Camp Gear
Off-road camping has a different set of rules than moto-camping. The idea of an adventure is to get away from it all, including pavement, convenience stores, AAA and plumbing, exponentially increasing the amount of kit brought along for the ride.
This page serves as a guide and review of the gear we use.
Shelter
In the hierarchy of adventure need there's shelter. Mounted atop the Thules on the Montero is an Oasis II roof-top tent (RTT). Yes, we sleep up there. A little bigger than a queen size mattress, this RTT has the room and accoutrements of a luxurious two-man tent without the fuss of worrying about scorpions, snakes, and fire ants, though it does make it easier for bears to access since they don't have to bend over to tell if you're sleeping.
The Oasis II was made in France by Trekking and had a limited distribution in the States, primarily through Rogue River Trading Company which appears to be no longer in business.
We chose the Oasis II over conventional RTT's for its weight, just under 40 pounds where other RTTs weigh more than one hundred pounds. That would limit the amount of kit we could pack on top. It was also considerably less money, under $1k. Other RTT's can run into $3k to $4k but are certainly more substantial and rugged. This suited us fine.
The images below show the RTT mounted both ways. We've settled on the side access for easier two-in-the-morning egresses.
The awning is an Eezi-Awn, also attached to the Thules. Deployed this creates a shady space to hang out or cook, or both.
This awning is Australian made. The collapsible frame and casing is aluminum with a canvas textile. The struts and supports use an offset cam design that locks the three-piece legs into place regardless of height, We've found them tricky to deploy and a bit hard to trust.
The awning provides ample shade, a valuable resource in a land of few trees.
The last shelter we bring along is the shower/lu. Made by Black Canyon, it's a 4.5X4.5 foot privacy tent with a vented shower floor, shelving and towel rack.
It ships with a sun shower but we replaced it with a heavy-duty garden sprayer I converted to a shower by replacing the hose and sprayer with a food-grade tube and shower head from an old solar shower. Pumped up it provided great water pressure for washing dishes and showering.
July 14, 2013
An update on shelter is due here. We've traded out the roof top tent with something more pragmatic and comfortable. Navigating the ladder out of the RTT for the 2:00a pee was perilous at best, challenging even the best bladder control, not to mention getting arthritic limbs to move in ways best left to primates.
We replaced the Oasis II with a spring bar Kodiak Canvas tent, a ten by fourteen palace giving us ample room for upgraded sleeping arrangements and the ability to stand and walk around as was intended for most the homo erectus species.
Now that we're traveling and camping with two medium-sized canines, this space accommodates them well and gives us a place to go in when the weather turns wet.
January 19, 2015 - ARB Awning
The Eezi-Awn taught us a lesson or two in what to look for in our next awning. The first being weather protection. We picked up an ARB 48" awning. It's enveloped in a heavy duty nylon reinforced pvc bag, completely weatherproof.
The second is in the hardware. The legs are height-adjustable and use a solid locking cam system that instills more confidence in the structure's integrity.
The shade is made from a thick pvc lined polyester.
All hardware on the awning is aluminum and nicely machined and finished.
The third lesson is in its engineering. The stanchion junctions include an oversized black disk that keep the legs and stanchions secured in their channels until they're deployed making one-person set-up quick and easy. The Eezi-Awn required two people and was awkward to deploy.
The shade secures to the frame with stout velcro strap and the corners are reinforced. The frame is channeled as well to accept mosquito netting and add-on rooms with floors, all ARB accessories.
Cooking
Portal makes a collapsable kitchen, complete with two small pantries and a kitchen sink. It's flanked with pedestals above the pantries to hold a gas stove and a cooler,
with a removable work space that reveals a canvas wash basin.
The top shelf is flanked by two poles designed to suspend lanterns.
The pantries are divided and have integrated straps to hold everything in place.
I stow the pantries, cast iron grill and gas appliances in a large Pelican case to keep the mess clean.
I've also created a smaller mess kit for trailside lunches or when we don't want to deploy Portal kitchen. It includes a small table, a GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist mess kit, two Brunton stoves, a JetBoil, a cutting board and gas canisters along with an MSR water purifier not pictured here.
The GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist mess kit is a smartly designed, compact kit we've used throughout our moto and kayak camping adventures.
The kit packs a 1.2 liter Halulite pot with a Lexan lid with an integrated strainer, two 20-ounce insulated cups and two bowls that nest within.
The kit weighs less than 21 ounces and fits together in a bag that we use to fetch water. We keep a pair of multi-tool utensils in the kit making it a complete setting.
Holding the kit is a GSI Outdoors Micro Table. It can stand just over four or six inches tall with a 15.5x11.25" surface. It supports up to twenty pounds and weighs a pound and a half.
It deploys with two rods that thread through each slat and interlock with the folding legs.
The JetBoil is our coffee press, and my favorite piece of kit.
The cup holds one liter and sits atop a high-performance burner with a piezo igniter. It boils water in less than 90 seconds.
The press and burner stow inside the cup for easy packing. JetBoil makes a compressed fuel can that fits inside as well.
Brunton makes a 3.9 ounce stove that packs into a tiny case but pumps out enough BTU's to cook quickly and well.
The burner has a piezo igniter and a variable regulator that offers a good range of temperature.
All this stows nicely in a Pelican 1300 Case in the Montero's cubby under the cargo floor where I keep it stocked with two meals for two.
Our main kitchen cooking set is an Coleman Six-Piece Family Cook Set. It includes a fry pan, a one-quart boiling pot with lid, a half-quart pot with lid and a detachable handle.
An addition to our kitchen kit adheres to our philosophy of grilling meat; gas is no substitute for charcoal and mesquite chips. The Volcano is made in Springville, Utah. We bought the non-propane model for less than a hundred bucks at Sportsmans'. It' 15.5 inches in diameter and collapses down to five inches high.
The grill comes with a durable carry bag.
We initiated it with a couple of porter house cuts. About a dozen briquettes provided ample heat for searing and the design of the grill proved even heating across the surface. This can be used for dutch ovens, as a stove and a smoker as well.
Camp Furniture
For seating we picked up a couple of GCI Outdoor Express Lounge Chair from Sportsman's; comfort and packability being the key factors in the choice.
The table is a Westfield XL Aluminum Roll Table, 43X27X27. It collapses into a tube sack and has an adjustable leg to even out the ground.
This page serves as a guide and review of the gear we use.
Shelter
In the hierarchy of adventure need there's shelter. Mounted atop the Thules on the Montero is an Oasis II roof-top tent (RTT). Yes, we sleep up there. A little bigger than a queen size mattress, this RTT has the room and accoutrements of a luxurious two-man tent without the fuss of worrying about scorpions, snakes, and fire ants, though it does make it easier for bears to access since they don't have to bend over to tell if you're sleeping.
The Oasis II was made in France by Trekking and had a limited distribution in the States, primarily through Rogue River Trading Company which appears to be no longer in business.
We chose the Oasis II over conventional RTT's for its weight, just under 40 pounds where other RTTs weigh more than one hundred pounds. That would limit the amount of kit we could pack on top. It was also considerably less money, under $1k. Other RTT's can run into $3k to $4k but are certainly more substantial and rugged. This suited us fine.
The images below show the RTT mounted both ways. We've settled on the side access for easier two-in-the-morning egresses.
The awning is an Eezi-Awn, also attached to the Thules. Deployed this creates a shady space to hang out or cook, or both.
This awning is Australian made. The collapsible frame and casing is aluminum with a canvas textile. The struts and supports use an offset cam design that locks the three-piece legs into place regardless of height, We've found them tricky to deploy and a bit hard to trust.
The awning provides ample shade, a valuable resource in a land of few trees.
The last shelter we bring along is the shower/lu. Made by Black Canyon, it's a 4.5X4.5 foot privacy tent with a vented shower floor, shelving and towel rack.
It ships with a sun shower but we replaced it with a heavy-duty garden sprayer I converted to a shower by replacing the hose and sprayer with a food-grade tube and shower head from an old solar shower. Pumped up it provided great water pressure for washing dishes and showering.
