But thankfully my knife cut through my cans like butter 😅 did a lot of soul searching, it was a very cathartic experience and I can’t wait to do this again. I’ve never felt such bliss, I only got scared once!

Somewhere in the Rockies. 🗻

We started going on backpacking this year. over a year in the making. We begun with just car camping with majority of our gears already geared towards doing backcountry in the future. Finally, we did it this season, such an awesome and humbling experience.

Looking forward onto next season where we will be doing multi-day trips.

Solo overnight kayak camping in the Apostle Islands. I got a primitive camping permit that allows camping outside of the established campsites. Lake Superior was calm which made for some excellent kayaking! Had some fog in the morning but otherwise great weather!

During my leave, after finishing basic paratrooper training at 19, I decided to break away and head to Estonia with a great friend to explore and enjoy its nature on a 200 km route.

​Honestly, it was a wonderful experience. The forests, fields, lakes, and rivers gave me a sense of peace and satisfaction that's hard to find anywhere else. That feeling that time no longer matters, disconnecting for a while, and forgetting about responsibilities and obligations—it's a unique kind of therapy that helps me immensely. 🙂

The site is right off of the river so the chilled water in the fall weather is tremendous. The white noise as you rest makes the 4mi hike in worth it, as the foliage drops youre to be wary of the roots. Beautiful hike and park.

Went camping probably 9 or 10 weekends this year, mostly state parks and one longer trip by the lake. I realized I was bringing way too much stuff that I never actually used lol.

A few things I’m definitely keeping:

My two burner Coleman stove. Had it for years and it still works fine. Being able to make coffee and breakfast at the same time is nice.

Black Diamond headlamp with the red light. Mostly because I got tired of accidentally blinding people at night.

Nexbie Aeroraise shoes. Been using them around camp instead of my boots. Pretty comfortable, but they took forever to dry after getting soaked at the lake lol.

A regular pillow from home. I genuinely don’t know why I kept buying inflatable ones when I could just bring my own. 💀

Things I’m leaving behind are my hatchet, which I haven’t used in probably two years, and my air mattress. That thing has leaked on three different trips and I’m done with it.

What about everyone else? Anything you thought you’d use a ton but ended up leaving at home?

I will be in Colorado for about 10 days here soon and plan on hiking away from where I park at least a mile or two and set up camp. I likely won’t be back at my vehicle for multiple days or even a week. Should I be worried about break ins, etc or am I overthinking it?

The whole floor got wet even with a groundsheet. is this a warranty issue? I thought a 400 euro tent could survive a rainstorm?

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I'm heading out camping in Norway this winter and want proper coffee, not just instant. I've been looking at AeroPress, percolators, and portable espresso, but I'm not sure what holds up when it's well below zero.

For those who camp in winter:

1) What do you use, and what works in the cold?

2) What fails or annoys you most (batteries, frozen water, coffee cooling too fast, wet grounds, cleanup)?

3) How do you keep water hot long enough?

I'm also thinking about designing some coffee gear, so honest answers about what really sucks would help a lot. Thanks!

Hey. I am new to camping and could use your help. Our first trip doesn’t have a toilet in site so we are bringing along a Trelino compost toilet. I was wondering: 1) Do you put the toilet and the waste from the day locked in the vehicle to not attract critters or is it ok to leave out at night?; 2) What other options do people use?
Thanks in advance.