It was time to update the copyright notice in the footer of the Website when I noticed that it has been a little over 10 years since PopUpBackpacker was created.

Over the past 10 years I have covered a lot of territory backpacking, hiking, camping and writing about the things that interest me. In this post I’ll cover some highlights, where I have been and what the future might hold for me and PopUpBackpacker.

Why I Created My Website

There were a couple reasons. The first was I wanted a place to store my pictures that was not subject to a third party’s control. 

WebShots

Like many people, I had been storing and sharing my pictures on a photo sharing Website. It was convenient and quick… if you do not add comments, tags and other stuff. I had been uploading pictures to Webshots for a few years. Eventually I ran out of free space and had to pay a yearly fee for more storage.

I didn’t mind paying for the service, but it irked me that I had to read all the ads on a site I pay to use. In July 2012 I noticed that my WebShots photo albums had generated 1,275,883 views. That seems a lot to me and since I am paying to bring some of the traffic to WebShots, I feel I shouldn’t have to pay for a service and have to look at advertisements. 

Back in 2012 I mentioned that I was not against ads and also commented that someday I might put some on this site, although I had no idea how one would go about doing that or if you can really make any money.

The other thing about WebShots was my albums didn’t really tell a story, other than each album is based on a specific subject or a trip. So people don’t  really get the flavor of what was behind the pictures. That is part of the reason why I create this site. 

At the time I hoped to eventually transfer all the pictures to PopUpBackpacker.com with a story or report to accompany them. The intent was to eventually delete all my pictures on WebShots and close the account.

A few months later WebShots sent out a notice that it was discontinuing the service and would turn their product into some sort of Desktop Screenshot application and would delete all images currently stored. Luckily I had already migrated my images to PopUpBackpacker.

Communicating with Friends and Family

By 2012 Twitter had become a fairly large monster and Facebook had become the largest online photo host. Without ever using either, I foresaw the disaster each would become. I never considered joining either.

A personal Website, or blog, would be the ideal vehicle for me to share what Joyce and I were up to. In addition, a Website without a comments feature or an email capability would be a one-way communication tool. I wouldn’t have to be bothered with what other people thought about my content, nor would I have to communicate with them. It would enable me to share on my timeline, my convenience, and my preferences. I highly value my free time and want to be in total control of what I do, how I do it, and when I do it. To this day readers cannot leave a comment, nor can they email me unless they already have my email address.

What I Learned About Websites & Blogs

A Website isn’t free. Sure, you can create a “free” blog on blogger.com or wordpress.com but the cost is you do not have complete control — the hosting site may have rules that you don’t want to follow. Should the host site close down, as WebShots did, you might lose all your work, data, and photos.

Steps to Create Your Own Website

• Register a Web Domain
• Host your Website with a Hosting Service
• Obtain software to build the Website
• Security

Web Domain Name

In 2012 I registered popupbackpacker.com as my Website name. The actual IP address is 172.67.160.101.

It used to be that one could access my Website directly using the IP address. That no longer works because for protection I have a service that will not allow direct IP access. This is part of my strategy to protect PopUpBackpacker from hackers.

Besides, it would be cumbersome if people had to type in an IP address to go to a Website.

It costs me $18 a year for my Domain Name.

Web Hosting

A hosting service stores all the files belonging to the Website. The service has to be stable and secure. Secure is a loose definition. My site is protected by a password, which can be defeated by determined hackers. A hosting service should allow a Website’s owner easy access and easy maintenance by the owner.

PopUpBackpacker is hosted on HostGator.com. This is where all the files are stored. My cost is $143.40 per year.

Software

WordPress powers about 43% of all Websites and it is what I use. WordPress is the main software, but it needs a “template” to work. Templates determine the look and functionality of the Website.

There are thousands of free WordPress Themes. In addition, there is a whole industry that sells WordPress Themes. I started out with the free Twenty-Eleven Theme and used it for three years. I really didn’t like the look and in 2015 switched to the free Twenty-Thirteen Theme, which is what I am still using. Switching themes can be time consuming. At this point in time I don’t have any motivation to update the theme.

Most themes allow customization using “plugins” and “widgets.” A plugin is a small software app the extends functionality and features. A widget is a module that adds a specific feature. In addition, most software allows the user to do their own programing in HTML (HyperText Markup Language). I have done a fair amount of customization of PopUpBackpacker using HTML.

