It’s still summer, and the livin’s still easy, as they say. As usual, my summer has been a whirlwind with plenty of writing, riding, a few races, a few weddings, numerous camping trips, and plenty of other things going on to fill the time in between. Life is short, so I’ve been trying to make the most of it and capitalize on the long sunny days, warm nights, and whatever youthful vitality I’ve got left in me.
Of course, I’ve been riding as much as my schedule allows. But I’ve also been on the road quite a bit, for the aforementioned weddings and races, but also just to get out of the Reno heat for a bit to see music and spend time with friends in my former home base of Tahoe. My camper has been on my truck for almost the entire summer. Here are a few products I’ve been using that stand out for use on the road, camping, and even around the house, with or without bikes involved.
Kāma Mat
Kāma is a small brand producing what it refers to as both “surfaces” and “portable outdoor mats for life outside.” The Mondo was the brand’s first product and the largest mat they currently make. They’ve since expanded the lineup to include the mid-sized Palma, the smaller Poco, and teeny tiny Lili. The mats are intended to be highly portable, super durable, and a comfortable spot to stand, sit, relax, do yoga, belay, or whatever else you’re doing outside.
All of Kama’s mats are comprised of semi-rigid, lightly padded panels, which are sewn inside of a super-tough Cordura fabric shell. The closed-cell foam used for the padding is made from 100% post-consumer materials and fabricated in the USA, and the mats are assembled and sewn in Logan, Utah. One of the key features of Kāma’s mats is their “origami-style” folding design, which enables them to fold down into a compact size for storage and transport.
The Mondo mat I have weighs ten pounds and has unfolded dimensions of 91” diagonal, 84” center, 50” wide, and ½” thick — it has a unique geometric shape. It’s large enough for two adults to lie down on, and easily fits 3-4 people sitting. It folds into a 28” long, 12” wide, 5” thick little bundle, which is very impressive given its unfolded size. It comes in numerous colors and retails for $244.
At first, I thought that sounded like a LOT of money for a camping mat, something that I would be stepping on, grinding into the dirt, and generally beating the crap out of. But after the last four years of heavy use and serious abuse — including four trips to Burning Man, two of which got very muddy — I can say that it was money very well spent. Its foldable design makes it easy to strap to my bike, stuff in the side panel of the camper, or carry into an outdoor music venue — or anywhere else.
We sit on it at the beach and the river, pull it out for campsite lounging and pre- and post-ride stretching. Heck, I’ve even slept on it. It has seen hundreds of days on the ground under feet and butts. It’s been coated in playa dust (and mud), dragged over rocks, ground into the dirt, had beer, food, and grease spilled on it, and has handled everything we’ve thrown at it. The shell material has zero rips or even any fraying, and all of the stitching is intact. And when it inevitably gets dirty, it hoses (or powerwashes) clean, doesn’t absorb water, and dries pretty quickly.
And that initial $244 investment currently works out to be $61-a-year for something I use all the time. That per-year cost is likely to come down significantly, too, because I’m pretty sure my Kāma mat will still be going strong several years from now. I’m not sure what I expected from a portable folding “surface,” but this thing is awesome. Check them out at kamasurface.co
BougeRV CRH20 21QT 12V Portable Fridge
BougeRV makes a range of reasonably priced portable fridges, portable A/C units, and solar power products. In the portable fridge market, they’re going up against brands like Dometic, Bluetti, ICECO, and Anker, which are all priced significantly higher. The CRH20 21QT 12V portable fridge is one of the brand’s latest models designed for use on road trips, camping, or everyday use. It works as a freezer or refrigerator/cooler and is compatible with AC, DC, and solar power inputs; plus it has a 240 Wh battery that powers it when it isn’t plugged in and works as a battery bank, too.
It has external dimensions of 18.9” W x 13.46” D x 18.27” H. BougeRV says its capacity is ideal for two people, with the ability to hold twenty-five 12-ounce cans — cans are a typical volume measurement for coolers. It has a small screen with several buttons to control and monitor temperature, plus it works with the BougeRV app to control it from your phone. According to the brand, it has a temperature range of -4° to 68° F — a typical refrigerator is usually around 35° to 40° F. The 240 Wh battery provides up to 30 hours of power (claimed in ECO mode) and has a full suite of plug types for charging other devices. Noise emission is stated at 45 dB or less. It weighs 22.6 pounds.
