Camping Gear

[SkySteve]

Yea, I see them all the time flying high overhead with big tires hanging down. But they don't often stop by. I guess they're too busy at the airport measuring those tires and telling stories.

(Oh, boy.. Hope a fight doesn't break out now)

[Peteohms]

SIZE counts!............. In tires.

[Av8r3400]

I fly a taildragger and usually camp in a hotel...


I bring a 29' camper to Oshkosh every year.
(Actually my lovely bride brings the camper I bring the plane... )

[HighWing]

I fly a taildragger and usually camp in a hotel...

Great comment. Late to this but I was in a group that flew the Idaho Back Country every Summer. All taildraggers but the guy in the Rans S6. Although we all had enough stuff to do some serious primitive camping, we generally camped in a hotel and for that matter ate in restaurants. Not hard to do as most of the mountain flying was done in the mornings - could get very bumpy and somewhat dangerous in the afternoons.

My camping gear was continuously evolving. I started with a sleeping bag from REI. I just checked their website and it is no longer available. But other alternatives are. It weighed 1.8 lbs. and with a compression sack would stuff to less than the size of a football - good to 30°. I also had a half length self inflating sleep pad that would also stuff to about that size. My tent was a two person tent that weighed 8 lbs. I also had a camp chair that was near full size and light weight. 5 lbs. My wife always kidded me because every time I ever saw a camp chair, I would heft it to see if I could beat that weight - and if I didn't lift it, she would. A couple of notes on chairs, those little tripod things just don't cut it when sitting under the wing in the evening picking on each other and laughing. The other, one of the guys in a Rans S7 strapped his chair to the lift struts at the Jury strut something like how some Alaska Pilots will transport a canoe on the floats. I decided 8 lbs for the tent was a bit much so started looking, but decided if I couldn't drop at least three lbs. I wouldn't spend the $$. I finally found one - again - at REI at five pounds. I beat my limit by leaving the stuff sack home. All this stuff went into the baggage sack - Model IV. Clothing and other personal items were in a back pack strapped into the right seat. I found it very handy if we had to hike to our lodging - much better than carrying a tote bag.

I also had a checklist I used that evolved over the years. I used that for packing. With the group flight we also had many items that someone might not usually have. Example, one of the group had a spare ignition module. Another carried brake pads, fluid and a large syringe to bleed the lines. I carried a propane soldering iron and a voltohm meter that we once used to fix a broken ignition ground wire. Tire inflator to duct tape and every tool imaginable was likely somewhere with the group.

Sure is fun to think about it. For those that might be interested, I posted video of some of the flights on the following link. Sorry about the aborted Oshkosh segments as it was the day after I posted the last sequence that Kay and I went down on our not so well executed emergency landing that destroyed our Model IV and sort of put a damper on the whole thing for a while. http://highwingllc.com/videoarchive.html

[Peteohms]

Lowell,

Do you camp solo or bring a passenger?

Pete

[HighWing]

I have always camped (flown) solo, except it has always been with a group.

[Av8r3400]

I used to love tent-camping, but 20+ years of work-abuse has pretty well ruined my back for those type of activities. By the end of a long day of flying I'm looking for a bed or at least a couch to sleep on...

[SkyPirate]

roger that on the "back" av8r3400,..went thru back surgery a little while ago,..a nice firm comfy mattress is the only thing I can stand now