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Dry camping / range camping pics

I work in an environment that has a lot of different sources of gases that could make a person a corpse in no time flat. So when i want to 'get away from it all', that includes campfire smoke also. I love the vision, but hate the burning of my eyes, my clothes smelling like an old dog. I will add also, that one has 100% more enjoyment of looking at the stars than being blinded by the light of a campfire.
I was hunting Mule deer in Colorado a couple of years ago, out in the boonies. I walked away from a small campfire, only to look up, and see the ring of the milky way for the very first time. It was almost a religious experience. Others in the hunting party paid no attention. Libations and conversations were more important to them, I guess.
Sam harris did a story/podcast about wood smoke and it's dangers. That was the nail in the coffin for me and campfires. https://samharris.org/the-fireplace-delusion/
 
I work in an environment that has a lot of different sources of gases that could make a person a corpse in no time flat. So when i want to 'get away from it all', that includes campfire smoke also. I love the vision, but hate the burning of my eyes, my clothes smelling like an old dog. I will add also, that one has 100% more enjoyment of looking at the stars than being blinded by the light of a campfire.
I was hunting Mule deer in Colorado a couple of years ago, out in the boonies. I walked away from a small campfire, only to look up, and see the ring of the milky way for the very first time. It was almost a religious experience. Others in the hunting party paid no attention. Libations and conversations were more important to them, I guess.
Sam harris did a story/podcast about wood smoke and it's dangers. That was the nail in the coffin for me and campfires. https://samharris.org/the-fireplace-delusion/
You don't have to stare at the fire,or sit on top of...never heard of anyone that does not enjoy a campfire. Always had fires,and always knew the stars are brighter when your not stairing at the fire.
 
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I am looking to buy one of those white shelters. Yours is nice. What model is that one?
Had to look through the file to find the book. Ours is called Moto-Shade. XTS

There's a ton of em out there, Clear Span is a good company to search also. jd
 
My wife and I have a 20+ year old pop up tent camper. While it does have hook-up for 110 volt power, AC, and a refrigerator, and can hook up for potable water we seldom go where that is possible. Primitive camp grounds often found in National Forests have potable water and pit toilets, but we prefer to escape even that much of a crowd. Our 20# propane bottle with a second one as back up keeps our 2 burner stove going. We boil creek water for dish washing and rinsing, and have 3 plastic 6 gal. containers for potable water. Propane 1# bottles are for 2 propane lanterns. I can answer natures call for #1 anywhere but we have a Lugable Loo brand toilet with liners for my wife and me when I need to do #2. The liners close tight and have an odor killer that works until you seal on up. Most of our camping is in the Colorado mountains and with our awning we have very little trouble keeping cool enough in the day. We use heavy winter sleeping bags, and old quilts to stay warm at night, and when we get up the stove and gas lanterns take the chill off while we get breakfast. We heat creek water to take sponge baths when we feel the need. My wife has mastered washing her hair with my help, but I don't have enough hair to bother. We have a very large Coleman cooler which we have mainly ice in, so we can keep eggs, milk, bacon, and cold cuts cool for 2 weeks by keeping the cooler in the shade. We do use canned food and rice and pasta a lot, to keep the amount of food requiring refrigeration down. Getting out away from the crowd works for us especially when you have deer and elk come near your camp and act like you are part of the scenery.
 
You don't have to stare at the fire,or sit on top of...never heard of anyone that does not enjoy a campfire. Always had fires,and always knew the stars are brighter when your not stairing at the fire.

Well, add me to the list. Used to love em. Now i itch, sneeze, cough and hate em. Not sure why, but I might be going soft.

Don't tell anyone, ok?
 
I love campfires. I don't know who this Sam Harris is but I don't really care. Back in the days when I was back packing into the mountains, if you didn't have a fire you ate raw fish, eggs and bacon. Can't make biscuits, either. I can't do that anymore but the smell of woodsmoke takes me there, again. I bought a 20' camper with all the creature comforts last spring and took my wife to Canada. I loved it. She didn't. Oh well.
 
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I am looking to buy one of those white shelters. Yours is nice. What model is that one?
I have one that is similar, but mine is a pale yellow. It is a "portable garage". I believe it got it from Harbor Freight, but it could have been Northern Tool. I've been using mine for nearly five years for camping in dog towns. It is still in very good condition. It will sleep 3 easily and 4 if you cut corners, that is including all our stuff as well.
Rick
 
And take my bath, I get in the steam in the morning and at night. I even take one with snow on the ground, I can't stand crawling into a sleeping bag all dirty after a long day of hunting.

My kids still talk about the "bare" that was bathing in a Yellowstone creek as we drove by looking for bear...i missed her, somehow. :(
 
And take my bath, I get in the steam in the morning and at night. I even take one with snow on the ground, I can't stand crawling into a sleeping bag all dirty after a long day of hunting.

Wait a minute. Just a few posts earlier, I read about drinking water out of those "clear running" mountain streams. Last time I went camping, was wondering why my morning coffee tasted like Irish Spring and Right Guard. Was that you upstream from me?
 
Love
I love campfires. I don't know who this Sam Harris is but I don't really care. Back in the days when I was back packing into the mountains, if you didn't have a fire you ate raw fish, eggs and bacon. Can't make biscuits, either. I can't do that anymore but the smell of woodsmoke takes me there, again. I bought a 20' camper with all the creature comforts last spring and took my wife to Canada. I loved it. She didn't. Oh well.

Love a campfire, the only thing that makes it better is a little sippin' whiskey. Star gazing is just a short walk away.
 
I also love a campfire, and just because I do a lot of camping without one, doesn't mean I'm fire free. I can count at least two times in my adventurous past when fires literally kept me alive in a very bad situation.

I've got a large stainless steel mixing bowl that I have been using for a small cooking fire in certain situations, and it works pretty good. It is a safe and easy to extinguish alternative to an on-ground blaze. Be advised, it probably is not legal in fire restricted areas. Haven't been able to find pics of my little fire-bowl, but I've got some. jd
 
Here we go. I can burn up enough coals out of a little bit of sage brush for roasting a steak and it doesn't take long.

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I’ve been working on plans for a cargo trailer / camper conversion. Mine will be mostly used for hunting and shooting trips out west. I’ll still end up pulling the fifth wheel for the wife when she comes along.
Here's what I did with my 8.5x20 car hauler. It was my hunting camp for two weeks at a time. Hauled 2 quads and all the gear and very comfortable for a camp. Water jugs for water and had a generator hook up if needed. Ran it dry mostly with propane heaters and lanterns. Generator came in handy sometimes tho.
 

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