Have you tried treating the tent with Permethrin, years ago you had to mix it with water yourself, but now they have premixed bottles that can treat your clothes, tent and gear, although it isn't quite as effective, it still works better than any off or insect repellent. The only real downside is you have to make the tent/clothes damp enough (soaking works much better) and allow them to completely dry while not wearing or using them. Enjoy not having to use insect repellent or having to worry about ticks ever again. As always make sure to check before you camp for any allergies before you go camping. Much cheaper to make your own, but a spray bottle of pre-mix is only about $16 a bottle, which may seem expensive, but how much insect repellent do you use on 3 or more trips Because two cans of deep woods off is $10 and contains deet which isn't a good chemical but is the one that actually works best against mosquitos. You end spending much more on off, they recommend you treat your clothes and use off, but I find I don't have to myself. They claim it lasts through 6 washes so even if you get 3 washes, you win even if you spend a bit more. Again I don't really have many issues with mosquitos unless they are swarming, but hate ticks and haven't seen one in years since finding this solution. So your mileage may vary compared to mine, but wanted to get your input if you would be willing to try it. I think more people need to know about treating clothing as an option, again you can also treat your clothes with deet, but again it is deet and you should only use deet on pure cotton clothing which is almost nothing that we own today. deet will actually destroy water resistance and eventually the clothing itself, so make sure to do research if you go the deet route, which works even better but again nothing but downsides that you should be aware of.
Good info! I lightened my load about 200 lbs. and an enormous amount of stress by no longer bringing my ex wife! It's amazing how much more smoothly everything goes. I kid you not. I magically became competent to pick a camping spot, back up the trailer, set up camp, light a fire etc!
Varmington bear protection in a tent- we have a bunch of dry sticks all around your tent like a fortress that Tiff the varmint or predator tries to come in the stick start breaking and you hear it first you have time to wake up and protect yourself
That is so cool to hear. We often say the best camp setup comes from taking a little bit from each camping niche. A little van life here, some small camper trailer there, and sprinkle in some backpacking principles.
Just yesterday I was thinking about Playing With Sticks, and I used to watch your videos, but you just don't show up anymore. Bam, there you were. It was a guy showing his mods. I looked at your program list and I clicked on 10 things we don't..... In it I saw your Rock pals folding solar panel and Rock pals power station. Made me smile. I have both. My first ones. I have newer and larger power stations that we used during hurricane Milton in Orlando. Nice to see an old friend again that I only met watching videos during covid. Cheers
Solar string lights are actually the best at night. Gives off a warm yellow glow that doesn’t blind and doesn’t attract bugs like bright led lanterns do, and easy to string up overhead since light should be placed above and not on the floor. Also reusable zip ties, can get just about anything else done too aside from making a fire.
I do something similar, but can't cook with it. I bring a 12"x24" ceramic tile. It's a cutting board, place for hot pots/pans, and a few other things. Always cool when you can repurpose an otherwise overlooked item.
Just found your channel, love how 'real' your videos are. Kids talking in the background, side conversations, real footage not mico editing to perfection. What a breath of fresh air!
Love this comment Chantal. Great timing with this. We literally, just two comments ago had someone not to happy with us about what you were just describing as positive. Luckily we only get about 1 or 2 of those comments a year. But, we do also understand their perspective as some folks are just looking for bullet points and information.
I use Luci lights which are portable and solar charged. Another easy step I haven't seen mentioned is to put coffee into tea bag filters you can buy online so all you need to do is pour hot water in your mug and let steep. You can also make dehydrated meals that you just add hot water, (in your bowl). My husband and I are gluten intolerant so I make my own. A favorite is dehydrated chicken, bullion and veggies. You can also add rice.
Big fans of Luci Lights as well. Unfortunately we only get to use ours in April, September, and October. We haven't heard the tea bag coffee method before. That is awesome.
@@PlayingwithStickswe call it "cowgirl coffee" you pour boiling water into a Pyrex measuring cup w/ a spout on it, preloaded with desired amount of coffee. Then you stir it & let steep! Then, use a tea strainer as you pour the coffee into your coffee mug. Careful not to overflow! You can dump excess coffee grinds as they pour into strainer, right back into the Pyrex cup as you fill your mug. It makes DELISH tasty coffee, and the oils from the beans carry the essence of the coffee giving it a rich flavor as the oils aren't filtered out! I make cow girl coffee every morn!❤
Ooh yes, I also use them to hold small candles. Like I bought all these candles (cuz hey, I like em) and could not find holders to fit them bc they're so skinny...clothes pins worked, and you can stand them upright bc the pins created a solid triangular base.
I use rubber bands, they can be used for all sorts plus hair, shirts that are too big for kids, furmenting top with coffee filters, fold & roll all bags, zip locked bags, clothes rolled. Oh, I could just go ON & ON! Plus you dont have to worry about the medal poping off your clothes pens & can use them for what they do best.
@@lizishmathuser thanks for this tip. It's a really good idea. I usually put my skinny taper candles in a small pot of salt. I never thought of using a peg. Simple but effective.
Clothes pins work for lots of things. Even hanging Christmas lights on the roof or if you want use them for your camp light strings in trees. Easy to put up and take down.
The tried and true trick method is go through everything you took on a trip as you unpack it and capture what you used a lot, a little and not at all. Over the years we’ve whittled down how many clothes we pack along still ensuring we have adequate layering alternatives. Our camp kitchen kit has also been streamlined quite a bit. Also cut way back on food stock and rely more on occasional resupply shopping every 4-5 days. We now leave behind the large cooler and minimize our amount of perishables. With a little planning and intentionality, you can really limit or eliminate need for a cooler or fridge (make a hobby of I dehydrating). We still pack a roll top style camp table, but find we rarely ever use it anymore. The one area to never compromise is being dry, warm and comfortable are night; nothing will ruin an outing faster (except dehydration or illness I suppose). In this vein, I’ve learned a decent pillow is definitely worth having.
Thank you for sharing all of this Devin. We still have a long way to go on the cutting down of our clothes and camp kitchen. We are pretty good at maintaining a low amount of food. Like you we resupply every 3-4 days. This summer we are experimenting with a 12 volt fridge/freezer to cut down on our ice. We had a tip yesterday from someone who said they pre-freeze their food in a 1 gallon ziplock bag ensuring the food is flattened before freezing for much better storage. We have also made the mistake of using backpacking pillows for years. Time to bring out some "real" pillows this camping season.
@@PlayingwithSticks I've only bring what I use in my kitchen all the time. 1 of everything. I plan my meals & bring what I would use to make that meal. Or I make the meals at home & put in zip lock bags (freeze if needed) then finish making at camp or finish cooking at camp.
@@PlayingwithSticks A thermal peltier refrigerator uses ~30-50 watts continuous. I recommend a 1kWh battery,(about the size of a standard RV battery) and I would recommend doubling up on the solar panels.(200 watts or more) Those beautiful foldable arrays won't add much weight, or take up much space. It doesn't matter what kind of inverter you have, you won't use it. Those refrigerators run directly off the 12 volt battery.
@@vincentrobinette1507 The thermoelectric ones like that will chew through the 1kWh in about a day. You can get a great 12v compressor fridge now for $200-$250. My 50 liter Vevor (Alipcool CX50 clone) with LG compressor draws 0.20kWh per day (8.4 watts average due to mostly being cycled off) running 24/7, holding 32F in a 72F room (but it can be set to -4F). The 22 liter Vevor (as reviewed by Jasonoid in his 11-fridge comparison) is often under $190 delivered. My 50 liter with wheels (which I removed) was $253 on eBay delivered. So if you're willing to go with 1 day of fridge power in your battery, you can get a $200 battery pack instead of a $1000 battery pack just by getting a compressor fridge. It has a real thermostat holding your set temp, unlike just holding a fixed differential from the outdoor air temp as the thermoelectric (peltier) coolers do. Running an 8W fridge or 15W freezer vs a 50W cooler saves you a lot of battery and solar needs. It's a light enough draw you can even just use the vehicle battery if you're the least bit careful about monitoring the voltage (which most fridges tell you) and also the fridges let you set a cutoff voltage to protect your vehicle battery.