July 14, 2013
An update on shelter is due here. We've traded out the roof top tent with something more pragmatic and comfortable. Navigating the ladder out of the RTT for the 2:00a pee was perilous at best, challenging even the best bladder control, not to mention getting arthritic limbs to move in ways best left to primates.
We replaced the Oasis II with a spring bar Kodiak Canvas tent, a ten by fourteen palace giving us ample room for upgraded sleeping arrangements and the ability to stand and walk around as was intended for most the homo erectus species.
The spring bar design deploys in a few moments and the canvas will make this the last tent we ever buy.
Another upgrade for us was the double cot and the Exped down-filled mattresses.
While the RTT was cozy and comfortable, these made you think you could also order room service.
May 26, 2014
The sale of the Montero included much of the kit we've acquired along the way, including the Kodiak canvas tent. Hated to see it go, but for our needs it was a bit of overkill. As we build up our kit to fit in a vehicle with substantially smaller storage, size and weight are old considerations from our moto-camping days that we're back to observing.
This time we've gone with something lighter, but still with room to enjoy inside in wet weather with two dogs, as well as tall enough to stand in. This kit has a spacious 8 by 12 foot floor pan with a huge screen window at the back with a full-coverage fly that creates a protected vestibule in the front.
Can't beat the value at under $130 at Dan's Sporting Goods. We'll test its durability this season.
May 26, 2014
The sale of the Montero included much of the kit we've acquired along the way, including the Kodiak canvas tent. Hated to see it go, but for our needs it was a bit of overkill. As we build up our kit to fit in a vehicle with substantially smaller storage, size and weight are old considerations from our moto-camping days that we're back to observing.
This time we've gone with something lighter, but still with room to enjoy inside in wet weather with two dogs, as well as tall enough to stand in. This kit has a spacious 8 by 12 foot floor pan with a huge screen window at the back with a full-coverage fly that creates a protected vestibule in the front.
January 19, 2015 - ARB Awning
The Eezi-Awn taught us a lesson or two in what to look for in our next awning. The first being weather protection. We picked up an ARB 48" awning. It's enveloped in a heavy duty nylon reinforced pvc bag, completely weatherproof.
My only regret with this awning is its size. There are no accessory add-ons for the 4' version that would make it into a weather-proofed tent, an option we'd like to explore in lieu of an RTT. Next season we'll add an ARB 2000 and relocate the 4' awning to the rear to cover the rear door cargo area.
Cooking
with a removable work space that reveals a canvas wash basin.
The top shelf is flanked by two poles designed to suspend lanterns.
The pantries are divided and have integrated straps to hold everything in place.
I stow the pantries, cast iron grill and gas appliances in a large Pelican case to keep the mess clean.
I've also created a smaller mess kit for trailside lunches or when we don't want to deploy Portal kitchen. It includes a small table, a GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist mess kit, two Brunton stoves, a JetBoil, a cutting board and gas canisters along with an MSR water purifier not pictured here.
The GSI Outdoors Pinnacle Dualist mess kit is a smartly designed, compact kit we've used throughout our moto and kayak camping adventures.
Holding the kit is a GSI Outdoors Micro Table. It can stand just over four or six inches tall with a 15.5x11.25" surface. It supports up to twenty pounds and weighs a pound and a half.
The JetBoil is our coffee press, and my favorite piece of kit.
Indispensable is the MSR MiniWorks EX Microfilter. It pumps clean water up to a liter per minute and is maintained with built in cleaning tools.
The grill comes with a durable carry bag.
We initiated it with a couple of porter house cuts. About a dozen briquettes provided ample heat for searing and the design of the grill proved even heating across the surface. This can be used for dutch ovens, as a stove and a smoker as well.
Camp Furniture
For seating we picked up a couple of GCI Outdoor Express Lounge Chair from Sportsman's; comfort and packability being the key factors in the choice.
They're easy to collapse, have a small storage footprint and are stable. We've gone through a pair in one season of camping, not too impressed with their rigidity, a weak link being a plastic coupling at the junction of the arms and seat. A hose clamp is a quick fix and reinforcement.
For outdoor enthusiasts, theOffroad Shower Awning Awning is revolutionary! It is essential for any off-road experience because to its sturdy construction and simple setup.
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