r/CampingGear

Did my first solo camp last weekend and learned pretty quickly that nighttime feels very different when you’re out there alone lol.

The day was totally fine. Then it got quiet and suddenly every leaf crunch and branch snap had my full attention. At one point I could hear something walking around near the tent. Probably nothing exciting, but at 1am my brain was coming up with plenty of ideas.

All I had was a flashlight and headlamp. I stuck the flashlight out a couple times and saw absolutely nothing, and I wasn’t about to crawl out there to find out what it was.

A friend later told me to look into a small thermal or night vision monocular, basically just to see what’s making the noise before sticking my head outside. Did some browsing and saw stuff like topdon thermal monoculars and nightfox night vision. Never even crossed my mind as camping gear before.

Definitely going solo again, but I’m rethinking my nighttime setup.

What do you guys keep within reach at night? Anything you bring now that makes solo camping a lot less sketchy?

EDIT: I think we found it! After some help this is the closest I've found to what it was. Some form of synthetic sports swim towel. It might be a match. Especially looking at the reviews and user pictures of how awful it is when dry. "Speedo Swimsuit Jammer Endurance"

I'm trying to identify a type of camping towel I had back in the late 90s. I don't want to know the brand or anything. I'm just trying to figure out what it was made out of.

It was a synthetic towel that looked like it was some form of extruded foam with no bubbles or fibers visible. It wasn't microfiber.

When dry, it had the consistency of cardboard. But when you got it wet it softened a lot and expanded a little bit. It could absorb a LOT of water, but it was a terrible towel because it had to be a bit wet to work, and so it always left me feeling a bit damp.

It wasn't one of those "expanding towels" you see where they look like a white pill and expand into a full towel with water.

It reminded me a lot of some form of shammy, or squeegee material. But not any kind of fiber.

First time here. I need to ask a human (not AI or pseudo AI search results) how to properly store propane.

Looking to buy propane tanks (no bigger than those 1lbs from Walmart) for outdoor cooking at the park or beach camping. But when I'm done, I am limited on where I can store them. I don't want to buy them if I cannot safely store them.

I rent a room, so my room is the only real place they can go. Definitely can't keep them in the car as it has been over 100°F here (thanks So Cal).

Or should I go woth butane and a butane set up? I believe all the same risks applies still but please correct me if I'm wrong.

I will be camping October 9-11 in Boron California. I have never camped desert before. The area I will be in will be a massive gathering. Few hundred to several hundred people at least. I will be in a tent with a cot. I was thinking of also bringing a 10x10 easy up. (I get sick in the sun) I have a portable shower and will be packing 5 gallons of water on top of a cooler full of Diet Pepsi. A 17" Blackstone will likely be doing most of my cooking. Saturday meals will be provided. Porta potties on site (expected to be very busy with most people there heavily drinking). Thinking a denim blanket and a wool blanket should get me by. I also have a Ecoflow Delta 2 for my power needs and powering a cpap. What am I forgetting? I will be in a Jeep Grand Cherokee so space is limited, but I feel like I am missing something. Edit: Dogs, firearms and long knives are not allowed at this gathering.

Hi,

I have a Silentnight, double camping mat that has a foam core and standard valves at the bottom two corners. I bought my first one 3 years ago and after 2 years it wouldn't stay inflated, so I bought a new one. I've just got it out to get ready for camping in 2 weeks and it won't stay inflated.

I've inflated the mat and put the valves in water to see if there are leaks, nothing. I've inflated it and wrapped the valves in cling film and gaffer tape and it still deflated. I can't find a hole in it either.

Does anyone have a suggestion on how to troubleshoot this or an alternative mat to buy that is cheap but reliable.

I only camp 3 times a year so I'm baffled at how this has happened. I used it 3 weeks ago and it was fine. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I've recently sold my Sea to Summit Ether light XR because couldn't get comfortable on it, it was a bit of a rubber texture and heavier than others.

My current pad is one that I like a lot, the Flextail R05 which I bought for €73. It's almost identical to the Nemo, but less robust so probably fails sooner. For more future proofing and piece of mind I'd love the Nemo Eclipse.

I'm almost certain it's one of the best all-around pads and it's pretty popular. However I haven't been able to find much about it, anywhere. Justin outdoors has some nice video's about it. But apart from that there's barely other videos and also not much about it here on Reddit.

So if you own the pad I'd love to know how you like it, how small/easy it is to pack and how warm + comfortable it is. Thanks!

Was offered a gift voucher instead of a full refund so now trying to think of some must have big ticket items that we don’t already have?

For reference, we already have a great tent, air gazebo, esky, so am thinking maybe a power station might a good purchase?

Hit me up with your exy must haves so I can put my voucher to good use!

TIA

I'm trying to work out why my son and I were both cold on a couple of nights in Iceland despite seemingly having a sleep system that should have been warm enough.
We both use:
Katabatic Flex 15 quilt

Exped Ultra 3R sleeping pad

Merino long-sleeve base layer

Merino long tights

Quilt fully clipped/secured — no obvious drafts

During our Iceland Divide bikepacking trip, there were a couple of nights where we were both noticeably cold, particularly at Reykjavik campsite and Landmannalaugar. Temperatures were definitely above freezing, probably around 4°C, and I don't believe they dropped below 0°C.

