Dave and I LOVE camping. With a feverish love that neither of us can shake. We love the process...getting the gear together, putting up the tent, cooking over a campfire, counting the satellites among the stars at night and waking up snug in our sleeping bags.
Have I mentioned we LOVE it?
We love it so much, we have big plans for camping this summer...we haven't had our fill over the past few years and we need to make this happen.
As such, I thought I would share a few of our favourite camping items with you!
And, just a note...all of the opinions are ours!
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Trangia Stove
This is the latest addition to our camping family and we are so happy to have it! This thing is a piece of beauty. Dave did a ton of research on camping stoves before we bought one - watching videos, reading pros and cons and assuring that we would make the best purchase for our needs. This thing boils water in about 5-8 mins, gets our meals super-hot and is easy to clean. We purchased the Trangia 25-2 HA series. Camp cooking LOVE.
You can find out more about the Trangia system here!
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ALPS Tent
Ah, my ALPS tent. A sturdy and reliable piece of equipment that I've owned for over 6 years now. It has serves us well and I got it on discount from REI one year during a blow-out sale. It's roomy enough for two plus our gear and with two side-entry doors, makes it easy for us to maneuver out of the tent when needed (ahem, when I need to get out in the middle of the night for a little walk). We definitely need to waterproof it as was demonstrated during our last trip when it got a little damp due to a bit of rain, but other than that, she keeps us warm and is sturdy as can be!
This model is discontinued, I believe, but you can find more ALPS products here.
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Sleeping Pads
The MEC Reactor 6.5 is a beast! I'd never owned a sleeping pad until a few months ago when Dave and I were at the MEC (Canadian REI) shopping for some gear he will need for an alpine climb he is doing this summer. A sleeping pad was a must for him and I bit the bullet and got the same one. They are large and take up the majority of space in our ALPS, but it was a warmer and better sleep than I've had in a long time! In order to carry them, we actually fold them in half lengthwise and then roll them so we have the ability to stuff two into the same sack. The first time we tried them out was on a seriously tough tent pad and they worked their magic. Dave was stoked as he has been craving a sleeping pad for a while!
You can check out sleeping pads from the MEC on their site here!
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Sleeping Bags
Again, mine was a fantastic deal off the REI site about six years ago. For the longest time, Dave was carrying/slogging his old military issue one up the trails...it was bulky and heavy and while providing good endurance training, wasn't exactly what he was looking for in a bag. Enter the MEC Aquilina. It provided him with roomy warmth all night long.
We also secured a couple of sleeping bag liners. Makes keeping the bags clean a whole heck of a lot easier!
You can see more sleeping bags from the MEC on their site here!
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Camp Chairs
We don't mind sitting on the ground, but sitting closer to the ground just got a whole lot more fun with our Alite Mayfly Chairs. You can sit with your legs extended, rock back and forth, it's sturdy and stable and makes for comfy stargazing by the fire...with vegan marshmallows. We don't usually take chairs with us, and when we did, they were the huge stadium fold-out chairs. These are much simpler in design and take up a quarter of the space!
Check out Alite Designs offerings - along with the Mayfly Chair - here!
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That's what I will leave you with today. In essence, we are learning as we go and view every camping experience as another opportunity to explore and discover.
So, we say...GET OUT THERE!
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