Back in September, I went on a weekend camping trip with some friends and had the best breakfast I have ever had out in the woods! Believe it or not, we made hot and fresh doughnuts with only a few ingredients that are easy to pack in and out! It was a great alternative to trail mix, granola bars, or freeze-dried fruit.
Ingredients:
packaged biscuits
Vegetable oil (1 quart)
Cinnamon
Sugar
(Or powdered sugar if you prefer)
Directions
1. First heat up your isobutane or propane stove to a medium/high setting and put the vegetable oil in the pot and place it on the stove
2. As your oil heats up, open the biscuits and cut them into fourths using your pocket knife. This makes the perfect bite-size doughnut hole. (Alternatively, you can fry the whole biscuit for a quicker preparation and a larger doughnut).
3. After approximately 5 minutes (or when you see the oil start to ripple) drop the biscuits in and let them fry for 1-2 minutes
4. Flip the doughnuts over and let the remaining side cook for 1-2 minutes
5. When the doughnuts reach a golden brown color, take them out.
6. While they are still hot, cover them in cinnamon/sugar or powdered sugar (I like to do this by adding the cinnamon/sugar mixture to a brown paper bag and dropping a bunch in at a time and shaking them up so they get evenly coated).
7. ENJOY!!!
I would love feedback about the above recipe! Also, if anyone has any favorite recipes for camping that they would like to share, I would appreciate the ideas!
When the air starts to smell crisp and the leaves begin to fall, I know it is time for me to get back to the outdoors! I absolutely love being in the woods or on a trail in Autumn. Each year, I try to plan at least one camping trip during the season. I am so excited about this years trip; some friends and I are going to Blue Ridge to escape from the monotony of office work, and the hustle and bustle of traffic at rush hour in Atlanta. I haven’t been to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Georgia since I went there on a field trip back in the fifth grade, so it will feel as if I am getting to visit a new place for the very first time. We are renting a cabin, going fishing, horseback riding, apple picking, and hiking. Honestly, I am looking the most forward to hiking. I have always found so much serenity and peace when I am on a trail and at one with nature, especially during my favorite season!
I would love to know where people are traveling this Fall as well as what their favorite thing to do outdoors is during this time of year!
We love hammocks here at Going Gear.  I use them, all of my employees use them, and I finally convinced my wife to use them on overnight trips. They are light, easy to set up, comfortable, and very versatile. I have received a few requests to make a video showing the setup of an ENO Double Nest hammock, so I made a quick video on a recent hike in the North Georgia Mountains featuring the hammock, some Slap Strap Pros, and my hairy beast of a mutt.
One of the biggest misconceptions of camping or being outdoors is that you will constantly be dirty. Of course, there is some inherent lack of hygiene, but a basic level of cleanliness can still be maintained. With a variety of products, one should not have to worry about coming home with 2 inches of dirt, and teeth that haven’t been brushed for days. Here are some must haves to keep the flies away, and your friends complaint free:
Ultralight Fingertip Tooth Brush – This is my favorite because it can fit anywhere, easy to maintain and clean, and simple to use.
Dr. Bronner’s Peppermint Soap – This soap has over 18 different claimed uses. It can be used to wash your body, hair, dishes, clothes, act as a deodorant, as well as a mirage of others things. It is also biodegradable. This small, portable bottle offers nearly everything a dirty camper needs to get clean.
Fresh Bath Body Wipes – With just one wipe, you can clean your whole body. Great for camping or people on the move. It is like a bath in towelette form.
Sea to Summit Tek Towel – This is ideal if you will be spending any time near or in water. This small, portable towel soaks up tons, but dries very quickly. It can even double up as a small blanket or pillow.
Boulders and logs just don’t do it for me in my ripe old age. I like to be off the ground, which means Crazy Creeks and Therm-a-Rest chairs aren’t adequate either unless I get all Bear Grylls and built a platform out of downed redwoods and jungle vines or whatever he uses. Tripod camping stools have been around for a while, but the ones I have seen or owned were not exactly featherweight compact backpacking seats. Coleman came out with their Exponent Trekking Stool a little while back that looked to be both light and compact, so I picked up a couple direct from Coleman to see how they fared.
Carrying bag
The stool comes in a nice nylon carrying bag that can be left at home if you don’t want the extra weight. I keep mine in the bag mostly to stop at least a little of the dirt from the ground that winds up coating the stool’s legs from coating the rest of the gear in my pack. I was glad to have the bag on our recent Cumberland Island trip, thanks to the wet sand that coated the legs. Not having a bag would have meant that I either needed to figure out a way to get all the sand out of every nook and cranny of the stool or live with sand all over the rest of the gear in my pack.
Stool in hand (that sounds gross)
The stool’s four legs fold in half, a feature which gives the unit its nice and compact size. The legs are made out of aluminum and are rated to hold up to 200 lbs, according to Coleman. The seat is nylon and is held in place for carry by a Velcro strap.
Stool ready to go
Unfold the legs, undo the Velcro strap holding the seat tight, fold out the stool, and you have a surprisingly comfortable seat. I tend to be leaning forward cooking food or playing with fire when I am sitting in a camp, so the lack of a backrest does not bother me. Despite the small sitting surface, I find the stool to be much more comfortable than most other folding chairs on the market.
One note about sitting on the stool:Â You position one of the corners to go
This one is for the ladies
betwen your legs instead of on either side like a regular chair or stool. I have seen a couple of friends try to sit with the corners on either side, which means that the metal corners of the stool are jabbing you in the thighs or butt, which is not exactly a comfortable way to relax in your campsite. Well, maybe it is for some of you freaky kids out there, but not for me.
My wife and I have had our Coleman Trekking Stools for about six months so far and have been pleased with how comfortable they are and how well they perform.  The going rate for the stools looks to be $20, a very reasonable price for a versatile piece of gear.
