Well, Christmas season is here and people are beginning to ask about Christmas gifts. I've always found Christmas to be an excellent time to upgrade and expand my camping arsenal. I'm quickly coming to a point though where I feel as though I have most or all of the basics. I'm sure, however, that I'm missing something, or that there are things that would benefit from an upgrade. With that being said, what is your favourite piece of camping gear? What do you love showing off to your camping buddies when you are in the woods?

For me, one of my favorite pieces of gear is my Platypus Gravityworks Filter. I love that it takes zero effort to have a nice, good tasting bag of water hanging from a tree for whatever needs might arise.

Booth Lake?

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I am currently leaning towards the ThermaRest Neoair Xtherm.

I am, however, in no rush to acquire one. Has anyone noticed if these (sleeping pads in general) go on sale occasionally? 

I'll add a brief comment to help quell those crickets. As with the other two videos I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I thought adding a Jeff's Map visual of your routes was a great addition. It really helps one visualize where it is you are and where you are going. Great work and I'll look forward to the next series.

pgarvie wrote:

If your are looking for a great place, my favorite for a short trip.... access #7 Source to Bruce to Raven to Owl to Linda.  We've stayed on all these lakes with our favourite, on the Island on Linda, it has a picnic table.  great place to watch both sunrise/sunset, fish, swim and if you take binoculars you can watch the moose, bear and bikers on the trail.  

I'm interested in exploring this route sometime this Fall. Does anyone know how long it would take on average to get from Access #7 to Linda Lake?

I just finished the video and enjoyed it. Will stay tuned for the next part.I don't have many suggestions that either you or Steve haven't already hit on.

One thing that I love in camping videos is catching the sounds of being out there. Waves, birds, frogs, paddle strokes, etc. I'm not sure if your equipment is up to the task of capturing those things, but if in the future you are looking to include more scenic shots I wouldn't be too quick to accompany them with music. (I also appreciate how the wind on Day 1 would have made this next to impossible).

I also enjoyed the time lapse shot of the fire. Time lapses are always nice to show the progress of things around camp.

Also, I think it would be great if you used some of your talking time to walk us through your trip plans. How long are you out for, what's the final destination, what did you pack, how did you pack it, etc.

Again, great video and I look forward to Day Two!

 

A buddy and I are planning on visiting Algonquin from August 17-20 (three nights), and are looking for suggestions on nice routes to take. Last year we launched at Kiosk and journeyed through that portion of the park so would like to explore new areas this year.

I've been considering launching at Tim River and working our way up to Devine Lake and back. How is the water level in that area this time of year?

Would also be interested in other route suggestions that would be good for fishing (bass or pike), or that would give us good odds at seeing some moose.

I know this is an awfully open ended post, but would appreciate any suggestions. Where would you go?

 

For those of you who have followed this in previous years, if they decide to push the date back further than the 28th, how long will they likely wait before announcing it? My current plan is to paddle up the Tim River to Devine Lake starting on the 28th, but that is looking like it might not be possible with the ice.

I'm hoping to pick up a new headlamp before camping season begins, and was wondering what you guys use and recommend. My previous headlamp was a Petzl Zipka (http://www.mec.ca/product/5043-695/petzl-zipka-headlamp/?q=petzl%2Bzipka), I only had it for one trip before I unfortunately sent it through the laundry machine. After going through the wash it is impossible to turn off and shines all the time.

I am hoping to get something with a little more brightness this time around and have been considering the ThruNite TH10 (https://www.amazon.ca/ThruNite%C2%AE-Lumen-Single-Headlamp-Neutral/dp/B00X7CW12I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1459712538&sr=8-1&keywords=thrunite+headlamp). Is this a good option?

Thanks in advance for any recommendations.