Camping Gear Recommendation Thread
- Thread starter JayB
- Start date
So…this is complete overkill and pricey, but I love it. Holds 3.5 gals of water, has a rechargeable usb pump and immersion heater for warm/hot water. The hose head shown here has a motion sensor…just put your dirty hands under it and it delivers water, turns off automatically when done. I also have the hand held spray attachment that lets you take a shower…I now use it to rinse off my wading boots before putting them into the truck…
I'm not set up to post pics, so I will link to a website. If it's not appropriate, please remove. The "Just A Guy Making Things Easier" (JAGMTE) ball valve pressure kit is pretty slick for water storage (water can must be purchased separately - I got mine on sale at Lowe's). The custom cap incorporates an air valve to pressurize a military-style water can to 10-15 psi using a compressor or bicycle pump. A short hose with sprayer can be connected to the faucet, or just use the faucet without a hose. I pressurized mine to 15 psi using a bicycle pump with little effort, and no electricity is required to have "running water."
I haven't used it extensively to see how it holds up over time, but it works as advertised. Pressurizing the plastic water can is a "do it at your own risk" proposition, but I haven't heard of any real problems. I'm sure the kit can be DIY'd at a much lower cost.
JAGMTE Ball Valve Pressure Kit
I haven't used it extensively to see how it holds up over time, but it works as advertised. Pressurizing the plastic water can is a "do it at your own risk" proposition, but I haven't heard of any real problems. I'm sure the kit can be DIY'd at a much lower cost.
JAGMTE Ball Valve Pressure Kit
Skooks post above, reminded me of this. Not a tech guy so posted a You Tube LInk below to a simple, effective, inexpensive, efficient portable, solar shower for camp.
Not super mechanically inclined in most things either and I was able to do this. I spray painted the 3 gallon spray tank black for solar heating and it works incredibly well. If no sun, heat up water and add to tank.
Be safe.
Bob
Not super mechanically inclined in most things either and I was able to do this. I spray painted the 3 gallon spray tank black for solar heating and it works incredibly well. If no sun, heat up water and add to tank.
Be safe.
Bob
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Does anyone know where I can get an "Australian Shower" ? That's the old school canvas shower bucket the Army used for what seems like a millennia
Like this?
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Yep. That's generally what I want.
Usually when I search for it, I get tons of other results that aren't even close
Usually when I search for it, I get tons of other results that aren't even close
and a bag for the dog!
I'm just amazed that your dog will sit still for that long! My two labs are nut jobs!
Why not just get another half dome? That 2 pole design is just about the easiest setup and takedown tent available IMO. For my camping (which is car camping only these days), I actually use the Kelty 4 person version of that tent so I can fit my big old cot in there and other creature comforts. But even then, with the 2 pole design, it's just so damn quick. My half dome 2 just doesn't get used much any more (it's also on its last legs or I'd just send it to you).
SpeyrodGB
Life of the Party
You know there are 4 types of labs? Black, chocolate, yellow and meth. Mine is a yellow meth lab.and a bag for the dog!
I'm just amazed that your dog will sit still for that long! My two labs are nut jobs!
lol, I'm not sure how this will sound, but I've got both a yellow meth lab and a black meth (more of a crack cocaine, really...slightly less than meth--so I've heard)...
Yard Sale
Life of the Party
Well, it was day 5 at that point. She usually runs herself tired in the first 2 days, especially if there is sand.and a bag for the dog!
I'm just amazed that your dog will sit still for that long! My two labs are nut jobs!
SpeyrodGB
Life of the Party
I used to use one of those during elk season. We had add about 1/3 heated water to cold water. Worked great.while tent camping, my family rinsed off daily with a coupla inexpensive Solar Showers (disclaimer, not my wife, who is much cuter
View attachment 89698
The Luminaid is currently on sale at REI:
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Coleman Pop-Up Camping Tent with Instant Setup, 2/4 Person Tent Sets Up in 10 Seconds with Pre-Assembled Poles, Adjustable Rainfly, & Taped Floor Seams https://a.co/d/4F59Rlk
wanderingrichard
Life of the Party
Orange Screw The Ultimate Bundle, Small 4 Pack Ground Anchors with Screwdriver 2.0, for Quick and Easy Installation https://a.co/d/1os7KB1
They also come in medium or large., twist tool included. Holds better than regular tent stakes.
