r/CampingGear

Anyone else using an Electric bear fence while camping? Any encounters with bears?

Hi happy campers!

To get the family into camping, I purchased a 3rd-party crossbars and rails for my car, and also got a 2nd hand roof box (CCM brand).

The roof box comes with clamps which attach to the crossbars.

Unfortunately, the crossbars are a TINY bit too close together. If I clamp the front set, I can't get the back clamps on. Or if I clamp the back set, the front won't fit. It seems like I'm missing 2-3 inches more of space (on either end) to actually make the clamp go through its designated "gap" and hug the crossbar.

Images w/ description for each pic here: https://imgur.com/a/L9XQIVN

You can see in one pic, that all I need is a couple of inches to get the clamp through the gap at the bottom of the box. So what's the best course of action?

1. Cut a bit more of the plastic "gaps" + the metal bracket to make them longer so the clamps might be able to go through?

2. Use a different kind of clamp? Like a universal U-clamp (Like this or similar)

3. Find a new box that fits?

Things to consider:

• I can't move the crossbars - they are fixed in place and there are no other holes in the side rails that I can use (and I'm not sure I can drill the side rails to make new holes)
• And I'm not going to buy a new crossbars/rails set.

I appreciate all the feedback and ideas + jokes about me needing the extra inches, but mostly the ideas :)

Hi all 👋 after some really bad luck, our 4p tent and tarp combo got ruined in a trip last night and now we’re in the market for a decent 4p tent. Looking for something with a built in vestibule/covered common area so we can pack a bit lighter and not have to set up a tarp. Have a few ballpark examples of tents that we’re considering:

Snow Peak Amenity Dome: https://www.snowpeak.com/products/amenity-dome-m-ivory?variant=39325044834348

Big Agnes Wyoming Trail 4: https://www.bigagnes.com/products/wyoming-trail-4

If you guys have any cool tents that are similar to these, would appreciate the recommendation!

Love my Gossamer fast kumo 36. Sad to see a rip. Just wondering what is the best way to patch this hole at the front where the elastic mesh is at.

30$ vidaXL tent , and the specifications are promising. Without negativity. what do you think?

Mammut crea contact 28
2690¥ -> 15€

Found this is a second hand store in Japan, pretty much perfect condition and I would buy it in a heartbeat if I was back home but..

Is it worth paying an extra 100€+ to add a checked in bag for my flight? This would also give me more space for other things as well but it’s still another 100€

Let me know what yous think

Edit: bought it

I know that tightly woven fabrics can protect against mosquitoes

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12823275/

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4450/12/7/636

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44172-024-00268-3

And I've found a couple of brands that claim to do this - Rynoskin and Royal Robbins with one being an undergarment and the other being fashionable outerwear.

Does anyone have experience with these things? Any recommendations?

My goal is to be able to hike through some marshy areas and not get eaten. To use as little of the chemical stuff as I can. Especially in the heat when the bugs are at their worst.

I tried a sun shirt (SPF long sleeved hoodie) thinking that maybe it would work but I got 2 mosquito bites through the shirt within a few minutes.

Everything i need including my tent all in one old army rucksack and 80% of it is surplus military gear **edit- i affixed the mess kit better so its not loose

Really wanna camp out at some spots ive seen off roading, but I'm also a creature comforts man so I bought the following and will go camping this weekend or next:

- truck bed Napier tent w/ canopy overhang (its only a 5.2ft bed but gain an extra foot on the tailgate

- truck-fit queen size airbed that goes over the wheel wells. It takes up the whole bed but thats fine lol

- 1200watt, 1190wh UDPower solar station. Don't have the solar panels yet but it'll do just fine for me for a day or two

-43qt BougeRV dual zone fridge. After 40 trips or so I'll be net positive on ice lol, and when I spring for the 240wh battery next year it'll free up my power station to do some cool stuff

- dual function Ignik propane camp stove and 10,000BTU heater

- 10x10 mosquito net canopy

- swinging camp chair

- double wide love seat camp chair

- 19in propane fire pit

- 1x 5gal water container, 2x collapsible 5gal containers and a good quality portable shower