@@EfficientRVer You're exactly right about the power consumption of the Thermal Peltier fridge taking ~1kWh per day, which is why I specified that battery as a bare minimum. I have not had any experience with compressor fridges that small. You also pointed out one MAJOR advantage of compressor fridges, and that is their ability to freeze. While technically possible, a thermal peltier freezer would need much more than 1 kWh per day! Does the fridge you're talking about run directly on 12 VDC or, does it require an inverter?
Someone had comment about food storage and keeping food cold.you can make alot thing's ahead of time ,then freeze them in 1 gallon ziplock bag's freeze them flat and you will be surprised how much you can get in a cooler.
You can do the same thing with water, put it in a heavy ziploc baggie freeze it flat, when it melts you have clean water and a clean storage baggie if needed. Also, it will keep that "last item" you put in the very top of the cooler,( but inevitably works its way to the bottom,) from getting waterlogged.
This is very true. I cook double once or twice a week then I freeze specific portions with our names on it due to amount we eat, as well as date and type of food. Our freezer can take about 10 days food so we don’t cook often. When we are packing I just take out whatever we need.
I love my 5 gallon bucket toilet. I tent camp by my self and I use a Kia soul. I found putting a toilet seat on the bucket didn't work good. I put a pool noodle on it and it works great. I'm 70 and it is a good height. I put a garbage bag for easy removal of waste. I keep extra garbage bags in the pail, and a roll of toilet paper.
@@terribolan2010 Find yourself some Dry Den. It's a compressed wood pellet with zeolite and it absorbs liquids and odors. I put about 1/2 cups in the bottom of a regular garbage bag and there is no mess or odor. i can use a couple times by just twisting the bag shut between. Easy to 'flush' by covering a mess with another handful of pellets. Whole bag goes in the trash when I think it's time to start. new bag.
We down sized our kitchen stuff to bring only 2 forks, knives, spoons and plates, pot and pan and 2 cups. If people drop over they can bring their own utensils and cups, etc.
Great point. We have found even our friends who drop by from outside the campground tend to bring their own food with them even when we say we have food. In the last three to four years I bet we have only used the extra utensils maybe 3 times. Because of that we now carry on a few paper plates just in case someone shows up. But, if not the plates come in handy for child crafts, fire starter, and the roughest backup toilet paper ever!
@@PlayingwithSticks makes sure it’s the paper plates that don’t have the coating on them! Wouldn't want to burn whatever chemicals thats made of and put that into the air. Especially if that's the same fire you decide to cook over. Bleagh.
I made a "camp kitchen box" that holds 95% of the cooking gear, stove, plates pans, washbasin etc.. Mostly we have two of everything (just me and the wife) with three sets of utensils. I do have a slot just for enamelware mugs though of which there are seven ( one marked for use as a measuring cup) and I have a big steel coffee pot. We usually camp with friends and I always make a big pot of cowboy coffee in the morning and I like to be able to offer a cup to anyone who stops by, whether or not they remembered to bring their own mug.
One thing I will *always* throw in my bag is a cheap 9x12plastic sheeting or drop cloth. Only a couple bucks and saved us from getting soaked at Scout Camp when our flap tent started leaking after a long soaking rain. Draped it over my mosquito net and stayed dry all night, despite having to dump some water in the middle of the night.
We quit packing the trailer. Bought a hitch basket and 2 plastic tubs to go on minivan. Saved unbelievable money on gas. Got a HUGE Cabela's guide tent and comfy chairs, hammocks and secret kitchen is a 5 gallon bucket with a wrap around tool belt and carabiners for fire tools. All unpacks easily when we get home.
Thanks for the video. I just bought a Clam Quick-Set pop-up 6x6 screen shelter. Well made, and I can set it up by myself in about 45 seconds! Packed up, it's 53" long, and fits into my Prius Camper. Before that, I had a large Coleman screened shelter which fit over a picnic table. It packed up small, but was hard to set up (needed two to four people), and the poles broke twice. Before that, I had a screen shelter which used aluminum poles. It was always a head-scratcher trying to figure out how to set it up. A wind storm bent the poles. The Clam is so easy to use, and comes with wind/sun guards for the sides. For cooking, I now leave my Colman two burner stove and pots and pans at home and use a 900W microwave, which runs off a 1kW inverter hooked up in my Prius. To avoid washing dishes (which wastes soap and water and takes time and a sink-tub), I've gone to all paper dishes and bowls (I use Dixie, which is heavy duty paper), and plasticware. If needed, I rinse off the plasticware. The paper can be tossed in the fire. I use the microwave to zap soup or other things right on the paper plate or in the paper bowl. I leave my camp shovel at home, have almost never needed it. I use a pee bottle (with a lid) at night, and have a portable toilet. Yes, it's bulky, but I fill it with other toiletries when traveling. Instead of the stinky chemicals that come with it, I use a leak-proof plastic bag liner with kitty litter. When not being used as a toilet, it makes a great chair. I also bring folding camp chairs and a small folding table. I've never used a generator. They are noisy and yes, disturb the quiet of the campground. Instead, I have folding solar panels (AIMS Power 120W) and a Bluetti EB70 LiFePO4 700W Power Station, which powers my Dometic refrigerator. All this packs up nicely into my Prius. Which I also sleep in - except in bear country - then I sleep in a 9x7 tent with food locked in the car.
Don't bring generators camping. Your neighbours will hate you. Last time I went, some gronk in a BUS was running a noisy generator right next to our camp site while we were trying to wind down for the night. We ask him to turn it off. He does, but then he starts the bus engine to be his generator. It wasn't better. The noise was so bad that everyone that side of the camp ground confronted him at the door of his bus and told him, in no uncertain terms, to turn it off, or go away.
Bring it but try not using it. Share power with your camping neighbors. If electric is available keep the generator in the box. I will be taking mine this fourth because I might need to camp on my property to cut downed trees and I only have an 18 inch Worx electric chainsaw. I may rent a makia chain saw at home Depot the cut much faster and I can get extra chains then don't return them. They are cheap with rental you buy them in a store they cost more. 73
The camp ground has rules for night generators are off. Where I live after 10 the generators must be off during hurricane lock down. You also better have a good excuse to leave your home. Work or a trip to the hospital. Most businesses honor hurricane lock downs. 73
@@terribolan2010 I hate they call them generators. They are but a battery, inverter and a way to charge the battery. They cannot generate electric on their own. Yes I even did that with my tire compressor that had a built in battery. Lit up RV 12 volt incandescent bulbs I put in standard lamps. Computer ups can also light up lamps if you don't have these new power sources. 73
I rebought my Clam.. I forgot one at a campsite. When Boondocking in AZ desert I lashed it down to my van, in high winds.. It held up.. Awesome tents.I have a Manchester,. Love it..
Like you, we wouldn't leave home without the Clam or Manchester. And yes, those Clams are tough. We did end up ripping one of the screens this year because I tripped on the a piece of gear with a stove in my hand and the sharp metal on the stove ripped right through the screen. But, a little bit of duct tape and she is tough as nails again. Neat to hear about your high wind. Always wondered about that, as we don't get a lot up here in the areas we camp.
