I bought a 12v 'swamp cooler' about 4 years ago, to use when boondocking in hot weather, and still have not used it at all. Big regrets about buying it. Waste of money.
This has been a fun thread to read. What I've found is there's a big difference in needs/wants between weekend campers, short vacation campers, couples vs solos, size of trailer and space for storage (look at the profile of the respondent), how responses are possibly tied to weather and bugs, and a myriad of other thoughts. Some work hard to pack and camp as simplistic as possible. I've gone the other way. Now on my second trailer that's quite a bit larger with lots more storage, I'm going to be as comfortable as possible. I've earned it, I deserve it and I can afford it. Life is short, don't drink champagne out of a paper cup!
In the end there are no right or wrong answers... and different strokes for different folks. Just enjoy every moment of the experience.
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Donna D.
Ten Forward - 2014 Escape 5.0 TA
Double Yolk - 1988 16' Scamp Deluxe
I was just testing to see if anybody here read the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". It is a great, fun to read, travel book - lots of interesting places out there!
I was just testing to see if anybody here read the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". It is a great, fun to read, travel book - lots of interesting places out there!
Yes, and we are dating ourselves Paul
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| 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II | 2016 Toyota Tundra |
Thank you Miss Donna for the kind words and your sage advice.
What is it you need to be comfortable is so individual.
The older I get the further I am from the sleeping on the ground even without a tent or a sleeping bag.
Who was that person anyway?
Having an onboard toilet is a must for us. We have the ole people problems (me) the leaky ole woman when I sneeze etc. Sigh... then the meds... sheesh create emergencies!
The greatest luxury we have are two twin folding memory foam 6" worth side by side to make up the "king" compartment at one end of our trailer. On top the 4" cushions we are talking more comfortable than even our beds at home.
I have gotten used to the stinky slinky and this is weird but there is a certain amount of satisfaction seeing the brown liquid go to clear. Happy Camper is great stuff! We don't plop solids in ours including toilet paper.
Love your pic Miss Donna! Love to see how folks have individualized theirs and what they choose for comfort too.
We have thus far "nobly" not cluttered ours up too much but then we have only had ours since Feb. The stuff creeping will surely come if we aren't on alert. Ours is roomy enough if we keep the big items in the bed of our truck under camper top roof. I have learned how to stuff in the nook and crannies out of sight for most items.
Still at the end of a campout especially of a long duration it really takes imagination to put stuff in their place so we can start as much from scratch the next time on what comes out of the crannies at one time.
See yall on the road I pray. Have a wonderful camping season. Go somewhere new this summer.
We are going to the Florida Caverns - new to us - (pictures look really cool) very soon along with another destination we usually wind up.
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| 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II | 2016 Toyota Tundra |
The junk drawer really belongs to the DH mostly. Has an odd assortment of parts and pieces "just in case."
I have some commando strips waiting in the drawer just itching for pictures that need hanging. Still hunting some pics that will be to scale. This is the very first time we have hard sides to hang anything on.
Really need to take an inventory ha!
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| 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II | 2016 Toyota Tundra |
I was just testing to see if anybody here read the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". It is a great, fun to read, travel book - lots of interesting places out there!
Each and every pop up sun and rain shade. The strong ones weighed 80#, the light ones collapsed in a drizzle. Now I have a tarp, and some poles, and some rope and by golly it works as well as it ever did when I was tent camping!
Peak 1 camp stove. Stove does work really well but is tall, tippy, and a beast to get lit without flooding and creating a plume of flame. I finally found the secret to making it work was to pre-heat the generator tube with paste made for winter camping. Middle of summer I'm not too wild about having to pre-heat stove like I'm winter camping.
Coleman stove top toaster, again works well or did the 2x I used it.
Not camping related but pretty much all home exercise equipment that doesn't have handles suitable for hanging clothes on, going to end up a 100% waste if I can't at least throw a jacket over it.
Cheap propane lanterns (all of them, every last one was junk) and cheap candle lanterns what happens when a drop of rain hits cheap glass that is really hot?
Oh and all those bag chairs. I could build a bomb shelter out of them and most are just gathering dust. Except for a couple that are many times stitched up and 15 years old, those get kept in the car for seats at park, or parade or... The rest? dust collectors. I got cheap but it's not saving money if it just sits.
From Oliver Elite:
"Pug Person, I'm going "off topic" but I claim the right to so there because I started this topic. We have a border collie we would really like to take with us. Any tips on how to civilize a pooch quickly so as not to roust up a campground? Thought of using a gentle leader on her muzzle and tug when she started to bark. Want to try just a night or two locally to see if she will be a good camper. That way if we are booted out we won't lose much. Used to take our 2 Scotties, both now at the bridge. They actually did pretty well but they got the "long arm of the law" (flyswatter) until they learned there is a good time and a bad time to bark. A spray bottle of water until we figured out they actually liked being cooled down with it."
