Topic: Camping equipment

[Jeffy]

How about using a Camp Chef low pressure single burner?  My only concern is that the 16.2oz propane tanks last 1.4hours or something like that.  You can also attach a refillable tank to it.  A little overkill?

(I'd like something that's stable, that I can cook on and not just boil water with.)

[FourbangerYJ]

I'd say that is way overkill!
I have not had a problem with stability. The 16oz bottles last a long time up to 4 hours if your not cooking on high. I don't think you want to cook at near 10K BTU's anyway. For cooking you would have it much lower. I have used the same bottle the last 2 Dusy trips. But then again it's mainly for boiling water.
I have cooked on it, even on the lower settings it's pretty hot.
I have friends that have the same stove as jfrabat uses. They have no problems with that stove either. I would say it's a bit more stable since it has a larger base. You would be surprised how long the fuel lasts. Plus having a extra bottle does not take up that much space, and they can be purchased just about anywhere.

[dwtaylorpdx]

We call those boilers,, great for crab or clams,, but they will eat a 5gal refillable propane cylinder in < 3 hours.

I use my Propane Webber style mini, you just throw a pan on it and cook.. dual purpose.. I carry a 12" cast iron skillet
for doing breakfast stuff on it..  I also have a 24x12 ish cast iron griddle to lay on it, you can also fit the griddle and
skillet inside it when its closed up for transport. 

Cheers
Dave

[Jeffy]

I'd say that is way overkill!
I have not had a problem with stability. The 16oz bottles last a long time up to 4 hours if your not cooking on high. I don't think you want to cook at near 10K BTU's anyway. For cooking you would have it much lower. I have used the same bottle the last 2 Dusy trips. But then again it's mainly for boiling water.
I have cooked on it, even on the lower settings it's pretty hot.
I have friends that have the same stove as jfrabat uses. They have no problems with that stove either. I would say it's a bit more stable since it has a larger base. You would be surprised how long the fuel lasts. Plus having a extra bottle does not take up that much space, and they can be purchased just about anywhere.

We call those boilers,, great for crab or clams,, but they will eat a 5gal refillable propane cylinder in < 3 hours.

I use my Propane Webber style mini, you just throw a pan on it and cook.. dual purpose.. I carry a 12" cast iron skillet
for doing breakfast stuff on it..  I also have a 24x12 ish cast iron griddle to lay on it, you can also fit the griddle and
skillet inside it when its closed up for transport. 

Cheers
Dave

It's actually a low-pressure unit so it's not the same as the ones used for boilers.  Still probably overkill. Looks big and bulky.  They say you can run them at 5000 btu and it will run for 4.4 hrs on a 16.4oz bottle.

What about grills?  Weber Mini Q looks very popular. http://www.weber.com/grills/series/weber-q-series A lot more popular and looks better built then any camp stove.  It's sold as more of a tailgater/patio grill but since it's portable, it looks like it could be used as a camp stove too.

[Jeffy]

Ok, I found one problem with the Weber idea.  You can't really use pots and pans on it.  I guess you could but it wouldn't be very efficient.  This wouldn't be necessary if I could make a camp fire though.  For those who don't live in CA, during the summer many places have extreme fire warnings and don't allow camp fires.  (The California Rim-Fire was started by an illegal camp fire.)  So, it looks like I'll still need a stove.  I think my Dad has an old Coleman (the green one) which is just like the new Coleman.

I've been looking at a few camping web sites and they seem to really like the Stansport Outfitter Series.  It's not too expensive at $60.  Has two 25,000 Btu burners and more importantly nice controls so you can fine tune the flame.  I know many are either on or off.  I also like the piezo twist knob better then the push button.  Most push buttons will require you to hold the stove in place with the other hand.

Might get the Weber to supplement the stove though.  (I wouldn't use it at home much since I prefer charcoal grills.)

Still looking at tents, sleeping bags and other stuff like water containers (trying to decide if I want 2x 5.5 Gal or a single 7 gal), water filters, etc...

[sharpxmen]

the cheapest camping bbq works best, i found that after buying a stainless one that takes more space for not being square on the sides and top - it make a whole lot of difference with space at a premium. the stainless one also uses more gas (like twice as much). the cheapo won't last as long but at a difference in price of 6 to 1 (or more if you find a good sale) i can have enough spares.

i carry a cheapo bbq and a coleman camping stove with 2 burners which is very thin and fits where ever i have space left. there is also a stove with a grill and a burner, not sure how the grill works, i almost bought that one at the time.

[jfrabat]

Have you thought about one of those X grill BBQ sets?  They don't take much space at all... 







Way back in the day, we used to have a metal folding BBQ that we took in our boat (not the type above).  I think it was stainless steel (not sure), but I do remember it would cool down quickly once you put the fire out.  unfortunately, it fell of the boat on a fishing trip some 25~30 years ago!

[Jeffy]

When the parks are at "Extreme Fire warning", they do not allow campfires or charcoal.  So if you want to cook, it's propane or white gas.

[neale_rs]

When the parks are at "Extreme Fire warning", they do not allow campfires or charcoal.  So if you want to cook, it's propane or white gas.

Stick with propane, much simpler to handle.

[Jeffy]

Stick with propane, much simpler to handle.

I'm used to the day when you had to pump up your stoves and lanterns.  99...100!   

I've never used propane myself, do they have a schrader valve so you can disconnect them from the adapter tube thing when you're done?

[neale_rs]

Not sure what kind of valve it is but it closes automatically when you disconnect so it is hassle free.  I used to have a white gas backpacking stove and don't miss it!

[sharpxmen]

I'm used to the day when you had to pump up your stoves and lanterns.  99...100!   

I've never used propane myself, do they have a schrader valve so you can disconnect them from the adapter tube thing when you're done?

they have a ball valve, just unscrew the bottle (tank) and you're done.

[chardrc]

just dont invest in to many off brand bottles until you test them out. had a case of a off brand tank a few years ago and the valves liked to stick when you disconnected the regulator from the tank. 

[Jeffy]

This is the one I'll probably get.

http://www.amazon.com/Stansport-Outfitter-Series-Output-Propane/dp/B001ABK3IC/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=25IAB8BTICLKA&coliid=I3BBJ04CCZOEND&psc=1

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/rFw6QpYX4uI" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/rFw6QpYX4uI</a>
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/W4Greg87Gz4" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/W4Greg87Gz4</a>

[Bounty Hunter]

I'm in the market for a tent as well.  Looking for a 3-season tent at least 4-person as the two of us like the extra room.  Walmart tents won't cut it as we often camp at high altitudes in CO and the cheap tents don't handle the wind very well.

As for sleeping bags, just picked up a Kelty 20* with down insulation from REI.  Has worked well so far, but it's only trip to date was in the recent CO flooding