Camp Coffee (Hipster Style)

(part 3 of the ongoing coffee series)

Letting gravity do its thing.

In terms of pack space & weight, this pour over filter definitely beats the Moka pot & French press.

I’m not as fond of the coffee, but I put most of that on me. Pour over coffee is an art that requires dedication and patience, neither one of which I have in great supply early in the morning.

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Ridge line in detail.

The ridge line is a critical, but fairly simple part of the tarp setup. I started with a 50’ length of reflective paracord. Some people use a 30′ long line, this one may become shorter in the future.

Some people don’t like paracord, but it’s a known quantity for me and I’m not convinced that the alternatives are significantly better.

My ridge line starts with a bowline. The bowline never gets untied.

The bowline. Probably my most used knot.
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MSR Mini Groundhogs

The basic stakes included with most tents are terrible. One that came with the tarp bent the first time I put it in the ground.

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The MSR mini groundhogs are a joy to use, though they are quite painful if you try to push them in by hand. No worries on that though, they are short enough that they are easy to push in with your boots.

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12×12 Tarp Configurations

What I like best about the tarp is that it’s infinitely adjustable. You can pitch it high off the ground to get lots of ventilation or low to trap warmth inside.

Played with it in the yard today to try out some different pitches. I threw a single sleeping pad inside to give a sense of scale. The 12×12 is giant for a single camper.

Plow point interior. Plenty of room to stretch out.
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Poler two man tent – First impressions

Not a review, as I haven’t actually slept in it yet. These are my initial thoughts after unpacking and setting it up in the backyard.

Stuff sack has compression straps. The straps are sewn on for most of the circumference.

First off, I got this tent on clearance at $75. List price is $250. I’m going to give a seventy-five dollar tent a lot more slack than one costing more than two hundred dollars. I bought this tent for the kids. They are both getting into scouting and I wanted a tent that they could carry and set up.

First off, it’s heavy. It weighs eight pounds. This is not suitable for a through hike of the AT. That being said, it’s perfect for car camping especially if you have a small car, or trips where you have to walk in from a distant parking lot (music festivals).

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Still another tent (but not really)

For some reason I started shopping for backpacking tents. But I couldn’t find one I liked. They all had one or more fatal flaws –

  • Too heavy
  • Too small when pitched
  • Too large when packed
  • Too expensive

But I think I may have found the perfect solution.

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Nimble Double Air Mattress review.

In the yurt, my wife and I sleep on a folding air bed, but I don’t have room for it in the modern tents so I went looking for something smaller.

Backyard camping under the tarp

The Alps Mountaineering Nimble Insulated Sleeping Pad- Double makes for a great night’s sleep. It’s also available single wide in insulated and non-insulated versions.

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