GEAR REVIEW: Military Surplus Alice Pack (Large)

I picked this up long before I started thinking about backpacking. I was just browsing the Military Surplus aisle at Fleet Farm, drawn in by the ammunition boxes they had displayed there. But $40 seemed a good deal for such a large, heavy duty backpack. So I jumped on it, just like that!

It's not really ideal for a long through hike though. By backpack standards it's heavy. And it comes from an age before ergonomic considerations were made for the guy who had to wear the pack. The waist support is somewhat rudimentary, and I didn't even figure out that it HAD waist support until I'd owned it for a few years. The webbing belt is just a little bit too short for me to wear comfortably, but it might work better for someone else. Due to its age, it pre-dates the MOLLE attachment standards, so there's a whole world of attachments that a newer military pack can take advantage of, but the ALICE misses out on.

It's nice and big though. Real big. And covered with pockets, thus lessening the need for those attachments. And these pockets are quite generous in size, I can fit my whole BioLite stove into one of them. That means it'll also take a good sized nalgene bottle or similar device. The interior is only divided into two different compartments though, an upper interior pouch and and the roomy main compartment. The Large Bag is probably capable of carrying way more equipment than you need or is good for your back, though you may want to pack it in compression sacks or gear bags to better segment and protect your load. The Medium bag is really more like a small bag with good PR, and I highly recommend seeking out the large bag instead. The main compartment closes with a drawstring, and then a flap covers the drawn aperture. Despite not being a MOLLE compatible bag, there's plenty of room to attach to the frame or bag with gear ties or similar.

The big reason I'm loathe to use mine is that my back and the frame don't quite agree right. One of the supports presses into me in a way that just isn't something I'd want to deal with while hiking for 20 miles in a day. Its great though, if I only have to go for 20 minutes to an hour, or if I need the storage capacity. And for the price, it's pretty nice. a MOLLE II bag or ILBE, more modern bags (themselves rough and tumble cousins of the modern hiker's bag) run over twice what I paid for the Alice. That said, $100-150 is cheap next to some hiking packs, and certainly a worthwhile consideration for someone who wants to get outfitted without paying REI prices.

Would I recommend it? For certain situations I would. If you need a bag to get from X, to Y and stay there, it's good. If you need a big bag, cheap, I would. If you're a masochist and don't want a more ergonomic bag, it'll do. It's not ideal for backpacking though. If you need a backpack that you can drag through hell, it'll answer the call.

GEAR REVIEW: Coleman Lantern

When you absolutely positively need to bring your own portable miniature sun on a camping trip, the answer is the Coleman lantern. Like their stove and their steel belted coolers, These have been a long-term staple of not just my camping experience, but my entire family's for generations. Infact, one of the lanterns I own is a vintage red coleman that used to be my grandfather's. It needs a bit of cleaning and repair, but I suspect once I get it cleaned up, I'll be passing it on to someone when my camping days are over. They're that reliable. In addition to the vintage one, I've got a silver one that I've had since my days in the boyscouts. This one, despite a nasty fall that made it a little picky about igniting is still going strong.

Like the Coleman Dual Burner Stove I reviewed here these lanterns run on either white gas or gasoline. Generally we've always run them on the coleman fuel which lasts longer in storage (I have seen cans of it remain useful for an incredibly long time) rather than gasoline from the pump. But having the option to use either one makes the lantern very useful. In the event of some sort of emergency situation, I know I can use it on whichever I have handy. While camping, if I run out, gas stations are a lot easier to find. It's also nice that it shares a fuel system with my car camping stove, and I only have to bring the one fuel source for both. Much like that stove, they seem to run forever on a tank of fuel. Even with the heavy use they can see while car camping with a group of friends, I rarely have to refuel them. with the clip-on mantles, I don't even have to worry about the hassle of tying them on.

These lanterns are a beacon in the darkness, and put to shame all of the lesser products I've seen. Whether I need the light to prepare food, administer first aid, read a book or play a game, you can easily drive back the night and flood the immediate area with light with one of these on high. I keep a cheap battery lantern around for reading and doing things in the tent but that absolutely pales in comparison. It may as well be a tiny LED keychain flashlight. I've played games, finished meals, told stories, and read books by the power of these personal suns, and though I always aim to arrive at camp and raise my tent before dark, if I HAD to set a tent up in the darkness, these lanterns would be perfect for doing so.

