I used to take the just the tractor on camping trips with the kids.
Yellowstone, Glacier, Colorado, San Antonio, Jackson Hole.

15ltr turbo Cat was great going over 10,000ft pass.:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238358853.jpg

I hate to ask the obvious question, but why do you need to hose down your bed?

Dave have you had any issues with that blue tent? My scout troop bought those and they are like the sorriest tents ever in a wind storm. We have had more poles snap and tents fall with those than all the other styles we have had combined. Also the fly blows up around the edges and lets water in the massive screend sides.

:D Funny. I don't hose down the bed, but the floor and sides of the interior. Fly-fishing just about every weekend, lots of dirt and mud gets dragged in, especially from wet waders. The Element is a great vehicle with great mileage. I just wish it had enough torque to pull a trailer with a 911.

Great thread! Heres mine. Some of you here have some really nice rigs.
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238374949.jpg

mine is the yellowish one from REI http://www.rei.com/product/728308 I dont know about the blue one. I can tell you that every single time I camped last year it rained and my tent did a great job of keeping me warm and dry. I am pretty happy with it.

I do have experience with with cheap tents. The cheap tents are .... cheap, poorly designed and only good for sunny days camping a few times a year. When I was in scouts we had Eureka! Timberline http://www.eurekatent.com/p-52-timberline-2-tent.aspx tents, they performed really well when you consider how boys handle stuff and were so simple to put up. The only issue we had was when we tied a tarp to one of the poles in a massive windstorm. The pole did bend but was replaced under warranty. I think you have to invest in good equipment, see if a local store can give you a deal. Its for the kids afterall.

just though of something, the girl in the Colman tent did get wet in the tent that weekend.

Our troop has always had Colemans. The old farts that control the purse always insisted on it. Luckily they had some Kelty V2s for backpacking so when I went to Philmont I could take a really good tent.

I can guarantee that if it rained that blue tent got wet.
This particular weekend we had anticipated a storm and set up close to that cliff. Still got wupped. Well at least the people in the blue tents did. The green tents are from a previous buy and I had set up in one of them. I knew they held up as I had rode out some serious storms in one. In the middle of the night the scout master wakes me up and is like get you rain gear on and help me get these little boys to the cars we are goin back to town to the scout building.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238376127.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238376160.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238376209.jpg

Not quite, it's a Sierra Designs Omega2: 2 person 3/4 season convertible.

Had it what four years now and use it a few times each year. Great little tent. Comfy for one, long as you're not really tall and cozy for two so long as you're nice'n'friendly. ;)

If you're looking for recommendations, I would buy Sierra again in a heartbeat: I have several items of their clothing as well as this tent, which kept me nice and dry through a long, wet weekend at the coast last August.

thx for posting comments

my 35 yr old Timberline is beyond repair

ok... back to 911 eye candy



this is both cars on our ride out in Oregun

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238393484.jpg





Brorag's top is always down because that's how he logged 10k miles. Didn't matter how cold it was, even 35F, he'd just put on a t-shirt and hooded sweat and he was warm and confortable. If it rained we just drove fast. He needed about 75mph to stay dry. The pic is a remote camp called Mud Crick. Mud = bugs. If the wind died down or temps rose above 40F out came the bug spray. That's me at the table.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238393845.jpg






This is Brorag's sleeping quarters. It was more confortable that sleeping on the ground and offered very good rain and ground water protection. Only thing is that it took up a noticable amount of room in a 911. It kept him happy because when you're out there for weeks sleeping in very important.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238394246.jpg






One night we're both loaded and talking about gathering fire wood the next day as we're hanging around this camp a few more days. Being how I don't really sleep more than a few hours at a time and Brorag likes to sleep till 9am I suggest that when I wake up at dawn I'll follow the river and gather fire wood. It would be many long trips to carry the firewood back to camp so I suggested that "If I get the wood up to the road we'll use your car to truck it back to camp".
So next am at 7 I wake him up are remind him of our deal. "What? I said what? Are you kidding me?" "lets go before someone grabs it" " Huh! I don't remember this deal!" So off we go with out improvised logging truck.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238394872.jpg





This is the site that needed his rig.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238394992.jpg




We have a 3rd 911 pelicanhead for the next ride... gotta luv it

Now you just gotta love that!
Right on Ronin

thx


You know when you're out there on these adventures it's nice to be hanging with a good guy. I've been doing this act a long time so when I say Brorag was great to hang with i know what I'm talking about. We even unconsiciosy kinda developed a Mut and Jeff act. He was outgoing funny and I've always had "he's a character" dry humor. I'm a sarcastic hard assed NY're and Brorag is this S.E. US white collar businesman who dons bib overalls and floats around with this Smoky Mountain/southern drall/Scott-Irish/hillbilly/comedian with a high level of humanity. This was one act you had to be there to believe..

Anyway.. I've been to Alberta 2x. Once way back when I met a contact for an oil rig job at a lake 50 dirt mile after the paved road ends in northern Alberta... and then about 3yrs ago on a high end bus tour with the bride. My long term thought is to do BC & Alberta in a 4x4 van. I'm presently eye balling the 5 cly MB with off road wheels. Make take awhile till I get my act together on that, but I'm almost sure that we'll meet some day. The forests in your world are priceless and I want some.


ps: I've also been on another high end Olympic Nat'l Forest/Vancouver Isl/San Juan Isl's and a train ride up to Whistler bride vac.

When we go camping we really go camping. If you're not in it as deep as you can go you're really not in it..

And then to do it in one of the world's greatest supercars is is...........







oh yeah... Did I say I know of the only place in BC to free dive/spear fish for halibut in 20-30 ft of water close to shore? Reference was a captain owner of a group of 50-90ft fish taxis along the BC+ coast.

Gotcha... nice looking tent! I'm a bit of a tent junky... currently I own:
Sierra Designs Tiros 1
Sierra Designs Clip Flashlight (yes, it's a tent)
Outbound Flash
Bibler bivy

Agreed that Sierra Designs is an excellent company, I love their gear (but have never tried any of their clothing).

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1238423214.jpg

Who needs big rigs. I can get there quicker, cheaper and pull into greener sites....but this truck stop ain't one of them.;)

This Spring, I'll finish my "camper" simular to this one. Bajataco

http://www.bajataco.com/camper10.jpg

Thats cool Hoots, I kayak with a guy who did something very similar with a minivan. While we were all tearing down tents in the rain he was still sleeping.

Not Mine.........http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1239394522.jpg
:eek:

Thanks for that link...my son gets my (his) Tacoma and that is exactly the right rig set-up.

That is really well sorted.

That reminds me of this "chuck wagon" I used for a few years. It held a futon matress, very cozy inside with a down comforter. Based on the "teardrop trailer" principle.http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1239415961.jpg

Don