family camping » Camping Gear

Putting the 52oz. bubba to the test

Roy Scribner — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 23:26:16 +0000

The ginormous bubba® 52-ounce insulated mug was a Father’s Day gag-gift from the family, but with our Independence Day weekend temperatures well into the triple-digits, I decided to breakout the “bubba” and see what this thing could do. Surprisingly, pretty darn good!

That's right, 107 degrees on July 2nd!

I wasn’t kidding about the temps, here, in south San Jose. Our sensor is on the south side of the house but, still, 107-degrees is hot! Normally, we would be up in the mountains on this holiday weekend. This year, however, Mrs. CampingBlogger’s work schedule is keeping us close to home – making this a great opportunity to put the “bubba” to the test.

That's not a mini-keg, it's the 52oz. bubba

The bubba is a hefty line of insulated beverage containers that come in various sizes. My 52oz. model sits squarely in the middle of a line that ranges from 18oz. travel mugs to 5-gallon beverage coolers.

The bubba works with hot or cold beverages, although I am not sure what I would do with 52oz. of coffee. There is a bottle opener integrated into the bottom of the handle, which is pretty slick. Unfortunately, the bubba is not dishwasher safe – but I guess that’s not a big deal for camping.

Getting a temp reading on the contents

I filled the bubba with 48oz. of my least-favorite beer (I wouldn’t want to waste good beer, if this thing doesn’t work!) and took a temperature reading, before letting it soak in the 107-degree sun for one hour.

An hour in the sun and the beer is still cold

And the results? The bubba worked surprisingly well! The beer was a bit flat, after sitting in the sun for an hour, but the temperature barely budged and it was still deliciously cold. There is no way my Igloo® MaxCold could have pulled that off, without a considerable amount of ice.

Does the bubba have any real camping utility? Probably not for me. I prefer my beer one bottle-at-a-time, not in 52oz. mini-kegs. The bubba worked so well, though, that I am now intrigued by there larger 3 and 5 gallon beverage coolers. Those could prove to be great solutions for cold water and juice, at the campsite.

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Spring Waterproofing with Kiwi Camp Dry

Roy Scribner — Wed, 25 May 2011 12:41:18 +0000

Kiwi Camp Dry

Our current family camping tent is entering its third season of service, so this seemed like a great time to give the rain fly a fresh coat of waterproofing to handle those impromptu spring showers. To that end, Kiwi® was kind enough to send me a can of their Camp Dry® heavy duty water repellent and, since our tent could easily double as a small house, I picked-up another can myself, just to make sure I had enough to cover the entire rain fly. Camp Dry is a silicon based water repellent that is designed for outdoor gear like boots, patio furniture and the polyester taffeta rain fly on our tent.

The best way to apply a fresh coat of waterproofing is to simply setup the tent and spray it right onto the rain fly. With a big tent like ours, it would be easier to stretch the rain fly out on the ground, but then it is nearly impossible to get all of the wrinkles out of the material. It is much better to apply the waterproofing to the material when it is stretched tightly over the tent’s frame, in order to get complete and even coverage.

Waterproofing also takes a long time to dry. Kiwi recommends 24 to 48 hours, but I let it cure for about 10 hours as I did not want to leave the tent exposed to moisture and dew, overnight. Still, waterproofing a tent is a task that is best started early in the morning, as soon as the grass is dry. I also chose a day that was supposed to be fairly mild, since UV rays are not good for the tent material and I did not want to expose it to too much heat.

I spent a good, solid hour spraying the rain fly and went through one entire can of Camp Dry and about half of a second can. I used some of the leftover Camp Dry to give my Black Diamond® Octane pack some extra protection from the elements.

Hopefully the new waterproofing will not be tested, this spring, but if we do get caught in a shower or two, I am confident that the rain fly will protect the tent walls themselves, and will keep us comfortable and dry.

See also…

Utilitoy Camper & Cargo Hauler for Families on the Go

Roy Scribner — Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:23:45 +0000

Teardrop trailers are popular for their vintage appeal and easy-to-tow diminutive proportions, but there is a new crop of teardrops that are pushing the boundaries of utility to new limits. The Utilitoy is part camper, part toy hauler – perfect for outdoor families on the go.

Queen and full-size beds sleeps four

The bottom-line on any kind of camping shelter, whether a tent or an RV, are the number of sleeping areas. It doesn’t make any sense to invest in a tent, or a camp trailer, if it will not accommodate everyone in your family. The Utilitoy features a rear queen mattress, along with a full-size mattress for the front of the compartment, which makes it one of the best teardrop-style trailers I have seen for families.

A translucent roof keeps the interior light

The Utilitoy has some smart design features that make it suitable for backcountry camping, too. Maybe most importantly, the interior can be hosed-out! The Utilitoy is as much a cargo hauler as it is a camping trailer, so the 10’ by 6.5’ interior bay is completely waterproof.

Another feature that I find particularly useful on the Utilitoy is a translucent roof. This keeps the interior from feeling dark and claustrophobic – and it reduces the need for running interior lights. This is important when you are camping away from electrical power and relying on batteries.

All of these family-friendly features would be for naught, if the Utilitoy could not be towed by vehicles a family already owns. “One of our major accomplishments on this project was to create a trailer that anyone would feel comfortable towing.” Says Scott Williams, President of Utilitoy.

A well-optioned Utilitoy weighs-in at less than 1,050 pounds with a tongue-weight of just 80 pounds, which certainly makes it easily towable by most family vehicles. Our family car, for instance (a 2006 Suzuki XL-7), has a tow rating of 3,000 pounds which is typical of many smaller vehicles.

Plenty of space for bikes and gear

The Utilitoy is also a cargo hauler, though, so that 1,050 pounds still leaves plenty of room for dirt bikes or a watercraft, without pushing the limits of most vehicle’s towing capacities. It is also sized to fit in most driveways and garages, at 14.5’ long (a bit shorter than our Suzuki) with a width and height of seven feet.

Storage is not cheap, which is one reason that pop-up tent trailers are so popular with families. A hardside trailer, like the Utilitoy, that can be easily stored at home is a real plus. In fact, I could store our tent in the Utilitoy, which would free-up room in our closet (an inside joke – you can see a picture of my closet here).

I am encouraged that more RV manufacturers, like Utilitoy, are placing more emphasis on family camping, with more beds and more family-friendly features. Because it is both a camper and a cargo hauler,tThe Utilitoy provides a lot of return for the investment ($7,455-$9,200 depending on options) and yet it is small enough to be towed behind most family vehicles.

See also…

The Teardrop Revolution
10 Great Features of Pop-up Tent Trailers
Sport Utility Trailer and Toy Hauler

How Not to Store Camping Gear

Roy Scribner — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 12:35:45 +0000

I am told that the first step to recovery is admitting I have a problem This is a picture of the closet in our master, and while there is plenty of normal closet stuff in there, some of that stuff is definitely not. I am told (in no uncertain terms!) that this weekend’s to-do list is going to include folding and stowing the family tent, rolling-up sleeping bags and returning our closet to regular closet duties.

Checkout the REI Base Camp 6

Roy Scribner — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 13:33:24 +0000

James at Outdoor Gear TV takes a look at the REI Base Camp 6 tent, which should look familiar to CB readers – as it’s an updated version of the Eureka! Grand Manan Tour introduced last year.

Our Eureka! version of this tent has been pretty awesome for family camping. The only casualties from 1 1/2 years of use has been a few bent tent stakes, which says a lot about the construction of this tent since ours is usually full of rowdy kids! In fact, on our last outing we had a queen and two twin-size air mattresses inside and there was still room down one side for getting in and out – it’s a big tent!