Next month I'm going on a 110 mile ATV ride over some pretty rough Alaska terrain.  Will be the wife and I + one friend. We'll be driving my polaris general and will need to pack all the equipment inside. The friend will have his own ATV.

Have a good tent and pack but need:

sleeping pads x 2
sleeping bags x 2
portable chair x 2
way to heat water for mountain house meals
first aid kit
hydration bladder x 1

Looking for quality "best value" type gear... not wanting to spend $1000 bucks at REI but don't want cheap garbage either. What do ya'll suggest?

JetBoil for water if it’s only MH meals. They’re efficient and fast. I’ve had several types and those are what I’d choose.

My sleeping bag is an LL Bean down. It’s like 20 years old and still going strong but I bet there’s way better these days. I’d say go big on the sleeping bag, it’ll last a lifetime and I think money well spent for an better version.

First aid kit suggestion since you mentioned budget - build it. Cheap pouch from amazon, several TQ, several vacuum sealed gauze rolls, neosporin, bandaids, finger gloves, etc.

And buy good socks!

Where in Alaska?

Circle trail

Spare drive belt for the Polaris and required tools.

Tool kit with tools to change a belt and minor repairs.  
Spare belt
Tire plug kit
12 volt air compressor
Tow strap
Small jumper cables and possibly a lithium ion jump pack
Extra gas-I'd plan for at least an extra 2 gallons...more would be better
Toilet paper and hand sanitizer....I like to carry mine on my ATV/SxS in a Folgers plastic coffee can.  Can fit a roll of TP, a small bottle of hand sanitizer, and a pack of wet wipes in the can
I like liquid white gas stoves for ATV camping but a MSR Pocket Rocket works fine for both ATV camping and backpacking.  The small Chinese canister stove like the pocket rocket on Amazon is probably the cheapest option that still works
Bug spray and plenty of it.  I also recommend treating all your clothes with permethrin

Well.  For me...

pop tarts
easy cheese
beer
baby wipes
a blanket

eta: didn't realize this wasn't gd. But I stand by my answers all the same.

Spray your tent, bags, and other equipment with permethrin. Google dyi permethrin. If you have cats wet it is cat nerve agent. Spraying everything will help repel mosquitoes. Bring head nets. Keep a clean camp.

Klymit insulated pads
Jetboil
Platypus big zip

I only look at Big Agnes for sleeping bags and pads as the bags have a pocket for the pads, so you can’t roll off.

This.

If the tent has no-see-um netting, spray that well. Mosquitoes won't like landing on it, and it will kill tiny gnats/biting midges that are small enough to land on it and crawl through the tiny mesh. Firing up a Thermacell at the entrance for a few minutes before getting in, will help discourage mosquitoes and other biting bugs following you in when you enter.

As for something to just boil water for freeze dried stuff, I would recommend the BRS Titanium Stove, its super light (25 grams) heats up water super fast, and is cheap too,

$14.64 each, at that price you could get a few.  I have 2 and been using them for about a year now, no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/Titanium-Stove-BRS-3000T-Parallel-Goods/dp/B00UGQGS6S/ref=sr_1_5?keywords=BRS+titanium&qid=1561526327&s=gateway&sr=8-5

You won't want to be relying on the one hydration bladder if it fails.
Pack a second one for the spouse

Great Stove...works well for me
A good water filtration system. I have a sawyer Mini.
If you are doing this in summer, Deet!
tools, tire repair kit, maybe a small 12v compressor or a good foot pump?

Canned chicken
Powdered potatoes
Ramon noodles
.
Proceed with caution when depending on mountain house, I have seen dozens of people getting VERY sick due to elevated sodium levels induced by this diet.

I've found the pouches of chicken breast and tuna to be easier to carry in a pack than the cans. Also the broccoli cheddar rice stuff from knorr and others are pretty good. That's what we take camping. Screw Mountain house...stuff's nasty in comparison.

I’m in Florida so my climate needs are different than what you’ll need.

