Solor Powered Coffee Machines

I can’t go without my coffee, and that means even on camping trips. What I do know is use the Folger’s individual cup bags in boiling water, but it would be nice to have a fancy jura capresso machine that would be solar powered or something. HA! I can just see it now, foaming up the milk for me out in the woods. I love to camp, but I also love the luxury of gourmet coffee.

solar powered coffee machines, jura capresso

Live Camping Podcast

I want to get my old laptop working, and build some type of satellite antenna that I can take camping with me. The laptop part is simple since it’s just a power supply repair, but building some type of portable and lightweight satellite antenna might be hard. Maybe there is something like this on the market already and I just don’t know it? It would be fun to do live camping podcast, don’t you think?

Car/Truck Camping

What kind of vehicle do you drive? I ask this because we have a Pontiac Grand Am, and it is the farthest from a cool camping vehicle that one could ever own. When we go camping the trunk is packed full of all our equipment, and the back seat is crammed full with coolers, pillows, and our extra blankets. We really need to get a truck with all the cool truck accessories that you can add on to make it more useful.

camping equipment

Wilderness Essentials

I found a place online to shop for all your camping gear today, and they had some really great prices listed, so I decided to tell you guys about them. They are called Wilderness Essentials, and they carry things like backpacks, coolers, stoves, cooking utensils, and more. There is also a fairly large selection of tents and kayaks. They have a customer care line that you can call to get help with any questions or concerns you may have with your order.

They have a huge tent selection for all different types and styles that you may want. From large family tents that sleep up to 10 people or more, to smaller two man and one man tents. We like to have privacy when we camp, so we have our small two man tent, and the boys each have their own two man tent so put all their stuff in. There is just something about having a couple tents set up on your site that looks neat to me, instead of just one. Along with sleeping tents, they also carry shade tents & shelters, and any accessories that you would need to go along with your tent.

If you do any camping on a lake, which most people do in the summer time, it’s always nice to have an inflatable kayak’s for family fun. They come in one man styles, or two, and they also include paddles. With the camping we do on Lake Mead, those would be so much fun to add to our collection of camping gear.

And don’t forget about food! I think that is one of my most favorite things about camping, the food. I like preparing it, and cooking with our cast iron pots and pans right over the campfire. Cooking with Camp Chef Michael, is always a blast. He comes up with some great recipes, and we eat like pigs the entire weekend.

Go check out Wilderness Essentials for all your camping needs.

camping equipment, tents, kayaks, camp cookware

First Aid Kits

One of the best things to have a long camping is a first aid kit. So many accidents can happen, and not having one in the middle of nowhere is not something you want to do. I remember when we went camping with our friends that have a small child. He tripped while on a hike and cut his knee on a rock. It was like a plasma cutting party, plasma flowing everywhere! Thank goodness we had that first aid kit in our backpacks and we got him all cleaned and bandaged up in no time.

first aid kits, camping equipment, camping with kids

Stay Warm With Down Jackets

While living in Las Vegas is hotter than hot in the summer, when we go camping in Mt. Charleston it can get down right cold at night. Luckily for use we have really nice Marmot down jackets. They are super warm, and the quality just can’t be beat.

Right before winter hits the desert is our favorite time to head to the mountains. The snow hasn’t fallen yet, but the chilly nights snuggling around the campfire are the greatest ever. Right before summer hits, it can still be pretty cold, but our down jackets can almost get too warm. This year I think I’m going to get a down vest for this time of year. Warm and snuggly, but still breathable enough not to get too hot.

down jackets, down vest, camping clothes

GotWind.org

I found a great little DIY site called GotWind. The purpose of the site is to share his experiences of designing and making renewable energy projects for very little money, and this little gadget caught my eye. It’s the Orange Wind Generator, that powers your mobile phone.

Who doesn’t want a portable tent mounted wind charger?

GotWind.org, Orange Wind Generator, wind charger, camping, camping equipment

Cruising The Beach This Summer

Speaking of camping on the beach, who’s got big vacation plans? We haven’t set anything in stone yet, but that’s usually how we roll. We just decide on a whim to go somewhere, we pack, and out the door we go. It’s probably not the greatest way to do a family trip, but it’s always fun to do spontaneous adventures like that.

This year we wanted to go to the beach camping. When I went to the websites to find a camp site in Pismo Beach, I was gravely disappointed that reservations need to be made 6 months in advance. I just wanted to pack the car and go, but no, that’s not happening at Pismo Beach. There are some other options that I am exploring though, and my tent will be pitched on the sand before the summer is over.

One of my favorite things to do at the beach is rent beach bikes, especially the beach cruisers. They are not built for speed. They are built for a leisurely ride up and down the coast. Check out this sweet beach cruiser I found at XYZ Bikes! I love, love, love the color of it! It totally looks all 70’s style.

And don’t forget to check out their blog for news on new bikes coming out, and special coupon offers.

XYZBikes.com, beach cruiser, bikes, beach bikes

Night Vision Binoculars

Continuing on with the fun you can have as a family camping, think of all the cool gadgets and things that you can buy to take on your camping trip. For example, how about some night vision binoculars, or night vision goggles, to look around in the forest with. Imagine all the creatures that you could see lurking in between the trees. Oh that might get a little creepy though, and lead to some good spooky campfire stories.

They come complete with digital controls, that make them very simple to control, even for kids. They are heavy duty, so if they get dropped on the ground, they are not going to break. They would make a fun extra in your camping equipment collection.

OpticsPlanet.net, night vision binoculars, night vision goggles

Win A 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid

I found a really cool contest over at Outdoorzy Blog. It’s sponsored by National Parks, and all you have to do is take a cool photo, enter it in their contest and if your photo is chosen, you win a 2009 Federal Recreation Lands Pass, a 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid, a trip to a Federal Recreation Area of your choice, or one of many other great prizes! Nice! Grab your camera, and start taking some pictures.

National Parks, photo contest, 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid