Underwing camping

[rosslr]

I mentioned in another thread we really enjoyed the camping part of our trip. And as others do a fair bit of this I thought it might be useful to have a thread that shares somes tips on equipment and techniques that work.

Gayle and I really enjoy being able to set up camp right beside the plane. Camping does however require a fair bit of gear so it is essential to give careful thought to the amount, the weight and type of gear you take on your camping trips. But there is no denying the feeling of being out there and sleeping beside your plane - even though on the night the following picture was taken we were entertained by the sounds of wild camels and dingos all night!

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To get the ball rolling, I took a photo of the basic set of gear we took on our recent trip that served us well. I will describe it here.

Top row from L - R: 2 thermarest mattresses, 2 sleeping bags, Water in lt bottles(easier to stash into small spaces), tent - standing room is our preference - could be smaller, below tent is windscreen shield for short stops, far right is our plane cover (locally made).

Second row from L - R: Tool box, below tool box is hand pump (dont like idea of using battery to run a compressor), Yellow bag 1 is tie downs and ropes, yellow bag 2 is puncture repair kit and tyre gauge, next are home made oversize wheel chocks, below that is portable fuel bladder that lies flat on baggage area (missing is bag with fuel syphon and filter), next is butane cooker and gas ( we use the Fire Maple stove and special billy that boils water in about 1 minute. Finally is an LED lantern and two folding camp stools.
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All the gear is weighed and the weight is written on the bag to help do a weight and balance . Our experience is that that baggage area bulks out before being over weight.

Hope this is of interest and I look forward to learning form those of you with a lot more experience that us in camping with your plane.

cheers

ross

[SkySteve]

Ross,
I carry a similar fuel bag. The one I use is sold by Airframes Alaska. It holds 5.2 gallons and sells for $95. I see yours says Jerry Flex. I did a google search for it but couldn't find it. Can you provide more information about the one you use? Capacity, price, where to get? Thanks.

[Esser]

Nice setup Ross, how many days of food did you bring at a time? Were they dehydrated meals or all fresh?

Natalie and I have big plans when the plane is done to camp all through the Yukon, NWT, and Northern BC. These are places that are almost only accessible by plane.

After your trip, is there anything you would add or change to your setup?

[PapuaPilot]

Hey Ross, what does everything in the picture weigh?

[rosslr]

Josh, we carried food for a couple of days - mostly dried. and varied the amount of water we carried according to how remote we were, hot is was and if there were rivers or had been rain in the region. A couple of times we bought fresh food for a couple of meals before leaving a town.

Steve, the fuel bag is by http://www.liquidcontainment.com.au/category/11/Light-Air-Craft
It cost about $100 Aus. Good to store flat on the baggage area and is build to MilSpec. It is a little awkward to get up on the wing but we got into a routine and used a syphon and filter when transferring the fuel.

Phil, here is a list of the wieights: (in Kgs - sorry to US people)

Plane essential items
Wheel chocks 1.0kg
2 sets of tie downs 3.9kg
Tools 5.3kg
fuel bladder 1.1kg
Fuel fill equip 1.8kg
Hand pump 1.0kg
Cover 2.2kg
Water 10kg
Fuel 17kg

Camping gear
Tent 5.0kg
Inflatable mattresses 2.2kg
Stools 1.8kg
Sleeping bags 3kg
Camping stove and light 2.6kg
Camp kitchen gear 2.0kg

Food 3.8kg
Cloth and toiletries 9.0kg
Shoes 2.1kg
Ross backpack 4.5kg
Gayle backpack 4.4kg

This put us pretty near MTOW. You will note we included max amount of water and assumed the fuel bladder was full - which it was only once. But we needed to make sure we could carry it if needed.

What would we change?? Fewer clothes and personal gear. Only on e set of tie downs (we were trialling two sets).

We are learning how to do this so understand we are not experts. I would be interested to hear from Scott and Doug who I know do a lot of camping - and others also of course.

cheers

ross

[jiott]

Great thread Ross. One thing I have which saves a lot of weight and space is instead of the tire hand pump you show, I carry a small valve and two CO2 cartridges which fit on the tire valve stem and can meter CO2 into the tire. They are available at bicycle shops and are made compact and light. Weighs maybe 3 oz.

[inzersv]

Fantastic thread. jiott, I carry those co2 cartridges on my bicycle. How many would be needed to fill 21 inch tire? Let's keep this thread going.