- telescoping camp lantern

- 1 gal gravity water filter

And all the standard stuff that isnt over the top unnecessary borderline glamping lol. Fire extinguisher, other lighting, freeze dried meals, etc. Cant prepare for everything or buy the best version of every gadget, but I wanted to buy once cry once and have a great comfy time out the gate. I also have to haul around all my off road recovery gear around it

UPDATE: A friend and I worked on it. I was right with the idea of sticking the poles through the sheath in pic 4 and the no exit is by design. Black side of the poles goes first since the other side has a notch to hook into the rainfly’s holes by the door. I looped the toggles (I’m not sure the right name, pic 1) on the footprint and tent through small hoops on the rainfly. Very weird tent and I now know why it was donated.

Hello! I recently got a used Cabela Instinct 2 Scout tent but I am so confused on how to pitch it and there isn’t a manual. It doesn’t seem to have notches to stick the poles in the footprint (pic 1) but I see them on the rainfly. I think I figured out how to connect the rainfly to the tent (pic 2) but then where do I put the poles? There’s a small latch on the outside of the rainfly (pic 3) that I’d think would hook to the poles. There’s also what looks like a sheath for the poles on the outside (pic 4) but then there isn’t an exit. I would really appreciate any advice! Thank you in advance.

My partner and I made the switch to stainless steel/titanium cooking and eating utensils last year. We purchased the Stansport Stainless Steel Cooking Utensils for $10 on amazon last fall. They were great until they weren't. During our last camping trip, my partner was making burgers over the camp stove and put too much pressure trying to smash the meat down. The spatula split in half, flipping and sending the hot frying pan full of hot oil and burgers straight into his hand. He sustained some burns which are now fully healed thanks to some friends who had a homemade candula salve (always bringing this camping now!) ....Anyway, now we need a cooking spatula that WON'T snap in half under heat and pressure.

I came across the expensive Sea to Summit Detour Stainless-Steel Utensil Set on REI's website and am curious if these are worth it. I like how they store compactly and they would fit nicely in our camp box. Compact isn't necessary and we really only need a spatula, but I'm not sure I want to use the Stansport spoon and fork after what happened.

Would these be worth it or are there other stainless cooking utensils out there that don't break the bank but are durable and long-lasting?

I own a pair of Decathlon Quechua leather hiking boots that I only use during winter hikes, usually just a handful of days each year. Looking at the outsole, there’s very little wear left on them—they’ve probably seen only a fraction of the use they’re designed for.

I’ve always tried to take good care of them:
- Cleaned them after every hiking season.
- Applied leather wax/conditioner every year.
- Stored them indoors in a dry room.
- Kept them inside the cardboard shoe box.
- Stuffed each boot with the shoe paper/tissue to help absorb moisture and maintain their shape.
- Used them only occasionally during winter hikes.

Despite all that, when I recently took them out, the black midsole had turned completely white and chalky in places, developed cracks everywhere, and the material literally started crumbling apart. Even some of the outsole lugs are beginning to crack.

The strange part is that the leather upper still looks almost new, while the sole is completely falling apart.

Since they were leather hiking boots, I made an effort to maintain them properly so they’d last for many years.

Has anyone else experienced this with their boots or is this just something that happens with polyurethane midsoles as they age?

Is there anything I could have done differently, or was this inevitable?

Attached photos showing:
- The excellent condition of the leather upper.
- The very light wear on the outsole.
- The severe cracking and crumbling of the midsole.

I am genuinely sad to see them end up like this. They were my favourite hiking boots, and I had hoped to use them on many more hikes over the years.

Edit: To clarify, I live in an extremely hot region where summer temperatures often exceed 45°C (113°F), so these were never meant for regular use. Knowing that shoes generally age better with occasional use than prolonged storage, I wore them whenever I had the chance—mainly on winter hikes in the Himalayas. The boots are around 8 years old.