Podcast - Adam Savage Project
Camping – 12/9/2014
Adam, Norm, and Will share camping stories and strategies, after having a surprising discussion about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.
Comments (55)
Adam, Norm, and Will share camping stories and strategies, after having a surprising discussion about the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films.
One Day Builds
Adam embarks on one of his most ambitious builds yet: fulfil…
Show And Tell
Adam recently completed a build of the royal St. Edwards cro…
Making
Viewers often ask to see Adam working in real-time, so this …
One Day Builds
Adam and Norm assemble a beautifully machined replica prop k…
One Day Builds
One of the ways Adam has been getting through lockdown has b…
Making
Adam unboxes and performs a quick test of this novel new hel…
Making
When Adam visited Weta Workshop early last year, he stopped …
One Day Builds
Adam tackles a shop shelf build that he's been putting off f…
Show And Tell
Time for a model kit build! This steampunk-inspired mechanic…
One Day Builds
Adam reveals his surprise Christmas present for his wife--a …
You know this is the 5th or 6th time I’ve seen you ask to do the survey and it baffles me why you don’t put a hotlink to it in the description, or prominently on the main page. You want people to do stuff like that make it as easy as possible to do. Human beings are inherently lazy, ease of use can be the difference between doing something and not doing something. Come on guys, I’ve listened to you talk about stuff like this yourselves.
Here you go, lazy: http://www.podsurvey.com/untitled
… 😀
and/or http://www.podsurvey.com/test
I don’t know about other Canadians but I’m getting an invalid postal code error. It is absolutely the correct and valid postal code.
It is true to form though. In my recollection there are mutliple Still untitled episodes where they talk about something and call out that they will link to it in the description and there is: nada
Absolutely use dry-bags. Eventually you’ll flip, prepare for it.
Also I use an iPod touch on my trips as a field guide for plants, stars and animals.
Backpackgeartest.org has good reviews of particular products.
You guys should get Les Stroud on the podcast.
Great episode! Hearing Adam talk about the 5D makes me want to hear him talk about film photography.
Vargo makes some pretty cool Sporks. I mean they make some good stuff in general, but if you’re really into sporks, they have quite a selection. Katadyn makes some good filters, and lots of choices but not so many that you’re lost in a sea of them. Black Diamond headlamps aren’t bad, I always preferred Petzl, but I also know people who don’t like Petzl at all. Red Wing makes some nice leather boots, Asolo makes some killer “new techy” style boots, they’re usually expensive, but they are seriously nice and last quite a long time.
I think camping in general just helps bring out the nomadic core of the human brain, and it makes you feel just that much closer to everything around you. Instead of just being around nature, camping and hiking makes you feel like you’re part of nature. Like you actually fit 100% into what the human body has taken all this time to become, and it’s one of the best feelings you can get.
It’s obviously not close but a trip to the Boundary Waters is well worth it. If you go really early in the season, say the first weekend, it’s super empty. It does get a little chilly but nothing that’s insurmountable.
http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/superior/specialplaces/?cid=stelprdb5202169
I can also highly recommend backcountry camping in Yellowstone. I camped at the Agate Creek campsite. It was beautiful.
I got that as well, you have to capitalize the letters and don’t leave a space
Survey result, as everyone should have always known, we’re all the single laddies.
Adam, I made my own tripod with hiking sticks. I added a small post on top of one that fit a small camera mount and used two other hiking sticks and lashed them together.
Having been camping through the scouts in the UK i still have all my gear, as i grew older i could buy better gear and I’m now left with my Buffalo sleeping bag which is probably my best purchase and my vaude tent. these items are still like new having purchased them some 20 years ago and still available today
This is the tent I have, 1 person can erect this in under 2 mins no matter how crazy the weather
http://www.vaude.com/en-GB/Products/Tents/2-Person/Mark-L-2P-green.html
This is the sleeping bag and i have both the inner and outer 4S bags, i have happily slept in freezing temps and been toasty warm
http://www.buffalosystems.co.uk/products/4s-outer/
This going to be my first post ever on tested, despite being a listener since the start.
