Camping out of your explorer

[TechnoBill]

Bears are not a big problem around here. We only have black bears and most of them are fairly small. Both of the fatalities that have taken place in the past ten years involved bears taking small children.

So if you don't have a concealed carry license, take a neighbor's small child with you.

 

[X6StringerX]

You don't have to be the fastest... you just can't be the slowest.

 

[ld50]

Hey LD50, how heavy is that tire rack? Nice Ex BTW! and the winch is it just stored there?

Naw, winch goes in the back. The rack is alright, it's the tire that is heavy: but I rarely drop it down since I can grab gear from the back passenger doors, including the winch -and my tent.

 

[Thelt]

So if you don't have a concealed carry license, take a neighbor's small child with you.

I have a concealed carry permit

 

[Thelt]

I tried it out last night. It actually worked out pretty well. The only snag was the air mattress would not stay firm all night. It did not go flat but it started sagging. I am not sure if it is because I bought a cheap Wal Mart special or what. Seems like every air mattress I have ever had would do that over night though.

Me and my wife and the 2 and 4 year old slept in it. It was tight but not too bad. The kids are small.

 

[TechnoBill]

I have a concealed carry permit

In Ohio, 'Castle Doctrine' applies to where one is domiciled overnight. It's been a couple of months since I read the full text of the actual law but I think it applies to unwelcome entry into one's vehicle as well.

Knowledge is Our Friend.

 

[Thelt]

In Ohio, 'Castle Doctrine' applies to where one is domiciled overnight. It's been a couple of months since I read the full text of the actual law but I think it applies to unwelcome entry into one's vehicle as well.

Knowledge is Our Friend.

Regardless of the law, no jury is going to punish you for defending yourself and your kids...

 

[speedracer0626]

Yeah i live in bear country too. Foothills of the great Smokey Mountains. Have seen my share of blackies. The X is comfy for me and my wife. We go camping in it all the time. I use a full size air matteress and a big sleeping bag. Plus my D.E. just in case.

 

[TechnoBill]

Plus my D.E. just in case.

Now that's a tool in the right ball park for such a task!

 

[Thelt]

Yeah i live in bear country too. Foothills of the great Smokey Mountains. Have seen my share of blackies. The X is comfy for me and my wife. We go camping in it all the time. I use a full size air matteress and a big sleeping bag. Plus my D.E. just in case.

OK I claim ignorance what is a D.E?

I make it to the Smokey Mountains some times. I like to camp near Cherokee every now and them. I am mostly north east of there though. The blue ridge parkway has some good places to camp.

 

[TechnoBill]

OK I claim ignorance what is a D.E?

Desert Eagle. A rather stoutly constructed semi-automatic pistol available in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50 AE. For those folks who like to keep their options open, it can be purchased in a component system package that includes everything necessary to switch between all three calibers. Thus, the folks who want a hand cannon aren't restricted to revolvers.

The revolvers, notably the S&W 5" 460V and S&W 4" 500 do have a 'bit' more punch. We don't have bears, except Teddy Bears, where we live but if I were camping where they're known to visit I'd err on the side of caution and go with the 460 and wear it constantly. The 460s can also accommodate .454 Casull and .45 Colt, the latter being a bit less abusive for becoming familiar with the revolver before working up to full .460 Magnum loads. (Yes, the 460 is actually a .45 caliber, albeit bearing little resemblance to the .45 APC) Sort of like the difference between getting T-Boned by a motorhome vs. getting T-Boned by a freight train . I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either, but I've been led to believe a bear would merely take the .45 APC caliber 1911 or Glock G21 away from you and shove it up your posterior orifice. At least with a stouter caliber, IF you could draw, fire, and make a central nervous system hit I suppose you'd have a chance at survival, but it all hinges on a pretty big 'IF'. I'm just going to hang with Pooh Bear and leave the blackies, grizzlies, and whatnot to y'all .

 

[Thelt]

Desert Eagle. A rather stoutly constructed semi-automatic pistol available in .357 Magnum, .44 Magnum, and .50 AE. For those folks who like to keep their options open, it can be purchased in a component system package that includes everything necessary to switch between all three calibers. Thus, the folks who want a hand cannon aren't restricted to revolvers.