What's puzzling is that on the other nights, further into the Icelandic highlands, we were completely comfortable with exactly the same equipment, despite the conditions not obviously being warmer.

Neither of us felt that the cold was particularly coming from underneath, which makes me unsure whether the pad is actually the problem.

The Ultra 3R has an R-value of around 2.9, so I'm wondering whether that's simply not enough for temperatures around 3–5°C, even when paired with a Katabatic Flex 15.

Could the relatively low R-value of the pad be causing us to lose enough heat that the quilt can't perform as expected, even if we don't consciously feel cold coming through the pad?

Or are there other factors that could explain why both of us were cold on the same nights but fine on other nights with the same sleep system?

Would moving to something around R4.5–5.5 make a meaningful difference at these temperatures, or would you look elsewhere first?

I'd be particularly interested in people's real-world experience with the Ultra 3R around 0–5°C, rather than the manufacturer's temperature recommendations.

I’m an avid hiker and camper, and one thing constantly bugs me: my feet get damp and sweaty inside my hiking boots no matter what socks I wear. Even with well‑known breathable boots, my feet still end up soaked from sweat after long treks, which leads to blisters and discomfort.

I’ve been brainstorming a modification for existing hiking footwear: build a passive air‑pumping circulation system inside the sole. The concept works like a bellows. When you step down and put weight on your foot, the sole compresses and pushes hot moist air out of the shoe. When you lift your foot, the sole expands and sucks fresh cool outside air inside. One full air exchange with every single step.

No batteries, no electronics, purely mechanical, powered just by walking. I’m not selling anything, no prototype yet, just a random thought I had out on the trail.

Does this idea have any real potential? Or am I missing huge practical flaws? Things like waterproofing, mud clogging, durability, added weight, or something else I haven’t considered. Would love to hear your thoughts, criticisms or real‑world experience.

I am 37, live in Ohio, and most of my camping is pretty normal family campground stuff. My wife and I usually do state parks or lake weekends, sometimes with my brother’s family if the kids are out of school. I have been cleaning up my camping setup lately and keep going back and forth on whether an e-bike would actually be useful at camp, or if it would just become one more big thing to haul around. The times I imagine using it are not exciting at all. Last month at a state park, our site was near the back loop. The bathhouse was just far enough away that walking there with a towel and shower bag got old by the second day. The camp store was farther than I expected too, and every time we needed ice or forgot something small, someone had to either walk for 15 minutes or move the car. Same thing happened on a lake weekend. The parking area near the water was packed, so once we got the truck parked at the campsite, nobody wanted to move it again. A bike would have made the little back and forth trips a lot less annoying. I am not trying to ride trails or do anything extreme. It would mostly be campground roads, rough pavement, gravel loops, grass edges, and the usual uneven ground around campsites. That is why I have been looking more at fat tire e-bikes than tiny folding bikes. While searching, I came across some 26 inch fat tire models, including the Helokeep 26F, but I am still more interested in whether this type of bigger fat tire bike is actually worth bringing to a campground. The downside is obvious. A bigger e-bike is not exactly easy camping gear. It means a rack, locks, battery charging, extra weight, and figuring out whether it is worth bringing on shorter trips. My realistic use would be pretty boring: Riding to the bathhouse. Going to the camp store. Picking up ice. Going down to the lake without moving the car. Checking out a nearby paved path. Maybe riding into a small town if the campground is close enough. For people who camp with e-bikes, did it actually become useful after the first few trips? Or did it turn into one of those things that sounded great at home and then became annoying to pack, unload, lock up, and keep charged? I am mostly curious whether fat tires are worth it around campgrounds, or if a smaller folding bike usually does the job well enough.

I have a freeze dryer and like making my own ready made freeze dried meals. I have some classics and looking for more to add to my rotation. I mainly do chili Mac, chicken noodle soup, lasagna, chicken Alfredo, and a breakfast granola with yogurt and fruit.

I have a new recipe I just tested for a pizza bowl. I’m going to make. What recommendations do you have or any recipe recommendations.

Hello

I have the opportunity to buy a cumulus neoquilt 450 for 280€ which seems a good deal. I am not planning to go hiking in the winter ( more like sweden/ French Alpes in summer/autumn) in the near future and was wondering if it might be to warm? I heard the quilt is great quality and i prefer to buy more expensive now but keep it for a long time! What do you guys think?

So I sprayed my tent with a mould remover spray which worked like magic. Mould disappeared before my eyes. It was a spray similar to RMR-86 that gets discussed here a lot, with the active ingredient being sodium hypochlorite. My tent is canvas. I’ve now read online that this ingredient can “rot” textiles, and effectively break them down over time… has anyone experienced negative effects of using this kind of mould spray? My tent looks fine and it hasn’t bleached at all.