I have the 4 sided clam and a portable jackery and an AGM battery and 1500 inverter and 300 portable solar panels. Have the helio Nemo for a portable shower and washing dishes, etc. also have a therefore 2.4 porta potti with a shower/changing pop up tent for it. These are essential items and make it comfortable for boondocking. Also use 6/7 gallon water jug and bring 1gallons as many as I can. Also have a 16qt compression fridge/ freezer and a portable small 10qt car fridge. Both are minimal power needed. Just solar up on your portable batteries. Use a smart tv out there too. This all from car camping. Love your assessment here! Good job.
What a great setup you have Wendy. May was looking at the Thetford toilets as we were considering one for our 13' Shasta Compact. Hard to choose as they have quite a few different models. We have never had a cassette toilet before, so it feels like a fun upgrade for us.
@@windex77 And compressor fridge/freezer (not "compression)! And are you aware that you can edit your post, so no one has to know you made the error? Click on the three dots at right side of your post, choose Edit, make corrections and save again.
@@PlayingwithSticks .... that is what family camping fun is all about. Have the whole family involved and not eliminate family members from participating in making a great video.
My fault, but I thought this was something else cuz a lady away talking in a diff language and it was kinda bizarre, confusing, and honestly the lady was all lights out. When I saw the comment," when did you get so strong, great mom" (paraphrase) i laughed hard. After ,"playing with sticks" answered and said what he said i got a clue and was like, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha , look at this comment bae bae, roflmao, in my tracks dead then I stopped and was like , "aye bae stop laughing this is a commercial and he's talking about his mom, gotta keep it at a whole dollar, I respect this dude, watched his homesteading show from inception. On real reality tho, I want to say thank you for all the knowledge and keeping your talk walk and being transparent with the business product. Salute.....
When i was growing up, a , Manchester tank mfg Co was 2 miles from home in Lynwood CA., later I worked in a steel plant that stamped & welded bigger compressed gas cyl casings( CGC)
For more years than I care to remember, I've used an ordinary 5 gallon pail, (free), and a salvaged toilet seat (no lid), for #2 and a gallon wide mouth jug for number 1. To conserve space, the 5 gallon pail has several extra 13 gallon trash bags, toilet paper in a coffee can, and a bag of kitty litter, (or absorbent of your choice). I cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood a little larger than the pail so that the pail can be used as a short term seat also. Now that I'm older and the bathroom is not always as close as it needs to be, I have several of these in sheds around the farm.
Thanks for sharing. Since posting this video we have gone with a similar setup as we realized if we aren't comfortable we might as well go back to how we used to do it. We are also using the #1 jug for nights.
Love the topic and wish the keying alike were easier. Roof boxes and bike locks are not easy to match to a padlock style. The place where I saved a lot of space and $ is a camp sink/dish rack storage system. The smallest Rubbermaid Roughneck Hi-Top tote (about 2 gallons) is big enough for your camp pans, kitchen utensils, and things like dish cloths, dish soap, scrubbies and at least one heavy leather glove for handling hot handles burning logs etc. I also keep a folding saw and a small hatchet as well as fire starter (egg trays filled with paraffin wax), Oh and a 1/2 roll of TP in a ziplock bag with some wipes). When you set up, empty the tote (I use mesh bags to keep things organized) then you have a wash basin and the lid is an excellent drain rack (deep grooves for drainage). If I am backpacking or canoe tripping I bring it along and it will just fit nicely in the bottom of my cargo backpack. I also substitute a couple of multipurpose cheap frisbees to use as fire fanners, cutting boards, plates, and toys! If you are cutting on them they don't last as long but I get them for a couple of bucks so when they are worn out the dog gets them. I keep my tote loaded and ready to go so I know I have my complete kitchen. PS Thrift stores are a great place to get really good utensils cheap.
A subscriber shared this one with us yesterday. BOLT locks www.boltlock.com/ Basically you use your vehicle key to unlock all your other items. They can match it to trailer locks, padlocks, cable locks, etc. Pretty neat. Your solution for your kitchene is great. In our system we have a bag tailored to each activity. Basically a backpacking bag, a teardrop galley, a mud motor river bag, and an ocean bag. This system is a real pain because it takes up space and we have duplicate items in each system. Love how you are able to take your one system and make it work for everything. We second that Thrift Store Comment. We are about to take another Thrift run this week to get our newest renovated small trailer road ready!
I am from Iowa and lived out of my teardrop trailer for about five months last winter in the desert southwest. I brought along too many clothes. Just did not go through them like at home. When your out in the desert for days on end who cares if you're clothes get dirty. Second thing I will not be taking along is my TV DVD player and movies. I brought about fifty movies. Don't know what I was thinking. Only watched half of one movie the whole time I was gone. Other than that I had a great time. Now that the country is opening up again it's time to start planning my next adventure. Happy trails.
Thanks for sharing this Gary. We have had similar experiences to you, even up here in the colder climate. Even though we have paired down our clothing, we still are packing too much. Like you said we find we really don't need to change our clothes everyday, especially our shorts or hiking pants. We also find we don't shower as much as we thought we would (basically at home we are daily shower takers). Because we don't shower as often we now take much less water with us on the road then we thought we needed. And, if we need it we will just pull it from a stream.
We found overdoing it on cooking equipment caused us stress unpacking and just digging through that stuff all the time. A iron skillet and a camping cook set is all we need. We gave up to gourmet menu and settled for great tasting foil meals. I do have to say on our last road trip we took too much stuff after 6 weeks on the road we were about ready to drop that stuff off at goodwill. Great channel your fantastic at weaving a story line into information. Seeing clips of the kids adds charm. Love it.
That is funny we are kind of the opposite. This winter we decided we have been under packing in terms of cooking equipment. We are big pre-made meal folks, but realize it may be fun to make a few meals at camp. This is all in theory, in the end I have a hunch we may go right back to warming up meals made at home. One of our new favorite meals is playswellwithbutter.com/quinoa-black-bean-tacos/. Day one we eat it as a quinoa salad and day two as tacos. We have never really been quinoa and bean people. But we are hooked. Really filling and tastes like something from a restaurant. Not to mention super easy to make and a very low cost complete protein. Thanks for the kind comment. We love knowing people appreciate the story weaving. It is a part of this that we really enjoy. p.s seems to be a lot of folks interested in Runaway Campers lately. We have been sending folks your way almost daily. Really cool to see how much Runaway is growing. I wonder if it is the change to their new composite campers?
I don't have a camper. We tent with limited storage (small truck) Also pull small motorcycle trailer. For meals I have been using a small butane stove and mostly just boil water for coffee, ramen and I like those dehydrated meals from REI (Alpine Aire). So simple, good warm food for dinner and simple bowl/plate/spoon. Actual cooking/cleanup is too difficult in my situation and skill level. I suppose everyone is different but I love this setup.
My husband grew up camping as an Eagle Scout, but didn’t camp for a while. We went this weekend and it was a mess, but still fun😄 we slept in the jeep and I barely got any sleep! I think it will workout eventually but we just did not pack correctly!! This makes me excited for the next time 👍🏼
I use a regular toilet seat ($10) on a tall bucket (free chlorine tablets bucket from any pool company or community pool). Pack out waste with plastic grocery bags (free) or dig a hole and cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket.
Perfect. Thanks for sharing. After seeing this video a company is sending us the metal collapsible toilet we talked about possibly wanting to get. We will see how that goes. But since making this video we have gone back to your route as well.