Update 03/17/26
Cruising local home depot on Monday and found the orange screws there as well.
They also come in medium or large., twist tool included. Holds better than regular tent stakes.
Update 03/17/26
Cruising local home depot on Monday and found the orange screws there as well.
Last edited:
Coach Potter
Life of the Party
I have been using the 3 n1 Lost Ranger and it has the same pad sleeve…game changer. It also has a pillow sleeve which is extremely helpful as well.
USB fans. There are a lot of uses for these small lightweight fans both for camping and in the home. I currently own 5 of them with 3 being in the Casa. One is used for forced air behind the Iwatani stove and heats the interior in just minutes. If you use a Buddy heater they can also be clamped on the back to push heat out instead of having it go straight up.
But the one I want to talk about takes the USB fan to the next level. It is called the Frizcol and has some significant differences from the standard little black fans. First of all it is blue instead of the ubiquitous black, not a big deal but I have seen enough black plastic crap to last a lifetime. More importantly it is very quiet, moves a lot of air and has a long lasting 12,000ma battery that just keeps going. It has the standard USB input and also a USB C output and enough battery capacity to charge some other devices.I used it all winter to charge a Bluetooth speaker. It also has a two level LED light that can be pretty handy. It comes with the usual 3 speeds but also has a built in timer that can be set for 1, 2 or 3 hours.
The plastic molding looks to be first class, everything is tight and firm, the clamp is extra strong and is notched to accommodate a number of surfaces. In addition to the clamp it also has a folding hook so it can be hung in a tent, etc. And finally it comes with a remote that seems to work from several feet away. The remote was the cause of some bad reviews, not because it didn't work, but because it was cleverly stored in the clamping base and most people never found it!
The big battery and clever design move the Frizcol to the front of the class for now, a definite improvement over the other 4 that I have. My one gripe is that the controls on the back are recessed and hard to tell apart in the dark. To correct this oversight I used Loon KnotSense to build an upsticker that could quickly be identified as the off/on switch and now it is essentially perfect.
I also have a 10'' O2Cool fan in the Casa that came as either battery powered with D cells or a 110v power cord. The D cells were a brain fart and I modified the fan to use any 12v power supply instead, much better. It has been running in the Casa as a test for a few days during the heat wave while plugged into the Jackery 110 outlet. It uses <1% of the battery per hour so would run for days on a single charge if necessary. It was 93 degrees in there today but with all 3 fans running it dropped to 91 and was comfortable enough for habitation, not pleasant but manageable.
But the one I want to talk about takes the USB fan to the next level. It is called the Frizcol and has some significant differences from the standard little black fans. First of all it is blue instead of the ubiquitous black, not a big deal but I have seen enough black plastic crap to last a lifetime. More importantly it is very quiet, moves a lot of air and has a long lasting 12,000ma battery that just keeps going. It has the standard USB input and also a USB C output and enough battery capacity to charge some other devices.I used it all winter to charge a Bluetooth speaker. It also has a two level LED light that can be pretty handy. It comes with the usual 3 speeds but also has a built in timer that can be set for 1, 2 or 3 hours.
The plastic molding looks to be first class, everything is tight and firm, the clamp is extra strong and is notched to accommodate a number of surfaces. In addition to the clamp it also has a folding hook so it can be hung in a tent, etc. And finally it comes with a remote that seems to work from several feet away. The remote was the cause of some bad reviews, not because it didn't work, but because it was cleverly stored in the clamping base and most people never found it!
The big battery and clever design move the Frizcol to the front of the class for now, a definite improvement over the other 4 that I have. My one gripe is that the controls on the back are recessed and hard to tell apart in the dark. To correct this oversight I used Loon KnotSense to build an upsticker that could quickly be identified as the off/on switch and now it is essentially perfect.
I also have a 10'' O2Cool fan in the Casa that came as either battery powered with D cells or a 110v power cord. The D cells were a brain fart and I modified the fan to use any 12v power supply instead, much better. It has been running in the Casa as a test for a few days during the heat wave while plugged into the Jackery 110 outlet. It uses <1% of the battery per hour so would run for days on a single charge if necessary. It was 93 degrees in there today but with all 3 fans running it dropped to 91 and was comfortable enough for habitation, not pleasant but manageable.