For the first time I feel like I have something to share back, instead of just listening and learning
Adam, (or anybode else of course) if you have any questions regarding hiking especially with youth/teenagers please ask!
Gear and fitting it, food and how to DIY lightweight food, first aid kits, how much to carry, where to spend/cheap out, please ask away!
1/3 of bodyweight is a good rule of thumb.
Mt. Hood National forest
I love my soda can, alcohol stove.
Last year I bought a Sony a6000 specifically as a smaller, really nice camera (interchangeable lens, 24 MP), and it took a few trips to really get used to it, but I absolutely love it now. It’s half the size of a Mark iii, and takes really high quality photos. On top of that, since it’s Sony, they allow you to do really smart things like upgrade the software which makes it “semi” future-proof, probably closer to future-resistant. Since it’s pretty small and light, on my last trip I was able to get some really cool, long exposure shots using just a little Joby Goriila tripod.
Real quick, on REI. As a former employee of several small, locally owned bike shops, I loved when you plugged your local bike shop instead of the big chain stores. When it comes to outdoor gear though, it has been my experience here in Boulder, that there is such an arrogance/pretentiousness associated with the “locally owned” outdoor shops, that I would rather go to REI than listen to the salesperson talk down to me at the local place.
Tripod recommendation for hiking- Gorillapod like this one http://joby.com/gorillapod/focus is probably the best and easiest way to go. No, nothing beats a real and good tripod, but carrying one is super easy, you can wrap it around tree limbs, add a ball head… They’re awesome.
Come up to Alberta/BC. I throw down the gauntlet and say we have some of the best camping and hiking in the world, and it’s virtually impossible to take a bad photo.
Seconded.
Here’s an extreme example of canoe camping (or portaging): “Finding Farley” – https://www.nfb.ca/film/finding_farley
Great podcast guys! Gotta say though that I am not a fan of backpacking though mostly because I can’t handle the temperature changes from night to day here in central Canada (as low as 5-10 degrees celcius at night and as high as 35 degrees celcius in daytime*). I actually rather enjoy fall and winter camping since you can stay warm quite easily with the right sleeping bag and there is absolutely no humidity in the air during the winter, so you don’t have to worry about moisture. Also, NO BUGS in the winter, which makes it totally worth it.
*10 degrees C is about 50 degrees F and 35 degrees C is about 95 degrees F
This was such a delightful little podcast on the subject of camping.. 👍
PS – I think that one of the websites that Adam was referring to was this: http://www.backpackgeartest.org ..
I’m getting back into long-exposure star shots with my new 6D, which is much better for low-light. It’s tough to do for competing reasons – standing alone in the woods in the mountains, every single noise you hear is a mountain lion, so it’s nice to have a companion. But that companion has nothing to do and gets bored fast, so then you feel rushed & don’t get the shots you want.
As an avid camper and scout leader for years, I loved listening to this podcast. As a Canadian, I’ve only shopped at REI once before, but loved it. We have our canuck equivalent in Mountain Equipment Co-op (http://www.mec.ca) which was modelled on REI and started by a band of Vancouver locals who got tired of crossing into Washington state to get new camping gear.
My favourite piece of camping gear I currently own, which I received for christmas last year, is the BioLite campstove (http://biolitestove.com/products/campstove). It’s a bit heavy to carry in your pack, but when you eliminate the need to carry fuel, it more or less works out. Plus it charges your phone/GPS/usb device as you cook. Works in the winter, and even with wet wood. Some parks do have fire restrictions, and this stove may break them so check ahead before using.
Backcountry camping is the term you’re looking for around 23min in.
Henry W. Coe State Park just East of Morgan Hill is an absolutely amazing example this. 87,000acres of backcountry with very limited access. I’ve done 5-7day backpacking treks out there. IMO it’s the furthest you can get from other people within the SF Bay Area.
Also Skyline to the Sea trail in Big Basin State Park is another great 3 day trip through old growth redwoods.
Can we get a link to the headlamp that Will mentions?
yup. I was expecting a gender skew, of course, but not quite as intense as that (at least, what I saw a week ago is that only 5% of us are gals).
http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-headlamp/
I believe Will is referring to the Black Diamond Spot..
