Full Time RVing?

2014-milan-travel-trailer

A full time RVer is someone who travels and lives in a Recreational Vehicle (RV) full time. For this post a RV is defined as a motorhome, 5th wheel, travel trailer, tent trailer, truck camper, van, etc. Those who live and travel in a RV will be called Full Timers.

Typically a Full Timer stays in campgrounds (private or public) or remote areas where camping is allowed for a period of time, then travels to the next camping spot often moving where the weather is nicer. Often Full Timers will stay in one place for a week or two, but sometimes may stay for a month or longer. In the US think southern states in the winter and northern states in the summer.

Until recently, the main demographic for Full Timers was retired people who sold or otherwise dispensed of most of their belongings and kept whatever would comfortably fit into their RV.

For a period of time during 1998-2000 I was a Full Timer, living and traveling with a small Ford Ranger pickup truck and my 1992 Starcraft tent trailer – however I was able to work full time too. It was a great time and lifestyle. But more on that later.

Many people who camp dream of becoming a Full Timer; spending all your time on a continuous vacation. What fun!

So now I am retired. Should I become a Full Timer again?

Continue reading Full Time RVing?

Camp Stoves, Wind, and a Stove Mod

Camp Chef Pro 60 stove
Camp Chef Pro 60 stove

Cooking in Wind

Obviously when backpacking all cooking is done outside. The number one challenge with outdoor cooking is windy conditions. Although this post will focus on the modifications I made to our Camp Chef Pro 60 stove, the same principles apply to backpacking stoves.

Snow Peak Giga Power backpacking stove during a bike touring trip
Snow Peak Giga Power backpacking stove during a bike touring trip

Continue reading Camp Stoves, Wind, and a Stove Mod

How to Change a Trailer Tire without a Jack!

Camco Trailer Aid

This is not a Gear Review

To properly review a product it needs to be put to extensive use over a period of time. Perhaps a couple of years. Twenty-five or forty-five years would be better such as my camping chairs or some of my older backpacking gear. Based on a limited test, I recommend it.

Continue reading How to Change a Trailer Tire without a Jack!

My Favorite Backpacking Chairs

Yesterday I wrote about the Best Camping Chair Ever.

Today I’ll take a look at some of my favorite backpacking chairs.

mt-san-jacinto-05-16-2015-4

“Wait a minute,” you may be thinking and you will probably want to point out I consistently

Advocate taking the lightest gear possible to stay warm, dry, and safe. This mindset would preclude anything not absolutely necessary and such things as a backpacking chair are superfluous extra weight.

Continue reading My Favorite Backpacking Chairs

Best Camping Chair. Ever.

Imagine

Imagine this… actually if you camp often enough in campgrounds you don’t have to visualize it in your mind’s eye, you have probably seen it many times.

You are in a campground and walk over to the community dumpster to dispose a bag of trash. Your hand cautiously lifts the lid trying to avoid any filth and you peer in for a spot to deposit your bag. And there, there on a small pile of rubble lays a broken camp chair. I have seen this scenario replayed dozens of times over the years.

Why don’t people simply just buy a quality camping chair once and for all time? Perhaps they have fallen for the concept of throwaway goods – does the concept of built-in obsolescence really exist – do companies really make chairs that last for a limited time, knowing you will likely purchase another short-lived chair from them?

Maybe people just don’t know where to look for a quality camp chair. Perhaps they don’t know who to ask. Apparently it is up to me to help out. Today I am willing to help.

Continue reading Best Camping Chair. Ever.

Walking Man: The Secret Life of Colin Fletcher (a biography)

THIS IS A BOOK I WON’T BE READING

walking-man

 

 

Colin Fletcher is known as the “Father of Backpacking” and Robert Wehman has just published the only biography of the reclusive man.

You can purchase the book from Amazon as a Kindle version for $9.99 or paperback for $18.53. I have never heard of the author but the reviews have generally been very good.

I did buy it for a friend, but will pass on reading it myself.

WHY?

Continue reading Walking Man: The Secret Life of Colin Fletcher (a biography)

Energy Upgrade Stats: Month 12 (1 year of tracking)

In January I wrote that home solar might be lipstick on a pig, and it makes more sense to make a home energy efficient before even considering solar. I also promised to post monthly updates on our utility bills.

Well, we now have 12 complete months of energy usage under our belts after making our energy upgrade improvements. We’ll take a look at:

  • Our original goals for improvement
  • The results vs. the goals
  • Some potential future savings
  • A great tool for measuring kWh usage of a single device

Continue reading Energy Upgrade Stats: Month 12 (1 year of tracking)

Mourning the Death of a Good Friend

It happened. My faithful dedicated backpacking watch, my Timex Expedition Resin Combo died. I wrote about this watch a few years ago in this backpacking watch dissertation that provided a lot of mostly useless information that for some reason does interest people seeing more than 2,000 people have bothered to read it.

This watch was a little over 6 years old. It lived a good life and is survived by a ‘70s military watch and an original ‘80s Swiss Army Watch. No services will be held and it will be interned at the Riverside County landfill on Edom Hill.

dsc04191-3

No autopsy was performed. It is an inexpensive timepiece and when a new battery failed to revive the heartbeat of its digital/analog innards, no one was interested in repairing or bringing it back to life – the victim of a throwaway item in a throwaway society.

Continue reading Mourning the Death of a Good Friend

Wilderness For Sale

I hope the title of this post is catchy and might generate a bit of traffic to read it. My blog is mostly written for my kids and a handful of friends, as I have stated numerous times. I am under no illusion that I have any influence in the world of backpackers or adventurers and recognize the readership of this website is small. My hope is that I can inspire a handful of people to think about wilderness and our proper place in it, who in turn can encourage others to approach wilderness in an ethical manner. Perhaps we can create a renewed focus on Wilderness Ethics.

Continue reading Wilderness For Sale