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RE: Camping with toddlers
It's really hard to resist posting on this thread, but instead I'll wait for "Camping with toddlers in Bear Country" to make my point...:S
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tplife
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05/25/12 09:22am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Yet another hitch thread...
I found a Class II hitch that will fit made by Torqlift with a 200 lb tongue weight and 2000 towing weight:
http://shop.tlcentral.com/store/pc/viewCategories.asp?idCategory=157
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tplife
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05/24/12 07:23pm |
Towing
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RE: Tent camping with a C-pap
Nothing is as good as the industry leader in C-Pap, ResMed! They get smaller and lighter every year or so with continuous improvements. You can get 12V adapter DC-12 for the current S8 version, but cannot run the heated humidifer off 12V. There are very small 12V power supplies available, but they cost about 5 times as much as the lead acid battery or 4 times as much as an AGM Optima. You should get at least a few nights' sleep off an Optima before needing a recharge. The Optima costs more, but has twice the lifespan, can be drawn down 50% more without damage than a lead-acid battery, charges twice as fast (and at higher amps without damage), has a smaller case, weighs much less, doesn't degas, can be stored at any angle. This is ours:
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/firetender69/2009-06PARTY011-2.jpg
From ResMed Tech Note titled "Powering ResMed Products With Batteries":
Requirements for ResMed flow generators
Late model flow generators
For flow generators manufactured in 2000 or later, there is no special requirement with regard to inverter type. Any modified sine wave inverter with a power rating of 150 watts or more is
suitable.
Note: VPAP II units require an inverter rated at 200 watts. Refer to the table below.
Early model flow generators
For flow generators manufactured in 1999 or earlier, we recommend the use of a Powerbox PS-200-2 inverter. This model is also branded as Motormate PS-200-2.
Requirements for ResMed humidifiers
For use with the HumidAire™ 2i or HumidAire™ 3i, a pure sine wave inverter with a continuous power rating of 200 watts is suitable - refer to the table below.
Warning Other ResMed heated humidifiers must not be used with inverters. Damage to the
unit or serious injury to the user may result.
Here's a link for DC converter info:
http://www.cpaptalk.com/viewtopic.php?t=9828
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tplife
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05/24/12 03:14pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Propane question
If you need official rules you might reconsider camping...how do you think us folks without trucks and trunks carry propane? Seriously, the above advice regarding 5 and 10-gallon tanks in steel and fiberglass are great, and also you can purchase an adapter that allows you to refill your own 1-lb. small tanks.
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tplife
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05/24/12 09:11am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Questions about tent camping in bear country
DO NOT leave any food in your car unless it's in a sealed can, or dried inside a sealed bag. Use a bear-proof canister, a bear-box, or leave the food on top of the table with a rock or log to keep the raccoons out. If you camp in bear country with food in your car, you're very lucky & the bears weren't in your campsite! No, the naptha in moth balls does nothing to hide the smell from bears (or dogs either and the bear's sense of smell is 7-fold better). Bears can smell a dead carcass upwind from 20 miles away and can open up your car by ripping the doors off in seconds. They don't like loud noises like metal being banged, and really don't like the report of a firearm!!! Once more if it was missed: BEARS AREN'T AFTER YOU, THEY ARE AFTER YOUR FOOD!
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/firetender69/bear1.jpg
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tplife
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05/23/12 01:46pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Cookware
Try the GSI Pinnacle Series of frypans (10 and 14-inch lightweight nonstick that you can use metal utensils with) and you might retire the cast iron to the garage and home oven like we did. Of course, they're not cheap and cost a little more than the Lodge brand pan. That said, they're nothing like the coated pans you've used in the past and weigh about 1/10 as much.
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tplife
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05/22/12 05:09pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Packing away camp
If you always use a ground cloth (typically a tarp), you'll always have a clean place to fold the tent back up. They're typically vented in the middle, so folding in half from each side and half again pushes all the air out through the vents, meaning you'll need less squeezing out the air. I like to "knee down" the air once the thing is folded into a "burrito" and usually everything (poles too) fits back into the carrier. One other desireable feature of my Sierra Designs Bedouin 6 is the carry bag, which is made like a gym bag with an oversized zipper, so there's no struggling to get it back inside.
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tplife
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05/22/12 02:27pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: No rain fly tent suggestions please.
The Kodiak and Springbar tents are fine if you want to pay the high cost, lug them around, set them up and give them the extra care that canvas fabric requires - for a semi-permanent camp in mild settings or where a heating/cooking stove is to be used inside I have no disagreement here (I hunt deer and bear). I guess I'm too cheap buying 2, 4 and 6-man state-of-the art tents for 60% off new from Ebay that weigh 5/11/25 pounds and have high-wind resistance due to 4/4/6-pole designs. But I camp in the low desert a lot, and high winds are a personal pet peeve. I can pick any of the bagged tents up with one hand, set it up alone, pack it away wet if need be with no worries - and of course it has a lifetime guarantee that personal experience using through Sierra Designs has given me the confidence to be a repeat buyer again and again. Comparing a $500 canvas tent to someone's $100 tent is just not a good comparison, IMHO. I don't buy one tent and tell you it's the bees knees, I'm just speaking from personal experience and I have owned canvas tents before as well as many cheap-quality nylon tents. My advice is to keep soliciting opinions and then roll the dice...
