Camping/Overlanding Gear and Packing Recommendations

[Heritage 2020]

All this bear talk… perfect timing for me and the family sleeping in our camper in Wyoming for 3 weeks… the refrigerator is under my bed and my kids sleep next to the pantry. Thankfully my wife’s snoring sounds like an angry grizzly so there’s a chance any wondering bear will think we’ve already been hit.

Real talk. We’ve camped in bear country before and it’s impossible for us to hang food given our set up. We could hang some but not all. We cook down wind but our shower is outdoor so we use the least scented soap we can find.

We’re in a hard side camper and our plan has always been that if a bear does show up I’ll mace out a window and the wife and kids will air horn and scream bloody murder. We tell ourselves this should suffice and we’ll relocate the next day.

We live and camp in black bear territory and I feel comfortable around them having had encounters several times. Browns and grizzlies are foreign to me and might as well be the land version of Jaws.

@Artie

This is indeed why my wife and I pack serious self-defense as we are active—and hike and explore when we overland.

We’ve encountered mountain lions and may inadvertently stumble across something other than a relatively harmless black bear eventually.

NOTE1 : How you define self-defense is of course up to you. Hope to never need it, but good to be prepared.

NOTE2: The good news is that as long as you can outrun the slowest hiker—you don’t need to outrun the bear.

 

[sdnative]

View attachment 3346315

Reminds me of this scene

 

[Artie]

View attachment 3346315
@Artie

This is indeed why my wife and I pack serious self-defense as we are active—and hike and explore when we overland.

We’ve encountered mountain lions and may inadvertently stumble across something other than a relatively harmless black bear eventually.

NOTE1 : How you define self-defense is of course up to you. Hope to never need it, but good to be prepared.

NOTE2: The good news is that as long as you can outrun the slowest hiker—you don’t need to outrun the bear.

My wife and I both laughed at that graphic.

Note 1: As far as serious self defense, we have a couple options when we are remote. The 240 grain .44 mag is a constant companion.

Note 2: the slowest hikers in our group are the kiddos so refer to Note 1.

 

[Killacaviar]

Get a used 500 dollar cargo box from marketplace and use that.

I thoroughly enjoy traveling/camping with as little as possible in the actual vehicle. I have one drawer with all my recovery/tools etc and any trip I go on that doesn’t involve towing our camper 90% of what we need stays in the cargo box properly secured.

I have wheeled some difficult stuff with it and never had an issue. I admit there are better more permanent solutions but for a last minute pack out for an extended trip it really can’t be beat adding that level of usable storage.

Just a thought, not for everyone but I love it.

 

[LX Cruiser]

We live and camp in black bear territory and I feel comfortable around them having had encounters several times. Browns and grizzlies are foreign to me and might as well be the land version of Jaws.

When I’m in their world, I try my best to stay out of their way. They are stronger and faster than the fittest human and are also better swimmers and climbers.

There’s are a lot of youtube channels devoted to mysteries in the remote woods, like Sasquatch or werewolf sightings. Fuzzy images on trail cams that people insist are real. If you like to freak yourself out, you don’t need to make up these mythical creatures. Bears are more terrifying than Bigfoot—bears actually exist!

I went down the youtube rabbit hole on a channel literally called scary bear attacks. It‘s pretty insane what some people have survived.

 

[Artie]

When I’m in their world, I try my best to stay out of their way. They are stronger and faster than the fittest human and are also better swimmers and climbers.

There’s are a lot of youtube channels devoted to mysteries in the remote woods, like Sasquatch or werewolf sightings. Fuzzy images on trail cams that people insist are real. If you like to freak yourself out, you don’t need to make up these mythical creatures. Bears are more terrifying than Bigfoot—bears actually exist!

I went down the youtube rabbit hole on a channel literally called scary bear attacks. It‘s pretty insane what some people have survived.

I’m not going out of my way to lay eyes on one and if I do see one I’d prefer it be through my binoculars.

 

[rlynch356]

I am surprised that you're willing to give up the OzTent for a different option. Sure, it's heavy and long when stored so it requires the roof loading or a truck bed but it's far superior to most anything else out there. Setup is fast IMHO and most anything will need to be properly staked out beyond a 5-10 mph wind. I can put mine up with the peaked awning and ground tarp in under 10 minutes at a leisure pace, the canopy itself is literally a 30 second or less setup and I can take it down and pack it away in half that time. I'd suggest keeping it around until you've found that your alternative is superior in every way, it's always good to have options.