Hi, Oliver Elite: Your training methods are the same as we use with our girls with an exception: At their first bark, we say (loudly), "Thank You!" (that takes care of security issues--they're doing their job, right?) and we toss them 1 piece of kibble each. Then they get zero to one "free" barks, no reaction from us (while we remember what the next step is) which is to say, very loudly, "ENOUGH!" If they pause for even a second (this is beginning training) we again give a piece of kibble. If they bark again, they get a water squirt, a swat (flyswatter is ok), a rattle from a shake can, or we grab them and turn them on their backs. This allows them a chance to shut up with dignity (hah!) after which they get a kibble. If they bark again, we continue the water/swat/flip and hold, etc., until they shut up.
It is exhausting. It was beginning to work very well, however, after three weeks of constant effort on our part.
Then we got very, very tired.
We're trying a new strategy now. We ignore them. It's about equal overall.
It helps when camping if you'll walk them around the campground and ask everyone else to hand your dogs a tiny piece of cheese. They soon learn that new people are not threats, but treat opportunities. This works with PEOPLE, but not with other dogs. We trained them to be very good and decent animals at off-leash dog parks, but on leash they are ravening wolves denied their kill rights.
I have to say, we have never been thrown out of a campground because of the dogs.
And the more we walk them, the more hikes and miles they work, the sooner and the quieter they go down for the night.
Wishing you all the best. Part of the reason we still camp is to give the girls something new to sniff at, something new to think about, a feeling of expanded territory, a touch of nature beyond just our own yard.
They must appreciate it...they sense when we're packing Peanut and stick to our legs like a pair of socks until we put them in their crates in the tow veh. and take off. The first time, Nimble (the old mamma pug) barked from Renton to Oakridge Oregon, a total of 7 hours. (Cinder only barked for three hours that trip). The next time we put them in the car Nimble barked only about 5 hours and Cinder gave up after 90 minutes. The third time Nimble barked for three hours and Cinder carried on about 30 minutes. (It's a lot like getting your baby to sleep all night after putting in the crib)...By the fifth trip, Nimble made one strange moan/gargle as we started the car, and Cinder said nothing at all. Since then they've both been quiet, though their tails are usually ticking over pretty hard.
There was no point in barking, it netted them NOTHING and probably (I hope) made their noisy throats hurt some. (And, yes, we did stop for potty breaks, theirs and ours, and they got treats and water every time...but not if they were barking!)
Be strong. Be brave. You only have to hold out one more time than they do.
BEST
Kai
PS sorry for the long delay!
"angels they ain't..." "just a cute lil' ol' wolfie" "angel pugs"
>> It helps when camping if you'll walk them around the campground and ask everyone else to hand your dogs a tiny piece of cheese. They soon learn that new people are not threats, but treat opportunities. This works with PEOPLE, but not with other dogs. We trained them to be very good and decent animals at off-leash dog parks, but on leash they are ravening wolves denied their kill rights. <<
Ha love this. I never thought about the handing treats idea to "strangers"
Mabe never has gone to a dog park.
She does get along with "the girls" next door - mixed AussieSheps/Cattle dogs.
Can't let her in with them unfortunately but they do share the same chain link fence row. They touch noses in the weaving spaces.
We put her in with them and they double teamed her like Sumo wrestlers. She is slim and shaped like a greyhound with the long legs.
Poor girl didn't have a chance.
I talked over with the DH shouldn't we try her in doggy school like we did our two Scots.
He said she is so human dependent didn't think it would work.
We are thinking of trying the local campground before taking her out on a real road trip. We made friends with the park owner who had a lovely Cav King Charles. Great size and she was very quiet. Road with her mom on the golf cart so cute.
Maybe we won't be thrown out if we appeal to the owner. I hate we can't take her along with us. I wish we could shrink her to 10 lbs or less.
Ultimately our next dog (should I live that long) will be a porta pooch that I can hide in a doggy purse. Get the wee pup from the get go camping acclimated and take it to doggy school.
A Cav would be great but gee whiz they are expensive. No doubt several thousands of dollars. I wonder if Papillions are expensive? Probably. Not that many around. Those are very cute and small. Could smuggle one
I thank you very much for your reply and will try your tactics.
We use "hush" but it's not effective on seeing "strangers" to herd or try to herd other dogs. She herded poor aging Moose the Scot.
