First family camping trip - gear suggestions needed

[cnice_37]

Just grabbed some gear from the in-laws who said take it or we're throwing it away.

Screen house, tarp, several hundred poles, tent stakes, and 4 Coleman lanterns.

Is there a cheap alternative to this "Coleman lantern fuel"?? Gotta grab some mantles and did a quick price check on the fuel..... $40?!!

 

[DarkTimber]

Just grabbed some gear from the in-laws who said take it or we're throwing it away.

Screen house, tarp, several hundred poles, tent stakes, and 4 Coleman lanterns.

Is there a cheap alternative to this "Coleman lantern fuel"?? Gotta grab some mantles and did a quick price check on the fuel..... $40?!!

Yes there is a cheap alternative to coleman fuel store brands like from walmart or kmart seem to work well and check to see if it is a dual fuel which means you can use unleaded gas in place of expensive lantern fuel in it. Also playing cards are nice and don't forget somthing for bee stings such as sting eze or dip both work great.

 

[Fred Wright]

You can bring your own campfire wood in... just don't broadcast it. If anyone asks, yeah we scrounged this stuff a ways up the hill or something like that.

Most convenience stores sell kerosene. Be prepared for sticker shock at the pump, though. It ain't 99 cents a gallon no more. I prefer the bottles of cheap lamp oil from the dollar store. It all gives off light when it burns.

Back when we went camping every summer, we took citronella bucket candles along to keep the bugs away. They'll burn all night and you can sit outside. Tiki torches and fuel work too but the candles are easier to use and take up less packing space. This is important - bugs can ruin a good camping trip.

The big thing about rough camping is personal comfort. I can't stress enough the importance of comfy folding chairs. You'll be doing a lot of sitting and you don't want to be sitting on hard benches or 5-gallon pails that make your back and butt hurt.

Also, if anyone in the group is on meds, make sure they're on the list and double check before leaving the house.

 

[pdqdl]

I think unleaded gas is a bit more volatile than coleman fuel. Switching might be dangerous.

Test first, and keep it a long way from the tent.


Many years ago, it was not too difficult to pull in to a gas station and ask for "white gas", that was essentially coleman fuel nowadays. I don't really know of any shortcuts to coleman fuel, but I do know that coleman fuel makes great lighter fluid, and it is tons cheaper than lighter fluid.

 

[danrclem]

If you have electricity at the campsite an extension cord and a fan will make it more comfortable in the tent in hot weather.

 

[Oldtimer]

You walking in to a place, or camping out of the hatchback in a campground?

Makes a difference.

 

[blackoak]

I never camp without taking one of the 74 Coleman lanterns that I own. Collecting old Coleman lanterns is as addictive as collecting chainsaws.

 

[DarkTimber]

I think unleaded gas is a bit more volatile than coleman fuel. Switching might be dangerous.

Test first, and keep it a long way from the tent.


Many years ago, it was not too difficult to pull in to a gas station and ask for "white gas", that was essentially coleman fuel nowadays. I don't really know of any shortcuts to coleman fuel, but I do know that coleman fuel makes great lighter fluid, and it is tons cheaper than lighter fluid.

Coleman makes some of their lanterns in what they call dual fuel configuration their litature states that the lanterns can be run on 87 octane gasoline I personally use 87 octane fuel in mine when I could not find coleman fuel for it. Not trying to be confrontational but just trying to give someone an option IF they have the proper dual fuel lantern. The important thing for this to work is that it must be a dual fuel lantern not just a standard liquid fuel lantern as the jets for them are diffrently sized and could cause a dangerous situation. Just my 2 cents

 

[REJ2]

Just grabbed some gear from the in-laws who said take it or we're throwing it away.

Screen house, tarp, several hundred poles, tent stakes, and 4 Coleman lanterns.

Is there a cheap alternative to this "Coleman lantern fuel"?? Gotta grab some mantles and did a quick price check on the fuel..... $40?!!

$40 dollar a gallon for Coleman fuel? Whoa, its only $10 here. I got 7-8 Coleman lanterns none are dual fuel. My next one will be, under $4.00 a gallon for regular fuel. Volatile, nothings more volatile than Coleman fuel, aint at all like lighter fluid.

 

[pdqdl]

Coleman makes some of their lanterns in what they call dual fuel configuration their litature states that the lanterns can be run on 87 octane gasoline I personally use 87 octane fuel in mine when I could not find coleman fuel for it. Not trying to be confrontational but just trying to give someone an option IF they have the proper dual fuel lantern. The important thing for this to work is that it must be a dual fuel lantern not just a standard liquid fuel lantern as the jets for them are diffrently sized and could cause a dangerous situation. Just my 2 cents

Thanks.