[jiott]

I think 1 cartridge will do it, but maybe someone can verify. I carry two just in case.

[rosslr]

That's a good tip Jim. I haven't seen them but will look this week as it will save both weight and space. I would also be interested in what you take as a puncture repair kit. We carry plugs, the spike tools and glue. We have 26" tubless alaskan bushwheels. I think the prospect of spiking a tyre in remote areas worries me most.

Maybe you can prompt Scott to chip in here too as he seems to spend more time on his camp cot than at home!

cheers

r

[SkySteve]

I did get a flat one time in the backcountry. I was able to lift the wing and get the tire off the ground a couple of times, which seemed to suck enough air back into the tire so I could take off. Landed very carefully and purchased a can of Flat Tire repair which I always carry now.http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff12/KitfoxSteve/b07d6f4d.jpg (http://s237.photobucket.com/user/KitfoxSteve/media/b07d6f4d.jpg.html)

Also, I've carried many types of camp chairs. Most are bulky and hard to pack. When camping, a chair is nice to have, and one with a good back is priceless! This is the best one I've found. The frame comes apart into several pieces and it all roles up into the seat, which goes into a small pouch type bag.

http://i237.photobucket.com/albums/ff12/KitfoxSteve/ScreenShot2014-10-30at112136AM.png (http://s237.photobucket.com/user/KitfoxSteve/media/ScreenShot2014-10-30at112136AM.png.html)

More incidentals: My wife and I each only take two sets of clothing, usually shorts/short sleeve shirt and jeans/long sleeve shirt. Wear one set, pack the other set (we each have a small stuff bag for our clothing); an extra pair of light shoes (also in their own stuff bags); One down-filled nylon jacket each and a stocking cap (each jacket/stocking cap combo in a stuff bag). It's always cold at night when you camp. I have found stuff bags are much easier to pack in the plane than loose items and, much easier to pack than the boxes things come in from the store. When sleeping, we put our down jackets in their stuff bags and use them for pillows.

[Flybyjim]

The chairs you show are the best I have found also, very comfortable and light weight and easy to stow. I carry two with me even if I am flying solo. With an extra chair set by my plane someone always comes along and sits and talks for a while. I got my chairs from Spencer Aircraft two years ago at Oshkosh.

[jiott]

Ross, since I am now running 6x8.00 with tubes, I just carry a standard automotive tube patch kit. For your Alaskan Bushwheels I have heard (hearsay) that they sell a patch kit made special for those tires, since you can't patch the inside it requires an external patch. I don't think the patch kit they have is the push thru spike type but I could be wrong. Maybe some true Alaskan bush pilots will chime in. Maybe Scott.

[HighWing]

First since I had lots of fairings and stuff on the empennage, I was limited to 20 lbs. in the baggage sack.

I have done a fair bit of under wing camping but have always flown solo. I will put clothing and other personal items into a carefully selected back pack and strap it into the passenger seat. I remember having to hike once when the group decided to sleep in beds overnight and it was great as most of the others were toting duffle bags.

My chair and yes it is a must, is a fairly normal sized camp chair and weighs 5.4 lbs. To this day when ever my wife and I are in stores and see camp chairs, we will always heft them for weight out of curiosity.

The tent is a two man low tent. Size was important as I fly in a IV with a standard baggage sack and it is probably kneel down height. My first one weighed a tad over 8 lbs and I always talked of going new if I could save half that weight. Three pounds saved pushed me over the edge and the new one weighs 5.2 lbs. - 5 without the sack.

The sleeping bag weighs 1.7 lbs. It is rated to 20 degrees, is down, mummy style and with a compression sack is tiny. I should mention that when storing between trips it is stored in a pillow case size bag so the down doesn't take a set and lose its loft.

[Rooster]

What a great thread, Ross!
Thanks for the extra tips guys. This is fun!

I carry a foot operated pump, and with my days in a C170, I always try and carry a spare tail wheel tube.
As with my Mountain Bike, I wrap it tightly in masking tape to protect it from being punctured over the years of rolling around in the luggage bay.

Rudder lock attached.

[jiott]

Love your rudder lock; simple, lightweight and compact. Gonna make one.

[cubtractor]

Your rudder lock is similar to the one I made. Same principle anyway.

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/picture.php?albumid=273&pictureid=3808

http://www.teamkitfox.com/Forums/picture.php?albumid=273&pictureid=3809