Love watching your videos, wife and I just moved from tenting to a teardrop. I used to pull a 6x10 enclosed trailer with all of our gear thinking if I have it ill use it and even had back-ups of things. We got rid of about 85% of our crap. Moving into a teardrop was great, we love it. We are brand new to the teardrop world and watching a lot of UA-cam videos to learn. You are right by saying, just buy the right, quality, one the first time. Buying cheap wont last, save your money and buy a good one. I have the keyed alike locks you are talking about and they are the best. I had ten locks all keyed the same. Thank you for making the videos and keep them coming, take care!
Tent camper here. I started with a mummy style bag and inflatable air mattress because I thought that was the real deal camping. The mummy bag was too constricting and the air pad was not very forgiving. Moved on to a big rectangle bag and recently a super nice Thermarest Mondo Kind 3D XXL 4” thick air/foam pad. Highly recommend the CLAM too, mine is the pavilion and while big, it’s a lifesaver.
You sound very much like us. We have about 5 mummy bags we use between us and friends. Unfortunately we learned like you that we really don't enjoy them. But, after investing that much in sleeping bags it is hard to justify switching to the nice old square versions. We also still own our old 3/4th thermarests for backpacking, but like you have moved over to the larger, thicker versions. Wish we got the Clam earlier. Just amazing little tent!
@@PlayingwithSticks I would think so too. I started in an Impreza but after camping I moved up to a GMC Canyon for more room for more stuff and future towing aka a pop up! +1 sub from me, you guys make some great vids.
I had a Chalet A frame trailer without a bathroom. I picked up a folding handicap seat with a lift up seat and removable bucket. All that designed for medical use. Light weight metal, but rated to hold over 200 lb person at a height above a toilet. Strong side rails/handles were a bonus.
Thanks for some great tips with this video. Heres some of mine. Some of the things I’ve found with my van conversion. We spent bunches on an electric 12v frigerator and it did not last. Then we got a coleman ice chest and instead of ice we use those refreezable things from amazon. For those who don’t like cooking while camping like us; we make burritos, hamburger patties, etc., all at home and warm them up in a lunchbox stove that we plug in to our 12v system or warm on a camp fire.
My son and I just got back from a 10 day camping/ trout fishing trip, we both have 7 x 12 cargo trailer conversions that are awesome...we eliminated 3 of my 6 large totes of stuff I didn't really use...I have so much more room under my full size bed now....Go thru your gear, get rid of stuff you didn't / don't use, keep your trailer / tent clean so when you get back from fishing / hiking you can enjoy a clean site....this really made a difference for my wife and I.
I'm with you on the chairs. We used to buy the $10 cheap camp chairs and they were always so uncomfortable, and flimsy. Definitely spend a little money on some good chairs.
My wife broke her shoulder on plastic chairs at Sun N Fun I bought her a good chair at home Depot and someone gave me another which I use. You learn to not make the same mistakes. 73
I don't use a gas lantern anymore now that they have affordable LED lanterns. It's not as bright, but one set of batteries will last for weeks especially if it runs on "D" cells, whereas even a single mantle gas lantern might last 2 evenings on a Colman bottle. Although they do throw off a lot heat so you could view a gas mantle lantern as a more dangerous substitute for a Little Buddy. I've been camping so long that I actually started out using Chinese made "hurricane lanterns". I love the nostalgia but less light than even an LED and all the dangers plus more of a mantle lantern so they don't come anymore either. Oh and if you have an old florescent lantern ditch that too. They take too long to warm up when cold (if they work at all) and use a lot more batteries than an LED lantern. We have a considerably larger trailer, so it is harder for us to put things off the list than for you. But trying to think of some other things: Hibachi BBQ's and big bags of charcoal (use fire instead), electric coolers (kills the batteries overnight even with solar), big TV's (also kill batteries), any device like an inflator that has built in rechargeable batteries (5 year life span tops get one that plugs into 12V or you can change the batteries), 3000 watt inverters (if you have more than 900 watts peak you've forgotten you are running on batteries), incandescent light bulbs (if you still have them it is well worth the money to replace them with LED, at least all the ones you use regularly), and gasoline for the generator (get a dual fuel. Much better to carry extra propane than gasoline. Has more uses around the campsite.) Still trying to think of things. If you have any old incandescent flashlights just throw them out and get LED's. Same as how you should convert all the lights on your trailer. You'll use 1/8 the batteries and have brighter light. Ice packs. Just freeze water bottles. That way when they melt you have nice cold fresh water. The plastic water bottles you buy anywhere will not break when frozen but they may distort. No big deal And they will keep the cooler cold until they melt. Cheap tents. With tents you get what you pay for. If you want or need a tent and you don't know anything about them, buy the most expensive reputable name brand you can afford. The cheap ones don't even hold out water. If it rains you will end up in a pool of water and very cold. Also the zippers don't last. Cheap air mattresses. These are single use. That's all for now.
My camp cookery consists of medium and large discount house frying pans, 4 qt cheap pot and cover, 9 cup perk coffee pot. Metal pie pan, small metal bowl, metal cup, fork, steak knife and table spoon for each person. Plus whatever cooking tools seem right. Medium size metal pail. Cheap reasonably light weight and nothing breakable or melty. Been working for me for over 50 years.
Yours cookery sounds very similar to ours. We have no more and no less than you, honestly almost the exact same. However, we don't have a metal pie pan. What do you use that for?
Kayak camping was the game changer for me. There just wasn't room to pack all the things we had used on previous trips. I ousted a lot of things and never looked back.
We have a small tear drop and a portable gas grill that uses those small propane cylinders. I'm with you, hate buying them and wanting something else. We're looking at a slim 6lb that would fit in our trailer's storage tub, won't take up a lot of room, and will save us money in the long run. One thing my wife and I keep doing is after each camping trip, we identify something else we thought we needed but didn't. It's all about minimization for us. Take what you need to be comfortable, but too much stuff and you become more focus on the stuff and not the adventure. Safe travels
Good points all around. One of our fears with adding gear is that at some point they will become the focus like you said. There is a balance and we are still trying to figure that out for our family.
Sooo true about the tent. I splurged and got myself the Gazelle T4 Overland Edition and love it!!! There were some issues with strong wind pushing in one of the sides but that wasn't anything a guy line on each side didn't fix.
Great video! On a side note...given how far combination locks have advanced in recent years (and the variety) I'd ditch keyed locks altogether and go w/combination locks! No longer hassling with carrying keys (or worse), forgetting keys and/or losing keys, makes changing over to combo-locks pretty much a no brainer :)
@@PlayingwithSticks - Master Lock & Brinks offer some really nice brass (and steel) individual rotary dial combination locks, as well as heavy-duty combination locks that resist cutting from bolt cutters, which is more ideal for trailer hitch latches. Most of the combination locks actually feature a changeable combination option, which allows users to pick a combination that is not limited to the factory combination and/or allows for changing the combo when too many people (or the wrong people) learn the original combination.
@@PlayingwithSticks Unless you buy very fancy locks, consider learning how to pick a basic 5 pin lock. I am not fast at it, it could take me ages, but i can do it!
Even though our popup has heat we never used it. We purchased the Buddy heater and it was wonderful. Keeping us warm and cozy while changing clothes an in the morning while changing into day wear We never left the Buddy on all night so the canisters lasted a bit longer. . We love our camping chairs around the campfire . Portable solar is cool if the sun is shining . With such a small teardrop I understand why some things need to be ruled out. Happy Camping
I have a teardrop & occasionally use a buddy heater & also found the heat going up causing the roof to get uncomfortably warm so I purchased a small usb fan & clamped it on the handle ,
Thanks for sharing John. It is funny we go back and forth with our cast iron. Like you said, we toss it due to weight, but then we bring it right back for ease of cleanup and much better cooking.
@@johnh7918 We would agree if you aren't using boiled water to remove the items. But, then again I have never put boiled water on a regular pan, maybe it does the exact same thing.