If Adam’s looking for a good camping area for next summer, check out the pacific northwest and the cascade mountain ranges in particular. Places like Mt. Rainier, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Hood, etc. are absolutely stunning in the summer. I would recommend finding a guided hike/expedition because it will be unfamiliar terrain and you’ll want someone with experience in the area.
I really like the idea of a camping trip as featured content for the site: a few days with a podcast each day covering a bit of the gear you used that day + whatever stories come up would be quite fun to watch.
P.S. I love hearing people from California (or anywhere else sunny & warm) talk about “cold”. In Minnesota winter has only just begun and it’s about 20F on average, by the end of January it should hit -20F (last year we had wind chills down to -60F)
If you’re interested in going a bit further down the rabbit hole of “rucking”, I recommend this as a resource: http://prevost-training.blogspot.com/p/ruck-training-program.html
The e-book is very good. It’s geared towards a soldier being asked to carry a VERY heavy load, but the training methodology used applies to everyone looking to efficiently carry a decent weight for an extended period of time.
Michigan is a little far away from you guys. However, if canoe camping is your drug of choice, I recommend the Au Sable river in upper, lower-Michigan. Upper and Lower Michigan is loaded with areas that allow you to do 2,3, or 5 day trips complete with canoe rentals.
Edit:Stay away on days around summer holidays. The rivers tend to get overrun by “woo” people.
Lessee… I’ve been making notes…
Dehydrated Food – lots of DF in your local grocery store. Any ‘just add water’ items. Pasta dishes, instant cereals (especially the single-serving packets), etc. Cheese isn’t dehydrated, but packs well! Just explore! Also, boil-in-bag items (extra water to carry, though).
DF2 – back in the 1970s the DF available tended to make one, uh, flatulent! Same effect these days?
Campsites – I’ve always marveled that you arrive at a campsite, and everything looks strange. After a few hours, it’s familiar, and you know that you make a left at the tree with the crinkled roots and the stream is just ahead.
Campsites – It’s amazing that camping on a weekend usually means crowded (commercial) campsites. But Sunday night everyone leaves and you’re there all alone!
The Appalachian Trail in NJ – lots of up and down. Not as much, perhaps, as out west, but your legs won’t know the difference! It seems that every mile or so there’s a gap and maybe a stream and another hill down then up!
How To Camp – Find you local Boy Scout Headquarters. Buy the Scout Handbook and Fieldbook, and maybe the Hiking and Camping merit badge pamphlets. Lots of basic information!
Winter Camping – The Boy Scouts encourage winter camping with what they call the Klondike Derby. Winter camping with a competitive challenge. But when I was a kid it was called the Freeze-o-Ree. I think that name scared too many parents! One winter the event was along the Shades of Death Road in Warren County, NJ (Google it!). Temperature got to at least 10 below zero (F). We slept in an old 10×16 Army tent with several bales of straw/hay on the ground to stay warm.
Dry Bags – use Zip Locks – also handy to pack things in your backpack (esp. if you’re going canoeing).
No spot is more than 25 miles from a road – but only in a straight line!
And, finally– your microphones aren’t heavy. Those mike stands, however… (:
–Paul E Musselman
In the USA, my favorite camping is New Mexico and Utah. More isolated, but incredible experiences. Alaska is great but not for the tenderfoot type.
Hey guys. I am an avid camper and photographer. Adam was saying how a smart phone is the best “camera” for going camping with because of ease. I have a suggestion that will make taking (D)SLR’s out very easy. When camp and climb I always have with me Capture by Peak Design. This is a camera clip that acts like a quick draw holster for your camera. You can attach it to any strap, so like your back pack shoulder strap, or your belt. It will lock you camera in place but when you want it, it can be removed from said strap with one hand. I have crossed rivers with my camera strapped on my shoulder, climbed cliffs and rode my bike without worry of my D3100 going anywhere.
