Overland Journal – August 01, 2019

OVERLAND JOURNAL FALL 2019

21

FIELD TESTED CHRIS CORDES

Thequestfortherightcamptablehasalwaysbeena struggle

formeandis ongoing.I wantsomethingcompactto savespace,but

thatdoesn’ttakeforeverto setup.SinceI storeit insidemyvehicle,it

can’trattleliketheroll-upaluminummodels,butneedsto besturdy

enoughforpracticaluse.It’sa delicatebalanceto strike,andlastyear

I foundmyalmostperfectmatch,thePrimusCampfire.

Thistableis lessthan3 inchesthickwhenstored,butspans22.8

x 29.5incheswhenopen.That’sanidealamountof spaceforkitchen

taskslikemealprep,cooking,andeventuallyeating,butthingscan

geta bittightwitha largestove,pots,pans,andingredients.

Setupis measuredinsecondsthankstothetri-foldtopand

quick-deploy 7075 aluminumframe,makingit easytopopthe

tablein andoutforlunchesandsnacks.Oncesetup,thecombocan

supportupto 55 pounds,despiteweighingjustunder4 poundson

itsown.Heavyitemsdotendto bowthetabletopa little,butit has

neverbeenenoughtobecomea problem.

Thetopis undeniablyattractive,coveredin a machine-washable,

polyester-cottonblendwhichis surprisinglydurable.It alsokeeps

thetablesilentwhenstowedin thecar,as therearenometalslatsto

bangtogetheroncorrugations.

If you’relookingforanattractivebalanceof form and function,

thePrimusCampfire is a well-rounded choice.

$130 | PRIMUS.US

Primus Campfire Table

A sturdy, usefuloptionfor those

seeking compact solutions.

Alpacka Forager Raft

Big boat capability in a small package.

Photo by Cory Luoma and Thor Tingey

Overlanderslove4WDs,butwealsotendtoexploretheearth

byothermeans.ThoughI’ma fanofthewater,carryinga canoeis

rarelyanoption,whichis whyI borroweda Foragerpackraftfrom

AlpackaRaftlastyear.

TheForageris a heavy-lifter,expedition-gradecraftequipped

tohaultwopeopleand500-pluspoundsofgear.Originallyde-

signedforbiggamehuntingintheremotereachesofAlaska,it is

idealfora weekendpaddleora journeyaroundIceland’scoasts.

This packraft isn’t your kid’s Sevylor. Its standard hide is

420-deniernyloncoatedwitha UV-resistantheavypolyurethane

film;anoptional400-denier,fivetimesstronger-than-steelVec-

tranfabricspunfromliquidcrystalpolymersis anoptionalma-

terial.TheForageris self-bailingandincludesingeniousfeatures

liketheCargoFly,anairtightzipperthatallowsyoutostoredry

bagsofgearinsidetheraft.Thiskeepsweightlowandprovides

backupflotationif youdospringa leak.

Weighingjust 13 pounds,theForageris a breeze topaddle

andcollapsestothesizeofa largesleepingbag.While it is a bit

spendy,Alpackaoffersmodelsstarting at just $850.

$1,700 AND UP | ALPACKARAFT.COM