Gear Review From 2009 Camping Season

I will get trip pictures up later, to tired now to work on them right now.



Xpress Lounger Arm Chair

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* This chair takes up about as much room as a laptop case.
* Chair expands to almost the size of a regular folding camp chair.
* Comfortable, can stretch your legs out, slump down, and still catch some zzzz's.

Cons:
* The top strap you carry it with only snaps to one side of the chair, thus making the handle bunch up.
I hear the next gen will have snaps on both sides, thus fixing this.





Engel Wireless Thermometer

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* Mount the receiver anywhere you like, as well as it is within the specified 80' range.
* Can read temps in both Fahrenheit and Celsius.
Besides reading the fridge/freezer temperature, it also displays the temperature where you place the receiver.

Cons:
* Can not think of any.

I really like this gizmo, as when camping in hot weather like I just got back from, I may not check the fridge all the time, and this being outside can alert me to rising temps.





PowerFilm F15-3600 60 watt Solar Panel
Please see my installation article too.

I give it two thumbs up, this is a great way to keep your battery or batteries fully charged without having to fire up your rig when base camping.

Pros:
* Keeps the battery/batteries charged when you have a load on them.
* Stop worrying that you may not have enough juice to start your rig after several days of running a fridge/freezer and other items.

Cons:
* You need sun for it to work.
* Can work with it partially cloudy out, but full power will be utilized when the sun can hit the panel.
* Expensive still at this time.
Accessories such as cables and charge controllers are competitively priced, but the panels themselves are a high dollar item.

Adventure Trailers solar page
PowerFilm Solar
F15-3600 60 watt model, also comes with female 12v (cigarette lighter) adapter that plugs into the solar panel, and you plug your 12v devices to it to charge them
Brunton Solar Controller 12-Volt Battery Charge Monitor
Bought Brunton Solar Controller at Amazon

You can see the voltage dipped down to 16.66 v in one of the pictures, that was in partial sunlight.
Still pretty good, but direct sunlight shoots it up to 18+ volts.
The solar panel kept my batteries charged during my recent trip in hot weather.









Cabela's Chaise Loungers - Black (other colors available)

I give it two thumbs up, very comfortable.

Pros:
* Huge chair, can get very comfortable in it.
* You can sleep in it, as it lays back almost flat.
* Chair locks into any position you pick.

Cons:
* Big chair, even when folded and using the available case for it.
Takes up a lot of room in my rig.
So much in fact I was not able to use my rear window at all, I drove only with my two side mirrors.
If you have an RV or Adventure type trailer to store it, it will not take up valuable room in your rig.





Gerber F.A.S.T. Covert Knife (full size and small)

I give it two thumbs up, very nice knife, and badass looking

Pros:
* Opens with a flick of your thumb placed on the thumb stud, or by grasping both sides with your thumb and two fingers, and flipping it down.
* Both regular blade and serrated edge.
* Sharp from the factory.
* Positive reviews too at Cabelas.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, I like it.





Gerber LMF II Knife

I give it two thumbs up, very nice military knife

Pros:
* Big knife, well balanced.
* Both regular blade and serrated edge.
* Handle end can be used to break a vehicles window if needed.
* You can also use the end to drive in tent stakes or use as a hammer.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, another well made knife from Gerber.





Bad Bags Duffels

I give it two thumbs up, the model Duffel #4 SP I bought holds more than a weeks worth of clothing and gear

Pros:
* Huge, nice zippers, carry strap for shoulder, regular strap handle, compression straps to make duffel smaller.
* Very heavy duty bag, this one replaces a Cabelas bag I bought last year.
The Cabelas one is good, but this one is top of the line in my book, read about it in Overland Journal.
* Should last a very long time.
* Owner is local to me should I need a replacement for any reason, or to order more in different sizes.

Cons:
* Can not think of any, I like it.

Link to the model #4 SP I bought








Food Saver vacuum sealer

I give it two thumbs up, I bought model V3835 which is not listed, as it was built to be distributed via Fred Meyer retail stores
It is the same as model # V3840 listed at the time of this review on Food Savers homepage.

Pros:
* Makes food preparation before a trip easy.
* Less preparation of food while in camp.
* Food last longer thus staying fresh longer while camped.
* Can also seal up non food items such as clothing, batteries, and more.

Cons:
* Sometimes wet food may require more than one seal from liquid getting pulled up to the seal line interfering with the heat/seal process.

Some of the food I took on my trip sealed.





Surefire Nitrolon LED Flashlight

I give it two thumbs up

Pros:
* 80 lumens in a compact light is pretty bright.
* Puts out more light than a four D cell Maglite I have that I converted over to LED.
* Push button on the On/Off rotating base cap lets you signal with the light or just turn it on momentarily without having to turn the base On/Off..

Cons:
* Uses two 3-volt lithium batteries instead of readily available AA batteries.

Very bright light, I had fun shining it in the pitch dark up at tall trees in the spot I camped at.
Picture below on my down comforter in my roof top tent.





Outback Porta-Privy

I give it two thumbs up
I like this one much better than the one that came with my PETT toilet system.
It sets up much easier, and it a little bigger inside, and also has a removable floor.

Pros:
* Takes up very little space in a rig.
* Sets up like those tents you throw up in the air, sort of.
It is spring loaded, and once expanded, you only have to open it by hand.
* Comes with a removable floor held in with Velcro.
* Sky light opening in the roof.
If you are tall, you can stick your noggin' out the top to keep an eye on your campsite while showering.
If you hear banjo music, grab your rifle or run.
* Towel holder on the outside.

Cons:
* Break down can be a little confusing, I would suggest practicing at home first until you have it down good.
insert pics here
* The two way zipper on one side kept coming open as you would zip it down for privacy.
I think this was due to the tautness of having it staked at four corners, I do not know.





It came in handy also for showering with my Zodi Extreme Series Water Heater/Shower.
I retrofitted a a kitchen faucet sprayer on it several month back, and it makes showering a lot easier with it since you do not have to keep turning off the tank to stop the flow.
Just release the sprayer button to save on water when soaping up.

Video at home showing how it works




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