Camping Suggestions?

[G3Fanatic]

Rock out the Hoosier National Forest.

If you have gear questions, I worked for a couple years at J.L. Waters in Bloomington, have been through clinics for 50 manufacturers or so, gotten advanced training (15-20+ hours) on 15 brands or so, and am a general gear junkie/snob.

For the poster asking about stoves, I would go either MSR or SnowPeak, but you're going to have to give me way more details on what your goals and uses are for me to have any hope of answering your question.

Looking for two stoves actually. One needs to be very compact/easy to store, yet still work efficiently. The other will just be used for family trips, so should probably be a bit bigger/more capacity.

 

[Ashkelon]

If traveling look for an REI store. I used to love the old Galyans and used to frequent JL Waters in B-town years ago but once you go inside an REI store your vision of outdorr stores changes. You will find a stove for each and every niche need you may have. Or check out their website.

 

[finity]

Any suggestions on good camping stoves?

Mine kicked the bucket

If you are looking for a very compact ultra-light stove, check out these home made alcohol stoves.

Penny Ultralight Alcohol Backpacking Stove

Zen Alcohol Stoves - Basic Alcohol Stove Construction - I made & like the open jet stove here. Very durable.

They are made out of used aluminum cans (= ~free). It takes about an hour to make (or less with a little practice or if you make them in bulk).

They operate on about 1 oz. of denatured alcohol per use. No large canisters of propane to carry & cans of alcohol are pretty easy to find.

 

[westfork]

my 2 cents

for cheap seclusion definitely hit the deem wilderness in the hoosier national forest. my wife and i spend lots of time there every summer. off-the-beaten-path camping is allowed (leave no trace) and even during busier times of the year there is still plenty of seclusion to be had. there are also established campsites scattered throughout the wilderness area.

you can also paddle in and camp if boats are a part of your bug out plan. you can car camp in blackwell horse camp if it isn't too crowded, otherwise you'll need to park at a trailhead and pack your stuff in. hike about 5 miles from the grubb ridge trailhead and you can camp on lake monroe for free. fantastic sunsets out on the penninsula.

there is no fee for camping in the wilderness areas.

oh, and for stoves... my favorite compact solution has been the msr pocket rocket. relatively inexpensive, reliable, and easy to use. mine has tons of miles on it and still... well... works like a rocket!

happy trails.

 

[jforrest]

I'm a pretty avid camper, but as avid as I may be, I've camped maybe three places out of the whole state.

I was wondering if anyone could suggest some nice locations based on secludedness, price, population, activities etc.

I've been to Morgan-Monroe state forest, Harrison-Crawford state forest, Paynetown which is on Lake Monroe, and Yellowwood.

Where else can I find a real secluded place to check my bug out gear and just enjoy the outdoors?

Garden of the Gods is a beautiful place with cliffs you can climb and trails and some other parks all around the area. It isn't in Indiana but southeast Illinios in the Shawnee National Forest, about an hour and 15 minutes west of Evansville, IN.

You have to rough-it a bit, as there is no power, the water is straight out of the ground from a hand pump, and they have some real nice outhouses, but that just adds to the fun! Best time to go is on a full moon so you can listen to all the coyotes talking to each other! (I know where I need to go hunting ) The fee is $5 bucks a night!

Bring your harvest from this past season in a good cooler along with some beer and your going to have an awesome couple days.

There's only 2 problems, it's Illinois, and not carrying there!

Here's the link EnjoyIllinois.com - The Official Web Site of the Illinois Bureau Of Tourism