closed cell pad. Sleep like baby, can get up in am with bad knees, makes sleeping outdoors enjoyable. Perfect for car camping. On road trips, easy to set up to sleep under the stars. Mountain Smith tarp for overhead cover as needed.
North-South lake site 116. Tucked away in the back against the mountain. Book a site there now lol. Its beautiful
I’ve tried many car camping stoves. My favorite is the Gas One GS-800 mini butane stove. It packs small and you can cook a meal on it easily. If you need only one burner check it out.
Skip to 4:30 for start of video
Coffee! Electric kettle/french press that has SS internal parts from GoSun has been amazing. It’s vacuum insulated and heats up in less than 15 min, put it into a coffee mug because i like the hot cup feeling especially when it’s chilly. Great price too, just connect to battery bank and there is no noise or fuel other than solar charged batteries used.
Love the video!!! Sounds silly but my favorite thing to bring is camping string lights. Just makes camp that cozy along with our Kelty two seater chair!
My best friend and I were camping this past week and I was making eggs and sausage for breakfast on our stove; while I was making them I was thinking some toast would be great since we had bread. Luckily our campsite had service and I saw that Coghlan makes a camp stove toast maker. Picked one up at the nearest Fred Meyers later that day and had toast with our eggs and sausage the next morning! It totally works! Just make sure the burner is turned up all the way on a Coleman stove!
I wondered how these worked.
I’ve never hiked, I almost did twice, but I have car camped and I am so excited for this video. I have upgraded my camping gear to lighter weight and the planning for hiking sure helped me rethink excess and makes camping more manageable. We now bring our jet boil on all camping trips.
For our camp coffee we have used the same Italian coffee maker. The handle eventually melted so my husband put a motorcycle brake handle on it. It still works 37 years later.
Best piece of car camping gear I’ve ever had was a collapsible folding table. No longer have it sadly, but the this was long and narrow. Perfect for beer pong. Me and my delinquent friends would go to the woods and throw down.
The table also was used for food and junk, but you haven’t lived until you played beer point by lantern light.
Yeah! We have a little one too that the stove sits on in this video. It’s great!
We like Teton Vista 2 instant tent with Coleman Packaway Cots, Coleman Big & Tall sleeping bags and Thermarest pads. Total luxury, no crawling, quick set up. 0:22 0:22 0:22
Top two must haves for my family and I when car camping are the storage "tool boxes" and cooler for food. We went with a Rigid 3 tool box system that sits on top each and has a wheeled base. Boxes are filled with camping gear basics and a major portion of our cook system. It is perfect for those walk in sites. The cooler otherwise is a Kenai 65 that holds ice for days especially using a good layering technique for ice and food/drinks. The cooler is definitely heavy when filled and one needs to be sure to lift properly. Cheers!
Finally exped from your channel. They are the best in every single way
I haven't even watched to the gear talk, but it's a thumbs up for your intro alone! Love National Forest lands :)
Thanks for the video! I upgraded my car camping tent to a 'fast-frame' design from Oztrail that sets up very quickly, as we often use our car camping tent on road trips where we need to set up camp every day in a new place. It made a huge difference to not have to spend 30 minutes setting up a big dome tent and rather quickly deploy a 10 minute tent.
When traveling & camping, I fix a majority of my meals & beverages with the Jet Boil Big Mug for boiling water. I boil the water & put instant coffee in a thermos. Then I boil another big mug of water & add it to my dehydrated food, in a jet boil pot. I let the food hydrate an hour , then do a quick re-heat & meal is ready. I do not like to cook my food with jet boil, just heat up. These items are game changers for enjoying the outdoors without a lot of fuss. Happy Trails!
the sleeping mat is the next upgrade to our car camping setup. I LOVE the look of the brewtek insulated press. Will definitely check that one out.
Another thumbs up for exped megamat. It ain't cheap, but so comfy, and seems very durable. Been stealth camping regularly in my Tesla for a few years now. Maybe 50 nights or so, no sign of wear.
For 'minimalist' car camping with some hiking crossover, I recommend the Jetboil 1.5l pot. Ceramic coated for easy clean. Soups, stews etc, wipe out with a paper towel. Solid handle so good for 1l water boil.
I use it on a Mighty Mo, a bit fiddly but very efficient.
I just bought the Exped MegaMat but haven’t tried it yet. So glad to hear you like it.
For camping in the summer gotta have 1-2 O2COOL 10 inch Battery or Electric Portable Fan, Camping Fan, Tent $20 at Walmart, folds flat, also good at keeping bugs away if your sitting around
As I've camped more over the years, the number of friends that come with grows. I recently got the GCI folding cook station to make sure everyone's well fed and the picnic tables stay cleared for us to eat at.
Also, we have the same car! It's tiny but wonderful. I'd love to see a video on how you organize your car camping gear on the road and at the campsite.
