Oregon and The Great Outdoors

So while I do have some other interests, I really love being outdoors. Whether it’s hiking, camping, skiing, beaching… I’m there.. and luckily, I live in a place where all of that is just an hours drive away. Eugene isn’t the most exciting city… in fact it’s fairly boring…haha. But that’s probably a good thing because it keeps me focused on studying. What other places don’t have, however, is the incredible access to wilderness. Most people drive for days to get to mediocre state parks packed with RVs, while I get to take weekend trips to pristine wilderness withing a 2hr drive. I’m not bragging, just showing some appreciation.

Car Camping

I love car camping for the convenience it affords. On countless weekends, friends and I pack up a couple of cars with coolers full of food and drinks and head into the Cascades. This is the type of camping I was first doing when I moved to Oregon because it was just less intimidating than backpack hiking/camping. You don’t need expensive, ultralight gear because you’re not hauling it very far on your back. You can take dogs, kids, large stoves, canoes, fishing gear etc. It’s my favorite past time with friends for sure.

The area I go to the most (proximity and awesomeness) is the Willamette National Forest. It’s just East from Eugene so it’s really easy to get to, and there are a million cool spots to be found. It’s been great to go with some people who have lived in the area for a while since they know a lot of the good spots. What’s nice is that you can find a range of camping areas from super primitive to very developed. The site I use a lot to search for camping places is the USFS Willamette National Forest website. It’s super helpful and pretty up to date.

Car Camping Gear

Everyone mostly knows what to bring car camping… it’s not as finicky as backpacking. Also, I’m NOT a gear head at all. My car camping tent???? It’s a $70 Coleman. Super spacious and fairly rugged and I’m not afraid of damaging it. It’s funny to see my friends bring $500 tents for car camping… what’s the point? The car can take the extra 2lbs of weight. 🙂

For car camping, the few less common things that I’ve come to love are games (bocces set), leisure products(water sports, hammocks etc.) and most importantly, an efficient kitchen set up.

For the kitchen, the must haves include:

• Plastic totes of camping-specific stuff so I’m not constantly using my home-kitchen set.
• Good cooler is a must (make sure it has durable wheels)
• Good knifes
• Towels
• Propane Stove
• Non-breakable set of lighter weight plates / bowls etc
• A dish washing setup
• A pop-up shelter so the rain doesn’t rain on the parade!

Backcountry.com has a couple nice guides for car camping. I’m not for suggesting products, and I’m sure you can google it for ideas, but it’s just a nicely organized guide.

For camping relaxation / leisure, my favorites include:

• Bocce ball
• Kayak (if by water)
• Cards, board games
• Frisbee
• Hammock with book

Most of these are straight forward and can be bought just about any outdoor sports store. The one that I have really gotten into and have bought several types of is a hammock. I never realized how versatile hammocks really are. One my buddies brought one along one time, and it was a hit… everyone tried to reserve hours of hammock time. When I decided to buy one for myself, I realized how many options and considerations there are. There are hammocks specific for types of use and there is a lot of variability between materials, weight, durability etc. Again I’m not promoting a specific brand, but a website that helped me figure out what kind of hammock I needed was HammockGurus.com. I actually ended up getting a hammock chair and a lightweight backpacking camping hammock (more on that below). The hammock chair is friggin awesome for camping. It only requires one branch and is super easy to transport. Sitting is always an issue when camping and the hammock is a cool solution for this.

Backpacking

I started doing a few backpacking trips as well. There are many places to go in Oregon and I’ve been doing sections of the Pacific Crest Trail. Backpacking is a total different experience from car camping and requires different (and often more pricey) gear. I’m super frugal and do a lot of research when it comes to buying stuff, and I don’t advocate dumping your retirement fund on hiking gear. Most people go waaaay over the top when it comes to gear. That said, when it comes down to it, the less you have to carry on your back, the happier you will be, guaranteed. So, I bought lightweight sleeping gear, cooking gear, and clothing. The one major weight saver is that one trip I tried going without a tent!! Instead, I used a camping hammock, and it was awesome. While they have their limitations, and they’re not for everyone… they revolutionized my backpacking and I recommend anyone to try them. That HammockGurus.com site has an in depth buyer’s guide on camping hammocks that really helped me make up my mind.

Travel Gear Advice Update – Getting Ready for Europe

As I continue to gear up for my trip around Europe this summer I’ve been refining my backpacking gear list.

As someone who values traveling light and efficiently, everything that I throw in my bag needs to count and be usable in multiple ways.

Ideally an item can be used in more than one situation, such as a lightweight travel backpack that can double as a carry-on bag, as well as a daypack while out exploring during the day. I recently bought the Marmot Precip jacket, which is a great value at around $100 and light enough that it doesn’t weigh down my pack.

Some other pieces of gear that I’ve added to my packing list include a bright mini AAA flashlight. These are perfect for finding your way around a dark hostel or just wandering around after sunset. I also carry it is my daypack while out hiking as well, just in case I get stuck on the trail after dark.

For now those are the two additions to my packing list advice for anyone traveling to Europe, and pieces of gear that I’ve found incredible useful during my travels.