Guys, also camping with food… I have mentioned in comments before how I cook for a living. POWERED CHEESE: You can get real powdered cheese by the pound off amazon. It is the best for camping. Will you mentioned ramen before, well mix in a little dried cheese into your ramen and it is “Bananas”. I also bring powdered milk with me, great for when we want pancakes.
Adam, you said you had a JetBoil. I have had one of those camp stoves for over 10 years. It has never failed on me and has been all over the world. They have attachments for it to make it a French Press, which when you want coffee in the morning is such a wonderful thing.
I had just recently watched the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (streaming on Netflix) and the chat about it caused me to go seek the second one, which happens to be free on Amazon Prime. The expressiveness of the turtles is impressive, and I especially like the way Splinter’s whiskers and nose do the subtle movements just right. And the two big monsters were nice too.
OK, but I spent a lot of the time trying to figure out what some of those things on the table were, especially right at the bottom of the frame, on the left.
Some of my best memories as a child come from camping with my parents. Every summer we would camp as a family from local spots in Florida to the “big trip” to Yellowstone. I think your boys will have some truly memorable experiences with you guys.
and as a Boy Scout , Wills recommendation about a hammock tent was spot on. when I would do minimalist camping, the hammock tent was so useful.
Also – weird camp food …
take oranges and eggs. cut the top off the orange, eat the inside and then put the egg inside the orange skin, and cook it. Oddest tasting cooked egg you’ll ever have.
Love the show guys, great job.
~Phillip
Adam, grab a Capture Clip from peak designs https://peakdesign.com/ you can clip your camera to any thing, like your shoulder strap on your bag. It’s perfect for camping.
I believe he said he chose a different one because it had a much brighter red light. He also failed to mention it the brand, just saying something like “I didn’t choose the Black Diamond because…”
Love this podcast!! The camping topic is very interesting. Totally agree with previous comment’s idea of perhaps integrating camping as a regular topic. It’s useful hearing a very informed and analytic opinion such as Adam’s on certain aspects of the hobby.
Come to Canada and go winter camping in Jasper! Very cool alpine huts to go see.
I still believe that there is no such thing as “cold” when you’re out enjoying the outdoors.
Favourite piece of gear: My MSR Microrocket stove, super compact and super fun to cook on. The canisters don’t work when it gets really cold though (only drawback).
After the one-two punch of hearing this episode and listening to a co-worker’s Andes hiking plans, I’m now slowly going to start collecting the items one would need for a weekend outdoor trip. Starting with the freeze dried lasagna first.
Another must for your pack is two pairs of sock liners and moisture wicking hiking socks. One to wear, and one you alternate (rinsed out and drying clipped to your pack). They eliminate the hot spots that cause prevent blisters. I found out about them several years ago, and they have become a permanent addition to my hiking gear.
Canoe camping is great, but I do recommend the use of dry sacks. I use the bag in a bag approach, which I admit, it is a pain digging through dry sacks to get a fresh t-shirt at the bottom of the bag. I camp with a bunch of teenagers, so the possibility that my canoe gets flipped sometime during the journey is usually high, but my gear stays dry. Also a dry sack with a grommet or clip that can be lashed to the canoe is a plus, unless you really want to be swimmig after your gear that is now being carried downstream.
Cold weather camping is my favorite, with the right gear you can be really comfortable.
I used to love a bit of camping and hiking when I was younger, in the UK they have the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme which involves an expedition and a night (or more) under canvas. Unfortunately work and schedules have reduced the time I have to just go out and hike but I like to get out and have a good long walk when I can.
The last few years I’ve been doing Sea Kayak expeditions in the Adriatic along the Croatian coast with http://www.outdoorcroatia.com typically doing 20-25km of paddling a day for a week from island to island, its a great way of seeing some breathtaking coastlines and even some of the locations from Game of Thrones down by Dubrovnik.
I’m really disappointed that the three of you decided to devote the first 45 of the first 60s of the video to badmouthing an actress over her appearance and making jokes. It’s not ok; It’s sexist. Even if you were going to engage in that behavior, you should have known to at least cut that section from the beginning of the podcast.
I listened to the podcast the morning it posted and was literally shouting at my stereo on my drive to work.
