Camping Gear Splurge

"DipodomysDeserti" (dipodomysdeserti) 06/12/2020 at 21:34 • Filed to: None

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I’ve been pretty content with hammering in my shitty, factory tent stakes with rocks over the last twenty or so years. Often times the ground was just too tough, and I’d have to make due with just making sure there was weight in the tent.

I received a plethora of Amazon gift cards from my admins and students over the last month, and decided to splurge. With camping gear, I don’t cheap out. I don’t buy unnecessarily expensive or complicated gear, but I have trusted brands that I don’t mind shelling out for. For example, I don’t ever buy the REI branded stuff, it’s just too cheaply made in my experience. MSR has been a brand that has won me over. I bought one of their camping stoves and a pot about sixteen years ago when I first got into backpacking, and it has been one of my most solid pieces of kit. Stupid simple design, good materials, and durable. I still use them my go-to camping kitchen.

Anyways, I picked up their Grounhod tent stakes along with a stake hammer. Bery high quality all around. The handle of the hammer is hollow aluminum and the head is skeletonized fir more weight saving. Won’t get to test it out on desert soil for a few months, but will start breaking them in our northern forests tomorrow.

Just Jeepin' > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:00

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Very nice. I have a big order of cast iron d utch oven gear on its way, will be camping for 9 days later this month and looking forward to learning about camp cooking.

PowderHound > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:02

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MSR makes fantastic stuff, I only have one of their pocket rocket stoves but have used some tents and other odds and ends, always top notch quality . MSR, Nemo, and Alps mountaineering are my go to brands for backpacking things.

jminer > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:04

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Those look excellent - I’ll second the endorsement of MSR gear, used a bunch of their stuff over the years.  Their water filter is my favorite too.

PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:05

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The MSR ground hog stakes are awesome, money well spent, nice choice. I have some that are 20 years old.

I will say though, I've been happy with my REI tents over the years.

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 06/12/2020 at 22:11

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Concur that o n the rei tents. We went from a really nice mountain hatdwear to an rei tent when our daughter got to be about 2 and we needed more space and we couldn’t be happier. It’s withstood some wicked winds and weather. Let’s face it, REI likely doesn’t manufacture their own stuff; they probably contract out companies like MSR.

But my MSR filter and stove are my longest lasting pieces of backpacking gear so that says something too.

Nom De Plume > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:19

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Phoenix REI is a trip.

Bought a set of these Easton stakes there you can plant in rocky (any) soil with a boot and remove by hand. Glamping 10+ miles from the nearest road needn’t be overwrought with accessories.

In years past I would’ve grabbed a handful of employees and drove one into the parking lot after their incredulous reaction to someone actually buying them.  As I say, a trip.

DipodomysDeserti > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 06/12/2020 at 22:31

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My brother and some friends have newer REI tents that seem well made. They’ve definitely improved over the years. I’ve used a 3.5 person Kelty for around six years now. Thing has been all over the western US a few times and camped all around Kauai on three different trips. About two years ago we were camping just about every weekend, so it has gotten a ton of use.

REI had a Big Agnes two person tent on sale last year that I picked up. I started putting the kids and dogs in the Kelty by themselves, and my 80lb puppy decided to jump through the mesh in the middle of the night on our last trip . Tore a giant hole in it.  I’m going to mend it, but REI has a deal on a two person Kelty with two sleeping bags for around $250 that I’ll probably jump on, as my kids will be able to use them for a long time.

gettingoldercarguy > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:32

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Nice swag.  Msr is so nice.

DipodomysDeserti > Just Jeepin' 06/12/2020 at 22:32

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I found a nice dutch oven at a thrift store for cheap. It’s great for camping. We did thanksgiving turkey in it a few years ago. I’ll be cooking a deer roast in it tomorrow night.

We’ve done a few 3-4 week road/camping trips over the years, so I have all sorts of recipes. For a quick and easy meal I do “camping chili”. Dump refried beans, salsa, and some good sharp cheddar in a pot and heat it up until the cheese melts. Add avocado and eat it with chips.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

barnie > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:34

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Mom had a 5-digit REI number, 109xx from ‘68. Tried to get it as mine when she passed but REI sez they can’t find her record and wouldn’t do that anyway, even in her honor. Oh well. I’ll have t o stick with 6-digits. Love that company.

Odd story about me and my x GF. Th e only 2 fights we ever had were in the REI in ATL. Don’t recall what they were about ; the chemistry in there was not good for us. Still together, we learned to go alone. Still best friends, just in different places .

