Yearly Archives: 2013

Out of Office Message

General Talk

emailIf you have my email address, and if you send me an email, most of the time you will get an “Out of Office” reply.

That is because I am often traveling for business, backpacking, or camping with Joyce.

Most of my family and friends really don’t understand the importance of these messages. Because I work in the corporate world email is important. Also, since I work from my home office instead of a cubicle in the Mother-ship in Warren, MI, people in my company often don’t know where I am. In addition, the good folks who work for me are often traveling too. The ability to automatically inform people I am not available and when I will be back is important. This also is important to all our clients.

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How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 3)?

Travel Trailer,

2013-12-16 Clip Art Weight LifterIn Part 1, I discussed some general thoughts on matching a tow vehicle and a trailer, to include tongue weight and gross weight specifications.

In Part 2, I took a deeper dive into tongue weights and presented the idea that a tow vehicle’s maximum tongue weight specification is usually the limiting factor in how large a trailer you can tow.

The conclusion in both is that perhaps we bought a trailer that is too heavy for our Ford Expedition; although I shared that I understood all the weight implications before we purchased.

So here is the rest of the story, as Paul Harvey used to say.

Continue reading How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 3)? →

How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 2)?

Travel Trailer,

Before we discuss trailer weight, tow vehicle weight, and total combined weight, a discussion about hitches is in order. There are a lot of misconceptions about trailer tongue weight, hitch weight and how to calculate what you have in your rig.

This is not meant to be a technical “White Paper” but just a general overview. If you need more information, then Google is your friend. But this article might help you sort out the sea of confusion that is the Internet.

Once the concepts are understood, we can discuss our “too heavy” trailer in Part 3.

Continue reading How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 2)? →

How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 1)?

Travel Trailer

Anaza Borrego Oct 2013-1 smaller

Since we recently bought a new trailer and a new tow vehicle, I thought I would share some information about matching trailers and tow vehicles. In my research for both, I came across a lot of bad information. Before we bought, I knew what to take into consideration when matching a trailer and something to tow it with. This will lay out some basic information the buyer should know before he or she ever steps onto a car or trailer dealership lot.

Part 1 (this post) will cover tow vehicles. I will discuss trailers in part 3. Part 2 will discuss trailer hitches.

Continue reading How Much Trailer Can You Tow (Part 1)? →

Grounded :(

What's Up With That?

What’s Up With That?

No kitchen pass this weekend. A Honey-Do List instead!

Just because we have been camping 8 weeks in a row doesn’t seem like a good reason to stay home this weekend — but those decisions aren’t always made by me.

So I thought I would just go backpacking.

Nope.

New blinds to hang. What’s wrong with the old curtains? I think they are fine. Oh, and other tasks created; not by me of course.

Ah well, it’s okay. I had a touch of the flu earlier this week any how and a little rest might be good.

Cease and Desist

What's Up With That?, , ,

What’s Up With That?

Stop Sign

In The Business of Backpacking I took a jab at gear reviews on personal blogs. Specific blogs were not identified, as I have no interest in pointing out any individual.

Apparently a blogger was put off by my observations, and a “Cease and Desist” email was sent to me via a PM (private message) hosted by an Internet forum. Since there are no Comment or Email capabilities on this Website, it is rather difficult to contact me unless you are a friend or a business client. This is intentional. I really don’t care about what others think.

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Managing Your Recreation Inventory

Backpacking Gear, Camping, General Talk, , ,

Inventory Clip ArtNo, this isn’t about gear. A while back I wrote an article about backpacking gear getting boring. So is camping gear.

It is time to talk about getting out into the wilderness and actually using your gear.

Sometimes I am amazed by the amount of time so many folks spend on the Internet talking about camping or backpacking, but not really going out and actually doing it. So many people talk about not having the time to camp or hike. Here is a little secret, you can go camping and/or backpacking over 100 days per year and work full time!

Before you say, “But I don’t live close to wild areas,” consider doing this: MOVE

If getting outdoors is important, which I assume is true for most people who spend days on end on Internet forums talking about it, then move if you live far from recreational opportunities.

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