Loved this podcast and camping is something our family loves to do. You mentioned canoe camping and I though you might be interested in checking out Canadian canoe legend Kevin Callan also known as The Happy Camper. He reviews and tests camping gear and has tons of info on canoe camping, camping meals and camping in general. Definitely my go to source for anything camping.
http://www.kevincallan.com/
adam go to lees grilled cheese in fort worth tx amazing
Took the survey. Turns out I’m the fifty year old divorced guy with a kid who listens to the podcast. I appreciate Adam, all I can say.
Can’t wait to take my Cub Scout den camping this spring! This podcast was strangely timely. As usual.
of course it would be just my luck that i was only a mile from a road to the north but i went south instead and ended up having to hike through 49 miles of wilderness to get to the other road.
)
Found the whole notion of not having gone canoe camping strange .. i have only ever done canoe camping .. was barely aware there was another way of doing it .. i exaggerate but only slightly.
Aside from 1 trip to Mt. Washington i have only ever canoe camped .. mostly in Algonquin Park, Ontario, Canada .. and that area. Summer camp stuff .. 3-7 day trips. (like this http://youtu.be/z7dxG7AW6oA)
Highly recommend it .. aside from portaging you dont have to lug your stuff about.. which means you can take better food. So calm and peaceful to be out on the water, and your campsites are usually far removed from other people, no roads, paths, just you and the lake and trees.
All that being said enjoyed the topic – as usual.
A bit late but just listened to this podcast. I did take my 5D Mark iii on a camping trip into Capitol Reef Natl Park back in April 2014 in part to do some night photography. As to setup, I took a MePhoto Q2 carbon tripod (reasonable cost) and used a 24mm f/1.4 lens (expensive, great, rentable) with ISO at 3200 and a 13 second exposure to get Milky Way shots that I consider very successful, one of which is here: https://500px.com/photo/68933423/milky-way-crnp-2-by-ronald-diel. The 13 second setting seemed to be the limit to minimize star trails with that lens.
Hope you give it a try, it’s very satisfying and a gorgeous experience just seeing the sky at 2:00 AM. If you have any questions, drop me a note at rdiel@diel.com
Playing catch up and just listened to this podcast.
As much as I hate taking my iPhone with me while backpacking it is great to use as a camera. Plus the app “Star Chart” is awesome to use at night when looking at the stars and planets.
Can’t wait to hear more of your adventures in the out doors!
I’m a buyer at CampSaver.com and work with and learn about gear on a daily basis. I manage nearly all of the gear you guys talked about in this Podcast and it was a lot of fun to hear about the product getting used, and that you were impressed with it. Thanks for the great podcast
Second the recommendation for Henry Coe, camped there several times as a Boy Scout.
I’m late to this episode, but I have a specific backpacking recommendation for Adam (or Will or Norm) for backpacking with the solitude he likes.
It’s in the Sierras, so not super close, but within a few hours. The Carson-Iceberg Wilderness is where I spent a lot of time as a Boy Scout. It’s near the Bear Valley ski resort. There are a lot of places you can go, plenty of trails, plenty of places to drive into to modulate the length of the hike, but the one place that’s really worth the hike more than anywhere else is Bull Run Lake.
It’s wonderfully beautiful and a great place to set up a camp, and within a day-hike distance of Bull Run Peak, which is fairly easy to summit in an afternoon by my recollection, and the views are great.
I made it up to the top as an out of shape nerdy 16 year old, so Adam’s sons should have no difficulty with it.
On the topic of packing for Kayaking… I’ve never done it, but I’ve done plenty of canoeing. I find river bags totally inadequate for keeping things dry. They might suffice if you drop your bag in the water and immediately fish it out again, but any kind of submersion will result in leakage. What IS water tight (and in fact air tight) are 5 gallon food-grade buckets with rubber gasket lids. I know from having flipped a canoe in the river… my belongings in the bag got wet, while my sleeping bag in the bucket was bone dry.
Point being, you need not stuff your kayak OR lash a pack to the top. A short length of rope with a carabiner on each end will let you clip the buckets to the carry handle and it will just bob alongside you.