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Shop and Gear: Camp Gear

Backpacking Gear Roundup

It's no surprise that - compared to the average human - I have a lot of camping gear. While I'm not one of those folks who always has to have the latest and greatest - in fact, I'll generally go for the simple, tried-and-true option - I have found that having the right gear can make camp life much more pleasant. A fridge, a nice Exped air mattress in the tent, and a down puffy have been just a few of the bits of gear that I've really come to enjoy over the years. But one thing's for sure -…

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Genius Camp Stove Tube Extension

For a couple years now, I've been using a Coleman Camp Grill/Stove. While the stove isn't perfect, I don't consider its drawbacks to be that big a deal, and as far as camp stoves go, I think its one of the better values out there. In fact - both of my (only) complaints about it are related to its fuel system: first, the burners aren't adjustable enough - they tend to be fully on, or off. This is annoying, but not really that big a deal for what I do on the trail, primarily boiling water or reheating food I've previously…

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Things to Consider When Choosing a Roof Top Tent (RTT)

Being a heavy user of my Cascadia Tents (CVT) Mt. Shasta roof top tent (RTT), I get asked - somewhat infrequently - what I think about it after all those nights on the trail. And, I often find myself evaluating it against other RTT offerings that I see on other rigs. So, rather than keep all that bottled up in my tiny little skull, I figured I'd share my thoughts with everyone - after 3 years and some 250 nights on the trail and in the tent. Brands (and durability/longevity) From what I can tell, they are all pretty much…

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Show Me Your Guns

I get asked - not infrequently - whether I carry gun(s) with me on my numerous outdoor adventures. So without further ado, here is what might be my most controversial post ever. You've been warned. First a few ground rules: I want to try to stay non-political. I recognize that this is a highly politicized topic in society today, but I'm not approaching it from that perspective. These are my current opinions. I reserve the right to change them at any time and I may or may not update the post. I'm totally fine with anyone else having the same…

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Exped Megamat Review - 1 Year Later

So after having my Exped MegaMat 10 Duo LXW for a little over a year - during which time I've spent about 90 nights on it - I figured it was time to share my long-term impressions as well as a few things I've learned. "Pro tips" as it were... or at least, "tips." I should also note here that I'm not sponsored by Exped in any way, and I paid full price for my mattress. I'm just a fanboi, and want to help others get a great night sleep. TL;DR - I really like the Exped. Of everything I've…

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Winter Weight Loss for the Tacoma

It's not natural. It's uncomfortable. It's hard. And, I know it's the right thing to do - I want to find a way to cut some weight off of the Tacoma. When I purchased the truck, Toyota listed the curb weight of a 4WD SR5 V6 Xtracab at something right around 3,500 lbs, and the gross weight (GVWR) at something near 5100 lbs. Or at least, that's what I can find on the internet in 2019, since I wasn't at all interested or concerned with those numbers at the time. Unfortunately for me - and the truck - when I…

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Building a 5th Gen (2010+) 4Runner Storage Platform

I've built a couple of storage platforms in the past - a slide-with-a-slide style platform for my 1st gen Tacoma, and a fridge-slide style for my 3rd Gen 4Runner - so when a buddy of mine asked for help building one for his 5th Gen 4Runner, I was happy to help. The goal was relatively simple for this build - a simple platform with some L-track to secure loads, and a way to level out the back of the 4Runner to sleep at night. No fridge slide (yet), but the ability to add it in the future. And, lastly -…

6 Comments