Proper use and they clean up very easy. Nothing sticks not even cakes. I only bring mine when I have a dinner I plan to cook in it. It is not in the every time I go category.
Awesome video! I am in the process of minimizing. I use to bring a large plastic picnic table with me that was very hard to store even in a motorhome. I just bought a trifold one that is just as effective and so easy to hide away until needed.
Sometimes we wonder if our family would be better off with just the 2 room Gazelle and no trailer. But, then it always comes back to the nice comfy bed for us.
I currently camp at my tractor show using 2 tarps 1 under my 9 ton flatbed trl and 1 over it. Then throw my bed roll under. I have a battery and inverter i used to charge off a generator and one year i forgot my battery so i just hooked it up to my rental pu truck. I run a box fan for cooling and/or keep bugs off. I use an old grill and this year i had picked up a propane stove (thanks covid no show this year) i built a 4ft cubed box and bought 200w of solar last year and kept my battery charged and charged a friends fifth wheel so they didnt need generator. I still brought my 7500w generac along. Shouldve brought welder also since a spring hanger broke on trl and had to pay to get fixed. Hopefully i can get a pickup camper in a year or two or i might try building something to go on my flatbed pu truck
Love your style! Sorry to hear about the cancellation of the show, that is unfortunate. You sound like the type of guy we want to camp next to. Have a problem, go over to him, he probably has a solution with him.
@@PlayingwithSticks the show has on one building "come as strangers. Leave as friends" one of my first years exhibiting a guy bottomed out his camper power tongue jack leveling his camper and i lifted it onto his trk with my bottle jack. Another guy got a flat on the big tire of his tractor in the plow field. He had a pancake compressor but no power i had a small generator and we got his tube patched and aired up. Loaned my battery charger to a family since their aux power didnt work and his converter took a crap. The next year the generator they brought puked out so we ran his 2 camper ac and powered moms camper and charged my battery off my new generator and i left with more gas then i showed up with. Swapped a couple meals with them and now been to their house visiting since theyre 4 hrs away but 10min from church camp
Flame King makes a 1lbs that is designed to be refilled. The Coleman ones are not... you can do it, but it is not as safe. I got 4 of the flame king ones and could not be happier.
@@duckmeat4674 The valves are basically designed for limited use (disposable design). I've unscrewed some generic ones when I was done cooking and it wouldn't even reclose and all the gas leaked right out. I only buy the Coleman ones now, haven't tried refilling any (use a 20lb on a hose for some stuff). Interesting about the flame king and the 11lb pancake tank
Great information! I like that you put your family moments into the video and didn't cut out the interruptions and especially the little people. Keep up the good work!
I got the same buddy heater but I also got a wood stove fan that blows the heat around very well. Heats up my conversion van turned box trailer nicely.
We were kind of late to the game on this one. But once we learned that trick like you did we made an entire video about it last year. That fan makes a big difference!
I've had my tong jack like you have for 30 + years on my 5' X 10' Utility trailer. It's been through the wilderness. The trick I learned frm smeone to put all the clamps on the frame and weld the main bracket with the crank to the trailer frame. That way it will not move.
Real/Steel plates and real cutlery are the way to go... We threw out the plastic one we had in our camping set and no complaints now! Foldable kitchen area is a total must have because it holds and organizes everything like BQQ, water (rinse kit) , propane, wash bins, cooking ustensils, dish towels (so they dry)! Foldable toilet is a must We carry 2 pieces of 2x4 to elevate the folding toilet because they are not the standard height and it helps!! Love the videos keep them coming!
We now have upgraded to the real cutlery. We still keep the plastic plates as we have found a set we love. They have high rounded edges which keeps the food on the plate. Very nice to have with the young boys. Before these plates food kept making its way to the ground. We may have to try the 2X4 trick. Thank you for sharing Sylvie.
@@PlayingwithSticks Sometimes you gotta share the knowledge We had a few people do the same to us And we did appreciate the simple ideas as to minimize the waste. We even keep our clothes in plastic bins with locking lids (Rubbermaid) so they do double/triple duty, holds clothes or dry goods, extra seat, extra surface/side table or for your young one an elevated play area for games or drawing, etc... We did this when tenting and still do it for teardropping... even when tent got 3" of rain flooding in, our clothes were dry. Hope everyone enjoys a bit of the outdoors today! Vie 🇨🇦
You can easily refill the small propane cylinders(from the standard BBQ size tank) with an adapter you can buy at the hardware store. That's what we do.
I took the 20 pound bottle off my mini camper ( taking much weight off the tongue) and use the 1 pound bottles for most of my trips. 2 of them is enough to do most of what I need to do. While the 11 pound bottle is a good suggestion ( yes it can be used on regular grill) they are priced very high compared to a 20 pound bottle so for now I am sticking to my small 1 pound bottle they can be purchased all over the country with ease and do the job for me as well.
I’m mostly solo camping, currently on the market for a tear drop trailer. I sleep in a bunker tent atm. It’s fine for sleeping and keeping me off the ground. My favourite thing to take it my Yeti storage case. I can just grab and go knowing I have. My jet boil, knife, first aid utensils. Head lamp wet wipes and more.
Good stuff, sub'd. We tent camped for years, and upgraded to bigger and glampier setups, before (re)building a 16' vintage camper, to sleep 4. But we also do primitive canoe camping. Living and camping in Florida, one thing I should have purchased years ago was a Thermocell. They work great at keeping mosquitoes away, about as well as Off Deep Woods, but without living with a residue and smell on your skin. To deal with the heat, again years ago I wish I would have discovered this, is to string up tarps across the campsite as shade (also helps with our random summer thunderstorms that pop up in minutes). With modern materials like 1.1 oz silpoly, a large rain fly packs away to a very minimal space. We finished our camper just over a year ago, and I'm already going to replace the tongue jack. I feel you on that one. Now that our camper is sufficient as a bug-out shelter, I'll be purchasing a small generator for hurricane duty. A 2k watt unit is plenty for running our tiny a/c and fridge in the camper, which makes life so much nicer when your house is without power for a week.
Thanks for sharing all this Patrick. We are in the final stages of finishing up our 13' foot vintage camper to sleep four as well. Should be in one of our next videos coming out. Love canoe camping. The portaging part we don't love as much as we used to. We seriously considered a Thermocell last year, but decided to wait awhile as May was pregnant. Because the product was newer, we didn't want to take the risk that 10 years down the road they say they cause birth defects or something. Will have to pick us up a thermocell soon. Great suggestion on the tarps. We are still hoping those silpoly tarps start decreasing in price a bit. They can be a bit of an upfront investment. We would agree a 2k watt unit would be just right for the bugout trailer. We haven't had to use ours yet, but it is nice knowing it is there when the next thing goes down.
@@PlayingwithSticks if you have a sewing machine, or know someone with one, check out ripstopbytheroll.com. I bought the material and learned to sew a silpoly awning for the camper (also learned to sew curtains and cushions, too), and it was pretty straight forward. Saved a lot of money, and gained some skills. I should have made a video series, haha. Pics: instagram.com/p/Bx5CV2PhWQl/?igshid=1igov15pi2urc
I bought a Clam Escape screen house last year and love it. Best investment I've ever made! I've been living on the road for 20 years and can't believe I made it so long without it. I'm doing adding some things to it so I can live in the desert year round.
