Still plenty of time to shop for outdoor-minded people

This is the third of a four-part series about Christmas gifts for outdoors-minded people.

Yes, time is growing short, but there is still time to purchase the perfect Christmas gift for family and friends.

Camping gear

Now this is a mouthful of a subject. The scenarios are numerous. Beginning campers are an example and they need everything. I think of most well-cared-for camping items as lasting a lifetime or for generations. The mistake in this way of thinking is the fact camping equipment continues to improve.

A Coleman lantern, which needs to be filled with fuel and pumped occasionally to maintain pressure, continues to hold a bit of camping passion and romance for me. My father told the story of remembering kerosene lamps and the poor light they provided, leaving much of the room in darkness.

Next came the Coleman lantern and the room was filled with an abundance of light. One of his childhood memories was turning off the lantern and the last bit of pressure allowing him to hightail it to bed before the light faded completely. The Coleman lantern was replaced by a single light bulb hanging in the middle of the room.

Today we have improved versions of the Coleman lantern. My favorite is one which can use a small bottle of propane gas or be connected to the top of a propane tree. The tree is attached to a larger propane tank. There are several ports where hoses can be attached allowing the use of several gas appliances at the same time, with the lantern at the top of the tree.

One of the hoses from the tree goes to a Coleman Outfitter stove, which has three burners, helpful at deer came when several food items are being prepared at once.

Another lesson learned during the past two years involves the size and output of a stove. My wife, Garnet, and I have a smallish Coleman stove called the Fold N Go. I was hunting elk in cold weather near Ellensburg when I decided to warm up some moose stew using this little stove. The stove was not up to the task.

It is convenient when Garnet and I are traveling and for spring, summer and fall day trips, but during a winter hunting trip the more powerful Outfitter stove or the All-Terrain Sport Stove by Camp Chef is used. Besides being convenient, the more powerful stoves may be a lifesaving device in dire circumstances.

Several companies make what are called camp kitchens these days. They are convenient and make meal preparation easier and provide storage room for food and utensils. 

Food preparation utensils, spoons, dippers, strainers, forks spatulas, etc., are inexpensive enough to be purchased new. These items were prime targets at thrift and second-hand stores across the Columbia Basin in the past.

A group of these items as a new set would make a great gift. There is even a set of five or six utensils with two handles in a folding set, allowing the handles to be used with each of the items. Only two of the utensils can be used at once, but this is usually all that is needed.

Other cooking devices include Dutch ovens and cast iron skillets. While Dutch oven enthusiasts use only charcoal to provide heat for the oven, there is a new item which makes the oven more versatile. This is what I call an important improvement in the outdoor arena.

The Camp Chef Company has introduced the Dutch Oven Dome. It allows the ovens to be used on a gas burner and still bake etc. While this might not sound as if it is such a big deal, consider this:

The cook plans on using Dutch ovens for most of the cooking on a week-long camping trip in late July. A forest ranger stops by the campsite informing everyone a fire ban is now in place. No campfires are allowed and no charcoal is allowed, but gas camp stoves are permitted. The Dutch Oven Dome solves the problem and the Dutch ovens can be used.

The rest of this story has to do with the mess of using charcoal for heating a Dutch oven. This is messy work and I don't care for the extra time involved with firing up the charcoal or cleaning up the mess afterwards. I predict the Dome will entice more campers and backyard cooks to use Dutch ovens.

There are several camp chairs on the market. My favorite is one that has a folding table on the right side and a built-in, soft-sided cooler on the left side. My plan is to build a correct-size piece of plywood to fit on top of the cooler and, thus, have two folding tables.

Next week: The last-minute Christmas shopper has many options.