My favorite thing in my car camping set up are the books I keep in the car to brush up on my outdoor / ecological reading. I've been slowly working on Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac and recently I went through an extensive published account of a Forest Service career biologist in the Wallowa Whitman NF in NE Oregon where he accounted various projects he and his team did over his career in that area. For the places I'm very familiar with exploring, I like to learn more about the conservation and anthropological history.
My cook system consists of a 2 burner coleman stove, but the old style that runs on liquid fuel. I also have the same style Coleman lantern and of course cast iron. I like the liquid fuel Colemans because i can bring a single can of gasoline and not wonder when the propane canister is going to run out. Yes, those old Colemans run great on pump gas which is a fraction of the cost of Coleman fuel.
Thank you for this video, as I get older, shorter excursions are necessary and the opportunity to bring more gear by car is nice. I also discovered ExPed last year and it’s the best pad I’ve ever used. Enjoyed your recent talk with Dan, hope you two do more, thank you again.
I use Plano Sportsman trunks to organize gear. Usually I can fit 3 crates in most SUVs I've used including RAV4, Outback, Highlander, etc. I use one for food, one for cook system, and one for camp gear such as chairs, tarps, lights, etc.
I exclusively car camp, but because I sleep in my Forester I still try to keep things compact and easy to remove from the car (a storage box I can shift to the roof and things in the front seats.)
I love my
Exped megamat 10 King single (for the same reason as you)
Furno 360 stove set
Fire maple Saturn stove and grill pan
Bluetti AC70 (I run a CPAP overnight)
Yeti roadie 25 cooler
Darche eclipse awning
Gerber survival knife and flint set
Gotta have a sol-gen Bluetti for charging stuff.
A really good….. COMFY CHAIR…..and a cold BEER…. peace and quiet… Great … different video 🍺🍺
I love my Genesis, its too big for my normal hidden pouch, where I keep all my other lets just disappear into the woods gear. But its easy to grab on the way with my clothes. FYI that kettle fits happily into the top of the jetboil bag where the regulator sits. I just picked up the skotti grill, very much loving it. Packs flat, because its size not weight when Ive got my car. It can use wood, charcoal, or even gas(iso or propane) which is great if you've had a long day adventuring and dont want to make or wait for coals when you get back to base, or burn bans.
I agree on the Exped Megamat Duo. Absolutely the most comfortable air mattress I’ve slept on easy. It fits perfectly in my Subaru Outback. Definitely look into getting a tiny air pump though. I got a FLEXTAILGEAR air pump and it makes it so much easier to setup. I also just fold it in 3 instead of rolling it up. I find it takes up less space when folded.
Nice video. I don’t know how to car camp without filling 1/2 my truck bed. Inspiring to see if I can reorganize down to my Jeep grand Cherokee.
Teflon coating for comfort camping seems like good thing. It just makes things so much easier when it comes to clean up and cooking itself. I have only stainless steel and carbon steel pans at home, but I do see advantage for this specific kind of camping. As avid cook I can't stand teflon, not even for eggs, but I have to say, I wouldn't mind it for that jetboil system.
That's for all your videos... We just recently added the Trangia 25-23 Duossal with gas and spirit burner to our camp kitchen setup and we love using the, Kindling Cracker xl, Snowpeak takibi firepit with 2 sets of tongs for the campfire fun 🔥🏕 ❄ 🇨🇦
Did 2 hikes in the arapaho national forest this past weekend. One was lots of up to devils thumb pass and was steady gradual up for 4.9 miles. Great time with wife and cousins. See you on trail
😅 crazy. I’ve been watching your videos for years and I’m going car camping for the first time with my family next weekend. I have exclusively been going backpacking during that time. Wild timing!
Exped sleeping pads are some of the best underrated pads imo. I’ve been switching over all my pads to them after spending years with thermarest and nemo ones
Pretty damn good!
I love car camping as much as a backcountry trip. The two of us use a large six person tent we acquired at a yard sale. After a few fails we settled on two fold up cots. This way we aren't getting dressed on the ground and we have storage room underneath.
with the amount of plastic/silicon in your cook system already, i wouldn't worry about teflon
Great video. I've been looking at the JB Genesis system. Gear that goes on every camp trip are my Kelty Window Seat. I have one for my gear and one for my food. They fold down when not in use. Gazelle G5 for the colder months, with panels(can be hung up fully or down 1/2 way to see out) Add little buddy heater. Now I camp year around.
I love the Bru trek and sea to summit kettle, two of my go to car and RV camping accessories.
Bru Trek makes such a good cup o’ joe!
@@DarwinOnthetrail it's so good
This is cool! I converted a 8 x 10 cargo trailer this year and upgraded from my suv but I miss the simplicity of car camping lol
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You'll have to pry my Coleman 2 burner stove from my cold dead hands. I have decent simmer control with mine. I love the flat profile of it. It makes it easy to slide into many different storage spaces.
I recently picked up a Kelty sunshade/canopy. I love the extra shade on those hot summer days.
