Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Gadling goes camping (win free Coleman stuff!)
.jpg)
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!
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.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Sam W Aug 25th 2008 9:52AM
Been camping many times so there is not one specific moment that sticks out. But what I always enjoy the most is walking out next to a lake and watching all the stars that you simply can not see from anywhere near a city. That and sitting around a nice campfire making dinner and conversation well past dark with a group of friends.
Sam W Aug 25th 2008 9:53AM
Been camping many times so there is not one specific moment that sticks out. But what I always enjoy the most is walking out next to a lake and watching all the stars that you simply can not see from anywhere near a city. That and sitting around a nice campfire making dinner and conversation well past dark with a group of friends.
Sam W Aug 25th 2008 9:54AM
sorry for the double... click happy...
Bakonon Aug 25th 2008 10:08AM
Best camping experience was probably my honeymoon up in northern Maine.
Daniel Aug 25th 2008 11:02AM
I'm with Jeremy. As a child when we went on family vacations, my parents wanted to save money and go camping - THEY slept on foam mattresses in the fold-down back of the station wagon, and WE got the dusty old boy-scout tent (and we had to dig a trench around it in case it rained). We would have much preferred a roadside motel with a swimming pool.
We called it cRamping...
Mark Aug 25th 2008 11:04AM
By far, my favorite camping experience is paddling the boundary waters in Canada. Going through customs on a lake, depending on nature for food (outside of the "survival" food we brough), pitch black at night, complete silence, beautiful scenery. Just awesome.
Marvin S. Aug 25th 2008 11:04AM
My wife and I just got back from a camping trip to New Hampshire. It was my first time to NH and we had a great time. My wife used to go camping with her family growing up and hasn't gone in 10 years. She really enjoyed it, although her father's recent passing made it somewhat sad for her.
Gary Barnes Aug 25th 2008 1:15PM
My favorite camping experience has got to be going to Anza Borrego State Park here in Southern California. It's permit/fee/reservation-free camping, so you can essentially just drive in, park somewhere, and have at it. The best part is being able to see the stars and the Milky Way at night, as it's remote enough to not have light pollution issues. Viewing the Perseid meteor shower from the park a couple weeks back was an awesome experience! It gets incredibly hot during the summer months, however, so it's a good idea to get up and get out at sunrise!
Amily Aug 25th 2008 8:49PM
My last camping trip took place in Europe, so we only had the bare essentials (no fancy stove, so we had to journey back to civilization for grub...so rough!) Living in Colorado, I am sure that we could put some of the camping items to the test!
Scott Aug 25th 2008 3:41PM
When I was in high school I went with a bunch of friends to backpack in Yosemite's back country. While we were there, my best friend and I got the notion that we should climb Half Dome (via the steps and cables, not mountain climbing). Well, from where we were it was quite a hike down into the valley, and then another hike up to Half Dome itself. No one else wanted to go, but taking a canteen, a flashlight, and some granola bars we decided to do it (yes, talk about young and stupid!). We made it to Half Dome without any problems, and then had to follow some guys up who thought it would be funny to pull the poles out that had the cables going through them. I must say it offers a spectacular view once you're up there. Going down was horrible! I'm afraid of heights and I STILL get vertigo today just thinking about the one or two times I looked down. Somehow we made it down and back to up to camp, exhausted, lucky to have found our camp in the dark, but having gone on a great adventure that I'll never forget - or do again!
Nic Aug 25th 2008 3:10PM
My favorite camping trip was this year in Georgia. I got engaged and a tornado destroyed the ranger station. The storm came through and everyone was hiding under the beds in the urt (sp). I was looking through the canvas windows at the trees getting knocked over and the debris flying all over. My fiance crawled to a different window and screamed for her new car not to get squished. It was pretty exciting all all done within about 5 minutes but it was a rush. The ranger station was banged up pretty bad, a few cars smashed and a ton of trees fell, but no one was hurt.
steve Aug 25th 2008 8:43PM
My favorite camping experience was when I was in Cub Scouts and we were camping out on Long Island. There were little salamanders (or some other lizard) all over the campsite...under rocks, in the tents, everywhere! When you're 10 years old, that is really awesome.
Rita Aug 25th 2008 11:46PM
My all-time favorite camping experience was with two of my friends in Hana, on the island of Oahu. We got in three different amazing hikes in one day, and camped on Koke beach that night. Hana is on the East side of Maui, so we all got up early enough for an amazing sunrise and then one more great hike out to an enormous waterfall.
Roger Price Aug 25th 2008 11:55PM
My favorite camping trip in a long while took place this past Memorial Day when I joined five friends for bicycle camping trip. We strapped all our gear to our bikes (except for one couple who packed a backpack and pulled it in a BOB trailer) and rode about 70 miles to a beautiful campground on the Feather River near Live Oak, Calif. Great campsites and good swimming too. It's a trip we all still talk about, and we didn't burn a single drop of gasoline the entire weekend.
joe Aug 26th 2008 12:04AM
Probably my favorite was camping experience was on Fraser Island, Australia, with dingos scratching on the sides of the tent.
Lisa Aug 26th 2008 12:22AM
My favorite camping experience was in Maine with my Mom and sisters. (Not the most outdoorsy bunch) There were clouds of mosquitoes, bigger clouds of smoke from attempts to start a fire, and so many giggles.
Dan Cook Aug 26th 2008 9:52AM
Failed to send you my email for earlier comment at
Georgia's Vogel State Park. My email address is
ChattaDan@aol.com.
Thanks, Dan Cook
Sherri Lee Aug 26th 2008 10:03AM
I thought camping would be fun, emphasis on thought, but sadly enough it was like a bad trip to the circus. The horrid smells, fires, screaming visitors and the occasional lion attacks.
As a child I had fun camping. You know roasting marshmallows on a stick and such.
This was before I took 5 kids, 2 dogs and a husband that refused to set up a tent--camping.
We, or rather, I set up the tent by a stream. It seemed peaceful and harmless enough.
The children frolicked in the water, the dogs chasing wild butterflies, husband drinking beer and observing it all. Unfortunately, the only spot left was by a garbage dumpster. Our ruin.
By 2:00 am finally everyone fell asleep only to be awakened by dogs barking, racoons raiding the trash, an owl of all things AND the ants had finally made their way into the tent.
We had to leave.
The kids cried, the dogs whined, my husband snored all the way home.
We recently purchased a travel trailer that fits 7.
Now that's called camping!
Sharron Aug 26th 2008 11:25AM
In 1976, I went camping with a group of friends in October. It ended up being the coldest day of the year, with high winds. My boyfriend and I had only a pup tent and we about froze that night. The next day was gorgeous, though, and we had an awesome day hiking. I am engaged to be married April, 2009 and we plan to rent a houseboat for a week. I know the cook stove and lantern would come in very handy for our honeymoon on Smith Mountain Lake.
Ellen Aug 26th 2008 12:02PM
I'm a single mom and I like to take my son camping. It has been my experience that in general you meet some very nice people while camping. However.... A few years ago my son and I went camping at a place near Starved Rock, IL. We arrived later in the day and it was a bit blustery out. The wind really kicked up while I was trying to put our tent up (alone). The campers in the surrounding sites just sat drinking beer and watching me struggle. During the night we had a terrible storm. It was with great satisfaction when the next morning I exited our tent and saw almost everyone else sleeping in their cars because their tents had collapsed in the storm. Smiling to myself I brewed a pot of coffee and sat back to watch them try to collect their things and dry them out. Ahhh... I love sitting around a blazing camp fire drinking camp coffee early in the morning!