I like that you’re getting away from the 1 lb propane throw away green tanks! However, if you still need them fir the Mr Buddy Heater and you don’t use the hose system, please look into Flame King refillable 1lb tanks. I’ve used mine since October and refill it with a 20 pounder, my cost is now below 90 cents per fill. Thanks for the video. Skillet
I got away from the one pound propane and use butane stove and butane cans they are recyclable. You can refill a one pound cylinder if you have the adapter but you still need a 20 pound bottle with you, you are not allowed to travel with a one pound cylinder if it was refilled. It's not breaking the law if you don't travel with a cylinder that was refilled. If it's empty it's legal. The buddy heater is the only thing I would use a one pound cylinder. I did buy an adapter for my gas grill to use one pound cylinder but I'm not taking it camping my stove is all I need to cook. Maybe down the road I may convert a butane stove into a butane grill I don't understand why it's not available yet. You can use the same burner from the stove to heat the lava rocks. I guess a habatchi grill would be better, you only need one side for two to four people.
Just get the adapter hose for the mr buddy AND MAKE SURE YOU GET THE HOSE FROM THEM! (Non mr buddy hoses deteriorate over time and will clog your unit). I hook my 20lbs tank right up for a 5-6 night trip and it’s fantastic. You can use a 5 or 11 lbs tank too if you’d like 👍
This is silly just start a recycling program and recycle them spent cylinders. I would not travel with any propane bottles unless they are kept outside the vehicle or trailer.
@@ronb6182 please start a recycling program and we’ll join it. If you don’t travel with 1 lb propane tanks in your vehicle, how do you get them home? Just asking.
We have a 9 ft coachmen clipper express pop up trailer. We have 2 large double coated dogs. We bring an aluminum shade cloth for when it’s hot. We can cover the trailer to reflect heat away, cover the vehicle to keep cooler,or tie up like a shade sail. The cloth can reduce the temperature up to 10 degrees underneath. They are lightweight and perforated. They don’t catch the wind like a tarp.
My daughter asked my why I pack so much? Me: but I need my flag and pole, and fairy lights, and windmills, and 20 different camping lanterns, and Half a library. Yes, we have a library in our tent. Xx
I have found if you have a vacuum sealer at home and can plan meals ahead of time, fixing bases ahead of time and freezing them can cut down meal prep time when you get to your destination. Last year I was able to freeze a spaghetti meat sauce (4 person meal) and all I had to do was get water boiling and warm it up in the bag, then after it was warm put noodles into the water and add the sauce. Also prepared SOS before adding milk, just took a can of condensed milk and water to the mix and instant gravy in the skillet. Also do other things such as chili, pork chops, chicken dishes all pre cooked at home and finished off with boiling water and vacuum bags.
Great idea Bruce. We are big fans of our vacuum sealer. We are going to have to try this. We currently moved away from all tupperware and put our food flat in the cooler using ziplock bags to save space. With the vacuum sealer it would even be more efficient then our current setup.
I spent a lot of time and money on putting a toilet and blackwater tank in my van but recently we got 2 of those 5 gallon bucket toilet seat things and my God those are awesome. I don't regret the van toilet at all, but there's something about comfortably shitting in the middle of a beautiful forest that frees ones soul
If we could give this tent hearts we would! Honestly we thought you were being sarcastic in your comment. These things actually exist! Thank you so much for sharing this. We will for sure be talking about this one in future videos. Thanks again Henry!
I mentioned on one of your videos that one of my favorite take alongs in my teardrop is a Gorilla scaffold that is 12" x 4' x 16" high. Very sturdy! works as a bench, a stool to get bikes off the truck, guest seating and works perfectly for a bench to eat at our portable 2' x 4' table. It is aluminum so I can set the Little Buddy Heater under it. Food is cooked you are ready to sit down and eat and it is cold! Well put the Little Buddy under the bench, won't melt it, place a piece of carpet remnant on the bench, sit down next to your wife, drape a camp blanket over your knees, and truly enjoy your dinner in pretty good warmth with a little wine (and hopefully out of the wind)!
Per solar Panels I will say that while foldables take up less space they tend to be more expensive than normal panels and if a connection between panels breaks your energy input will be reduced significantly.
Very fun. We teardroped for 5 years. Just upgraded to a horizon InTech. Camping in Texas it’s all about shade and AC. Even though we are upgrading size we are looking to only take what we need to use.
Great idea for a video! Figuring out what you don’t need can be expensive lol. I camped for years off of adventure motorcycles, so you can only bring the most important things. Now that I’m spending more time camping out of my 4Runner, that packing discipline has paid off, but I have still parred down my kit from things I didn’t use. Everybody camps different and requires different things, we all just gotta go through the process of figuring out what that is.
Great insight Steve on the different camping styles. Sounds like you are living out some pretty fun adventures. I am assuming when you are referring to adventure motorcycles you are talking bikes like KLRs and BMW's? We have quite a few buddies into that as well. One of our all time favorite shows is Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I assume you have seen that as well. Back in the day May and I used to ride a lot of smaller bikes across country in Asia. Like you said, the minimal packing from those trips has really impacted our packing today for our teardrop life. We have noticed though over the past few years that we have started to slowly move away from complete minimalist packing and add a few creature comforts here and there.
Most of my "camping" was in the Army, we brought everything. 🤣 I bought a Jeep Wrangler last year and getting back into camping. My dad gave me a 20lb propane tank. I looked at buying the smaller 10lb, but 1) it's twice the price 2) need more propane?? Drive to any store and they probably have propane exchange for 20lb tanks.
Good point on the high price and the lack of ability to exchange a cylinder. We have a boring Jeep Liberty, gets the job done but would love to have a "real Jeep" someday.
You do a lot of stuff really well. I came from a long distance backpacking background, so having nothing built-in was natural to me. Your set up is a great example of why modular is better than built-in. I mean, I get it, it looks cooler when you have a built-in stove, sink, battery...etc. But the fact is, where you park your camper isn't always the best place to bathe, wash dishes, cook or generate electricity. The added build-in components add weight and cost, and they limit flexibility and storage. One question I'd like to ask: how to you prep your food ahead of time and how do you protect your food? What sort of cooler(s) do you use? Are bear bags in the equation? In my experience, if you find a place with good sun and water (and you showed up with a full propane tank) food it really the only limiting factor, so I'm really curious about your solutions. Great video and thanks as always.
