I do a lot of luxury camping. I belong to a medieval tourneying society, the Society for Creative Anachronism, and we camp out at our big events. I grew up backpacking, and still go, but most of my outdoor time is spent either in deer camp, or at tourneys, when I want a bit more luxury.
A lot of big camps use canvas cabin tents, which are common at medieval events, and have a great Western feel to them. But they are a lot to haul and set up (I know, I do it all the time). I've found a really great compromise.
The Dream House Luxury Yurt Bell is a single-pole, round tent with low walls, inspired by Mongolian Yurts. It's almost nothing like a yurt, mind you: it's really a British Bell tent, a military design from the Napoleonic wars that is REALLY stable and REALLY roomy. The biggest model has a 5 meter diameter and stands almost 10 feet tall. I personally like the 4m version. This is the best field tent you can buy: roomy, sturdy, light, extremely easy to transport and set up. It's perfect for deer camp, safari, or the field of the Cloth of Gold.
Wear Some Good Hiking Boots The World Fishing and Outdoor Expo last weekend was a lot of walking and a lot of fun. I particularly enjoyed the knife booths. There was a rod and gun club there selling old knives, mostly folders -- Bucks, Brownings, Schrades, Victorinox--in other words, the good stuff. I had to be dragged away from fondling them. There was another knife maker there selling Damascus everything--straight razors, skinning knives, swords. The smith was there, and claimed he hand-forged everything himself. Me, I was in the market for a cheap guthook knife. Now, I know--why get a cheap knife? Well, for two reasons. The first is, on occasion, I'm cheap. I try to save my gear money so I can spend money on experiences. The second, and more important reason, is that the knife it was replacing was also cheap. I'd had a bag stolen from me that had my last cheap guthook knife in it, a promotional knife from the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation , which had probably cos...
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