But I highly recommend all things Thermarest for light weight, easy to inflate, and comfy, pads. Decent Thermarest pads can sometimes be had on the cheap thru places like Rural King when they go on clearance. There are some models made specifically for colder climates.

I use a Big Agnes early model camp chair. Its expensive ($100) but I found mine worth it. There’s lots of knock offs now for under $50 that may be just as good, I cannot say. There’s also multiple models now both under Big Agnes and REI’s brand names. Do add some tennis balls or other kinds of bottom support to them or the thin legs will constantly be pushing into the dirt.

I have a huge list from my hunting days in AK some thoughts

permethrin clothes
head net
thermarest cushion and a ridge rest if youll be near rocks - it might cost more but worth it. you can save money and just use a mil surplus rock pad from a surplus store but i would spend on the thremorest

also a cabinet shelf liner to keep from sliding off of it in hilly terrain

they also make thermorest seat frames you can fold the cushion and make a nice seat vs bring a separate seat

since its warm, I would get a hammock, better than the ground, also better in the snow w/o tent

small camp chair with the material removed and replaced with two straps (open butt area) for personal business (people always laugh when i bring it, but after a couple days they beg for it)

PLB but if your on a trail prob not needed

neck gator for bugs

radio for each party

golf umbrella- yeah its nice to have in camp when it rains, or if you make a quick stop

water bladder-since you have the room/carry it get a blue water cube form walmart and also a couple knock off camel backs

I have a MSR whisper lite, but since you are driving a coleman propane stove form walmart and a couple propane bottles from waltmart will work fine- You can also pack a propane torch tip (like the plumbing kind) and use that.

afa food

MH gets old and texture is bland, I always pack tortillas and then I can us the breakfast MH to make burritos, use some rice/in beans to make a lunch/dinner burrito or throw on a favoured tuna pack in the tortillas, they dont get smashed like break an pack well

since you have your wife, bring some nutella and throw that on a warm tortilla at your first camp, thank me later.

For the sleeping bags just make sure they are rated for  at least  20° below what you expect the low temp you’ll experience to be (remember to keep in mind effect of elevation) iDown is lighter and will pack down light.  I do some camping out of my SxS a couple times a year and it is still really easy to overpack. I recommend treating it like a backpacking trip in terms of packing

Stove - jetboil - super fast boiling water

Hydration bladder - I really like Source hydration. I have a couple that I have had for a few years and they are still good.

SXS - How well do you know the terrain you are traveling ? How far from help if needed?  I would go through the machine really well before striking off and bring any of your typical failure parts and tools to change them.  I

LOVE my Big Agnes sleep systems. And they pack up smaller than the ones I used in the military.

Not really possible to have quality cheap gear. If you're just going to use it once or twice then don't worry about it. Depending on the terrain, 110 miles can be done in a day easily. If you're  going to stretch it out for a few days you'll want better gear. The longer you stay out the more you'll appreciate the better gear, especially if the weather turns wet, cold or both.

MSR Hubba Hubba Tent
Therm A Rest sleeping pads
Wiggy Sleeping Bags
Jetboil stove
Helinox chairs
MSR water filter
MSR water bags
Mountain House meals 3 per day x number of days
Adventure Medical First Aid kit
Flashlight and rechargeable batteries with 12v charger
Clif Bars
GPS, compass and map
And fill everywhere else with beer and ammo

Mtn house is gross, these are the truth:

https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Bite-Indian-Lentils-Microwaveable/dp/B0007R9L4M/ref=pd_aw_sim_325_of_9?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B0007R9L4M&pd_rd_r=5ecf4866-a412-11e9-bc7b-8187b0da1013&pd_rd_w=U083V&pd_rd_wg=QdyZE&pf_rd_p=469620d9-3e90-496d-9dc8-b19f900ba5fe&pf_rd_r=V87KE4M3XKSKG8NEJEWY&psc=1&refRID=PSN6EPHDQKX1Q2841A7F

https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Bite-Vegetable-Vegetables-Vegetarian/dp/B00L3MP388/ref=pd_aw_sim_325_of_5?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00L3MP388&pd_rd_r=5ecf4866-a412-11e9-bc7b-8187b0da1013&pd_rd_w=U083V&pd_rd_wg=QdyZE&pf_rd_p=469620d9-3e90-496d-9dc8-b19f900ba5fe&pf_rd_r=V87KE4M3XKSKG8NEJEWY&psc=1&refRID=PSN6EPHDQKX1Q2841A7F&th=1

