Quote from: majorhavoc on October 12, 2026, 08:31:14 AMApropos of this discussion El Cheapo Lightweight Rectangular Sleeping Bag.

Not for serious cold weather conditions, obviously. But for helping to stay warm in a stranded car in the winter, this might make sense.  It's an inexpensive addition to a winter car emergency kit.  The fact that it's rectangular means it can unzip into a comforter, so it could be shared with someone else in the car with you.

That's a theft proof price!

Apropos of this discussion El Cheapo Lightweight Rectangular Sleeping Bag.

Not for serious cold weather conditions, obviously. But for helping to stay warm in a stranded car in the winter, this might make sense.  It's an inexpensive addition to a winter car emergency kit.  The fact that it's rectangular means it can unzip into a comforter, so it could be shared with someone else in the car with you.

Quote from: DarkAxel on October 11, 2026, 01:47:31 PMNothing really to add to the conversation but this:

Illegal camping laws and ordinances are gaining a lot of traction, so you may want to read up on them. Some of the things that can be considered illegal camping aren't immediately obvious either. In my state, sleeping in your car with a pillow and blanket on public land or right-of-way can get you a ticket, and repeat offensives can get you jail time. Camping on public land in any location other than a designated camping site is illegal here, too. Due diligence is the order of the day here, and this topic may be important enough for a thread of it's own.

I think I understand the intent behind these laws, and the reason they would gain traction. They're probably written by the same folks that put all those helpful armrests on airport benches and stud the underside of bridges with mini dragon's teeth so nobody gets too comfortable in one spot for too long. 

I would like to think there's a certain amount of LEO discretion involved during enforcement, right? 

Otherwise, what's the difference between loitering at the park and visiting the park? A picnic basket?

I would hope that an officer seeing my car stuck in a snowdrift, and me heating up a can of soup on the tailgate would check to see if I've called a tow truck before reaching for the ticket book and cuffs. On the other hand, if I'm parked in the middle of a traffic circle for a couple of weeks with a clothesline attached to my tailgate? Yeah, time to move it along, buddy.

Quote from: NT2C on October 11, 2026, 02:19:37 PM

Quote from: DarkAxel on October 11, 2026, 01:47:31 PMNothing really to add to the conversation but this:

Illegal camping laws and ordinances are gaining a lot of traction, so you may want to read up on them. Some of the things that can be considered illegal camping aren't immediately obvious either. In my state, sleeping in your car with a pillow and blanket on public land or right-of-way can get you a ticket, and repeat offensives can get you jail time. Camping on public land in any location other than a designated camping site is illegal here, too. Due diligence is the order of the day here, and this topic may be important enough for a thread of it's own.

Now, if I pulled over for a rest break on "public land", such as a county courthouse parking lot, etc., and I got cited for it because I used a pillow and blanket in my car, that's a ticket I'd fight as high as I needed to.

You'd probably get some local help if it happened here. There are a LOT of people angry right now. To beat it all, when I got my Driver's license renewed there was an insert in the temp license from the Kentucky State Police encouraging people to pull over and take a nap instead of driving while tired. 

Quote from: DarkAxel on October 11, 2026, 01:47:31 PMNothing really to add to the conversation but this:

Illegal camping laws and ordinances are gaining a lot of traction, so you may want to read up on them. Some of the things that can be considered illegal camping aren't immediately obvious either. In my state, sleeping in your car with a pillow and blanket on public land or right-of-way can get you a ticket, and repeat offensives can get you jail time. Camping on public land in any location other than a designated camping site is illegal here, too. Due diligence is the order of the day here, and this topic may be important enough for a thread of it's own.

Now, if I pulled over for a rest break on "public land", such as a county courthouse parking lot, etc., and I got cited for it because I used a pillow and blanket in my car, that's a ticket I'd fight as high as I needed to.