I’ve got a 1984 Six-Pac cabover camper, which is about as rustic as it gets. Our setup is extremely bare-bones, and it still has the original “icebox,” which works so poorly we just use it for storage. We usually bring our RTIC cooler, which works incredibly well, but it’s quite large and awkward to deal with. So, I figured I’d give a portable fridge/powered cooler a shot to see if it could improve our camp and travel refrigeration. At its current price of $350, it’s not exactly cheap, but compared to its competitors listed above, BougeRV’s products are very competitively priced. For example, the similarly sized Dometic CFX5 25 retails for about double.
The initial setup was pretty straightforward, and the controls and display are easy to understand and use. It comes with a regular AC plug/adapter and a 9V DC power cord, plus it can be charged via USB-C or solar panels. Plenty of charging options. When it’s plugged in, it runs off external power and charges the battery. The battery takes over when it is not plugged into another power source.
After setting it to my desired temperature, I was surprised by how quickly it cooled, and how quiet it ran. It’s not silent, but it certainly isn’t loud. It probably only took 20 minutes to go from the ambient 85° temperature down to 40°. The 21-quart size doesn’t sound all that big, but it has worked perfectly for my wife and me on our typical 2-night camping trips. At 22.6 lbs empty, it’s kinda heavy, but it’s very manageable to carry given its size and the carry handle. It fits easily behind the seat of my truck, and takes up way less space in the camper than my bulky cooler.
I haven’t used it as a freezer, although you can, but I have been impressed by its refrigeration. For day trips, I cool it down at home and top off the battery with AC power. On the road, I’ll plug it in to the 9V in my truck while I’m driving and let the battery take over when I’m not. Having numerous ways to power it is pretty convenient. I’ve used it to keep post-ride beers cold in my truck for hours under a blazing hot summer sun, and it has kept food and drinks cold overnight numerous times with ease.
To test how long the battery would last, I set it at 40° in MAX mode in my garage, which ranged between 80° and 90°, and it ran for right around 22 hours. In ECO mode, I assume it could’ve gone for quite a bit longer. Outside temperature will play a major role in its cooling duration, of course, but I’ve been pretty impressed every time I’ve used it. And as a bonus, my cheese and other food items never get soggy from melting cooler ice.
The BougeRV CRH20 portable fridge is undoubtedly a bit of a luxury item, but one that’s made a notable impact on my camp and travel refrigeration experience. It’s compact, easy to use, quiet, and most importantly, keeps food and drinks cold whether I’m near a power source or not. It’s been working well for me, and it’s more affordable than the competition, relatively speaking, of course. Check it out at bougerv.com
Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2
Teufel Audio teamed up with Fender and created the Rockster Go 2. The portable Bluetooth speaker has a bit of a retro look, but in a compact package that you can take anywhere. It has dimensions of 8.3” L x 4.3” H x 2.4” D, and it weighs 1.6 lbs. It has a rectangular-ish shape with a grippy rubber flat bottom. It comes with a USB-C charging cable, a Fender guitar pick, and a hand strap.
It is IP67 rated for dust and waterproofness, and has an impact-resistant design. The brand claims “up to 28 hours of battery life in Eco Mode at medium volume.” The controls are simple to use and understand, and it has been easy to connect with every single time. That is not my experience with all portable speakers, some of which can be very finicky. It lives on my workbench in my garage, but it turns into the camper stereo when I go out on the road.
What has impressed me most about this speaker is the sound. I’m no audiophile, so take this with a grain of salt, but it sounds very crisp and clear to my untrained ears. It’s plenty loud for my needs, and I’d say it has a rich, full-bodied sound. Allegedly, this is because they’ve packed “two aluminum full-range drivers and one passive bass radiator for deep stereo sound.” Compared to my several-year-old JBL Flip 5, I’d say the Rockster’s audio is a slight step above, but I’m splitting hairs. It’s a bit larger than the barrel-shaped JBL, but I prefer the Rockster’s shape and flat bottom for stability.
Regardless, the Fender x Teufel Rockster Go 2 is a great little speaker that’s been putting in some work on my workbench and out on the road. It looks pretty cool, the sound is great, and it retails for $130. Check it out at teufelaudio.com
