A campfire is one of the basic ingredients of a successful, memorable, camping trip and gathering and processing firewood is one of the essential activities at any campsite where firewood is not provided. High-quality camping hatchets allow campers to gather and cut firewood more efficiently and turns what some might…
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If you own a small vehicle, it doesn’t mean you’re without options for towing a mini camper. Teardrops have long been a popular option. However for some, having a bit larger trailer with more interior space, or a different configuration would be more desirable. Fortunately, there’s some great trailer options…
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Sharing a cup of coffee after a meal is as much a part of the camping experience as the campfire itself. There is a wide variety of ways to produce this satisfying and companionable beverage ranging from instant packets from Starbucks to traditional percolators. Here are five different styles of…
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Truck Bed Tents are in increasingly popular method of camping. Now thanks to this tent campers, trucks are a lot more popular. You can reach remote areas that are not accessible in RVs or camping trailers. If you are sleeping in a truck bed tent you have the ability to…
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With the reliability, durability and solid 4-wheel drive capabilites of the Toyota Tacoma, it’s obviously a popular choice amongst camping enthusiasts. Though it’s is a mid-size truck, there are an increasing number of manufacturers producing a Toyota Tacoma camper. Tacoma Habitat Shell Camper by AT Overland The Tacoma Habitat Shell…
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From time-to-time Savage Camper likes to “go technical” and investigate the actual materials that go into the gear we use and recommend. What, for example, is Cuben Fiber (now known as Dyneema®). What is ripstop nylon and what makes it better than regular nylon? A big development gaining momentum is…
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Small tent trailers are lightweight and easy to set up, usually by one person. They enable the outdoors person who may not be interested in backpacking to enjoy more remote areas that are not accessible to larger campers or trailers. These small trailers, some weighing as little as 265 pounds, can…
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The Nissan Frontier truck spans 3 generations as a popular small truck in North America. The 1st Generation Frontier runs from 1997-2004, 2nd Gen from 2004-2015, and the 3rd Gen running 2014 – Present Day. Naturally, with so many on the road, owners may wonder if a Nissan Frontier camper…
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Car Camping tents come in all sizes from a two-person tents to roomy family tents. And since weight is not going to be the controlling factor in your choice of tent, as it often is in backpacking, you can choose the style of tent and features that suites the particular…
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Hammocks for camping provide a lightweight, inexpensive alternative to tents. The nice thing about hammocks is, if there are places to tie off, the ground does not have to be level. Rocks and tree roots do not present obstacles. You can string up a hammock between trees or rocks. A…
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Choosing the best car camping stove depends on your personal needs, like the size of group you’ll be camping with, how much gear you want to lug along on your trip, the type of fuel it uses and other factors. There are four basic questions to ask when evaluating or…
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Teardrop trailers might be small in stature, but are just plain cool. If you’ve spent any time browsing the web looking at some of the different trailers available, the possibilities are endless. For the do-it-yourself crowd out there like myself, a DIY teardrop trailer project is definitely feasible. Why not save $$$ and…
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Not long ago it was common for a backpacker to carry a 65 liter pack loaded with 50, 60, even 70 pounds of gear. When Chris Lundy, the owner of Sawtooth Mountain Guides in Stanley, Idaho, jokes that what a lot of people think about as “suffering” in hiking and…
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Cuben fiber fabric, now called Dyneema Composite Fabrics, was originally used for sails on the winner of the 1992 America’s Cup held May 9-16 in San Diego, California. Skippered by billionaire Bill Koch, the winning yacht was America3 or America “cubed.” hence the name “Cuben.” The fabric is now officially known…
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Most people prefer a pack that holds a little more gear than they actually need. An oversize pack allows you to go with the seven to nine pounds for three-season hiking but scale up to 13 pounds for winter. It also allows you to add more food and to accommodate…
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If you’re not familiar with hybrid campers, they appear almost identical to your standard, hard wall camping trailer in transit mode. When set up at your camping destination, the sides or ends can fold or pop out, with all-weather canvas sleeping spaces. Essentially an expandable travel trailer, these pop outs…
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There are some outdoor gear testers outfitters with a large following on YouTube who can be heard saying, “If you have the right hiking pants and the right hiking footgear, you really don’t need gaiters.” The comeback answer to those gaiter-doubters is that more than likely they have not been…
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If you are fortunate enough to be camping in winter you’re going to want to sleep in a tent that is up to the responsibility. Winter camping tents are known as “four season” tents to distinguish them from “three season” tents that tend to be lighter and cooler. Here are…
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When the discussion topic among outdoors people is backpacking freeze dried food, the 800-pound gorilla in the room is always Mountain House Foods. The company that sells 10 million food packages a year to outdoors people, preppers, and survivalists traces its roots back to the Vietnam War. Its parent company,…
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If you’re headed out on a backpacking adventure, you have two basic choices about how you’re going to cook your food other than the traditional campfire. You can cook on a canister stove like the JetBoil or the MSR Reactor. Both are excellent stoves. Those two backpacking stoves and other…
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A backpacking breakfast is an important part of your trip and tends to be my favorite meal of the day. With a little creative thinking you can come up with great ideas to avoid a bland, boring breakfast. Potato Patties Instant mashed potatoes come in all sorts of flavors, from…
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Backpacking is a trade-off between comfort and weight. The best backpacking chair may not be in the consciousness of the serious long distance backpacker who is cutting the handle off his toothbrush to save a few grams. He’s probably not going to be willing to add a pound or more…
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There is no shortage of camp kitchen checklists. The most comprehensive include everything from a stove, to salt and pepper, to “the kitchen sink”. By contrast, what we have here is the “Basic” camp kitchen – eight pieces of camp kitchen gear that everything else on the more comprehensive checklists…
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“Layering” is a strategy for dressing for all types of outdoor activity in all seasons of the year. The idea is to stay comfortable by keeping your body as close to a constant temperature as possible. If you understand layering basics for winter hiking, you’ll be able to apply the…
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Some of my fondest outdoor memories as a child were spent in a small truck camper. My parents had a 74 chevy stepside which was considered a full-size truck at that time, but due to the fat rear fender design, it’s bed was small. Still, the truck could accommodate a small camper,…
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Portable solar power, and backpacking gadgets that can be powered by solar, have come a long way in recent years. Being able to relieve the little voice in your head when on the trail that worries about battery consumption is well worth it. And so is eliminating the need to…
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If you’re not already familiar with Solo Stove, they became well known for the popular efficient, eco-wood burning, Solo Stove Campfire for backpacking. Riding on Campfire’s success, Solo Stove has launched a new Kickstarter Campaign for their new fire pit product, the Bonfire. The design is based on the same engineering principles of…
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If there’s one thing that’s essential to the atmosphere of camping, it’s a good, sustainable campfire. It keeps you warm, wards off nasty bugs, and cooks your food. If you want to kindle the flames but don’t have a fire-starting kit, don’t fret. Even if you don’t have the conventional…
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We’ve all been there – an uncomfortable sleep at night when camping in a tent. It’s not impossible, however to achieve tent sleeping utopia, but there’s often a trade-off. Bulky air mattresses susceptible to holes, too-thin camping pads that compromise padding (and comfort) for weight. What if there were a…
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A short backpacking excursion to Bear Lake in Emigrant Wilderness afforded my buddy Wade and I a chance to properly do a Sawyer water filter review, and give it a proper test outdoors. I’ve used a PUR (now Katadyn) Hiker for the last 15 years. After looking at all the best backpacking water filtration…
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