review the year, things learned, and stuff

[john warren]

ok i am just reflecting on our time spent in our little scamp this summer. what we did , what we learned.what we will change doing ...stuff like that.

first off,,, i shopped for about a year for the perfect camper for my wife and i, finaly "talked "her into a new scamp, and had it built to pick up in backus last february. lol she was not impressed enough by that ride to want to do it again just for fun,,,lol 14 hours of,,well,,,not a lot but trees.

so here we are in the wanning days of september. at this point 8 trips later. we have had adventures with our grand daughters and grand sons. we have had spur of the moment romantic get aways. we have explored and found cool new places to go in michigan. volunteered to help the dnr, michigan state university with fish tagging.and yet the year is still underway, with another three days in algonac this week working with the stewardship program picking wildflower seeds, and collecting moth specimins for study. then in a few more weeks a holloween camping trip with the grand kids. and between christmas and newyears we plan to go someplace warm,,,,as yet to be determined.
my wife is absolutely stunned by how she is enjoying the scamp.usually (as i'm sure you ladies recognise) she is just humoring my goofey ideas. this time she is on board. and planning outings to go on.

ok that cool now what have i learned? there are bugs in northern michigan that actualy bring their own bbq sauce when they land on you. some actually wear napkins as bibs,,,really,,,i wouldn't lie about that. always carry bug dope.
paper towels and aluminium foil can fix almost any problem while cooking.
a small tool kit is very important, and easy to assemble.
no matter how long i carry that axe ,,i will probably never need it.

i have learned , do not carry food unless you plan on eating it. i just removed probably ten pounds of "just in case we need it" cans of food that rode around with us all year.
keep a rain jacket, a hat. and a hoody sweatshirt in the closet along with a pair of flipflops, everything else , pack what you need for this trip and thats all.
i will be over the next few days taking out and leaving behind anything that has not been used.
instead i will fill my trailer with memories of my grandkids, my wife, and the beautiful friends i have met out there.

as always, keep the sun on your face and the wind at your back. and the smores fixins close at hand.

[Cricket]

I can relate....i know full well my hubby thinks he is humoring me by letting me buy an egg....hopefully he will enjoy it as much as the kids and i will....

[Carol H]

Glad to hear John that you are both on board and truly enjoying the trailer! Sounds like you have already made some great memories.

The stuff you have learned I suspect is what we all learned the hard way - buy all sorts of things we think we will need but in the end never use. I actually go through every hatch each year and remove anything that didnt get used in the past 12 months. Yup a small tool kit that includes spare light bulbs, fuses, hose clamps and short pieces of hoses are better taker ups of space than can goods. :-)

[Mireille L]

Never leave home without it : Duct tape.

[Joy A]

And a vise grip.

[Gilda]

I can totally identify with your comments and lessons learned in the first few months of camping with the Scamp. We've had ours a year and are constantly evaluating what is essential and what is really fun to take along.

We, too, tend to carry too much food. We have decided that we will take no more than 1 week's worth of food even if the trip will be longer. We are never so far away from civilization that we can't re-stock. The canned food generally serves as back-up to the fresh items we pick up along the way.

However, "essentials only" would make our trip a little spartan. Some carefully chosen items for fun and entertainment ARE essential. For instance, I do love my new pie iron. So far I've made an apple pie, pineapple upside down cake and (modified) s'mores! It's great fun to make these little treats after the evening fire has reduced to coals. Note: I made a black drawstring bag for the pie iron and store it in the wheel well closet. It fits there perfectly.

I'd love to hear what others consider their "for fun essential".

[theresa p]

hi john----am i the only one wanting more info on those wicked michigan bugs??!?!?!!

[Mireille L]

For fun essentials:
My hammock, nice wine glasses and wine,

[Roy in TO]

The season is NOT over yet!

[Carol H]

Fun essentials:
Outside lights, margarita & wine glasses, kite, trailer flag, games & inflatable river tube - if heading to the coast wet suit and bogie board.

[Pam Garlow]

2 more trips for me still. This upcoming weekend, going to Camp Dearborn, Michigan to camp with 150 vintage trailers (Tin Can Tourist group). What a great weekend that will be! And on October 12,13,14, there will be a group of ladies and myself all camping over by Coldwater. Hopefully the COLD won't have settled in to much by then, but we'll have enough Jello Shots to keep us warm. ...and I've learned a new thing to make called CHERRY BOMBS...

[Donna D.]

John, YOU'VE GOT IT! Making memories every single camping trip

[Lynn Musgrave]

Originally Posted by Roy in TO

The season is NOT over yet!

No Way ...it is just getting started good here on the TX Gulf Coast. The cooler days(high 80's low 90's) make for a better hike or bike ride the cooler nights helps to enjoy the campfire more. Just be sure to take lots of mosquito spray as they are likeing the cooler times too...LOL!

[john warren]

Originally Posted by Lynn Musgrave

No Way ...it is just getting started good here on the TX Gulf Coast. The cooler days(high 80's low 90's) make for a better hike or bike ride the cooler nights helps to enjoy the campfire more. Just be sure to take lots of mosquito spray as they are likeing the cooler times too...LOL!

hmmm we sort of need a nice place to go in february,,, texas gulf huh? hmmmm.
oh yeah pie irons are not optional,,,they stay in, along with my waffle iron thats the same thing ,,,only waffley.

my tool kit all fits in an empty coffee can.roll of duct tape,roll of electrical tape, small roll of wire. a tube of epoxy putty. a tube of superglue. a screw driver the has several bits in the handle, a pair of small vice grips. i also carry a small hatchet that serves as a ten stake driver/puller/hammer/toenail trimmer. and a small folding camp saw , and a good couple hanks of nylon cord.

[Bonnie n Claude]

John, think I'll double-check our emergency stuff which is also in a can. Our toolkit is a small Apollo Precision Tools version in a plastic carry-case (I like stuff neatly wrapped...at times with a lovely bow on top). The wire and hatchet are among additions we need.

We switched to Gorilla Tape which is very much like the heavy olive drab green reinforcement tape (aka 'gun tape' or '100 MPH tape') used by the military--a far cry from grey duct tape in terms of holding power.(What's the Best Tape? Abusive Lab Test - Popular Mechanics)

[john warren]

actualy thats the tape i have,,,i just called it duct tape,,sort of like i call facial tissue kleenex. one cool thing is i have used my can for all sorts of stuff too. empty it can carry water, worms or minnows for fishing, bugs for my grand daughters scientific study, even a make shift reel for kite string.

[rgrugg]

Regarding Michigan...there is a small semi-gourmet restaurant here with a sign outside that reads...."Bears come down from the U.P. just to raid our dumpster." For you non-Michigan folks, U.P. is Michigan talk for upper peninsula and people there are "yoopers."

[Mireille L]

Wow... learn something new every day...I've been camping for over 30 years and didn't know what a pie iron was...

I had to google it !

I want one ...Oh the ideas I have for that little thing !

[john warren]

Originally Posted by Mireille L

Wow... learn something new every day...I've been camping for over 30 years and didn't know what a pie iron was...

I had to google it !

I want one ...Oh the ideas I have for that little thing !

your going to love pie irons. besides all the treats , you can make a nice hot grilled ham and cheese or any other sammich.

yup thems yoopers. us folks under the bridge are trolls, also known as beet kickers for the sugar beets we grow.

[Sue and Henry]

Pie iron is now on my Christmas list! Thanks. I'm also slimming down my tool collection and clearing out most of the backup canned goods.