Hey guys, as many know I recently got back from Fort Lewis and we spent a lot of time in the field. This was rough at the time, but somewhere in the mire of being out in the suck, I kinda found solace in the great outdoors and found some odd enjoyment of being up on fire guard, patrolling around the patrol base at 0300 hours. (have I gone crazy) This kind of reignited the flame of camping in my heart. I have always liked camping but never as passionately as I do now.. I have decided to share with my Dogs here some equipment I have been checking out and tentatively planning to purchase here within the next 3-4weeks.

First, the type of camping I will be doing... I will be doing the traditional camping with my battle buddies, drinking beer, smoking cigars, and just hanging out; far cry from what we did this summer at LDAC. However, I actually plan on sleeping and bedding down the way I did in the patrol bases this summer.. Where there is no hooch or tent, rather just you, your sleeping bag, and your bivvy. I really found a liking for this style of camping. Its kinda nice to be able to just throw a good warm sleeping bag inside a bivvy and zip it all the way up and crash out after a long day/night. I was in my local outdoors shop yesterday and saw some neat gear, which inspired me to come home and do some research online. Here are some of the things I plan on getting to accommodate my camping through the winter.

This brings me to another topic... Winter camping. I have never really done it because of the cold.. However, I think after investing in some quality gear, this might be something that I can kinda get into. Im looking forward to it. Here is some of my new gear Im looking at. Feel free to chime in if you have any of this or have any suggestions...

Lightweight Tarp:
http://www.pacoutdoor.com/2008/index.cfm...&familyID=2


I think this will be a good thing to have as far as a shelter over head... It has various ties that afford you the chance to tie the shelter virtually anywhere and it allows for some sturdy shelter. I saw this tarp for $100.00.

Dry Sacks:
http://www.pacoutdoor.com/2008/index.cfm...&familyID=2


I have one of these that I took with my to LDAC and kept in my rucksack, and it kept all contents inside TOTALLY dry and this was an invaluable asset to me because no matter the rain, I always had dry ACUs, underwear, and other essentials.

Sleeping Bag:
http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Pro...7&cat=1482&viewAll=False


Cold weather bag: 5-20 degrees F. It seldomly gets colder than 5 degrees here in East Tennessee at any given time of the year so I think that this bag will be perfect for me. Its built sturdy and has enough room for movement to get dressed in the mornings when it is cold out. This bag is for me!

Bivvy:
http://www.mountainhardwear.com/Pro...0&cat=1453&viewAll=False


This bivvy is the one I saw at the outdoor shop yesterday... It looked very neat and only weighed less than 2 pounds, all stuffed up. It would go perfectly with my sleeping bag and would provide for great warmth and comfort on cold nights in the east Tennessee nights. Cold, moisture, frost, etc, ?? No problem, this baby will keep me warm and dry. I think this is the ticket for me!



I also will be carrying a pack of some sort. I have so many pakcs its not even funny. However, I dont own one BIG pack that I can throw everything into.. I might invest in a good pack as well but Im not sure at this point. The plus to getting a big bag would be that I could throw it all in there and move out. But the style of camping we do, we drive the trucks up to the spot, build the fire, and leave the CD player going, hanging out easy style... So I would not be rucking into my spot, like some hard fellas do. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Given, as always, I will have my Scrapper 6 and my Busse Scotch Dispenser as my discrete back-up steel. (the S6 does virtually all of my work when it comes to cutting (who wouldnt task all cutting duties out to the mighty mighty S6 <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> ) I really like the Busse SD. Not many give it much credit because its by far, the smallest, however, I really like having a strong, tough fixed blade that can be called upon at anytime. The plus with this knife for me is that I can ALWAYS have it on me, no matter where I go and since Jerry designed it for a backup law enforcement blade, I think its the perfect EDC for me. Not to mention, Jeff Law made me the best sheath in the world for it <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> !!! I loved this knife so much, I bought 3 of them back a few months ago <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowdown.gif" alt="" /> Aside from the new gear I am going to be getting, I will always have my Busse-kin knives on me. I never go outside without a piece of Busse steel! I am also trying to figure out a good, economical way to utilize some sort of makeshift pillow, that I can use that wont be too much extra bulk or weight.

Long thread, sorry guys, just wanted to share. Give your inputs please... This is a good thread for us to discuss our favorite camping gear.