I am for 1 reason... (I have used the RV-5 for about 5 years probably about 100 nights total)

Weight, I'm not tall so putting it on the roof is a chore. The RV-5 and poles etc is about 65lbs.

These reasons may not apply to you which is fine. But I am going with a shiftpod mini for cold and crap weather camping, when I need a tent. It's 1/2 the weight, pack up will still take longer but I'll probably reuse the drifta bag (or get another one for it). That will make the loading process easier for me.

The 200 is being built to sleep in, so 15 minutes total to pack (maybe) to leaving is the goal. We do mostly camp on the fly trips and its a different place every day.

 

[Tex68w]

I am for 1 reason... (I have used the RV-5 for about 5 years probably about 100 nights total)

Weight, I'm not tall so putting it on the roof is a chore. The RV-5 and poles etc is about 65lbs.

These reasons may not apply to you which is fine. But I am going with a shiftpod mini for cold and crap weather camping, when I need a tent. It's 1/2 the weight, pack up will still take longer but I'll probably reuse the drifta bag (or get another one for it). That will make the loading process easier for me.

The 200 is being built to sleep in, so 15 minutes total to pack (maybe) to leaving is the goal. We do mostly camp on the fly trips and its a different place every day.

That’s makes sense as it’s really the only drawback to the system and the vertically challenged would certainly suffer from that. I need to get a Drifta bag for mine, I actually had a motorcycle wear a hole through the factory bag last outing while in transit on the trailer, luckily it only scratched up an awning support pole and didn’t wear a hole in the tent.

 

[FDMD]

Question to those of you with more experience running a fridge, solar, power stations, etc. I have my eye on the Dometic CFX3 75DZ fridge. Spec sheet claims 1.43 Ah/h. I already have a Bluetti EB3A rated at 268Wh. This converts to 22.3 Ah. Can I run this size fridge with this Bluetti and for about how long? Would you recommend a solar panel for daytime charging if I'm not running the truck? I don't have a dual battery, so the Bluetti is all we have for now. I've never delved into much of the power stuff in camp beyond charging cell phones and such.

As far as my favorite camping gear, I recently sold my 270 awning and replaced it with the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp. It is designed to clip onto the vehicle, but I just bought 2 extra poles and use it as a stand alone. We generally need the Cruiser free to drive away for daytime adventures away from camp, so 270 awning systems or attaching the awning to the truck generally doesn't work for us. When we get back to camp at the end of the day, I just back up the truck under the vehicle end of the awning and use accordingly. Great price value for the size and versatility compared to fixed awning systems, but I don't love the thin 68D poly/1200mm fabric. I wish they would use the same laminated ripstop stuff that Roam, 23ZERO, OzTENT, etc use. The 68D just doesn't block enough of the sunlight/heat, especially in AZ.

Also love our Wolfpack Pro boxes, Step22 Chameleon bag for kitchen gear, Ground Grabba tent stakes, Waterport, Nemo Stargazer Deluxe chairs, hammocks, Thermacell, and LED string lights. We ground camp in a Big Agnes Big House 6.

 

[TheGrrrrr]

Question to those of you with more experience running a fridge, solar, power stations, etc. I have my eye on the Dometic CFX3 75DZ fridge. Spec sheet claims 1.43 Ah/h. I already have a Bluetti EB3A rated at 268Wh. This converts to 22.3 Ah. Can I run this size fridge with this Bluetti and for about how long? Would you recommend a solar panel for daytime charging if I'm not running the truck? I don't have a dual battery, so the Bluetti is all we have for now. I've never delved into much of the power stuff in camp beyond charging cell phones and such.

As far as my favorite camping gear, I recently sold my 270 awning and replaced it with the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp. It is designed to clip onto the vehicle, but I just bought 2 extra poles and use it as a stand alone. We generally need the Cruiser free to drive away for daytime adventures away from camp, so 270 awning systems or attaching the awning to the truck generally doesn't work for us. When we get back to camp at the end of the day, I just back up the truck under the vehicle end of the awning and use accordingly. Great price value for the size and versatility compared to fixed awning systems, but I don't love the thin 68D poly/1200mm fabric. I wish they would use the same laminated ripstop stuff that Roam, 23ZERO, OzTENT, etc use. The 68D just doesn't block enough of the sunlight/heat, especially in AZ.