Nothing really to add to the conversation but this:

Illegal camping laws and ordinances are gaining a lot of traction, so you may want to read up on them. Some of the things that can be considered illegal camping aren't immediately obvious either. In my state, sleeping in your car with a pillow and blanket on public land or right-of-way can get you a ticket, and repeat offensives can get you jail time. Camping on public land in any location other than a designated camping site is illegal here, too. Due diligence is the order of the day here, and this topic may be important enough for a thread of it's own. 

Quote from: majorhavoc on October 11, 2026, 06:56:32 AMYou can't tell me The Committee isn't monitoring every website I visit, the texts and emails I send, the posts I make on forums and even voice convesations within earshot of my phone, smart speaker or even my f*cking web-enabled car.    This just popped up on my feed:

84-pack Folders Black Silk Instant Coffee Cystals - $9.79 54% off.

It's a forgone conclusion. And I am convinced before that that every cable box had a mic soldered to it's board someplace. Remember how they always wanted you to name esch cable box by what room they were in?! 

The only right to privacy we have left is being told in a 98 page terms of service what's rights they are going to violate for sure!

You can't tell me The Committee isn't monitoring every website I visit, the texts and emails I send, the posts I make on forums and even voice convesations within earshot of my phone, smart speaker or even my f*cking web-enabled car.    This just popped up on my feed:

84-pack Folders Black Silk Instant Coffee Cystals - $9.79 54% off.

Quote from: majorhavoc on October 10, 2026, 11:51:07 AM

Quote from: Moab on October 10, 2026, 11:19:00 AM

Quote from: echo83 on October 10, 2026, 08:52:47 AM

Quote from: NT2C on October 09, 2026, 07:39:08 AMI keep a pair of heavy shelter type tarps (orange one side, reflective the other) plus a few different blankets (double as rear seat covers and cargo area covers), as well as a cushion/pillow, paracord, and a pair of telescopic tent poles.  With them, and some cable ties I can tarp an area next to the Jeep for shelter/shade, have a ground cloth, and serviceable sleeping area outside the vehicle, though sleeping in the front passenger seat is always an option as it lies flat.  I also keep basic food and beverage needs (bottled water, 12v kettle, gas camping stove, coffee beans, grinder, French press, sweetener & creamer, Spam singles, a couple of MREs, freeze dried ramen style meals), extra clothing/hats/packable jackets, boots, and a spare cane.  It's enough to see me through a few days in the back country in relative comfort, and a week or two in a survival scenario.

All of this sounds pretty solid. Your coffee setup is far more refined than mine. I've been known to eat a spoonful of Taster's Choice instant, then drink water while driving. It horrifies my wife every time, so I do it for shock value as much as to maintain alertness.

Do the temperature fluctuations in your area reduce the shelf life/taste of your MREs? I've never stored them in my car.

I'm not above drinking Nescafe instant. But the caffeine is like $3 crack at a gas station! Makes me jittery as hell. I do drink a lot of decaf at night as a fake sweet treat with my fake sugar. Plus decaf beans are hard to come buy in the Phillipines. You can't even get a decaf coffee except at Starbucks. No one serves decaf. I think they think it's a rip off. Lol. But you also can't get normal drip coffee anywhere. Or Splenda or Equal.

Instant is mandatory in a BOB. I would not take a french press in a BOB. I can be bougy. But not that bougy. Lol. Plus ground coffee doesn't compare to fresh ground. And I'm certainly not bringing a grinder.

But for a hunting trip of weekend trip. French press all the way.

Starbucks VIA is as close to a decent cup of real coffee as I've ever encountered in instant.  It comes in single serving sleeves.  And please don't complain about the price - in a prepping world where people will pay $90 for an EDC flashlight, less than a dollar per cup for passable coffee in an emergency scenario is a freaking bargain. 

Now if someone would just come up with a decent powdered creamer that doesn't taste like white paint pigment, I'd be set for the apocalypse. 

I haven't met a powdered creamer I don't like. EXCEPT every single one has a massive amount of sugar hidden in it. That does not come up in the nutrition label. Because the food industry got a law passed that powdered corn syrup is not sugar. Except it actually is - obviously. Couldn't figure out why my blood sugar numbers were going haywire.