Forgot your tent? Rent a yurt

by Josh Lew on

Want to find the biggest collection of yurts outside of Mongolia? Head to Oregon’s state parks. Since the early 1990s, the state park system has installed 190 yurts in its campgrounds. 170 of those are in coastal areas where the weather can get nasty, especially during the winter. The sturdy, circular, canvas-covered structures provide a more comfortable experience than the average tent. Rental costs run about $30 per night.

Yurts remain an extremely popular option long after the novelty should have worn off. More than 15 years in state parks and still in high demand. In fact, the main problem with the Mongolian tents: they are usually booked months in advance, meaning that a spur-of-the-moment yurt excursion is out of the question. Oregon has been building cabins at some coastal state parks in an effort to draw more campers who don’t want to pack a tent. However, the wooden structures cannot compete with the canvas ones in terms of popularity.

[Via Seattle Times]

Lippi Selk’Bag is wearable sleeping bag

by Mike Barish on

As the writer of SkyMall Monday, I encounter plenty of odd products. But even I’m baffled by the idiocy of this little discovery. The Lippi Selk’Bag is essentially a wearable sleeping bag. Imagine that a sleeping bag had sex with your childhood snowsuit and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. When you’re done cleansing yourself of that awkward situation, we’ll proceed.

According to the site’s FAQ page, the bag gets its name from the nomadic Selk’nam people of Patagonian Chile. There are three Selk’Bag styles with creative names such as Selk’Bag One, Selk’Bag Two and Selk’Bag Three. As the numbers go up, the warmth of the sleeping bag/suit increases. The Selk-Bag Three has a “comfort temperature” of 49 degrees Fahrenheit. Which is, you know, not really that cold.

So, the bags can’t handle extreme temperatures. But surely they’re waterproof. Wrong. Referring again to that helpful FAQ page, “Selk’Bag is not a waterproof sleeping bag as this would compromise its breathability.” OK, I guess I can deal with it not being waterproof so long as it’s convenient. Well, does your definition of convenience include easily being able to go to the bathroom? Oh. Then this thing is not convenient. “When visiting the toilet the Selk’Bag should be unzipped and pulled down.” Uhoh. That’s going to be a problem considering that it’s not waterproof.

I haven’t the foggiest idea who this product would appeal to. It looks cumbersome and awkward. I’m going to stick to my favorite sleeping bag and pretend that this ugly episode never happened.

Gadling goes camping (win free Coleman stuff!)

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Every once in awhile, when the writers over at Gadling get tired of the same old motorcycle rides across Asia and space flights, we just want to travel “simple.” And that’s when a camping trip can be great. Most of us, no matter how large or small the city we live in, are within a few hours’ drive of some great unspoiled wilderness where we can pitch a tent, get a nice fire going and spend the night gazing up at the stars.

With that instinct in mind I set out on a camping trip of my own last month to the great New England state of Vermont. But it also goes without saying that I am not really the camping type – leave me alone in the woods for a day or so and I would probably end up squatting in a ditch with nothing but a few strategically-placed leaves to wear as underwear. It soon became clear that I would need some good camping gear for my trip. But how does one pick appropriate gear for camping? If you work for a travel site, you just make a few calls. Soon I was chatting with Dawn at Coleman, who generously provided me with a few products to test out during my trip.

How did these products hold up in the wilderness of Vermont? Would my camping trip end with me trapped up to my neck in a sleeping back unable to get out? Read on to see what happened…Coleman Propane Grill Stove
Don’t get me wrong, sitting around a roaring campfire represents the quintessential camping experience. But when it comes to cooking, camping novices are not going to want to waste their time with anything more than hot dogs or s’mores on a big open flame. The fire either burns everything to a crisp or doesn’t cook it well enough.

That’s where a portable stove like Coleman’s unit came in handy on my trip. Combining an open stove-top burner with a grilltop, it’s just what you need to make yourself a halfway decent meal out in the open. I was quite pleased with the stove’s open burner, which quickly boiled water and made short work of sautéing some vegetables. But the grilling side? Forget it. It barely ever got hot enough to burn my hand. It’s best to keep to simple easily cooked items – so leave the soufflés at home.