Also love our Wolfpack Pro boxes, Step22 Chameleon bag for kitchen gear, Ground Grabba tent stakes, Waterport, Nemo Stargazer Deluxe chairs, hammocks, Thermacell, and LED string lights. We ground camp in a Big Agnes Big House 6.

I'm in Scottsdale and have the CFX3 75DZ. I love it and power it with a 100AH lithium that is charged via a DC-DC charger from the alternator as well as solar. I think I would be a little concerned with only 22ah available. My truck is currently in the shop getting some wiring work done but the fridge is in my garage and I can connect it to my Sauoki G500 (41ah) and check the draw and how long it takes to hit about 50%.

I will probably have the fridge for sale in late July, if you don't already have one. I just need something a bit smaller.

 

[UPR LC]

Question to those of you with more experience running a fridge, solar, power stations, etc. I have my eye on the Dometic CFX3 75DZ fridge. Spec sheet claims 1.43 Ah/h. I already have a Bluetti EB3A rated at 268Wh. This converts to 22.3 Ah. Can I run this size fridge with this Bluetti and for about how long? Would you recommend a solar panel for daytime charging if I'm not running the truck? I don't have a dual battery, so the Bluetti is all we have for now. I've never delved into much of the power stuff in camp beyond charging cell phones and such.

As far as my favorite camping gear, I recently sold my 270 awning and replaced it with the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp. It is designed to clip onto the vehicle, but I just bought 2 extra poles and use it as a stand alone. We generally need the Cruiser free to drive away for daytime adventures away from camp, so 270 awning systems or attaching the awning to the truck generally doesn't work for us. When we get back to camp at the end of the day, I just back up the truck under the vehicle end of the awning and use accordingly. Great price value for the size and versatility compared to fixed awning systems, but I don't love the thin 68D poly/1200mm fabric. I wish they would use the same laminated ripstop stuff that Roam, 23ZERO, OzTENT, etc use. The 68D just doesn't block enough of the sunlight/heat, especially in AZ.

Also love our Wolfpack Pro boxes, Step22 Chameleon bag for kitchen gear, Ground Grabba tent stakes, Waterport, Nemo Stargazer Deluxe chairs, hammocks, Thermacell, and LED string lights. We ground camp in a Big Agnes Big House 6.

Is your BluettI rated at 22.3Ah from the label or the real world tested capacity? Reason I ask is because the power stations usually keep some minimum reserve that is not usable and that is usually not advertised from manufacturers, there is also efficiency loss as well.

That said, running my 55IM fridge in hot weather uses pretty close to 1 Ah/h on average keeping temps around 35*, which is what it was advertised at from what I remember. If you use it as a freezer it will draw more power.

I would recommend a 120W solar panel as a minimum starting point if your are not driving a lot to keep your battery topped off. I have a portable fold up panel that gives me roughly 5amps charging in good sunlight, and that is plenty to keep up with the fridge during the day and put charge back into the battery in the morning.

Not sure your situation, but my 55IM is a good size for a vehicle, 75DZ may end up being too big. I can pack food for a weekend for family of 6 in mine or a long weekend for 2 of us with food and drinks with no problems at all. Needs are different for everyone, but just wanted to throw that out there.

 

[MTKID]

I didn’t make it through all the posts yet, so sorry if this has already been mentioned, but we have a few versions of these solar LED lanterns and place them up on the dash during the day for charging and like their function around camp at night…

MPOWERD Luci Pro Outdoor 2.0: Solar Inflatable Lantern + Phone Charger with 150 Lumens, Lasts up to 50 Hours, All-in-One Lantern with Built-In USB Port, Waterproof, Compact, Lightweight, 5 x 4.25"
https://a.co/d/cHDjwmZ

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Question to those of you with more experience running a fridge, solar, power stations, etc. I have my eye on the Dometic CFX3 75DZ fridge. Spec sheet claims 1.43 Ah/h. I already have a Bluetti EB3A rated at 268Wh. This converts to 22.3 Ah. Can I run this size fridge with this Bluetti and for about how long? Would you recommend a solar panel for daytime charging if I'm not running the truck? I don't have a dual battery, so the Bluetti is all we have for now. I've never delved into much of the power stuff in camp beyond charging cell phones and such.

As far as my favorite camping gear, I recently sold my 270 awning and replaced it with the Slumberjack Roadhouse tarp. It is designed to clip onto the vehicle, but I just bought 2 extra poles and use it as a stand alone. We generally need the Cruiser free to drive away for daytime adventures away from camp, so 270 awning systems or attaching the awning to the truck generally doesn't work for us. When we get back to camp at the end of the day, I just back up the truck under the vehicle end of the awning and use accordingly. Great price value for the size and versatility compared to fixed awning systems, but I don't love the thin 68D poly/1200mm fabric. I wish they would use the same laminated ripstop stuff that Roam, 23ZERO, OzTENT, etc use. The 68D just doesn't block enough of the sunlight/heat, especially in AZ.

Also love our Wolfpack Pro boxes, Step22 Chameleon bag for kitchen gear, Ground Grabba tent stakes, Waterport, Nemo Stargazer Deluxe chairs, hammocks, Thermacell, and LED string lights. We ground camp in a Big Agnes Big House 6.

I have a Dometic CFX3 75L. I run the CFX3 75L DZ as a freezer-refrigerator with the smaller compartment as the freezer. The settings I use are the same as my home fridge/freezer: 37F/0F.

Also, you shouldn't run your battery flat so whatever WH your battery has subtract 10%.

So, my advice for the CFX3 75L DZ is to budget 50 WH/H.
With 268 WH available less 10% here's my thought: (268WH-26.8WH)/50 WH/H = approx 5 hours.
Bear in mind that temperature affects how hard the unit works.
I have the insulating cover but don't have any data to show how much it helps.
A 100W solar panel charging your battery should get you at least net zero obviously only when there's sun.

This review confirms my real-world experiences:
Dometic CFX3 Power Consumption Test - Which Ran the Longest? - https://trail4runner.com/2021/12/02/trail-tested-cfx3-power-consumption/

These portable-battery/refrigerator-freezer combos are a total boon.

 

[linuxgod]

Are you guys who are running a fridge doing it off your main battery, or do you have a secondary battery? I've debated springing for a 12V fridge instead of using so much ice, but wondering if I left it plugged in if it'd quickly find my battery insufficient to start the vehicle in the morning. I do have a lithium battery I could pull off my RV if I wanted to go this route, though it's another 60#

 

[rlynch356]

well it depends...
a) make sure your fridge is cycling correctly and understand the amp draw that it has when chilled and running normally. The reason I say this is a buddy just had a Dometic 75L fridge that would not shut down the compressor it just ran drawing 10 amps..
b) test it in your truck prior to leaving, cool it down using AC and have it reasonably full of stuff and see how your battery does overnight with a voltage test.

honest;y it should be fine but take a jump box in case (always a good thing to have anyway)

 

[FrazzledHunter]

Are you guys who are running a fridge doing it off your main battery, or do you have a secondary battery? I've debated springing for a 12V fridge instead of using so much ice, but wondering if I left it plugged in if it'd quickly find my battery insufficient to start the vehicle in the morning. I do have a lithium battery I could pull off my RV if I wanted to go this route, though it's another 60#

Both, depending on circumstances. Our Dometic CFX fridge has battery minder settings where it will shut off at different voltages that you choose. So does my Victron 12/24-15 DC-DC charger. You can easily tailor you fridge's cutoff points so your battery is preserved. Your food, well that's another matter if your fridge turns off.

 

[UPR LC]

Are you guys who are running a fridge doing it off your main battery, or do you have a secondary battery? I've debated springing for a 12V fridge instead of using so much ice, but wondering if I left it plugged in if it'd quickly find my battery insufficient to start the vehicle in the morning. I do have a lithium battery I could pull off my RV if I wanted to go this route, though it's another 60#

I am for the LC since it is not my main camping rig and I don't want to invest in a substantial system for the few times I have the fridge in the LC to camp.

As others have said, I set the Dometic battery protection to "Mid" instead of "Low" to preserve the starting capacity of the battery and I carry a jump pack regardless, just in case.

