High Tech Camping

So if you've really read this blog at all you'll know that I'm big into survival, camping, and the outdoors in general. The other day I was reading a tech article on PCMag.com and noticed an article in the sidebar called Equipment for High Tech Camping. So, considering my love for both the techy and the primitive, I obviously had to check it out. I was expecting the usual solar chargers, GPS units, etc. and those were indeed included. However, there were some really neat, useful products that I hadn't seen before.


TentLEDs

The TentLEDs are such a no-brainer that I am really shocked that someone hasn't mass-marketed them before. I know I personally trip over the tie ropes on my tent at least once a trip. When you're stumbling around in the dark half asleep, you're going to eventually catch your foot on one of them if you're not careful. The TentLEDs would definitely make it less likely to happen.



Brunton's Flip-n-Drip Coffee Maker

I'm a big fan of what we call "Cowboy Coffee". I have a campfire coffee pot and we normally drink boiled coffee when we're camping or hunting. That may change now that I've found this little guy. It just looks so damn convenient. You just pour water it in the lower chamber and throw that in the fire. While it is heating up you put coffee in the middle chamber and screw it all back together. Once the water is hot just put the whole thing together, flip it over and let it drip. Pretty flippin' sweet.



The Cave by Heimplanet

There is no way to describe this other than awesome. Ok, maybe convenient works too. It is a tent that uses "air beams" instead of tent poles. You just unroll the whole thing, hook up a hand pump, and in no time you have your tent aired up and ready to go. I can see where there would be times when it wouldn't be "enough" of a tent. Long trips, high winds, etc. But for your day to day trips, this seems like it would be pretty cool. Easy to pack as well. You just pop the air valves and roll the whole thing up and stuff it in the bag. Pretty damn nifty.


Have you guys come across any cool high tech camping gear lately?


What gadget/tool can you absolutely not live without?

I realized something today. There are a few things that I carry with me everyday that I feel absolutely lost without. The first is my phone. Not because I feel I have to be connected ALL the time but simply because the damn thing is handy. I have an Iphone (haters gonna hate) and it has a ton of useful stuff on there. I have GPS, my geocaching app, weather info, a calculator, notes, voice recorder, etc. etc. etc.

The second thing I never leave home without is my knife. I mean, come on, when are knives NOT useful? You can open boxes, pry things apart, stab people, etc. The uses are endless! I carry a Smith & Wesson M&P. It is a spring assisted knife so it is easy to open with one hand. It is a carry over from when I was a firefighter. It is an amazingly durable and reliable knife.

And last but certainly not least, the ONE item that EVERYONE should always have with them... A good Multi-Tool. These things come in a variety of options, sizes, qualities, and finishes. A good Multi-Tool can save your ass in a number of ways. I don't carry a tool kit with me all the time so when I come across some small repair I can usually just pull out the Multi-Tool and get it taken care of without having to carry a ton of different tools around. My current Multi-Tool is the SOG Power Assist. It is fairly simple as far as Multi-Tools go but it does what I need it to do; day in and day out.

So those are the three things that I absolutely cannot live without. I feel completely naked if I don't have these three things on me at all times. Now, some of you might say that carrying a knife AND a Multi-Tool is overkill. After all, most Multi-Tools have a knife in them. So is this overkill? Absolutely. I'm a MAN, dammit. Overkill is what we do. Especially geeks. And while it very well may be overkill, there really is no substitute for a high quality knife. While some Multi-Tools, such as the SOG shown above, contain pretty decent knives, they will never compare to a high-quality stand-alone knife.

Now that you know what gadgets/tools I can't live without. What is your top three?

My Addiction.... Geocaching!

Ok, so it doesn't get much geekier than Geocaching. If you're not familiar with Geocaching it is, according to geocaching.com, "...a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online."


I have been geocaching off and on for several years but just got serious about it around a year and a half ago. A good friend of mine and I discovered our mutual love for geocaching quite by accident and it was an adventure from that point on. We immediately set out on a months-long geocaching quest.


One of the easiest ways to get started in geocaching is by using the iPhone Geocaching app. Obviously you need an iPhone to do this but there are geocaching apps for most smartphones out now. With the iPhone Geocaching app you can browse geocaches based on your current GPS location. There is no need to logon to the website to find caches. They are all right there in the palm of your hand!


I will be covering a lot of geocaching information on here in the coming weeks and months. It is, by far, one of my favorite hobbies and is something I am very passionate about. It is a good way to get people out and about and enjoying the outdoors. Especially us geeks that are more prone to sit in front of a computer all day!


So go to geocaching.com, get a GPS device or get a geocaching app for your phone and go have some fun!