Campground Review

This is a gorgeous mountain setting with perfect Summer temps. 

Pros

• Near water; a beautiful river and the reservoir of the same name
• It’s not far from civilization (under 30 minutes) if you need supplies, but it feels remote and secluded once you get there
• Basic amenities for a National Forest Campground are well-maintained (trash receptacles, toilets, water, fire rings, picnic tables)
• Camp Host on site (I guess this could be a pro or con depending on who you get [smile], but at least you know who to check in with); Camp host also notes names and dates on each camp site which added a sense of organization to the location
• Peaceful wildlife, like deer (see “cons” for another option here)
• Variety of vegetation (many different types of trees and wildflowers, etc.)
• Near other US Forest disbursed camping in case you need some time before or after your stay here

Cons

• Campsites are a bit on the small side and are close together (this is largely overcome by the lush vegetation; helps it feel private)
• This is bear country, so the signs say (wait, is that really a “con” or something unexpected when you’re camping in the forest? Just be aware)
• Can be crowded/booked in those lovely summer months

Product Review

I’m a happy Ranger for The Dyrt and from time to time I get to test and review products that may help make camping life even more awesome. Today, I am reviewing the Primus Tupike Two Burner Stove

(https://primus.us/products/tupike-stove-4)

I’m especially happy to review this product now because we had some bumps getting started (happy to report a happy ending here, details below and in videos). 

Pros

• Beautiful, solid, well-made stove (pans don’t move and neither does the stove)
• Easy to use (set up is a breeze, cleaning is made easy by its removable stainless drip tray, easy to connect to larger propane tank or use with smaller fuel cans)
• Nice features that are there if you need them, but they’re not in your way if you don’t (e.g., the wind flaps actually have a magnetic feature that stay closed if you don’t use them, the legs can be folded down when not needed)
• Love the igniters (appreciate not needing another tool to create the flame)
• The flames are highly adjustable which means, in part, that I can cook any type of food perfectly (even delicate things like crepes or other items that need to simmer at a specific temperature)
• Nice size for a camp stove (under 10 pounds, large enough to handle standard size pots and pans); not a backpacking stove but Primus has you covered there too
• Great customer service (the company quickly responded to our needs when it arrived with a broken part, felt like they would have helped us with any issues along the way; very knowledgable)
• Stove arrived quickly (as did replacement part/s)

Cons

• When the stove arrived, the sticker said it had been inspected/tested, yet it had a couple issues: 
• 1. A plastic piece in the handle was broken. I could still use it, but it was wobbly and obviously needed to be fixed and 
• 2. The igniters would not consistently light and I wasted gas and was annoyed to have to reach for a flame to manually light it. After some time and further inspection, we noticed that the igniters were adjusted differently. We took a chance and manually adjusted the ‘spark arm’ on the left burner to more closely match the angle of the one on the right (the right one lit much more often) and after some adjustment in this area, it worked like a charm…lights first time every time now! So if you have this issue and feel comfortable, you may want to try making an adjustment. If not, I’m confident the company will exchange it for you because as they did tell us, it should light easily and consistently. 

Final Analysis

• Anything you can do with a 2-burner stove at home, you can do camping with the Primus Tupike. 
• Construction is top-notch; stable, beautiful, easy to use and clean.
• Customer service is excellent. 

2. Product Videos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2ToHT0ueLI

https://youtu.be/uLqmMJ5LGMc

3. Reviews on Other Sites

https://www.amazon.com/review/RWXD1G0D4F9JR/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

http://www.trailspace.com/gear/primus/tupike-stove/?review=37717

https://www.mec.ca/en/product/5046-155/Tupike-Stove#reviews