With such a powerful beacon though, there is the downside of drawing bugs. Not a big deal inside a screen tent, but I have seen everything from flies, mosquitoes and moths to grasshoppers and locusts drawn to its flame. Better the lantern than me though.

Would I recommend it? Emphatically! If you are car camping and do not own one of these, I would drop everything I am doing and proceed to REI's website to order one. You'll thank me. Your descendants will thank you. Your friends who camp with you will be amazed.

the picture doesn't do it justice, but here mine is (standing atop it's carry-box) at Blue Mound State Park

Unfortunately for most of my readers, the carrying case which serves both as a protective storage and transport method, as well as a fuel store and lantern stand is a Waldron family exclusive, designed and built by my Grandfather, who was a wood pattern maker. Inside is room for the lantern and a set of wood rails on the top which the nut atop the lantern slides into, holding everything in place.

Red Lantern with 2 burner stove and steel belted cooler:

GEAR REVIEW: Coleman Two Burner Stove

Definitely a piece of Car Camping equipment, this. Big, Green and Metal. These Coleman stoves have been a camping staple in our family for ages. Designed to run on white gas (lantern fuel) or gasoline, these stoves are excellent whether you're cooking for two or twenty. The fuel is stored unpressurized, so you've got to pump before use and vent when done and cool. But a little fuel goes a LONG way in these stoves. Ideal for cooking up a pack of bacon, and a box of sausages and batch after batch after batch of pancakes. Or cooking up chili or stew on a cold day. But it's not just for the big jobs. It's equally capable of smaller tasks like heating up some water for a mountain house or a cup of instant cider.

The stove is green and built from aluminum and steel. the fuel tank stores down inside of the housing when not in use, and hangs from the front when you're cooking on it. 30-50 pumps gets you plenty of pressure, and if you start to have problems with the flame, its easy to pump a few additional strokes while in use.  As I said above, they take gasoline as well as lantern fuel, but I've never actually had to resort to gasoline. We've always had the naptha/white gas/lantern fuel around for the equally impressive Coleman lanterns. The burner is lit by match or lighter, you'll want to have the flame burning before you turn the valve, not the other way around.  If you need both burners, it's as simple as starting up the main burner, turning up the gas, starting your second match, holding it near the burner and opening the valve for the second burner.

This is one of those Buy It For Life items. If you're going to be car camping, or establishing a base camp of some kind, you will not regret buying this. I inherited mine from my grandfather, and it's in beautiful shape. The gas knob has been replaced with a wooden knob of his own making, but the stove is otherwise stock. Its twin, owned by my father has been a camping staple for the family since before I was born. Many a breakfast has been cooked for me on these stoves.

Now, while this IS a Car Camping item, it is very similar to the Coleman Peak stoves that they market towards backpackers. Somewhere in the attic, from my days in the boy scouts, I've actually got one of those. I've gone looking for it, but can't find it. If I ever unearth it, you can be sure I'll review it here. What possible reason, you ask, would you have to carry something so relatively bulky out on the trail? Weighing in at two pounds, that noise you hear is the collective whimpering of ultralight hikers pained by such blasphemy. But I'll tell you. While I've heard of hikers scrounging for alcohol to burn, and I've heard of hikers having to worry about finding isopro canisters. But there's always going to be gasoline where the trail meets civilization. And with the fine control and long burn time on these stoves, you can confidently cook slow-cooking or simmering dishes without a worry about your fuel. You can also tell them that in 1991, it was considered plenty lightweight.

Would I recommend it? The two burner, for car campers? Most definitely. You'll never have to worry about another stove again, unless you branch out into backpacking. Would I recommend the Coleman Peak for backpackers? Well... If you're trying to save a buck, and can get one for cheap, sure! It'll be a lot easier to stay in fuel and cook knorr sides. Probably wouldn't recommend buying one new though. If you've got the cash and weight for a Peak stove, you've probably got the cash and weight for a biolite or a $6 canister stove and a bunch of isopro canisters.

Folded up before use!

Set up, you can see the replacement knob my Grandfather made:

Pump for building gas pressure:

Lit: