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RV camping, (Vans RV Camping that is)

Pilotjkl

Active Member
Friend
Thinking about Sun-n-Fun, and looking for ideas on camping gear for two people in A RV-6, 60lbs,
 
Airplane Camping Equipment List
Using UL (Ultra Lite) backpacking gear mostly bought at REI, we fit all this, plus clothes and food and keep under gross with full tanks in our RV-8. This list weighs 43 lbs. total, but to give you an idea of UL gear; the tent, bags and pads weigh 9 lbs. total. Some will say we spend too much on gear, but we are comfortable...

? 3-man tent
? Sleeping bag for 2
? 2 inflatable sleeping pads
? Extra down blanket
? 2-person hammock
? 2 camp chairs
? LED camp light
? Flashlight
? Camp stove and fuel
? Cooking and eating utensils for two
? Matches, fire starters
? First aid, bug repellent, sunscreen
? 2 inflatable float mattresses (could double as sleeping pads)
? Battery pack charger for phones
? Pocket camera
? Usual airplane emergency gear, first aid, small parts, tools, oil, cover, tie-down stakes, ropes and gust locks bag. (18lbs)

Then we add clothing, shoes and food. We pack a couple Mountain House freeze dried meals, coffee and some oatmeal packs to fill in the gaps between our group meals. Then all we do is boil water for these easy meals.
 
Ultra-lite gear has come a long way. I carry a Big Agnes tent, Western Mountaineering bag and MSR pad that combined weigh 3.5 lbs.
 
• Camp stove and fuel

I do not recommend bringing pressurized canister type stoves in your plane. I have seen the valves fail while backpacking. It is one thing to have a failure while it is in your backpack at 8000' and an entirely different thing to have one pop off at 8000' in the back of your airplane.

My preference is a white gas stove that can be depressurized prior to flight.
Check out www.campmor.com for gear at a reasonable price.

This is probably the best backpacking stove I have ever used. Two reasons I like it so much is that not only does it have a wind ring around the burner but there are no hoses or parts to drop in the dirt and get clogged or lost. Also, once filled, it is comparable in weight, when compared to the full up weight of other backpack stoves. One other thing, it just works every time. I have used it above 14K feet and at temperatures below freezing when the canister stoves failed to work.

One last recommendation, bring a head light. They are very useful when visiting the port-a-jon in the middle of the night.
 
stove

yes the old Kelty stove. Been around for 40+ years. But heard of one blowing up at 10K on Whitney, so be careful with these.

If fuel has leaked onto the outside, make sure it is completely dry before lighting. In cold situations, may take quite a while for the fuel to disperse.
 
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Homebuilt Camping at SnF

Be sure to stay in homebuilt camping. They really look after you there. No need to bring a stove unless you just enjoy cooking out. They have plenty of food for the price of a donation.
 
My wife and I camped at Osh twice... and I camp a little around the PNW. There is a list on this thread already with some good stuff. Light (Ultra Light) gear is great for RVs. we have a 2 person backpacking tent and an inflatable mattress we bought at costco specifically meant for backpacking (forget the brand).. but it is thin and the bag it comes in is the inflation device (no heavy batteries/pumps). Then we have the standard ultralight camp chairs as well as backpacking sleeping bags. Aluminum table/etc.

We also adjusted our Weight and Balance so that we carried the ~65-75 lbs in the baggage area but also made the passenger seat a bit heavier by putting smaller/heavier items under my wife's legs (food/drinks/papers/etc). We even bring a long a lighter weight camp umbrella that barely fits horizontally behind the seats when the canopy is closed!
 
Airplane Camping Equipment List
Using UL (Ultra Lite) backpacking gear mostly bought at REI, we fit all this, plus clothes and food and keep under gross with full tanks in our RV-8. This list weighs 43 lbs. total, but to give you an idea of UL gear; the tent, bags and pads weigh 9 lbs. total. Some will say we spend too much on gear, but we are comfortable...

? 3-man tent
? Sleeping bag for 2
? 2 inflatable sleeping pads
? Extra down blanket
? 2-person hammock
? 2 camp chairs
? LED camp light
? Flashlight
? Camp stove and fuel
? Cooking and eating utensils for two
? Matches, fire starters
? First aid, bug repellent, sunscreen
? 2 inflatable float mattresses (could double as sleeping pads)
? Battery pack charger for phones
? Pocket camera
? Usual airplane emergency gear, first aid, small parts, tools, oil, cover, tie-down stakes, ropes and gust locks bag. (18lbs)

Then we add clothing, shoes and food. We pack a couple Mountain House freeze dried meals, coffee and some oatmeal packs to fill in the gaps between our group meals. Then all we do is boil water for these easy meals.