Attached File


Some organic rice packs..
https://www.amazon.com/Tasty-Bite-Indian-Style-Microwaveable-Preservatives/dp/B001HTIXSO/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?keywords=tasty+bite+rice+basmati&qid=1562873780&s=gateway&sprefix=tasty+bite+rice+&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

These dont take up much space.  Hell i actually keep a few of these in the car for emergency food.  Could heat it up on the engine if i wanted ;)

If you bring a few avocados and some chicken in mylar or tuna in mylar, that will give you plenty of fats and proteins for mountain/alaska/etc activities.

ETA- this is also good because it's sealed against smell for bears.  You might want to get a bear canister, or learn to elevate food with a rope.  Keep  all food garbage far from tents.

Freeze a pound of bacon, and put some uncooked eggs in a vacuum sealed packet and freeze them for breakfasts on day 2.  Cook bacon, pour off most of the grease, cook eggs in bacon grease.  Money.

Energy bars for midday snacks.

All you need.....  and like others said dont go too cheap on the sleeping bags.  I would say that you want ratings that are more like 40 less than expected nighttime.

I have a sierra designs 30ish (iirc) bag and a marmot 15° bag. I went camping last wk at 7000asl and it got down to about 40 at night and i was cold as fuck in the sierra (over a thermarest, in an rei tent).  I fucjing hate going to bed in a jacket and beanie and waking up hot.

Also, beanie at sleepytime is good for keeping warm.

It's possible to have cheap strong gear.  It won't be light though.  The rule of thumb is, cheap, light, durable....pick two....not counting buying good stuff used cheap, you can't get all three with new gear.  It can be cheap and light...but won't be durable.  It can be light and durable...but it won't be cheap.  It can be cheap and durable....but it won't be light.

In the OP's case....he's on an ATV so weight is low on his list of concerns.  An ATV can easily carry 200 lbs of gear (or more) so when ATV camping, you can go with heavier materials if needed.

I like a lot of the Mountain House meals.....and that's saying something because I've eaten a few too many MREs in my lifetime.

That said, I like hot dogs and beans for a first evening meal when camping.  I slice up the hot dogs into the beans and then pack them into heavy duty zip lock bags.  You'll have to buy the heavy bags online since you won't find the really tough bags in Wal-Mart.  I think the ones I have used are something like 6 or 8 mil thick.  Use big enough ones and you can use the bags to pack out your trash later.  Pack them in the bag and then throw the bag in the freezer.  When you are ready to leave, take the bag and pack it into your sleeping bag for insulation.  They will be cold but thawed for your first night meal.

I also am a fan of ramen noodles and packaged chicken.  A can of corn in it also tastes good...but adds weight....then again weight isn't a concern when ATV camping.

On my last ATV camping trip, I took a couple soft sided coolers.  I froze some thin ribeye steaks, vacuum sealed, and by the first night, they were still cold and had helped keep the cooler contents cold throughout the first day but had thawed out and were ready to cook and eat.

With sleeping bags I agree, you can buy cheap bags that keep you warm to an extent, but they are usually heavy and bulky. I suggested Wiggys which are not light and don't compress down really well, but they are warm and bulletproof. Cheap tents that you are going to be putting up and taking down a lot are not going to hold up. The poles are going to crack and the material is going to come apart. Everyone is making a knockoff of the Helinox chair and in a UTV, you'll probably never know the difference since you're not packing it on your back. His UTV will carry a lot more than 200lb, but the load is going to have to be compressed down to fit in the cargo bed.  I have a RZR and it's easy to fill up the cargo area just carrying gear for day rides, especially if you're carrying extra fuel, tools and recovery gear. A quality water filter would be a must, and I might opt for a small  multi fuel stove if you're already carrying gas.