I grew up camping in a VW van, but not the full camper so we had a green Coleman. I've been using the DualFuel stove the last few years. It's amazing AND costs less than $1 to fill the tank & backup.
Hi Darwin! We’ve Ben watching you for a while and love your content and podcasts. We car camp and use the JetBoil stove that you featured here. One thing though…I believe the fry pan is ceramic coated not Teflon, unless that has changed somewhere along the line. I hope you read this and feel more comfortable using it. It’s a great set up. Thanks for always providing great stuff!
I just went over to their site and it is indeed a ceramic coating, not teflon.
When we go car camping we bring a geodesic pop up kitchen tent. It takes 5-10 minutes to setup and we lift it down over a camping table. Besides the weight the only drawback is that it packs down 6 feet long.
Fellow car camper here and Pinetop resident, great video on gear!
For car camping I just picked up the Ignik Gas Growler 3.8 It’s great for my small 2 burner and no more single use green bottles!
Whoa...Darwin does car camping, really1?😁😉😜 I'm all in on this vid and hope for a few more every now and than. Really getting the hang of OnX Backcountry , liking it, and will check out their coffee press. As I've gotten older (started backpacking in 1974), I've used my Evolved lightweight backpacking style to ease me into a lightweight "car" camping style in the last 10 years or so. Well actually an FJ Cruiser and Aliner that I can go just about anywhere with in the Rockies backcountry. Often use that combination as a basecamp for hikes, overnight backpacking and fly fishing. Keeps me still getting out there, especially in the National Forests to avoid the over stressed National Parks. And a big THANKS for being a public lands advocate!
Been car camping for years! You never hike too many miles to know where you came from falling in love with the outdoors
A couple of decent folding camp chairs and a propane fire pit for later in the summer when all the burn bans are on in the PNW.
For car camping I love using two classic large trangias ! Upgraded to the duossal pots
Pour over, all day long. Coffee is the Japanese tea ritual of the fremen. - Muad'dib
Good video! Car camping is what we do. In our 60's, and i have knee and hip issues, so backpacking isn't really an option. We did do a canoe camp a couple summers ago. The closest we'll get. Nice to see some new car campjng gear options!
great ideas. Like the jetboil dual cooker and the big mattress. I have not car camped since 1991 though, and thought if I needed to do so I'd just use my UL backpacking gear, now that it is pretty comfortable. The jetboil might be useful during power outages here at home, I've used by basic jetboil during outages plenty but it can only boil water.
I wouldn’t be able to tent camp without the exped mat. I have back problems and thank goodness for it. I did upgrade the inflater thingy for a tiny battery pump.
Love this! I’m too old for tents, ground or cots. So I love camping in a car ❤ thank you!
Purch the Nemo Roamer DBL mattress last year. I love it! Use it with a Keltey DBL 20° bag which is decent for 45° temp. Also I really like the insta crates from Costco for packing my stuff.
On my Genesis stove I use the Ignik 5 lb propane tank. For half the price of one Coleman bottle I can fill my Ignik and have four times the gas. And not have to bother with the empty bottles, i.e landfills.
Yeah, we definitely need to get a small tank
I e always used a Coleman for car camping but I’ve been considering jet boils clamshell, thanks for sharing!
Loved this video. The Jetboil stove looks amazing.
4" memory foam in 2 compression sacks with 2 Static Vs underneath. About the same size packed as a 3" Kelty double wide, and subjectively more comfortable. Eureka full size bag on top. Timberline Outfitter FTW.
Can anyone please tell me where to dispose of the green Propane bottles?
Nice, our national forest lands are truly our last frontier. I LOVE my Exped mega mat single. I bought it a few years ago. On some trips where it is questionable who is sharing the bed with whom, I’m always the first to say I’ll be on the floor with my Exped bed. Same with visiting relatives. Fold out couch? Nope.I’ve got my Exped bed.
I’m with you concerning Teflon.
It’ll be awesome to see you guys -as you age-start doing reviews of RV’s, Starlink and comfort lawn chairs 🎉
Gsi outdoors. Love their anodized aluminum pots. I use their sauce pans and their stainless steel skillet. Of course I also bring the cast iron skillet. As for coffee, pour over.
Just yesterday my son bought an EXPED mat. I tried it out in the house.....dreamy..
I got the Stanley Camp Pro cookset, was a bit of a splurge buth worth it having quality stainless cookware in the woods. I still bring a 10" flat cast iron skillet though, I'll cook my bacon on the CI and my eggs on stainless. All on the good ol coleman classic stove. But with a 5lb tank from the ranch supply store. $3 to fill it, will last all summer, no half full 1lb bottles.
A new subscriber here. I recently bought a 2024 Subaru Forester Wilderness, just got my Inspired Overland RTT on it , gearing it up and about to hit the road in the next week or two into some forests. Thanks for some great suggestions on gear I don't have yet.