Ah well.... she is the very sweetest doggy we have ever had and that is saying a lot. We have had some real sweethearts.
Thank you for your well wishes and encouragement. Who knows we may met yall on the road sometime.
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| 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II | 2016 Toyota Tundra |
I have no problem with well behaved dogs. But I have been attacked by dogs at campsites and on the trail, a number of times over the years. One RV park had a mandatory rule that dogs had to be on a leash. So the owner put a leash on, then let it run without holding the leash. An empty campsite was between us, and I was attacked. They were standing around talking and came right over and got their dogs, but could not understand why I complained.
For some reason people think campsites and trails are a place for kids and dogs to run unsupervised. Just because a dog is loving to its owner does not mean it will not immediately attack, and bite, a stranger.
I now carry pepper spray in the campground, and bear spray on the trail.
Dog classes can be good if the teacher is good and you explain exactly what you're hoping to accomplish and do your homework.
A gentle leader and a quick tug is good...be sure to give delicious tiny treats as well as corrections...if she is good when you command it, even for a second, get that treat in before she barks again...then correct her if she barks--then reward her if she shuts up. It takes some work to get the timing right, and at first it's hard to believe it'll work. It will.
The frantic pace will gradually slow down and you can start skipping the treats sometimes. I'd love to have a border collie to work with (I think)!
Good idea to make arrangements with the management! And to try it closer to home first. It took our girls a few trips to accept Peanut as their "den."
With Mabe's character & breed, I'd bet she'll get used to camping and camping rules very quickly. Just let her know the rules from minute 1 and don't relent. You can do it! And so can she.
Oh I agree with you dogs should be on lead at all times WITH a dog parent holding on firmly.
Now Mabe doesn't bite. Borders job (yes even our dog may be getting one) is to herd. They are instinctively bred to not damage the sheep or any human.
We will be sure to have a harness and thick flat nylon lead with a large secure hook that is very, very strong and a gentle leader too.
It is a shame that a few mess up things for us all.
And my Mabe is loud but she isn't as loud as I have heard kids scream and their parents ignore them or don't supervise them.
We generally like to camp in the Spring before the kiddies get out of school and after they go back. We are going here in a very few weeks on a long campout in Aug.
If Mabe comes with us my "job" will be 24/7 supervision of our fur family member. Which is going to get tricky trying to help my DH with his "jobs."
So what "job" do you do?
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| 2017 Oliver Legacy Elite II | 2016 Toyota Tundra |
"I have no problem with well behaved dogs. But I have been attacked by dogs at campsites and on the trail, a number of times over the years. One RV park had a mandatory rule that dogs had to be on a leash. So the owner put a leash on, then let it run without holding the leash. An empty campsite was between us, and I was attacked. They were standing around talking and came right over and got their dogs, but could not understand why I complained.
For some reason people think campsites and trails are a place for kids and dogs to run unsupervised. Just because a dog is loving to its owner does not mean it will not immediately attack, and bite, a stranger.
I now carry pepper spray in the campground, and bear spray on the trail. Rzrbrn"
Agree, campgrounds (areas not specifically designated off-leash) and particularly trails and roads are not the place for dogs or kids to run unsupervised. "Leashed" always means "attached at both ends." Isn't it absurd how people play games with rules made for the good of all (including wildlife!)? "Leashed" can also mean "enclosed in an exercise pen," as long as they can't get out.
Screaming kids are usually more annoying to us than barking dogs.
In bear country, I don't mean to sound bossy about this, but can you imagine what a bear will do to a little dog or a child running too far ahead on a trail?
John Steinbeck, in Travels with Charley, said you never know when a dog is a "bear dog" that will react very badly to bears--he wrote about Pomeranians "going off like a puff of smoke" although they are so outclassed as to be considered "canapé" instead of "dog" as far as a bear is concerned.
Charley went insane when he first sniffed a bear. Steinbeck had to turn around and get out of Dodge before Charley wrecked the inside of the truck.
Some campgrounds offer off-leash areas--let 'em loose only there.
Pepper spray and bear spray can be insurance...just don't let the blowback temporarily cripple you, or count on them entirely.
And...I hope you're not planning on spraying pepper spray on someone's loud, loose children, no matter how bratty they may be? You know people who let kids and pets go berserk in public won't understand your "gross overreaction," right?
They say bear spray works a lot better on brown bears than on grizzlies. And polar bears? Fuggidaboudit! Get on your SkiDoo and skedaddle!
Question: What do you keep in your "junk" drawer?
Oliver
Eggy-Sue (the pull-it surprize)
Peanut
Semper ubi sub ubi. 
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