Camping gear list...

[Biker Eagle]

Viking...camping for us in Alabama is October thru early May. Insects and snakes not really a problem. Summer camping in Alabama? Think Winnebago in a KOA. Summer's when we make our cross country trips to the high country in Colorado where snakes ain't never a problem, but skeeters can be, and with a Thermocell even they can be handled. When I first started tarp camping I had plenty of reservations, but our experiences have been positive.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

I’m the guy that can afford to buy every new ‘best’ thing out there. It’s a stupid way to go. Buy only the most basic used gear and get out there. Only being out there will tell you what you need. Choose quality over features. Choose function over fashion. Choose pre-owned over used or new. Tons of barely/never used 2nd hand gear available for pennies on the dollar. Lighter is more expensive, so if you aren’t packing it for a hike, save your money and buy the heavier version. The commenter who said ‘The more you know, the less you need’ is absolutely right. Spend the time to learn what you need vs what you want. Then keep notes on what you use. You will probably find that you don’t need everything you thought you did and that what you wanted, only complicated the experience.

I’ve spent a small fortune on gear and the most important things in my setup are my RTT, my hatchet, my hammock and my pillow. Everything else is just noise for me. If I was doing more than 3 nights at a time, I would have different opinions for sure.

TLDR: resist the urge to buy shit. Find good friends, learn from them and let them buy lots of stuff that you can buy for nothing after it gets used once.

 

[kingofthehill29]

I’m the guy that can afford to buy every new ‘best’ thing out there. It’s a stupid way to go. Buy only the most basic used gear and get out there. Only being out there will tell you what you need. Choose quality over features. Choose function over fashion. Choose pre-owned over used or new. Tons of barely/never used 2nd hand gear available for pennies on the dollar. Lighter is more expensive, so if you aren’t packing it for a hike, save your money and buy the heavier version. The commenter who said ‘The more you know, the less you need’ is absolutely right. Spend the time to learn what you need vs what you want. Then keep notes on what you use. You will probably find that you don’t need everything you thought you did and that what you wanted, only complicated the experience.

I’ve spent a small fortune on gear and the most important things in my setup are my RTT, my hatchet, my hammock and my pillow. Everything else is just noise for me. If I was doing more than 3 nights at a time, I would have different opinions for sure.

TLDR: resist the urge to buy shit. Find good friends, learn from them and let them buy lots of stuff that you can buy for nothing after it gets used once.

My thoughts exactly. When I started getting back into camping I just bought the bare minimum. Then after a couple trips I was able to get an idea on what I needed to add and remove from my camping gear.

After searching online i was also able to get a cooler for my camping setup that was barely used from a guy that bought it and only used it a couple times.

 

[wndywandrs]

I started like Michael suggest with 3 cases, they fit my rack and then some.....I also took a tip from Corrie and we make a list of what we wish we brought, what we should have brought (Diff being one you should have the firs you would like to have) and a list of what we did not need to bring. We do the list on every trip, we now have it down with a longer trip dispersed camping (say a week) and a couple days.....

A recent great video Michael did about what to pack turned me onto a quick grab boox, you wills ee in the vid here:
Here are a couple links to OB lists/gear: Overland Trip Packing - How to Guide to Get You On the Trail! The Ultimate Overland Checklist - Overland Bound Overland Trip Planning: Know Before You Go - Overland Bound

DO NOT go out and drop a ton of money on stuff, you may find you bought stuff you really dont need or like, I spent a lot of time on here asking about things, good example is a coffee press, never heard of such a thing, but when I asked what people did for coffee, that was one I grabbed onto, I love it! Best thing I bought! Anyway you get the idea.... Ask learn.

Forget your vehicle mods till you are 100% sure of what type driving you will be doing , will you be on forest roads or will you need to crawl over boulders to get back into a sweet spot? Maybe a bit extreme but you get it.... Also like camping gear, go slow and DO NOT spend a ton till you do research.

Last DO NOT wait to have everything perfect (gear or truck), get out there, go spend an overnighter someplace, enjoy our beautiful country... Just get out and do it.

Jim

PS think about communication both regular and emergency, out them on your list!

Micheal posted a list and made a YouTube video as well.

The Ultimate Overland Checklist

The Ultimate Overland Checklist

Hey all, I get asked time and time again from people interested in overlanding, "what do I need to bring?" Here is a list of equipment, dry goods, and other items needed on your overland trip. This is separate from your vehicle, another topic altogether! I hope this is useful! The Checklist

www.overlandbound.com

Great suggestions, thanks!

 

[wndywandrs]

I’m the guy that can afford to buy every new ‘best’ thing out there. It’s a stupid way to go. Buy only the most basic used gear and get out there. Only being out there will tell you what you need. Choose quality over features. Choose function over fashion. Choose pre-owned over used or new. Tons of barely/never used 2nd hand gear available for pennies on the dollar. Lighter is more expensive, so if you aren’t packing it for a hike, save your money and buy the heavier version. The commenter who said ‘The more you know, the less you need’ is absolutely right. Spend the time to learn what you need vs what you want. Then keep notes on what you use. You will probably find that you don’t need everything you thought you did and that what you wanted, only complicated the experience.

I’ve spent a small fortune on gear and the most important things in my setup are my RTT, my hatchet, my hammock and my pillow. Everything else is just noise for me. If I was doing more than 3 nights at a time, I would have different opinions for sure.

TLDR: resist the urge to buy shit. Find good friends, learn from them and let them buy lots of stuff that you can buy for nothing after it gets used once.

Great suggestions...especially the last tip!