The revolvers, notably the S&W 5" 460V and S&W 4" 500 do have a 'bit' more punch. We don't have bears, except Teddy Bears, where we live but if I were camping where they're known to visit I'd err on the side of caution and go with the 460 and wear it constantly. The 460s can also accommodate .454 Casull and .45 Colt, the latter being a bit less abusive for becoming familiar with the revolver before working up to full .460 Magnum loads. (Yes, the 460 is actually a .45 caliber, albeit bearing little resemblance to the .45 APC) Sort of like the difference between getting T-Boned by a motorhome vs. getting T-Boned by a freight train . I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of either, but I've been led to believe a bear would merely take the .45 APC caliber 1911 or Glock G21 away from you and shove it up your posterior orifice. At least with a stouter caliber, IF you could draw, fire, and make a central nervous system hit I suppose you'd have a chance at survival, but it all hinges on a pretty big 'IF'. I'm just going to hang with Pooh Bear and leave the blackies, grizzlies, and whatnot to y'all .

Ok, I have heard of Desert Eagle... I am just going to keep my little Kel Tec in my pocket and hope for the best. If I put six rounds in the bear and he still is eating me then I will have one round left for myself

 

[TechnoBill]

If I put six rounds in the bear and he still is eating me then I will have one round left for myself

That's the spirit! Like the gentlemen on the Titanic who put on their formal wear to smoke their finest cigars and quaff brandy. Let Death come, but it will find us staring it down with dignified resolve.

 

[X6StringerX]

I'd rather live. I'll take the shotgun, lol.

 

[coppe]

well somewhere in between bears and weapons, ........ regarding sleeping in the X, i´m like 6´2, and i can lay a bit diagonal with the back seat folded in my 4 door and be pretty comfortable. And also i´ve seen in the web some air matresses designed specifically for the back of suv´s, that have the shape of the wheel wheels embeded, so that it fits completely flat in the floor. As soon as i see one, i´m getting it. that should improve the sleeping part, regarding bears.... well i thank there are none in my area.

 

[Tbars4]

...The twin air mattress fits perfect between the wheel wells and leaves you room to stash stuff in front of and behind the wheel well...

...I'm not sure of what the price of the specially shaped mattress would cost, but you can get the twin or queen size with a plug in air pump on sale at Target or Walmart for $20-$25 bucks...

 

[Thelt]

I ordered a full size air mattress from Wal Mart and it fits very well. It was cheap too. A Queen is too big and a twin is too small. It is hard to find a full size air mattress in the store but they can be had cheap online.

Of course the one I bought does not hold air well over night when the temperature drops....

 

[Thelt]

I'd rather live. I'll take the shotgun, lol.

The odds of a bear attack are very low. Lugging around a shotgun is not worth it to me. I carry the Kel Tec pretty much all the time anyway to ward off human predators....

 

[speedracer0626]

As long as you pick up your trash and do not leave coolers with food or beer just sitting around at night, then blackies tend to leave people alone. In my area however the old folks feed them and therefore they are use to human presence. So with my O.C.D. I come prepared. My hand cannon as Techno said does a hell of job at stopping anything it wants to. Yes my 357 mag does have a little more pow but my wife dont like it. Mine is component, but for the cost of ammo I keep it .50. Military Issue Modded Yes a fullsize does fit perfect and the Colemans with the pillow top are awesome at holding air.

 

[ExploringNC]

Sorry to jump in this late but my X is down and getting on this site just bumbs me out.

I do camp in the truck when it's just the two of use and we want to go light otherwise I pull the trailer.

Fist two pics are from Table Rock (Thelt you know the place) third is from Uwharrie. Iv'e spent last several years in the Linville area now we've moved over to Wilson Creek area, there is allot more swimming holes and camp sites by rivers there.

Thelt we've gotta meet up some time? It's usually just me and the wife that go we can never find anybody that will go camping especially in the back country. We find someplace new everytime and we just barely gotten into the Smocky's.

I've run into Bears before and seen trees freshly stripped thats why I always take my dogs and a .380 noise maker but I've never had a problem at the camp site, just gotta use camping common sense.