I also have a very simple portable solar panel and charge controller that I alligator clip to the starting battery if I am going to be parked for a long time (all day) and not driving the truck.

This has worked well for me, isn't permanent, and can be transferred to other vehicles.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

While I still think 50 WHr/Hr is a good practical working value for energy usage while camping using a Dometic CFX3 75L DZ I decided to run an informal 24 hr. test under idealized conditions just to get a floor value. Doing stuff like this is fun for me and hopefully this might be useful info not simply beating a dead horse LOL!
Conditions:

• Freezer/Refrigerator at 0F/37F; freezer 3/4 full, refrigerator 2/3 full.
• Ambient temperature 72F.
• Dometic’s insulating cover in place.
• Refrigerator lid opened and closed quickly once to fetch a beer. (Sorry I couldn’t help myself)
• Dometic CFX3’s Bluetooth active
• Goal Zero Yeti 1500X’s Wifi active
• Constant 13.5 VDC to the Dometic CFX3
• EDIT: Dometic unit was pre-chilled and at steady state prior to the test.

Total Watt hours in 24 hours (to within 1 minute):

• 661 as reported by the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X or an average of 27.5 WHr/Hr
• 554 as measured by the Powerwerx wattmeter or an average of 23 WHr/Hr

I have no idea why there’s a discrepancy between the two measurements. I suspect the Goal Zero 1500X is measuring power off the battery and not out the DC power port. This would make sense if you only wanted to measure power in one spot. I’m sure the Yeti’s WiFi radio takes a bit of power as does the Dometic’s Bluetooth radio. But this is how we always run in the field anyway so I see that as a constant. The Powerwerx is measuring inline and is therefore measuring actual power to the Dometic CFX3. It also has a reputation for being pretty accurate. So go figure.

 

[TeCKis300]

While I still think 50 WHr/Hr is a good practical working value for energy usage while camping using a Dometic CFX3 75L DZ I decided to run an informal 24 hr. test under idealized conditions just to get a floor value. Doing stuff like this is fun for me and hopefully this might be useful info not simply beating a dead horse LOL!
Conditions:

• Freezer/Refrigerator at 0F/37F; freezer 3/4 full, refrigerator 2/3 full.
• Ambient temperature 72F.
• Dometic’s insulating cover in place.
• Refrigerator lid opened and closed quickly once to fetch a beer. (Sorry I couldn’t help myself)
• Dometic CFX3’s Bluetooth active
• Goal Zero Yeti 1500X’s Wifi active
• Constant 13.5 VDC to the Dometic CFX3

Total Watt hours in 24 hours (to within 1 minute):

• 661 as reported by the Goal Zero Yeti 1500X or an average of 27.5 WHr/Hr
• 554 as measured by the Powerwerx wattmeter or an average of 23 WHr/Hr

I have no idea why there’s a discrepancy between the two measurements. I suspect the Goal Zero 1500X is measuring power off the battery and not out the DC power port. This would make sense if you only wanted to measure power in one spot. I’m sure the Yeti’s WiFi radio takes a bit of power as does the Dometic’s Bluetooth radio. But this is how we always run in the field anyway so I see that as a constant. The Powerwerx is measuring inline and is therefore measuring actual power to the Dometic CFX3. It also has a reputation for being pretty accurate. So go figure.

I assume everything was pre-chilled prior to starting the test?

I don't know exactly your wiring config, but if the Powerwerx is inline post the 13.5V regulator, it's possibly not accounting for conversion loss in the regulator?

That's a pretty idealized test. I'd bet that same fridge could suck up 2-3 times that in a more stressful scenario.

 

[FrazzledHunter]

I assume everything was pre-chilled prior to starting the test?

I don't know exactly your wiring config, but if the Powerwerx is inline post the 13.5V regulator, it's possibly not accounting for conversion loss in the regulator?

That's a pretty idealized test. I'd bet that same fridge could suck up 2-3 times that in a more stressful scenario.

Ah yes I see I forgot to report a somewhat important condition.
Yes indeed the fridge was pre-chilled using AC. I'll edit my post and thanks for reminding me.

The test I did was indeed idealized, a floor value so to speak.
My working budget so far has been 50 WHr/Hr as I mentioned. But we've not used it in super-hot weather yet so I'm constantly learning.