Coleman Dynamo Lantern
I live in New York City, so the concept of total darkness is quite foreign to me. Out in the woods though, when the sun goes down, forget trying to find your way around by the light of the moon. You’re going to need a flashlight or a lantern. The nice thing about the lantern I brought was it was powered by hand-crank – you just pull out the handle and crank it around a few times to give it a charge. That’s both a positive and a negative – any time I needed it, I would crank my lantern for a good minute or so and be reward with a small match-size flickering beam. It’s enough to find your way back to your tent but don’t count on it to read Call of the Wild.

Interestingly enough, Coleman’s lantern has another feature – it apparently charges cell phones. My problem with this? Neither me nor any of my friends was able to find a compatible phone among the 5 of us. Best check your phone model before counting on this baby to give your handset some juice.

Coleman Cool Zephyr Ceiling Fan with Light
Perhaps I’m just naïve when it comes to camping (the answer is yes) but this little unit was a godsend. Clipping easily to the roof of my tent with a magnet, this hanging unit not only provides a powerful light beam to illuminate your tent interior – it also has a built in fan to keep things cool. Trust me, when the sun hits your tent at 7am, and the huge down sleeping bag and nylon tent you’re inside turn you into a human baked potato in a convection oven, you’re going to want some ventilation. This unit is fairly small, inconspicuous but still highly useful.

Wrap-Up (and a contest!)
So did I discover any truths about the universe while I was out communing with nature and my new camping gear? Not really, unless you count the 20-30 mosquito bites I got as some sort of perverse, itchy knowledge.

What I did learn however, is that we like to give things away here at Gadling. Want to do some camping of your own? How about a portable stove, hand-crank lantern or light/fan unit to get your trip started right? Just leave an entry telling us about your favorite camping experience in the comments below and we’ll draw a lucky winner by Friday, August 29th.

Now get out there and commune with nature!

  • To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite camping experience.
  • The comment must be left before Friday, August 29th, 2008 at 5PM Eastern Time.
  • You may enter only once.
  • Three winners will be selected in a random drawing.
  • Three Grand Prize Winners will be randomly selected to receive one of the following: a Coleman Propane Grill Stove, Coleman Crank-Powered Lantern or a Coleman Interior Tent Light/Fan
  • Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, and the District of Columbia who are 18 and older.
  • Grill-Stove is valued at $79.99, Dynamo Lantern at $34.99 and Ceiling Fan with Light at $19.99.
  • Click Here for complete Official Rules.

Daily deal – REI Super Summer clearance – up to 50% off online and in-store

by Scott Carmichael on

Outdoors fans, pay attention! REI is holding its yearly super Summer clearance, with 50% off 100’s of items. You’ll find $10 North Face shorts as well as some discounts on “high tech” products, like this $4 memory card pouch.

The sale starts today, and lasts until Labor day (September 1st). If you are not a fan of online shopping, or simply prefer to browse the racks for your bargains, then head on over to your local REI store, as many of these bargains can be found at their retail locations too. In total, over 500 products are on sale, so there really should be something for everyone.

Be on the lookout for prices ending with the magic .83 number, as those will be the sale items. And just to avoid confusion; the prices are “as marked”, there are no further discounts.

Of course, since this is a summer discount, most of the fashion on sale is being discounted to make way for winter gear, but unless you plan to gain a few sizes by next year, it should be a cheap way to get your gear purchased for next years trip.

(Source: Fatwallet.com)

Idaho State Parks Plug In

by Josh Lew on

Idaho State Parks are seeking to redefine camping. The places where Ernest Hemingway used to pitch his tent and cast his fly rod is going wireless. At least, some of them are.

Park officials are looking closely at an experimental program that currently connects five state parks to the internet. The parks in question are Bruneau Dunes, Harriman, Henrys Lake and Ponderosa.

So far feedback has been good; though purists are obviously a bit miffed at the combination of nature and tech. After all, state parks are one of the last remaining places where you can go to get away from those who compulsively check their email or MySpace friends list.

A survey conducted as part of the pilot program shows that most people are in favor of campground WiFi. Campers claimed that they would use the service for practical reasons like checking weather reports, contacting family, looking up information about the park, and making arrangements for future camping expeditions.

But who are these survey respondents? If you are thinking that most are the type who consider camping parking bus-sized RVs somewhere with lots of trees, you’re right. Kind of. Many of those in favor of the WiFi were representing the old school: tent campers. So, like it or not, it seems the marriage of tech and nature is going to go ahead in Idaho.