Very complete list of gear, shopping REI now,
Thanks for the help
 
I do not recommend bringing pressurized canister type stoves in your plane. I have seen the valves fail while backpacking. It is one thing to have a failure while it is in your backpack at 8000' and an entirely different thing to have one pop off at 8000' in the back of your airplane.

My preference is a white gas stove that can be depressurized prior to flight.
Check out www.campmor.com for gear at a reasonable price.

This is probably the best backpacking stove I have ever used. Two reasons I like it so much is that not only does it have a wind ring around the burner but there are no hoses or parts to drop in the dirt and get clogged or lost. Also, once filled, it is comparable in weight, when compared to the full up weight of other backpack stoves. One other thing, it just works every time. I have used it above 14K feet and at temperatures below freezing when the canister stoves failed to work.

One last recommendation, bring a head light. They are very useful when visiting the port-a-jon in the middle of the night.

I can totally agree with you about the pressurized canisters, Is this the model you recommended?
Thanks https://www.campmor.com/c/msr-whisperlite-international-multi-fuel-stove
 
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I agree with all of the above but for my stove I use the Polaris optimus. It burns avgas so I just drain the sump into my bottle and go to town. No extra fuel in the cabin when not needed. We also figured out it's worth a few extra pounds to take a full up queen sized air bed. So much more comfortable than the REI cots or the small pads that you slip off of if you move one inch. We do a lot of camping in the plane and have been able to figure out what we do and don't require. If I pack an item for 2 trips and we don't use it, it comes out of the kit. (Aircraft tools not included in that thought process.)

It's an iterative process to figure out what works and what doesn't for you.
 
It's been a while, but my wife & I used to do SNF & OSH in a -4, camping with 'big box store' gear. Queen air mattress, zip-together sleeping bags, 5-6 man tent (big enough for the queen mattress plus all our gear & tall enough to dress with some semblance of dignity), & a soft side cooler. IIRC, the tent weighs around 12 lbs & the mattress another 5 or so. Sleeping bags weren't particularly light,either. I'd put the tent & mattress in the 'tunnel' between my legs (extended up & toward the firewall) to keep CG reasonable. I don't remember all the numbers, but the 1st few trips were soon after I bought my 1st -4, and I was careful to stay within GW & CG limits, which are much more limiting than a -6. (I did have the advantage of a light weight wife.)

Funny thing about those $60 tents (I've had maybe three of them, over 20+ years) is that they seem to survive about as well as the $400 ones (and are a lot more comfortable). We went through some storms at OSH where the tent would lay over on top of us in the wind, and never had any damage or leaks. People around us with high$ gear would be ordering new high$ gear overnight because of failures in the storms.

Charlie
 
I use a Wisperlite stove. It will burn avgas but the lead really clogs it up fast. I usually carry the fuel bottle full of mogas or coleman fuel but will use avgas in a pinch.

Check out ebay for lightly used ultralite gear 'specially in the winter.

The little Coleman stove is bullet proof and cheap. I have one that is probably 30 years old in an aluminum container that doubles as two cooking pots.
 
I use a Wisperlite stove. It will burn avgas but the lead really clogs it up fast. I usually carry the fuel bottle full of mogas or coleman fuel but will use avgas in a pinch....

Be very careful, if you ever use 100LL! Be sure to cover your food or you will be eating and drinking sone led.
 
Lightweight Tie-Down

As for your tie-down kit, we offer a nice ensemble of four aluminum chocks, a dozen aluminum spikes, and three nylon webbing "cinch straps" with S-hooks. Go to: https://www.skydesigns.aero/tie-down-chock-set for pricing and a photo.

The entire set weighs only 4.5 lb and allows you to:

Tie-down & anchor your airplane when you're camping on dirt/grass or...

Chock your airplane & tie-down at airports with lugs anchored into the ramp or...

Just chock your airplane when not tied down.

The 7075-T6 Aluminum spikes are 3/8" diameter and 12 inches long and can also be used for self-defense by you and up to five of your friends in case of a zombie apocalypse

A hammer is not included but if you’re traveling with an engineer, his/her forehead can be used to drive the spikes into the ground, otherwise a large rock will suffice.

[ed. Ken, welcome aboard! ;^). Folks....THAT is how you do a first post as an advertiser....reference zombie apocalypse! <g>. v/r,dr]
 
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Stowage

We can carry a figurative ton in our 7 by keeping dense heavy things out of the baggage area. I made brackets that are secured by the spare carry-through cover screws under your knees, either side of the fuel selector box. These have slots for lashing down goodies like tie down stakes, guns, ammo, water jugs (filled when crossing desert/remote) anything short and heavy, or even long, across the face of the selector box (provided you don't have a big FI pump housing). If you don't have the 6's battery box aft of the firewall, long things can be secured between the peddles and fuel selector. Make anchor points that are held by the center cover retention screws. It's all quite comfortable, your legs extend over the load top.

Having the heavy stuff forward doesn't so much bias the c.g. forward as it helps not biasing the load c.g. aft on the longer baggage area arm.

John Siebold
 
Airplane Camping Equipment List
Using UL (Ultra Lite) backpacking gear mostly bought at REI, we fit all this, plus clothes and food and keep under gross with full tanks in our RV-8. This list weighs 43 lbs. total, but to give you an idea of UL gear; the tent, bags and pads weigh 9 lbs. total. Some will say we spend too much on gear, but we are comfortable...

? 3-man tent
? Sleeping bag for 2
? 2 inflatable sleeping pads
? Extra down blanket
? 2-person hammock
? 2 camp chairs
? LED camp light
? Flashlight
? Camp stove and fuel
? Cooking and eating utensils for two
? Matches, fire starters
? First aid, bug repellent, sunscreen
? 2 inflatable float mattresses (could double as sleeping pads)
? Battery pack charger for phones
? Pocket camera
? Usual airplane emergency gear, first aid, small parts, tools, oil, cover, tie-down stakes, ropes and gust locks bag. (18lbs)

Then we add clothing, shoes and food. We pack a couple Mountain House freeze dried meals, coffee and some oatmeal packs to fill in the gaps between our group meals. Then all we do is boil water for these easy meals.
Any suggestions on brands and models for?:
3 or 4 man tent
Camp chairs
LED camp light:
inflatable sleeping pad
Battery pack charger for phones
I will be going to AirVenture this July, my first time, in my RV9. So I am looking for gear that is light, easy to pack in a slider RV and in the case of the tent waterproof and wind resistant for Wisconsin in July.
Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks
:)
 
Any suggestions on brands and models for?:
3 or 4 man tent
Camp chairs
LED camp light:
inflatable sleeping pad
Battery pack charger for phones
I will be going to AirVenture this July, my first time, in my RV9. So I am looking for gear that is light, easy to pack in a slider RV and in the case of the tent waterproof and wind resistant for Wisconsin in July.
Any help will be much appreciated.
Thanks
:)

I've been happy with all of these products:

Tent:

https://www.rei.com/product/130090/msr-elixir-3-tent-with-footprint

Camp Chairs:

https://www.amazon.com/MARCHWAY-Ult...ef=sr_1_2_sspa?ie=UTF8&qid=1550277344&sr=8-2-

Camping Pad:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B076Q6XSTH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o06__o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Camp light:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01GGM4HDG/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02__o00_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
My findings and personal preferences

My wife and I have transitioned from car camping with the boat to backpacking and airplane camping over the course of seven years. We now have spare everything as we settle into comfortable but light weight gear.
Here’s pics of the main gear with brands and models mostly showing.
And a link to our our tent. Getting a tent down to a 16oz per person ratio (assuming you actually cram a third into our “3 man”) means you pay more but get thinner material. We take precautions with our tent and in two seasons have never had a seam rip even when tripping on a cord. YMMV We have always stayed dry with Oregon rain and even a high pressure midnight sprinkler cycle complimentary of Sisters Airport. :p
Our pads and sleeping bag is a matched system. More of a bed, sheet and down comforter system. We love it and only add the cheap Costo down blanket shown in photo for our dog/bed heater.
The camp light is USB recharging but also you can crank it for a quick charge. A gift from Germany though, so have not locally sourced it.
Also pictured is our two person Hammack and our battery pack.
We have two new products to try this year; From Costco, Klymit pillows seen in the photo, and the Klymit pack raft. I’ll give you the link to the raft. We visit lakes and rivers when airplane camping but it could come in handy for float planers, or those really big rain storms at Airventure.
Cheers!m

https://www.bigagnes.com/Fly-Creek-HV-UL3-person

https://www.klymit.com/litewater-dinghy.html






 
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Big Agnes make high quality light weight tents. Like most high quality gear, they are a little pricey. I have found some bargins on ebay.
 
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