Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/4, 1/220 sec, ISO200 “Cozy” Cedar Park, 2019
Well, the test of the new tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad went well! The temperature dropped to the low 50s but I was nice and warm in the Marmot Trestles 15 sleeping bag. In fact, I was asleep only a few minutes after crawling in. 😊
I’m planning on heading back out to Big Bend National Park next month so I want to see how everything works: setting up the tent, seeing how much space I have in the tent with the pack inside with me, how the zippers/cinch strings on the mummy tent work, etc. After the dry run, I think I have everything worked out, at least for down to 50 degrees. This coming week a cold front will arrive so perhaps I will try out the sleeping bag in colder weather. We’ll see!
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/2.2, 1/20 sec, ISO6400 “Curious Dog” Cedar Park, 2019
I’ll be testing out the new tent, sleeping bag, and sleeping pad tonight out on the backyard deck. Temperatures should be getting down to the low 50s so not too extreme. Can’t wait! Lani is interested too, but I’m gonna guess she’ll prefer to be inside the warm house. 😆 🐶 ⛺
Photo info: FUJIFILM X100T, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/100 sec, ISO2500 “Camping Cook Set” Cedar Park, 2019
After last weekend’s Big Bend trip, I’ve been bitten by the camping gear bug, and have had my eye on some items for the solo camper. After doing a bit of research, I went with some budget items that have good reputations.
First up is Stanley Camp 24oz. Cook Set. It’s a skinny stainless steel pot, with foldable handle and lid. It includes two insulated green mugs that nest inside, but I probably wont be using those since I have another cup solution. But the pot and lid are great, especially because size/shape works well with a couple other camping items.
The standard canister fuel (small size), like the GSI 110 G canister in the photo, slides into the Stanley pot perfectly (even better if it’s upside-down).
Next up is an ultralight and ultracompact stove: the BRS-3000T Ultralight 25g Backpacking Camping Gas Stove. It’s basically a titanium alloy burner that attaches to the top of a fuel canister, and is a favorite of backpackers because of it’s simplicity, weight, and price. It comes with a small green bag, and since the arms of the stove are fold-able, the whole thing can fit in the palm of your hand. This sits easily in the Stanley pot as well.
Next, I purchased a Jetboil Fuel Can Stabilizer to keep the whole cooking unit stable. (You can find it at Academy for $5) It also has fold-able legs and fits easily in the cooking pot.
As I mentioned, it all fits perfectly in the pot, with enough room to also add a small lighter, small sponge, small microfiber towel, etc. But to do this, that meant not being able to use the green mugs. Of course I can just throw those in another bag, but there’s a much more elegant solution: the Ozark Trail 18-Ounce Stainless Steel Cup from Walmart. The beauty of this cup, other than being cheap and durable, is that the Stanley pot fits inside of it. And as an added bonus, the lid from the pot fits perfectly on the cup as well.
There are plenty of YouTube videos about this particular setup that I checked out before purchasing everything, so I’m confident it will work out nicely. It’s definitely a compact and inexpensive cooking system. I can’t wait to try it out on our next camping trip!
Two friends and I began the weekend a day early to head on out to Big Bend National Park for a short camping trip. The drive started at 5 am because it takes several hours of driving to reach the park. We got there at about 2 pm and stopped by the Panther Junction Visitor Center to get a back-country permit for our next evening’s campsite, and then headed to our first trail: Grapevine Hills Trail.
The highlight of Grapevine Hills Trail is the balanced rock at the end. It’s very cool! This trail starts easy, but includes a little bit of scrambling up rocks and could be difficult for some people. I really enjoy these sections though, so I was loving it.
Next, we drove out to the eastern part of the park to the Boquillas Canyon Trail. This is another very short trail, but the canyon is gorgeous! The Rio Grande is amazing the way it cuts through the rock to form the canyon. Nature is awesome.
The rib-eyes and cold beer really hit the spot! After a little bit of astrophotography, we crawled into the tents to get some rest. It was a great day!
Lately, I’ve been watching a lot of YouTube videos of people who have been traveling in their cars and vans all around the world, and actually living out of them full-time. It’s an interesting concept and something I’ve actually been interested in for a long time. Maybe it started because growing up, one of my best friend’s family owned a VW van which had comfy bench seating, a sink and cabinets, and curtains. It was really cool!
Here are a few of the channels I follow:
Live, Work, Wander – These two are a lot of fun to watch. They travel around the US in their VW 4WD “Ripley”, camping, wheeling, and just having a good time. A bit over-the-top with the bathroom humor at times, and their van seems to spend a lot of time in mechanics’ garages, but the production value of their videos is excellent and it’s a neat perspective of an alternative lifestyle. Fun!
The Galavan – If you want a real feel-good and relaxing channel to watch, this one fits the bill. She is traveling mostly in the Western US in a large van (or is it a small RV?) and enjoying life. Her gentle way of speaking is refreshing.
Hobo Ahle – She’s been living out of her car and now van for a while now, and seems more like a newbie to the nomad life, but it’s nice to see how she lives and has fun on a seemingly limited budget. Her vehicle isn’t yet as built-out as others on this list so the evolution is interesting. And she has a great positive attitude!
CamperVanCulture.com – This family from the UK has some amazing overland travel videos in Europe and Northern Africa. The drone footage is excellent in their Arctic series too! I really enjoy their camping adventures, especially because they have a lot of footage of the scenery and no over-the-top dialog. Very laid back and enjoyable.
Phil and Vanessa Chan – This couple has been living out of their Honda Element in California for over a year, but just recently sold it so they could begin their European adventures in a van. Lots of great tips about daily life in an extremely small space. I can’t wait to see their next chapter in Europe!
There are many good YouTube channels like these to find and watch and it’s cool and inspiring to see people living lives outside of the “normal” rat-race. The life of a modern-day nomad is pretty intriguing, isn’t it?
On a side note, there’s been a lot of criticism lately about YouTubers and YouTube itself, but there’s a lot of great, original, independent content of all kinds to be watched. I think it’s so much better than watching corporate network television.
またね～
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