Reddit reviews Coleman Deluxe Camp Grill

I'll try and answer your questions and give some advice. I've been camping/backpacking several times a year for about 40 years.

I don't think you can go wrong with what you have listed to get started. Quality stuff and at a somewhat reasonable price. Especially since you're looking at breaking yourself in with some car camping. In colder temps, the sleeping bag is the most important item. But when you're car camping, you can bring extra blankets. The bag you have listed is EN 27. What that basically means is that at right at freezing and a bit below is where you're going to get uncomfortable. The EN is about as scientific as it's ever been but you still have to take into account the person. I for example can deal with much lower temps than my wife; all things being equal. Go out for some easy trips at campgrounds and learn your gear. Try just the bag and see how it goes. If you get cold, throw a blanket on top of your bag. Good long underwear helps a lot too. You'll figure it out.

I personally like the Ridge Rest ground pads because they can stand up to an insane amount of abuse and are not very expensive. But whatever your choice, you need something to insulate you from the ground; sleeping pad, wool blanket, something.

Starting out, I really recommend that you learn how to put up your tent properly. DO NOT let the rain fly touch any part of the tent walls. Use all the lines to keep this from happening. If they touch, the condensation that builds up on the inside of the fly will seep through the mesh of the tent at that point and anything right there is going to get damp (this goes for rain, fog, or even just really humid conditions). Also, when you break down your tent, let the fly dry before you pack it, this will save you from mildew buildup which is just nasty and no fun. I personally seal all the seams of my tents but this is somewhat of an advanced technique for someone just starting (I didn't start doing this until maybe year 20 of my experiences) but I do recommend you check out doing that, plenty YouTube vids on that.

Yes, you could use this equipment for backpacking. The big things to prepare for with backpacking is weight and rain. What you have here is just fine as far as weight goes. Rain is something that you will learn to deal with. Knowing your tent is crucial. I also always bring a pack cover. A swamped backpack full of soaked gear sucks beyond all suckiness.

Get good at reading weather reports. If you're planning a 3 day trip and there is a 70% chance of severe thunderstorms on day two, it's probably not a good time to go. But again, if you're car camping, you have the safety of the car. You can shelter there or even just leave. I've rode out many a storm in my car.

Food is also something that you'll learn as you go. When you're car camping you can bring whatever you want because weight doesn't matter. I go to a week long hunting camp each year and we bring steaks, sausages, potatoes, all kinds of veggies to grill, eggs, sandwich fixings, etc. Why? Why not!? It's all packed in coolers in our trucks. I've also been on week long and longer backpacking trips with no chance to resupply or cache food. There I've taken dehydrated backpacking meals (Alpine Aire, Mountain House, etc). I like them because you can prepare them in the bag and thus not waste any water cleaning your pot. There are also a ton of resources online to help you make great tasting, light weight, backpacking meals. The bags of dehydrated mashed potatoes that you get at the grocery store have also been a personal favorite of mine for years and years. Easy. Light weight. Oh so good and warming.

As far as snacks go, same thing. Bring what you like. Chocolate melts so a Snickers may sound like a good idea but you'll be licking it off the wrapper in warm temps. Trail mix, granola bars, beef jerky, all good.

Furniture. You're just starting out so bring a couple of lawn chairs when you go car camping. Sitting on the ground takes some getting used to and you don't have to go 100% granola on your first trip. Not having a chair whilst camping at a camp ground in a state park is silly. If camping turns out to be a thing for you, you'll have plenty of time to see what it's like to not have a chair for a few days.

Cooking gear. Get a reasonably sized all metal cook pot (plastic and wood handles will burn). You may already have something in your kitchen that will work just fine. I've used a 2qt pot and lid from a MSR set for about 20 years for both car camping and backpacking. For car camping, get you one of these camp grills. I've seen them at Target and Walmart for even cheaper than this. I've had one since the dawn of time and still use it on every car camping trip I go on. It will get greasy so I always pack it up in a garbage bag and clean it when I get home. It's gotten bent up more than once and you just pound it back into shape.

Backpacking stoves... now this can get a bit crazy and expensive. There are all kinds. I have a MSR pocket rocket that I've had ever since Bin Laden went ape shit. I had an MSR Whisper Lite before that (still do - you just can't take it on an airplane). I also have a little metal box stove that you burn sticks inside. I've used a buddy's Jet Boil a bunch. I've put my pot directly in the camp fire. With backpacking, you're usually just trying to heat up water so options are just about endless. The ISO butane stoves are the best way to go IMO as you can use them just about anywhere and fuel is easy to come by.

Water. Again, if you're car camping at a campground you probably have access to potable water. If you're out in the woods somewhere, maybe not. You need some way to treat water. A filter pump is the best way IMO. They're worth the weight while backpacking and work just fine for car camping trips too. I've had one like this for longer than I can remember. Mine is Pur brand and Katadyn bought them out over 10 years ago. Bomber tough and maintainable. I've replaced a couple O rings over the years but other than that its just been cartridge replacements. It even has the same hoses. Totally worth the price. I've used it to filter some really nasty water over the years. It just works.

Well this turned out really long winded. AMA if you want to pick my brain. The gear today is so much better than what we had 20 - 30 years ago that it boggles the mind but the amount of choices you have can be a bit overwhelming. My best advice; go camping! One of my most memorable trips was long ago. I had a shitty tent that my brother had all but thrown away, a crappy sleeping bag with Scooby Do on it, a bottle of Gatorade, and a box of Fiddle Faddle. It was my first trip on my own. Good times!

First: a new account just to post this "cool" grill? Hard to believe you are not the creator.

Second: these are not a new invention. [link](Coleman Deluxe Camp Grill https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0009PUQZK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_KTwCzbXFDH42B)

This is on my shopping list. Don't have it yet so i can't vouch for it but it looks light weight and folds flat, diff sized gaps and decent surface area.

Its flat but wide.. i wouldn't cook straight on it b/c clean up would be a mess.

Edit forgot to include link http://www.amazon.com/Coleman-807A753T-Deluxe-Camp-Grill/dp/B0009PUQZK/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pd_T1?ie=UTF8&coliid=IVVTT1GALW9FQ&colid=1YLF0YLYZGK0P