A good tent should spark joy.  The true test of that is when you are hunkered down in the tent waiting for it to stop raining.  The color of the tent is surprisingly important.  I once traded a perfectly good tent for a pair of sunglasses because the putty-colored rain fly did not spark joy.  Personally, I prefer orange or yellow  tones that amplify a kind of sunny feeling in the morning.  ... View more

The thing is, toddlers sometimes have potty accidents.  You have to be prepared for that.  One of mine would declare "I too busy" as her reason for not going to the potty (which she knew perfectly well how to use).   ... View more

I hope you succeed in getting your GC permit this year! ... View more

When I used to camp and backpack with toddlers  I carried a Seattle Sports Pocket Sink so that I could give them a sponge bath when needed.  It's also handy to soak toddler clothing that gets messy.  It looks like Seattle Sports makes some even bigger camp sinks these days if this one looks too small  for you, but for me it did the trick.  https://www.seattlesportsco.com/camp/camp-kitchen-organization/pocket-sink-12-5-l.html ... View more

Personally, I like having extra space.  My favorite backpacking tent is a single-pole tarp tent with oodles of room inside.  On my last backpacking trip we had a rainy afternoon and I was especially glad to have a big tent to nap in and to be able to pull the packs inside.  ... View more

I don't think there is any reccommended dose since the need for extra electrolytes depends a lot on the humidity and temperature and how much exertion you are doing and so on.  If it's hot, it's a good idea to have some before a big hike. I especially like Nuum or Gatorade as a restorative after a long day of hiking. It still tastes awful, but you can kind of feel everything rehydrating and it feels great.     ... View more

There is a certain lake in the high Uintas Wilderness Area that has the same name as my daughter.  My goal is to persuade her to backpack up there with me.   It'll have to wait until July or August when the snow melts, though.  ... View more

LOL 😄 .  I just went backpacking with an old college friend and we were reminiscing about the gear we had back in the 1980s when we used to do a lot of trips together -- Optimus white gas stoves, plastic iv water bottles scavanged from the hospital, raincoats made from FrostLine kits, iodine to treat water mixed with lemonade powder to kill the taste.  Heck, I used to backpack a candle lantern because before LED lights the batteries in a flashlight  wouldn't last.    The old-timey gear I still have in active use is  --external frame backpack. Good for heavy loads an long trips.  However, I mostly use an internal frame pack for weekends and overnights. --closed cell foam sleeping pad. Light to carry and good to sit on as well as sleep. --sleeping bag. I have a high-quality winter down bag I bought in the 1980s that's still going strong. -- Map and compass  -- boiling and/or chemicals to treat water.  I  tried a filter for a while, but I felt like I never knew whether the filter needed replacing. Everything else  I have for backpacking has been replaced with lighter, more modern stuff.  LED headlamps are especialy great because you get a lot of light for not much weight.   One other seriously great upgrade is, new backpacks have a sleeve for a water bladder -- you can sip from a tube while you hike instead of continually reaching back for your water bottle.  Some of the fancy ultralight stove set-ups assume you are only going to boil water, so if you are planning on actually cooking ingrediants  instead of just rehydrating food you'll want a cheaper, heavier cooking sytem.   I like to sleep in my hammock, but I don't backpack with it becaue I often hike in the desert where there are not reliable trees.  ... View more

I'm a little envious of people who are good photographers.  IRL there is an amazing bloom of arrowleaf balsam root on my favorite trail.   The whole hillside is golden with them.  When I tried to take a photo,  though the flowers were looking away from the camera and it doesn't even look like there were very many of them.  Arrow leaf balsam root in bloom on my favorite trail ... View more

@TomV  Now I am imagining your family fighting over just the one cot.  😄 After I got my Roll-a-Cot I had to buy them for the kids, too because they kept stealing my cot.  And then I had to get a bigger tent. Kid stealing my Roll-a-Cot (I slept in the hammock) ... View more

My kids actually  tease me about my fancy car camping set-up.  I used to just use backpacking gear for everything so they say I've gone soft.  When I'm definitely not roughing it, I'm all about sleeping in luxury: --Springbar canvas Campsite 3 tent (discontinued model, but similar to the Vagabond) --Camptime Roll-a-Cots (an amazingly comfortable design with no center ridge like other cots, these are also great for watching stars or sleeping out on the beach.) --Thermarest Ridge Rest pads to insulate the cots (the same ones I sleep on backpacking and use to cover coolers on a river raft.  In mid summer when it's really hot they aren't necessary) --Sierra Designs Backcountry Bed sleeping bag (no confining zipper) --Comfy down pillow from home --Cuddly pet Chihuahua for companionship, warmth, and diligent guarding ... View more