Love that you came from a long distance backpacking background. We have always had the desire to do a trail like the IAT or the AT, but never got the chance. We got the taste for it doing a 110 mile trail. That was definitely one of our most favorite adventures. Love your take on modular vs built-in. This is something innately we both knew, but you finally put it in words for us. Actually sounds like a great future video topic. As for the food. We have had this question a few times, but have never made a video on it. Honestly we haven't made a video, because we are still trying to figure it out years later. It is an area of our camping lifestyle that we haven't mastered, really we have barely improved in this area since we started taking out the teardrop. Our prep cooking to cooking on site ratio is about 50:50. We tend to make a lot of what we call "hobo meals." Probably not the most politically correct term today. Lets call them "tinfoil meals." We usually have a few meals in mind before we head out that we plan on cooking in advance. 1/3rd of these meals are fully cooked and the other 2/3rds we partially cook the items to be used in the tinfoil meals. We precook the items about 50-75% before leaving home for those items that take quite a while to cook at camp . This way when we reheat them on the open fire or on the coleman stove they aren't overcooked or dried out, but yet we can get them quickly up to temp. This last year we have been using the instant pot a lot more to pre-cook the items, especially potatoes and meats. About 1 meal a day is either reheated from being fully cooked or finished off after being 75% cooked at home. The other large meal of the day is made completely from fresh produce and meat, and sometimes a meat substitute. This food prepping I just shared works pretty well for us. The part that we haven't figured out is protecting the food. We started with coolers with ice cubes. Moved on to one or two solid ice blocks. Dabbled in dry ice, but didn't enjoy storing the cooler in the trailer and couldn't store it in the car due to the gas it releases. From there we learned a trick where you store your ice in small pyrex or rubbermaid tupperware. This was neat in that our food never became water logged, and we had fresh clean ice to use in drinks (the ice also didn't melt as fast as regular ice cubes wrapped around food) However, these little tupperwares scattered throughout the cooler took up way too much space. So this winter we started researching 12 volt cooler/freezers as many of our UA-cam friends from this channel have shared that that is what they use. They seem really happy about making the switch and we haven't really heard many negative complaints. We also realized this was an area of camping that we didn't know anything about, so we thought it was time to learn. We currently have the ICECO GO 20 that we will be putting to the test. Yes, this is a small cooler/freezer, but we loved the amount of watts it consumed and we were hoping without all our ice this may be the right fit for our family. Confession here, another thing we do that is definitely not "roughing it, we head out to little ma and pa stores across Alaska about every 3 days. Meaning every three days we either haul the teardrop to the store if the location we are boondocking in feels a little vulnerable or we unhitch and take a quick drive to town to stock up on fresh produce. I am not sure how other families eat, but I have a feeling we consume more fresh fruits and vegetables than the average family. The beauty of the fresh food is you have very little trash to haul out at the end of your trip. But, the downside is it is a bit hard to store. As for bear bags we just make sure everything gets back in the coolers and into the car at all times if we are not eating or cooking. We try to follow basic backpacking rules in terms of how far we camp from a stream, how far we eat from our campsite, etc. Alaska is a bit different than places like Glacier National Park for example. Our bears up here have quite a bit of space to roam and habitual bears are not near as common. When we do find that perfect location with sun and water and geography that makes you want to play in the area every day, we tend to pull out our spare dry food that we carry with us at all times to extend our stays. Not the most pleasurable, but sure beats running to town to stock up. Another confession. We love food so much there are actually times we break the perfect camp just to move on to the next region/boondocking site so we can get some more new food. We sometimes have to do this when the boondocking site is so far from a town that it doesn't make sense to make such a long drive without heading to a new location. Our #1 goal this summer is to focus on camp food. We are quite the foodies both of us spend a lot of our time at home in the kitchen cooking SE Asian food. Our goal is to move more of these home recipes into our camping lifestyle. I think once we introduce those foods outside in the next two weeks our needs will greatly change in terms of stoves, utensils, storage, cooling, etc. We want to make it successful, but we also want to do it in a way that doesn't take up a lot of space and add a lot of weight. We are both actually really excited about this little challenge. Sorry for the super long response. You just touched on a subject that we are currently thinking a lot about and thought why not share.
@@PlayingwithSticks First off, you're right, a video about modular vs. built-in would be great. I'm pretty sure i already know where I land, but I'm certain your audience would be interested. Secondly, a video about your food prep/protection would be great...especially since you're still figuring it out. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me (and my wife) one of the best parts of your channel is that you're a family figuring things out. You're not a pro trying to sell us something. You're doing your best and sharing the experience. Frankly, some of the things that don't work for you might work for us and vise versa. Our families are different and our travels are different so, naturally, our needs are different. What's really helpful is seeing your process, not just the finished product. Seriously, even a video about you guys building a menu would be great. Next, if you are looking to head south to do a long hike, I'd recommend some of the stuff around Yosemite first (maybe Tuolumne as a start) and, obviously, the Grand Canyon. I've done the AT twice (once on a thru) and it deserves much respect, but the weather/bugs can be a bummer (Mt. Washington is rough). The PCT is fantastic, but it's really long. Finally and, perhaps, most importantly, your responses are appreciated. The more detailed and thorough, the better. You need never apologize for a detailed response. Cheers and best to you and yours.
Thank you for sharing these suggestions. Yosemite has never been very high on our list, but it should be. It is such a gorgeous place. Being up here in Alaska we watch a lot of videos in the winter about camping. Most of those videos are deserts and the desert is starting to really have a draw for us. We've also never been to the Grand canyon. Wow, even the Pacific rim trail is really long. We just googled it and had never realized how long it was. we're going to have to start doing some googling and seeing what the youngest kids are who have done some of these through trails. Thanks again for sharing all this. And also sharing what you enjoy about the channel. It is comments like these that help us when planning for future videos.
@@PlayingwithSticks You're entirely welcome for the suggestions. You share a lot of really helpful information with your subscribers. One more suggestion for you, if it's deserts you want, I've got two words for you: Southern Utah. Zion, Bryce, Escalante and Canyonlands alone are a good month's worth of camping and hiking. You toss in spectacular day trips to Arches and Dead Horse...man...it's like nothing you've ever seen. Postcard alley takes 1/2 hour and if you get it during sundown it's just magic. Then the La Sals, they're purple at sunset. Very pretty. That said, if you only do one southern 48 trip, consider doing a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. A J-Rig (basically a pontoon boat) does the whole thing in 3 days, so you get to see a lot and it's tons of fun plus most of the guides are well educated on the geology & history. Looking forward to your next video and thanks as always.
Don't forget the small propane cylinders are much easier to cross thread. Then you will inadvertently use that propane bottle with damaged threads on everything else at some point. Now you can buy all new stuff or hunt down bits and pieces to make your old stuff work (stores are routinely out of the bits and pieces, at least the bit or piece I want). Great channel. Looking forward to watching the old and new content. Camping is the main character of what I see so far. Refreshing compared to some of the 'look at us' channels out there.
Thanks Andrew. Your comment hit close to home about the camping, because honestly if it was up to us we would not be in front of the camera. Love the filming, love the camping, not a huge fan of the look at us part of it al. But unfortunately at the moment we have nobody else to do the talking, so that leaves us :)
Great video! We found in our camp kitchen, cheap "camp" cutesy cutlery and plates didn't last long or we weren't happy with them. Upgraded to a real but mismatched cutlery from thrift shop and quality stainless plates and are much happier. Have you ever tried cutting up a steak on a crappy plate with cheap cutlery? Enough said and they will last forever.
We are just realizing the same thing. After multiple meals sliding off of our plate into the fire or onto the ground I think we are due for a thrift store run as well. Thanks for sharing your insights Melissa!
@@PlayingwithSticks Dollar Tree has large Stainless pet bowls (6-7" across base). For me, it's wide enough to use as a small plate, and well ... it's already a bowl - 2 for 1!!
@@thechristinediane pet bowls I wouldn't trust if they are food grade metal. I don't cut in my plastic food containers I use kitchen pair of scissors to cut meat for me and my wife I do that at home also when alone. We eat in the living room mostly watching tv so already cut meat is better. I don't use scissors in restaurants or in company with family or friends. I try not to leave cut marks in my dishes. I don't do steak too much so other meats cut easy.
Love your video! I used to bring marshmallow roasting sticks, but now I just find deadwood sticks and sharpen the ends with a pocket knife. Burn the tip a bit before using and you won't have to worry about slivers. Saves space and weight, and kids love looking for the "perfect" smores stick.
Glad you enjoyed it. May said the same thing about the lock scene. We hope one day to look back at these videos as a way to catch glimpses of the little guys growing up in the outdoors. Even in the last year it has been really fun to look back at our first videos and see how much East has grown.
