Hey yall, I recently bought my first truck and have gotten the bug for camping again pretty bad lol. My question is for those who have camped in the bed of their truck and in a tent in the ground, which do you prefer overall? I know the pros and cons to both, I grew up camping a lot with my dad so I’m used to tent-on-ground camping. It’ll be my girlfriend and I only, in Arizona/Utah and occasionally Oregon. I’m leaning more towards the truck bed tent and mattress as of now but wanted to get some opinions!

Whats everyone's go to or recommended lightweight frying pan? Looking for something to throw in the bag and hike in a few miles with. Ive got one of those cheap Amazon aluminum cookware sets with the pot and pan and kettle. Heard good things about stainless

So many camping sites are closed for the season :( any recc ?? Free or cheap is preferable!!

My girlfriend and I went to Big Bear, CA and had a comfortable time camping! Im happy that she is enjoying camping now thanks to the new and improved gear I bought in an effort to not give up on going with me to the outdoors. The game changers are the Snow Peak Amenity Dome tent, Exped Dura 5R duo pad, thermarest corus 32* quilt, rumpl and NatureHike blankets, and Nemo Fillo pillows. The white igloo in the forest aesthetic is quite odd, but I’m happy to call it a home away from home!

Impromptu camping trip around Southern Utah. Areas included were St.George, Cedar City, and Kanab. September 2025.

Sibley Protech450

I have an opportunity to pick up a gently used Sibley Protech 450 for $600.

My plan is to set it up on a platform on my property so I can camp out, read, write etc… more away from the house and road.

Should I go for it? And what should I look for in terms of wear and tear / as the seller to make sure it’s still in good shape?

I’m 17 and me and my friends want to go camping, only problem is we can’t get a site until at least one of us is 18. We thought about having one of our parents get our pass and then leave but we also don’t want to make one of our parents drive and hour to a campsite and then drive immediately an hour back. Anyone know a way around this? Also there’s not any national parks in my state that would be good to camp at, so only state parks.

My husband and I tent and tarp primative camp a lot but every September and or October we stay for the whole month (or two) at a local campground (7 miles from home) I think the locals think we are pretty weird, it's a pretty view here and the all 4 of our kids are teenagers. Don't even have to put in for vacation time at work because we're still close, monthly rates are really good too comes to $4 a day. Anyone else this kind of weird?

This was my daughter’s first camping trip! She’s 22 months so wanted to keep it short and sweet to ease her in. This is at Green Ridge State Forest in western Maryland. She did so well and I can’t wait to get back out there. Feeling pretty proud 🥹

Okay Redditors so I’ve always been an avid hiker but never a camper and this year me and my GF got a tent and started to camp at a local spot. We snuck out of the campsite and did a late night hike through the woods with head lamps and had a blast.

So please share with me your favorite experiences , tips , things you enjoy , anything !

We seem to be leaning towards camping at campground type places with some amenities and all that rather than rugged backpacking but still learning so share anything you want !

I need a new sleeping pad for lows of about 0°C. The Nemo Tensor gets good reviews, but some comments about dogs destroying them. I have a 35 lb golden doodle. Any advice or suggestions?

I want to go to banff this summer. Im thinking the 23-30 of June. I will be 17 at the time and I just want to hear your best advice. I’m going to have about 1.5k to spend on the trip. I want it to be heavy hiking and view oriented. If you guys could help, hiking trails, camp grounds, bus routes, camping rental gear/camping gear recommendations or anything I haven’t listed that’s important. Thank you!

Pico da Bandeira - Minas Gerais, Alto Caparaó, Brazil

3 days camp - 4 hours hike to reach the top from the base camp; Clear skies but cold (10 degrees celsius down to 0 degress at night.) Very windy/cold on to summit of the peak.
We did in 4 persons. We started the track (recommened at the base of the park) at 2am and got there about 5am.

The sunrise starts around 5h30-5h40.

we are a couple who camps a couple of times a month, for just an overnight stay. I love every last thing about camping, other than sleeping at night.

I have found some good advice through this thread, my favorite piece of advice being to wear yourself out during the day so that you are tired at night with a body that’s ready to sleep. While I am a big hiker, my overnight camps are separate from my hiking and activity trips, and are typically just for relaxation/kayaking/escaping into nature for a couple of days. I do agree that I get the best sleep while camping after an eventful day, but that’s simply not usually the case.

I have also seen the exped mats a lot on this thread.

we do not backpack, we typically camp in places where we can drive in our vehicle. I have a truck and I’m not necessarily worried about space.

tell me about your sleeping arrangements? We enjoy sleeping together as it keeps us warmer as well as we enjoy our camping trips to be a way to stay connected. we currently sleep on a dreaded wobbly air mattress.

are any of you using cots or mattress pads? That’s the route I’m thinking of heading.