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tplife
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05/22/12 12:18pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: WHICH TENT TO BUY WITH SO MANY CHOICES OUT THERE?
The last time I bought a good quality tent at that price was a Sierra Designs Base Camp 4, circa 1988. An end-of-the-season sale, around $329.00. LIfetime guarantee, on its 2nd set of screens and still in use. Thank God for Ebay auctions! But I digress, a cheap tent is the way to go since most folks won't go more than a time or two, making quality a pointless exercise.:p
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tplife
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05/18/12 03:29pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Cookware
Hey I like polls...My Grandma used cast iron, and I've seen some in museums, but since the advent of aluminum alloy and the GSI cookware lineup why bother? She camped into her '80s, but I want to hear heavy metal, not carry it around my campsite. I recommend their "Unobtanium" nesting pot set, including the frying pan and cover. Good Stuff!!! :)
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tplife
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05/18/12 10:27am |
Tent Camping
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RE: No rain fly tent suggestions please.
You need to tell me what brands of tents you've used. Sounds like you're living in the past.?. Why pack twice the weight and bulk of canvas? Cool for Civil War re-enactments but so outdated.
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tplife
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05/18/12 09:32am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Progressive Road Side Assistance
My teenage daughter was injured from being rear-ended in another county. The offender played along as this company played slimy hardball, using denial (in a rear-ender no less!) and delaying tactics, knowing that she was a student from another county. Ultimately, following medical treatment, therapy, and recovery, they ground her down to almost nothing, knowing the hardship of an honor student staying out of town for a trial. I wouldn't do business with them, ever, even if their insurance was free of charge... Just one man's opinion.
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tplife
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05/17/12 05:09pm |
General RVing Issues
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RE: WHICH TENT TO BUY WITH SO MANY CHOICES OUT THERE?
Be sure to use synthetic sleeping bags and leave any expensive gear at home or in dry bags. Tents of this quality (outdated bottom-feeder brands) are basically "disposable" and offer little in the way of wind and rain resistance, integrity or quality. You end up paying more with this kind of tent as it has to be replaced more often than if you had bought a quality tent from a supplier like EMS or REI. If you don't know if tent camping is your forte, then here a big-box cheap tent is definitely the way to go - Just don't try to fool anybody about it...
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tplife
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05/16/12 02:32pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: No rain fly tent suggestions please.
I think you need to try a different brand of tent for an improved design. We have 4 and 6 man tents by Sierra Designs with full length rainflies and vestibules and rarely ever experience the problem you're describing. And half our camping year is at or near the desert southwest with occasional high winds and sandstorms. Another option is to put your goggles on, or go back inside the RV...:B
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tplife
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05/16/12 09:08am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Extreme Water Conservation- Share your secrets?
skipnchar, investing in a good water filter would be a better option than iodine crystals, which are hit-or-miss in removing parasites. In addition to ensuring removal of both bacteria and parasites, a filter is fast and adds no aftertaste to the water.
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tplife
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05/14/12 10:39am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Questions about tent camping in bear country
We live near, camp near, and hunt for black bear here in the southwest. They want our food & drinks and are otherwise shy and not in camp, and we intend to keep them that way. Don't confuse them with the mountain lion, a stalking predator responsible for fatalities in my county.
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tplife
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05/08/12 02:01pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Questions about tent camping in bear country
The bears want your food, not you...follow posted precautions as stated above and don't store food or toiletries inside your vehicle. BTW, they like beer too! You're not likely to encounter them other than while out in the wild,away from the campground, minding their own business.
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tplife
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05/04/12 11:35am |
Tent Camping
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RE: Help choosing raingear
You'll be a lot happier with a 2-piece breathable rainsuit than a poncho for coverage and comfort. Marmot, Mountain HardWear, EMS, REI, Sierra Designs, all offer quality breathable rain suits.
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tplife
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04/30/12 03:05pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: Anyone use an old Coleman Sportster Stove?
Over time inside the tank the fuel turns to lacquer and clogs the jets, and Coleman recommends storing their white gas appliances without fuel in them. They rate their white gas fuel at 5 years shelf life as I remember. We store out white gas in the big MSR 33-ouncers...
http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb296/firetender69/MSRfuelbottle.jpg
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tplife
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04/24/12 02:27pm |
Tent Camping
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RE: wall-mart synthetic oil
Full Synthetic oil is not made from regular oil, it is 100% synthetic long-chain hydrocarbon oil that doesn't contain wax or other contaminants like regular oil. It thereby runs cleaner longer and exchanges heat better, which is the purpose of oil. WalMart synthetic oil is of course made by one of the major brands. It it's rated for your vehicle, it is OK and won't affect the warranty. As far as Fram Oil Filters, put your dirty one on a vise and saw it open. Notice how 3/4 of the material is bone dry? That's because the filter is made that way - so is the $3.00 one at Walmart. Oil filter testing by groups like Consumer Reports show that the Fram brand, while OK, is a waste of money.
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tplife
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04/23/12 01:19pm |
Tech Issues
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