Security

Currently I am using some free and paid services/software for Website security. The paid stuff I implemented in 2016 after the site was shut down by hackers.

• Akismet Anti-Spam (free)
• Wordfence Security (free version)
• Jetpack Personal which includes daily backups ($39 year)
• SharkGate & CloudFlare ($179.40 year)

Cost

My yearly minimum cost to keep PopUpBackpacker online is $379.80

Motivation and Other Ramblings

PopUpBackpacker is really just a journal for my own use. Often I am lax with grammar and even spelling. If it were a for profit endeavor, then I would be more fixated on the writing quality.

Although I have decades of backpacking and camping experience, I do not try to pass myself off as some sort of expert. I know what works for me and I share those experiences. The site is not a vehicle for product reviews. If I review something, it is a product I have used satisfactorily for a long time — usually 10 years or more. Of course, many products I still use and have reviewed are now obsolete. 

Some PopUpBackpacker Statistics

As of today there have been 

• 4,638,544 page views
• 635 posts created
• 274 pages created (posts and pages are different)
• 9,558 images uploaded
• most views in one day (April 28, 2015) 2,204 views

The last bullet-point is interesting. The day after I shared the story of my new Six Moon Designs Deschutes CF Shelter, someone on FaceBook created a link to my post resulting in (by far) the most views in a single day. Proof that social media drives traffic to websites. 

If I were interesting in making money (profit from my website), I would need to join Twitter, FaceBook, Instagram, or even YouTube. That ain’t gonna happen folks.

Most popular posts of all time (view counts as of today)

Tire Pressure Secrets for Camping Trailers & Tow Vehicles (57.1k views)

Does A Weight Distribution Hitch Increase Tongue Weight? (27k views)

State of Charge: Your Camper/RV May Be Killing Your Battery Bank (20.3k views)

Update Your Old Kelty External Frame Backpack (17.4k views)

Gray Water Solutions for Your Camper (11.4k views)

It’s Probably A Bad Day When Your RV Slide-Out Breaks (10.5k views)

2020 Ford F-250 7.3L “Godzilla” Gas Engine Towing MPG (10.4k views)

How to Test a Trailer Breakaway Switch (10.2k views)

Is it a Good Deal to “Exchange” Your Propane Tanks? (9.7k views)

How to Level and Stabilize a Tent Trailer (8.1k views)

As you can see, the most popular posts are mostly camper related except for one.

Some Highlights and Milestones From the Past 10 Years

July 16, 2012 PopUpBackpacker Launched with the First Post

July 2013 Our 2006 Fleetwood Tent Trailer Destroyed by Thieves

October 2013 We Buy a Travel Trailer

October 2013 We Buy a New Tow Vehicle to Tow the new Trailer

May 2015 Blog Facelift

February 2016 I’m Officially Retired

October 2016 PopUpBackpacker Now Has Ads to help offset the increasing costs of operating the website

January 2018 PopUpBacker Hacked and Damaged which I could not fix and resulted in paying someone to get back online, plus additional yearly expenses for continued protection

June 2019 Our Beloved Tibetan Terrier Corky Passed

March 2020 COVID and PopUpBackpacker.com

March 2020 The day before our Governor shut down the state’s economy we bought a New Tow Vehicle: 2020 Ford F-250 XL “Godzilla” because Joyce predicted a shut-down and the price gouging of new vehicles

The Future of PopUpBackpacker

As long as it doesn’t become a burden, that is, it sucks up too much of my leisure time, I shall continue posting. By the way, almost all my time is leisure time, except when Joyce makes me do something.

I’m 72 years old and I might live another 7 years, which is the average life expectancy of a white American male (79 years). Or I might die tomorrow. Perhaps I will live as long as my father did, which gives me another 17 years. Whenever the due date is, my focus will be living a good life everyday doing the things I enjoy.

Due to good genes and good fortune I still backpack and camp often with my wife. These activities provide some thing to share (write about) with friends and family. 

Over the years I have shared fewer and fewer backpacking trip reports, mostly because they seem repetitive to me. Also, all my backpacking gear is dialed-in and I don’t foresee the need for anything new unless something wears out or breaks.

I may write more about things that concern me, especially in the realm of society, culture, and politics. The world is changing quickly and much of the change may restrict the ability of our younger generations to live a good life, such as I have enjoyed.

Time will tell.