I always wondered if unleaded would work, but I never knew they made lanterns labeled for that purpose. Sadly, my only lantern is about 40 years old, and I doubt that it is "dual-fuel".

 

[slowp]

Stoves that run on white gas can provide good entertainment. Simply spill fuel on the picnic table top and it might flame on when you light the stove. The flames are impressive, but go out quickly, and don't do any damage to the table.

Don't ask me how I know this.

 

[blackoak]

If you need any information about Coleman lanterns, stoves, anything Coleman go here. These guys are the best on the net anything Coleman. You can get parts also that are getting hard to find now days for old lanterns.
Welcome to the CCF

 

[firmwood]

I think he's already camping? Maybe packing up and ready to roll home this afternoon...

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

 

[REJ2]

If you need any information about Coleman lanterns, stoves, anything Coleman go here. These guys are the best on the net anything Coleman. You can get parts also that are getting hard to find now days for old lanterns.
Welcome to the CCF

Thanks for the link, Coleman has made the outdoor experience better for everyone.

 

[cnice_37]

I'm going to check out the model numbers on the lanterns. I doubt any are dual fuel, most are from the 80's.

No electricity, wife's rule! Camping is at a state park, so it's not so hardcore - I am a guy that grew up "camping"... In a trailer with crapper, shower, stove, electric, tv, and AC!

 

[esshup]

I've done very little camping. But some things that made it more comfortable were either air mattresses or fold up cots to sleep on, a ground tarp under the tent to keep moisture out, & a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet in front of the tent to wipe your feet on to keep the majority of junk out of the tent. Also, a dustpan/broom to sweep the tent out before packing it away.

Hanging battery powered lantern for light inside the tent. Colemans give off too much heat in the summer. When we camped for a week deer hunting we also brought some "leggo" style plastic shelves to put stuff on that gave us more floor space. We were right next to the truck, but about an hour's drive from any town.

Does anybody know if Coleman fuel goes bad? I've got some unopened metal gallon cans that were sold for $1.99.....

 

[TreePointer]

Does anybody know if Coleman fuel goes bad? I've got some unopened metal gallon cans that were sold for $1.99.....

Reference: Shelf life of Coleman® Fuel

An un-opened container of Coleman® Fuel stored in a dry area with no rapid extreme changes in temperature will remain viable for five to seven years. An opened container stored in the same area will remain viable for up to two years though will be at its best if used within a year. Coleman® Propane Cylinders can be stored indefinitely in a dry area. The propane fuel inside the cylinder will not break down.

 

[imagineero]

If you're only camping for a couple days you can do without pretty much everything. Make the experience more pleasurable by not spending all your time packing/unpacking. Pre-packing your meals so you dont need to do any prep will give you more time to enjoy your camping. The only thing I really want when I'm camping is big spray, a fire and cold beer. The rest is pretty negotiable ;-)

Shaun

 

[fields_mj]

Sounds like lots of good advise given here. Another thing to keep in mind is that if things go too terribly wrong, just leave. Make adjustments to your plans/list and try it agian next week/month.

If this turns out to be something that you and your family enjoy, you may want to look into hamics. I've got a co-worker that loves to go camping in his hamic. It's not your $20 walmart version. More like a $200 mini tent with a built in bed. It has some sort of cover for over the top, a bug screen, a rain fly, and all kinds of stuff. He's able to load up the trunk of his 2004 honda accord, and go camping for a week, or go on a week long road trip staying at state parks along the way.

Personally, I prefer a camper/trailer. I've spent enough of my life working outside. I enjoy being outside, but I want a good nights sleep regardless of the weather. Had a good friend who took a 10 day rafting/hunting trip in Alaska with his dad, brother, a buisness partner, and a local that was also involved with the family buisness. Had his dad not learned to rough it in the jungle back in the late 60s, my buddy would have died of hypothermia half way through the trip. Rain and cold every day. Everything they took was either stainless or "weather proof". The stainless rusted even though it was cleaned and oiled every evening, and the stuff that was weather proof... well it wasn't Alaska proof. When he got home, he bought a 38' travel trailer for the buisness, and he's been camping with power ever since

 

[McCulloch1-52]

I won't go camping with out a power pack with a 12 volt fan I cant sleep when it is hot out, power pack with a air compressor and AC/DC power jump starter so when the Car has a dead battery you can start it so you dont have to wait for help maybe a fishing rod with bass plug just in case if you are going by a lake.