Food and Camping

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Originally Posted by Irulan

I've been camping (tent/backpack/primitive/rafting) for some 35 years. :D
IMSHO, I think fires are way more work than a stove and I never make them.
-you can't see the stars at night
-dangerous: even campground campfires can start wildfires. Most people

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We had campfires every night last weekend and we spent most of our time around the fire looking at the stars. No trouble seeing them at all.

;) You see a lot more of them without the ambient light of a fire.

Okay; I now have my eye on Thermarest's Prolite Plus pad for our trip to Utah. It's supposed to be warm, easy to pack, and comfortable.

One thing that confuses me though, Irulan. REI lists mosts Thermarest pads, including the one you mentioned (which they call Luxury Map) as open cell. Certain pads list warmth as a feature, even though they're open cell pads. Am I not understanding something? Thermarest's own website does not list open or closed cell in their own specs--unless I'm just not reading their specs correctly. In any event, I can get the Prolite Plus pad for a good price at a couple of different places.

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Originally Posted by indysteel

Okay; I now have my eye on Thermarest's Prolite Plus pad for our trip to Utah. It's supposed to be warm, easy to pack, and comfortable.

One thing that confuses me though, Irulan. REI lists mosts Thermarest pads, including the one you mentioned (which they call Luxury Map) as open cell. Certain pads list warmth as a feature, even though they're open cell pads. Am I not understanding something? Thermarest's own website does not list open or closed cell in their own specs--unless I'm just not reading their specs correctly. In any event, I can get the Prolite Plus pad for a good price at a couple of different places.

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The open cell foam I refer is used by itself, not encased in a waterproof shell. Example - using a foam rectangle of egg crate for your mattress. It absorb damp which transfers to your body. Remember the old Ensolite pads we'd take backpacking 25 years ago? They were closed cell foam. So,even though it was only 1/2" thick, it didn't transmit moisture.

Anything REI carries is going to be fine. It comes down to cost, weight and level of comfort that you want.

Camping trip went well, and I like the tent so much I've decided to keep it. I can still stand and change, just have to bend my head a little. It would be nice if I didn't have to bend so low to get in/out but frankly that isn't a problem. I paid a very good price for a quality tent, and I had it up in <25 minutes. For someone who has never pitched a tent before I thought that awesome!

Food was fine, got a new cooler and the temps weren't hot anyway. Did a little camp-fire cooking, and had my morning coffee. Air mattress was a washout though - nothing wrong with it but I've already ordered a cot to replace it. Besides cooler weather is coming and I just don't want to be on the ground sleeping. At least I now have a good air mattress for visitors :)

All in all a great weekend - lots of fun on the mountain bike with only a few new scratches.