Sleeping bags: I have a 30 degree bag that works well with layers down to about 40. After that I have a microfiber liner that I insert which brings it down to a 0 degree and keeps me nice and toasty.

Tent: Ozark 6 man pop up tent. Takes me longer to put it back in the bag than it does to take up and tear down. For 100 bucks it's replaceable and after almost a years worth of running it I do have some holes in the bottom from my cot feet.

Comfort: Cots as mentioned above (hence the 6 man tent as well for space). It's my son and I and personally I'm not a big fan of sleeping on the ground. Air mattresses are noisy to fill up and usually lose air over night. Pads work well, but you can roll off or lose air in those as well. The cots are perfect. The only downfall is you do get air coming up through the bottom and if the 30 degree bag + liner aren't enough I do keep a sleeping pad to use as a buffer.


Cooking: I use everything from a 2 burner white gas coleman stove from the 80s, to a propane bbq, to the campfire. Last time I camped recently we literally cooked everything over the fire. My bbq is falling apart so I'll be in the market for a smaller more compact version soon, but I like to have it for lunch breaks on the trail.

Fire: Since I usually have 1 lb propane tanks for the bbq, I carry a torch attachment. Rain, sun, snow, wind. Doesn't matter. I can get a fire started in just about anything. And while I realize that's not the point of being in scouts, One trick I learned was to strip down the Christmas tree branches while it's still green. Bundle needles/branches tightly together with fishing line. Then let it dry out in the sun for a month or two. The amount of sap in the branches combined with the dry needles make for a quick and easy fire starter in all conditions.

I keep all of my camping gear in two tubs. One contains the sleeping bags/liners/pad. The other one carries all my cooking gear, knives, skillet, stove, etc. along with whatever other misc trash bags, soap, utensils, propane and whatnot.