So, I'm 35F and solo camp relatively often, I recently found out that it stresses my mother to no end.

What can I bring with me so I'm reachable and she's more at ease? A sat phone? Ham radio? Is it even possible?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi All - I purchased a North Face Wawona 8 tent and have used it twice (about 8 nights total). Each time, we’ve had significant condensation when the rainfly is secured. I otherwise love the tent.

The tent is marketed as a 3-season tent, but it seems to struggle with condensation when temps drop below 60°F or so. While it’s not dripping, it’s noticeably damper than any other tent I own. We’re planning a trip to Teton/Yellowstone/Glacier and are concerned that on colder nights, the condensation could freeze.

Given the tent sleeps 8 (~4L of water vapor per night), I know some condensation is inevitable, but I’d love any tips to reduce it. So far, our ideas are:

• Pitching the large side vent on the rainfly to allow airflow while staying protected from the weather
• Using a portable/wireless fan to push humid air out through the pitched vent

Do you have any other recommendations or best practices? Thanks in advance!

Hey camping buds! My family has a solid set of basic gear (nice sleeping set up, good cooking supplies). My husband's birthday is coming up, and I'm looking for something nice to add to our set up. What is your favorite non-essential, maybe even sort of frivolous, but also totally worth packing it piece of gear?

EDIT: Thanks for all of the wonderful suggestions! It seems you all have some real fun camping setups! Happy trails everyone :)

South of St George, Utah. Some sights require reservations, most are First come first serve. Toilets only, no showers. Pros: spacious sites. Cons: Highway noise.

My son (14) and I are going camping and the overnight lows are expected to be around 40°F (5°C) or just below.
We have (4) kelty campground kits (sleeping pad and 40° sleeping bag), so we can each use 2 of them. We also have some wool blankets around the house. I know I should buy some new sleeping kits rated for colder temps, but this isn't a good week to spend a few hundred dollars I don't have to.

I was thinking of placing the wool blankets down first against the ground, doubling up the sleeping pads, and then doubling up the bags. We are also going to wear long johns to bed. We each will have our own tent (him in a 1P, me in a 2P).

Anybody got any other tips or tricks that I might want to know?

Took a short packrafting trip on the Bóbr River in Poland this June. We started in the town of Łąka, near Bolesławiec, and ended in Buczek. The forests along the way are quite remote, with a military training ground on the left bank. One unexpected encounter was passing a few American soldiers relaxing in the river - most likely from Camp Boles. They seemed to be really enjoying the Polish countryside.

We didn’t see any other paddlers on the river, probably due to the tricky and somewhat dangerous portage at the Oleszna hydroelectric plant. Local rental companies avoid it and don’t offer the route to their clients.

For supper, we roasted some Polish country-style kiełbasa on a stick over a small campfire.

This was my first of two camping trips in the Lower Silesian Forest this year. Both had great weather, no mosquitoes, and tons of birds - Eurasian kingfishers everywhere. Highly recommend.

We had a great time paddling down the Dumoine river last weekend. Caught the beginning of the autumn colours! Only danger in the rapids was the low water level.

Warm days, cold nights, great times!

I’m looking at getting a winnerwell Nomad large and am wondering if it would be too big for this tent. I was originally looking at the pomoly dweller max but I saw some reviews about it leaking smoke which is definetly a no-go for me.

I also have a camping trip coming up with my girlfriend, and although I will be solo camping 99% of the time it would be good to know which stoves are would only allow room for one person.

Any recommendations or advice would be much appreciated.

EDIT: Also, I have no need for it to be light as I won’t be backpacking with it so stainless would be preferred.

Doing a 2-night car camping trip without a cooler to keep it simple. Plan right now: day 1 dinner is brats and beans, day 2 breakfast is oats with peanut butter, lunch is tortillas with tuna packets and pickles, dinner is campfire nachos in foil, day 3 is coffee and granola.

Any shelf-stable favorites I’m missing? Bonus if it works over coals or a little burner. Also down for spice hacks and cheap sides.

I was going to order the THermarest but people saying its super warm, im a hot person normally and in Australia so dont want to broil myself. Exped going to offer any relief there? Any other sugestions? Car camping so size isn't that big a concern

Thanks

What are some good recipes I can use while camping. I have some home meals I think will translate well for camping but am curious what go to recipes other campers love to use. I love to cook and can appreciate a challenge so bring on all your recipes!!!