My Favorite All Purpose Tent

Although I dearly love my Eureka K2 three person tent as it is bomb-proof (see side story below), I can't get over how good the Eureka Zeus 2 is.

The Eureka Zeus 2 is lightweight, approximately 3 lbs., compared to the Eureka K2 which is a little over ten pounds. The Zeus 2 is very easy to setup - two poles, attached on the outside with plastic carabineers.

Although it is single walled, the Zeus 2 has vents which allow air to flow into and out of the tent and we have found minimal condensation after sleeping during a rainstorm. The shell proved to be waterproof.

Barring a heavy windstorm, we prefer to hike with our lightweight, easy to setup, waterproof Eureka Zeus 2.


Side story: The Eureka K2 is indeed bomb-proof. I think most cats are "skittish" and my cat is no different. Cats also don't like loud noises.

One night, I decided to try my new Eureka K2 in my yard while a raging storm was occurring. The winds were blowing 60 mph (which is common here) and the rain was coming down in buckets...sideways. Once I had the tent and the rain shell pitched, I attached lines and stakes from every available point built onto the tent.

Then, I brought my cat out with me and went to sleep for the night. Although a storm was throwing things around outside, the inside of the tent was calm and warm. The tent walls barely moved and my cat slept soundly through the entire night.

If weight is no concern or you are expecting extremely bad weather, I recommend the Eureka K2. If weight IS a concern, the wind is not blowing over 35 mph., and it is not below 35 degrees Fahrenheit, the Eureka Zeus 2 is my favorite all-purpose tent.

Highly Recommended Hiking Boots

I bought a pair of hiking boots sometime ago, from Dick's Sporting Goods I believe. They were beige, mid-height hiking boots by Ecco. I have never felt anything more comfortable and as light as these boots and, on top of that, they are waterproof and breatheable. The soles were flexible and have good insoles.

My wife was tired of hearing me comment on how great they were every single time I put them on. I couldn't help it, they were that good. It felt like I was wearing a good pair of sneakers that were tough and waterproof.

It wasn't until a few years later that I convinced her to try a pair on. She was sold immediately and finally understood all the comments I had been making all these years.

Be sure to buy the right size of any boot so that you can fit warm, or wool socks while wearing your boots.

I highly recommend Ecco hiking boots to anyone.

How to Choose the Right Rain Gear

I was pleasantly surprised when my order of lightweight raingear from Campmor arrived. I ordered inexpensive, or cheap, raingear that rolled up into a little sack that was meant for emergencies and light hiking.

The raingear was alot better than I expected. It was indeed small, lightweight, and waterproof. There are many camping trips we go on when we don't know for sure if it will rain or not. We used to lug our heavy raingear with us but now we don't need to anymore. And this lightweight raingear, consisting of rain pants and a rain jacket, doesn't snag as much as a poncho would. In my mind, there is no more reason for ponchos except for emergency shelter, perhaps.

The pants and the jacket were no more than 20 dollars each, so the cost was right for the job we wanted the rainwear to perform. Keep in mind that these are shells I am talking about. If you expect chilly or cold weather, you will need some sort of liner. We use fleece jackets and long johns. Dressing in layers is always a good idea and works well with the lightweight rain shells.

If you need to do some heavy hiking through thick brush, however, you can do no better than Gortex raingear. This raingear is breathable, comfortable, rugged and durable, and fits well. I ordered a good set from Cabelas but have seen knock-offs for half the price. Now, you should be able to find a set of Gortex raingear (pants and jacket) for $150 total.

There will always be trade-offs between weight, durability, and price for anything you are looking for. For slim chances of rain on a hiking trip that doesn't include thick brush, I would go for the $40 set of lightweight raingear from Campmor. This set of raingear can easily be stuffed into a side pocket of your backpack. For more demanding trips through thick brush or when you would encounter torrential downpours, I would suggest Gortex raingear that is comfortable and durable.

Mountain Camping

One of my favorite camping trips was when my wife and I hiked up a mountain near our town. Many people would consider it a hill with the peak elevation around 2,500. Also, we didn't need any mountain climbing equipment - it was just regular hiking...uphill.

We exercised heavily for two weeks before the trip and it paid off. Instead of 6 hours to reach the tops as I estimated, it only took us 4 hours with full packs. I also overestimated our food requirements by one meal but I figured that wasn't so bad.

The most difficult part of the trip for us was carrying all of our water. The mountain was pretty rocky and there is no water to collect and filter on the way up, so we had to bring it all the way up with us.

At the top, the view was spectacular as we could see our town and the surrounding ocean and islands for miles around. Also interesting was the fact that even though we were so high above our town, we could still hear dogs barking and cars driving.

The next morning when we woke up, the fog was heavy and I was slightly worried about safely traversing down the mountain. We took our time and cooked a hot breakfast with coffee and hot chocolate and by the time we were finished eating and packing our gear, the fog had lifted and the morning was gorgeous.

Coming down was easy - it took us about 3 hours. The whole trip was amazing and I can't wait to do it again!