In this video I finish up Capitol Reef National Park’s Cathedral Valley Loop, something that has been on my Utah bucket list for years. I check out the Morrell Cabin, the Temple of the Sun, Temple of the Moon, Glass Mountain, and more! (Click here if you can’t see the video below.)
All posts by Tristan
Driving Across a River, Finding an Abandoned Truck & More!
In this video I start the 60-ish mile Cathedral Valley Loop through southern Utah’s Capitol Reef National Park. I drive across a river, come across an old abandoned truck, and drive through some truly epic desert landscapes before finding a buggy campsite on national forest land.
Learn more about the drive here. (Click here if you can’t see the video below.)
Exploring Utah’s Desert – Dino Tracks, Arches & More!
In this video I explore Buckhorn Draw, a canyon in Utah’s San Rafael Swell area. I check out a ton of petroglyphs, some pictographs, a natural arch, a Native American ruin, a dinosaur footprint, and more! (Click here if you can’t see the video below.)
Little Grand Canyon & Broken Camera!
Sorry for the delay in getting a video out, but good internet access has been difficult to come by on this trip! In this video I head to central Utah’s Little Grand Canyon and promptly break my main video camera. Great. I also cook up a couple of easy meals. (Click here if you can’t see the video below.)
Help Me Plan My Big Road Trip!
I leave tomorrow on a monthlong road trip and couldn’t be more excited! In this video I talk a bit about the trip, and I also ask for your input on places I should see and things I should do along the way, particularly in northern California (east of I-5), southeastern Oregon, and southern Idaho. (Click here if you can’t see the video below.)
Mountain Climbing and Lake Packrafting!
The Most Beautiful Campsite Ever?!
In this video I head up into the mountains of northern Utah and find the most beautiful campsite I’ve ever stayed at. I talk about some changes I’ve made to my camping setup and show off some new gear, including what may be the world’s most compact camp toilet! (Click here if you can’t see the video below.)
This video is part 1 of the adventure. Part 2 will be up on Thursday or Friday.
Relevant Links
- Campsite Location: 40.968556, -111.796334
- The Walmart chair
- The inflatable solar lantern
- The other solar lantern
- The cooler
- The tie-downs I use as hammock straps (They’re much cheaper than “real” adjustable hammock straps and work great.)
- The privacy tent
- The windshield mount I use to attach my fake GoPro
(Note: This blog post contains Amazon affiliate links.)
I Found a New Website and App for Free Campsites
I’m always on the lookout for tools to help me find free campsites. Websites I currently consult before going on a trip include FreeCampsites.net, Campendium, and Hipcamp. I recently found a new one to add to the rotation, and it’s called iOverlander. (There are Android and iOS apps too.)
I live in Utah and have extensive camping experience in the state, so whenever I come across one of these new websites or apps, I immediately go to Utah and see if there are any camping areas I don’t already know about. It turns out that iOverlander had several. I then looked down into Arizona and southern California (other areas I’m pretty familiar with) and found still more campsites I wasn’t aware of. In my opinion, iOverlander is the second best of the above mentioned campsite websites after FreeCampsites.net. (I’ve found that the other two websites, Campendium and Hipcamp, have campsites that are usually covered on FreeCampsites.net.)
You can filter the camps by type of camping (I usually turn all of them off except for “wild camping” and “informal campsites”) and by amenities you’re looking for (being able to find a paid campground with a shower, for example, could mean that you won’t need to pay for a shower at a recreation center or truck stop).
Head on over to iOverlander and take a look at the camping areas near you or that you’re familiar with. Did you find any campsites you didn’t already know about?
Hanging a Camp Shower Without Trees (From Your Car!)
One of the problems I’ve had with my little solar camp shower bag is that I’m not always near a tree to hang it up. Plopping it on top of my SUV doesn’t work well because it’s not tall enough. This video covers two solutions that I’ve come up with. (Click here if you can’t see the video.)
Here’s the shower I have (affiliate link), and here’s the link to the “poor man’s drone” video mentioned.
More Hitch-Mounted Hammock Hanging!
I know that not everyone is into hammocking when they’re out traveling and camping in their SUVs, but I highly recommend it. I think it provides an unparalleled relaxation experience. One thing I’ve been fascinated with lately is the idea of being able to hang a hammock without trees, and one way to do that is to get a hitch-mounted hammock stand for the back of your SUV, truck, car, etc.
I’ve linked to the Blue Ridge Overland Gear Hitchhiker ($290 plus $33 shipping) hammock stand before, but I’ve recently come across a few more hitch-mounted hammock stands and wanted to share them in case anyone else is as weirdly interested in these things as I am:
The Hitch Hammock ($389 with free shipping)
This one is unique in that it also functions as a hitch-mounted cargo basket. If you’re into that, this looks like a great option.
McLean Metalworks Hammock Mount ($399 with free shipping)
If I had $400 burning a hole in a my pocket, this is the hitch-mounted hammock stand I’d get. With the arms collapsed and folded down, the thing is just 26 inches wide. Very cool design.
The Hammock-King ($210 plus ~$70 shipping)
This one is brand new on the market. As you can see, it’s a much different design from the others. The good news is that it’s cheaper than all the rest. The bad news is that you’re really high off the ground when you’re in the hammock. Not good if you’re injury-prone. As for the $70 shipping price, that’s how much I was quoted for shipping to Utah from Michigan, where the Hammock-King is made. It may be more or less depending on where you are. Here’s a video showing the Hammock-King in action.