Moved to MSR multifuel stove in ‘79 when my Sevea 123 let me down in the ice and snow. Still love that thing and “white gas” is plentiful now a days.

My local JAX REI just reopened! We have a road trip set for next week. I tried to buy a new pair of Keen sandals and a good summer sleeping bag online but I really need to feel and see them to know which to get. And we’ll get to eat at Ted’s!

DipodomysDeserti > barnie 06/12/2020 at 22:43

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We have some very good local outfitters in Phoenix and Tucson, so I’ve always viewed REI a bit differently. They were seen in the same light as a Walmart here. Initially my friends and I only shopped there so we could return our worn out gear for new stuff years later, but they’ve since changed their return policy :).  I’m a member and I’ll shop there, but really only on the discounted stuff and shoes. The people shopping there seem more about the fashion of being “outdoorsy”.

CompactLuxuryFan > PyroHoltz f@h Oppo 261120 06/12/2020 at 22:50

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Just got a Passage 2 REI tent  in the mail yesterday after having great experiences with a friend’s. Their camping chairs have been good to me as well.

TheRealBicycleBuck > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:54

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I bought a set of knockoff aluminum stakes from a big box store. In 10 years of heavy use, I’ve only managed to bend one. Those things should be standard. 

SmugAardvark > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:54

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These days , I only shop at REI when they are having one of their “garage sales”. I’ve picked up some very good gear at dirt cheap prices, such as a set Evolv climbing shoes that were a display item for $20 . Other than that, yeah, I generally stick to local shops or online vendors .

As for stoves, I’ll never use anything other than MSR. I’ve had their “ pocket rocket” stove for at least 15 years now. Never let me down, and the form factor is perfect for backpacking.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 22:54

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 Make a good murder weapon though

DipodomysDeserti > Nom De Plume 06/12/2020 at 23:02

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A friend had some of thos e a few weeks back. We ended up using a hatchet in order to pound them in. Asphalt in Arizona is usually pretty soft. In summer I carry a crushed can with me when riding to keep my kickstand from sinking into parking lots.

I’ve made due with rocks for a few decades, but I figured I might as well burn some Bezo bucks on a fancy hammer.

Glamping to me is driving for hours on a fire road in a two door Jeep with two kids and a dog just to get away from people.

Camping is hiking through wilderness areas for a day with two kids and a dog with all the gear, food and water on my back so my kids can hear themselves think for a night or two.

The Snowman > barnie 06/12/2020 at 23:07

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I used to always give my dad’s phone number at REI and let him have the dividends and when they looked him up here in Utah it would always be something along the lines of this is the smallest member number I have ever seen! He’s still a pretty big hippy so I can only imagine him in the 60's and 70's.

barnie > DipodomysDeserti 06/12/2020 at 23:15

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Mom’s phone was probably something like BR-549... Yea, lotta yuppies in there and they have changed over the years. Still, for me, they are like Walmart, I guess, convenient and usually has something that works for me.

DipodomysDeserti > SmugAardvark 06/12/2020 at 23:33

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Same. I really only buy stuff on sale from there, especially since they changed the return policy. My old MSR stuff is from Summit Hut, which is a legend in Tucson. People hated when they said an REI was coming to town. My oldest gear from REI is my Granite Gear Blaze 60 pack which Ingot on sale almost seven years ago. Got it for $100. Think it retailed for $350. 

Nom De Plume > DipodomysDeserti 06/13/2020 at 11:24

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Those stakes were famously ‘driven into the ground’ following a shift in corporate structure when someone figured out they were much better than they needed to be. The good ones were buried at the bottom of a storage bin.

Also it was 50 F, rainy, late December, and I’m quite sure walking 10 steps from tent to truck made it glamping.

Stef Schrader > SmugAardvark 06/20/2020 at 16:20

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Oh yeah, sale time is the best/only time . I came thisclose to buying a new snow jacket when I was in REI yesterday. It’s Holy Crap It’s June And This Hasn’t Sold Yet season, which is the only time to buy winter stuff . (Same goes for summer stuff in the winter.) I think I might look it up online and see if they have the next size up. My existing jacket is annoying as heck.

Went in for a bike basket, came out with some new shoes, a pair of shorts, some other extras...damn you REI!

(In my defense, I’ve put off shopping for a lot of things I’ve broken for a while now...and before my mom complains, look, I needed some extra shoes now that getting a professionally-done pedicure is a ‘rona no-no. I paint my toenails like a kindergartener, TBH . )