After years of snapped poles on cheap tents, one Coleman Sundome changed how I camp.
A long-term review of the Coleman Sundome tent after two seasons of weekend trips in the Tahoe National Forest, from a retired road foreman who camps every weekend.
Two tents, one truck bed, and a whole season of Friday nights in the Sierra foothills.
After thirty-one years of camping and road maintenance, the simplest tent in my garage is still the one I trust.
After years of snapped poles on cheap tents, one Coleman Sundome changed how I camp.
Five steps. Ten minutes. No wrestling with poles in the dark. How a retired road foreman gets the Coleman Sundome up before the light goes in the Tahoe National Forest.
Three seasons with the Coleman Sundome, starting with what it does wrong: rainfly gaps, fiberglass poles, and stakes that bend.
I ran the Coleman Classic Series rolling cooler through a full season of camping and fishing trips. Here is how the ice held up, what wore down, and who should buy one.
I have used both a Coleman rolling cooler and a YETI Tundra on the Yuba River and in the Tahoe National Forest. Here is the honest answer on which one to buy.
Why switching from disposable coolers to a hard rolling cooler pays off on every multi-day camping trip and fishing weekend.
Russ Kirchner's Coleman Classic Series rolling cooler held ice through a three-hour drive in ninety-degree heat, and it has not let a single fish go bad since.
Practical steps to stretch ice life in a hard rolling cooler across a multi-day camping trip.
Two seasons of real use on the Yuba River and in the Tahoe National Forest, with the honest truth about the wheels, the drain, and the ice.
I slept in this 3 season bag through a full season of cold nights in the Tahoe National Forest. Here is what held up and what did not.
Six trips, one 41-degree night, and two budget 3-season bags. Here's which one earned a spot in the truck.
Why a 3 season sleeping bag is worth the extra weight for fall and spring camping trips.
A short story about swapping to the oaskys sleeping bag after a miserable cold night in the Sierra foothills.
Five simple steps that keep a 3 season bag comfortable down into the low 30s. Most of them cost nothing.
A blunt look at where the oaskys sleeping bag falls short, tested on real cold nights in the Sierra foothills.
A long-term review of the KastKing Centron spinning combo after a season on the Yuba River and Rollins Lake.
Two budget rod and reel combos, two summers on the same water. Here is which one I keep reaching for.
Why a simple spinning combo still covers most trout and bass fishing from shore or a small boat.
After a year of hard use, this spinning combo is still going strong. Here's why I'm done buying cheap.
A step by step guide to rigging a spinning rod and reel combo for trout fishing on a river, from line and knots to drag and retrieve.
A blunt, first-hand review of the KastKing Centron combo after forty trips: drag smoothness, line twist, and the bail wire that wears out first.
After a full season on the Yuba River and Rollins Lake, here is what the LUCKY portable castable fish finder actually does and where it falls short.
After a full season with both on Rollins Lake and the Yuba River, here is when the castable LUCKY wins and when a mounted Humminbird is the better tool.
A castable fish finder earns its pocket space even when you never leave the bank.
A short story about a portable fish finder that found a drop-off and turned a slow day around.
A step by step guide to using a castable portable fish finder to locate fish from the bank, written from the shore of Rollins Lake.
Fifteen trips in, here is what nobody tells you about the castable LUCKY: the real range, the fish icons that lie, and the battery that dies early.
A long-term review of the Coleman Sundome tent after two seasons of weekend trips in the Tahoe National Forest, from a retired road foreman who camps every weekend.
Three seasons with the Coleman Sundome, starting with what it does wrong: rainfly gaps, fiberglass poles, and stakes that bend.
I ran the Coleman Classic Series rolling cooler through a full season of camping and fishing trips. Here is how the ice held up, what wore down, and who should buy one.
Two seasons of real use on the Yuba River and in the Tahoe National Forest, with the honest truth about the wheels, the drain, and the ice.
I slept in this 3 season bag through a full season of cold nights in the Tahoe National Forest. Here is what held up and what did not.
A blunt look at where the oaskys sleeping bag falls short, tested on real cold nights in the Sierra foothills.
A long-term review of the KastKing Centron spinning combo after a season on the Yuba River and Rollins Lake.
A blunt, first-hand review of the KastKing Centron combo after forty trips: drag smoothness, line twist, and the bail wire that wears out first.
After a full season on the Yuba River and Rollins Lake, here is what the LUCKY portable castable fish finder actually does and where it falls short.
Fifteen trips in, here is what nobody tells you about the castable LUCKY: the real range, the fish icons that lie, and the battery that dies early.