Ps .. you heater needs a little Fan to prevent the heat only going up .. You van get one for the mini stoves and the come separate sold. Especially with radiant heat .. works wonders.cause it keeps heating fresh air up .. and make a thru.flow .. it will seem you bought a heater 2/3 larger .. try it out with a cheap dollar store Fan , usb or something, just for a test (plastic will melt if too close but just for demonstration ).. place it slightly behind the heater on the top side.. especially in smaller areas.. use the heater like you normally do .. then try with Fan for hour.. Wow. Game changer .. the stove versions work awesome but bit pricier cause it can also take direct heat like from a wood stove.. Try it out with a dinky Fan .. you will love it .. the air gets warm all around .. and no longer feel like radiant heat .. only baking when in direct line of sight.. step to the left in winter and youll freeze .. but while you are in the heat it feels like you are microwave cooked.. on the skin .. Definitely try out the FAn in combo, cheers
@@PlayingwithSticks ... Ohyeah .. almost forgot the most important thing .. a cheap dollar store usb fan or something works also really well in HOt weather .. if you have a bottle of frozen water or two.. place close together and the Fan behind it a bit... and sit in the draft.flow area... oeeeeeee.. just nice enough when the heat gets to Ya!..
In hindsight we could have edited that much better. Could have had the sounds while I was talking and then move into the lake for a more obvious connection. Glad you caught it!
We have learned a lot, as well, at Colorado Teardrops Camper Trailers. It's great to see you enjoying the Teardrop Trailer that we built for you. I make the electrical system for these trailers, and these days our trailers are better than ever. Thanks for all of the Tips you have learned regarding how to really enjoy camping with a teardrop trailer.
We are really impressed with your trailers. Quite a few folks in the community have great things to say about their Colorado teardrops. Our teardrop does look similar to yours. But, definitely a home build. Not up to the standard of trailers you produce. If you all ever have a used Colorado Teardrop Camper Trailer laying around that you ever want us to take out on the road let us know. We would love to highlight other teardrop trailers on the channel if we ever get the chance. Thanks for the really kind comment Curt. We appreciate it!
Great suggestion. We should have mentioned this option in the video. It was a tough decision between a 5 or 11lb propane tank vs refilling small tanks. But, sounds like this will make a great topic for one of our future videos. Thanks for giving us a great little vs. video idea.
The problem I have found with looking into that option if by the time you have 4 or so 1 lb bottle you pretty much have taken up the space of an 11 pound or 5 pound tank I camp in a Camry so space is very very limited and we have 2 dogs with is so back seat doesn't even have much option... I will take a 1 pound of I am going just for a one nighter and maybe bring 2 just in case but more then that I just bring a 20lb tank only because I have several and I haven't convinced myself to buy a 5 or 11 lb
No matter what you do, everyone has their bigger and better idea these days. I can camp for an entire week and not use 1lb of propane for cooking. I may use 1lb heating water for showering. Basically I can get through a week completely off grid with less than three 1lb tanks. And they package extremely well in my kit.
@@toolman9081 totally agree man. For me it depends on the time of year. My state has fire bans a good chunk of the year when I go out. I typically cook over fire as much as possible or a woodgas stove which are great. Also depends on how many people I'm with if its just me a 1 lb will last me a few days, unfortunately wife doesn't like my rough camp eating like I do 😆
Hey guys! Just a suggestion, if you do have a need for a few different locks you can go ahead and re-key them all to the same key. It's really easy! If you don't want to bother to learn a new skill, a locksmith should do the job for fairly cheap.
We did not know this. Thank you for sharing this. We were just at the locksmith yesterday getting keys made for the trailer. Wish I would have known this 24 hours ago.
The small propane cylinders are probably going to stay in your life for stuff like torches, or maybe lanterns. Might as well refill them with a coupling, that will keep them out of the landfill. You just screw on the coupling, and then before you turn on the valve, make sure the discharging cylinder is inverted.
drew, that's a great tip. i did hold off buying a tent until you came along video gave me good insight on what to buy. it meets my criteria and i can set it at the rear of the travelodge with that camo sheet over the area to protect from sun and rain. mainly a tent with bug and mosquito mesh net. thanks again and your community for sharing their ideas.
Your are most welcome! We held off on the Clam tent for quite some time due to the price. But, after seeing it in person the quality really does match the cost.
This is so much fun to watch - I usually go hiking or travel by public transport, so my camping gear fits in a backpack 🙃 recently got a car, but it is a two seater convertible with a booth the size of, well, two hiking backpacks, pretty much 😆 That means some of these items I never even considered (like, you'd bring a heater? Whoa! So luxurious lol) but still an enjoyable video and the comments have some helpful tips as well!
A while back I read some good advice about what to take when backpacking that has some relevance here. The author said that after a backpacking trip, sort everything you took into three piles: Pile 1 - stuff you used every day, Pile 2 - stuff you used occasionally, Pile 3 - stuff you didn't use at all. The next time you go backpacking just take the stuff in pile 1! In my case, I used to load a mountain bike onto a hitch mounted bike carrier. After crossing the continent twice with a bike in tow and only using it a handful of times I now leave it at home. One less thing to worry about! And no bike means no bike carrier, no spare tubes, no pump, no bike lock, etc..
✅Check out our video about "3 Years of Camping Gear Abuse: What is Standing and What We Left Behind" ua-cam.com/video/Go2AF2HiJL4/v-deo.html
your kids are adorable. keep up the good work dad.
@@MrSGL21
Watching from California. Great video on tear drops
Have you tried treating the tent with Permethrin, years ago you had to mix it with water yourself, but now they have premixed bottles that can treat your clothes, tent and gear, although it isn't quite as effective, it still works better than any off or insect repellent. The only real downside is you have to make the tent/clothes damp enough (soaking works much better) and allow them to completely dry while not wearing or using them. Enjoy not having to use insect repellent or having to worry about ticks ever again. As always make sure to check before you camp for any allergies before you go camping.
Much cheaper to make your own, but a spray bottle of pre-mix is only about $16 a bottle, which may seem expensive, but how much insect repellent do you use on 3 or more trips Because two cans of deep woods off is $10 and contains deet which isn't a good chemical but is the one that actually works best against mosquitos. You end spending much more on off, they recommend you treat your clothes and use off, but I find I don't have to myself. They claim it lasts through 6 washes so even if you get 3 washes, you win even if you spend a bit more. Again I don't really have many issues with mosquitos unless they are swarming, but hate ticks and haven't seen one in years since finding this solution. So your mileage may vary compared to mine, but wanted to get your input if you would be willing to try it. I think more people need to know about treating clothing as an option, again you can also treat your clothes with deet, but again it is deet and you should only use deet on pure cotton clothing which is almost nothing that we own today. deet will actually destroy water resistance and eventually the clothing itself, so make sure to do research if you go the deet route, which works even better but again nothing but downsides that you should be aware of.
Good info!
I lightened my load about 200 lbs. and an enormous amount of stress by no longer bringing my ex wife! It's amazing how much more smoothly everything goes. I kid you not. I magically became competent to pick a camping spot, back up the trailer, set up camp, light a fire etc!
This had us laughing because an hour or two earlier we had a very similar comment, but it was from a woman describing leaving her man behind :)
Hahahahaha
Yup. My campsite is incredibly compact when I’m on my own.
Yep, traded mine in for a ktm 350 exc/f street legal enduro motorcycle, awesome ride😎
I did the same thing except it was my 250 pound ex-husband that I left behind!!
We camp in a tent. One thing I Love is a fake grass door mat outside the door, Really helps keep it cleaner inside
Nobody has ever shared this tip. Thank you Becky!
Great idea thanks
I thought my dad was the only one lol
tarp.
Varmington bear protection in a tent- we have a bunch of dry sticks all around your tent like a fortress that Tiff the varmint or predator tries to come in the stick start breaking and you hear it first you have time to wake up and protect yourself
This is exactly the type of content anyone planning a tiny campervan needs.
That is so cool to hear. We often say the best camp setup comes from taking a little bit from each camping niche. A little van life here, some small camper trailer there, and sprinkle in some backpacking principles.
Just yesterday I was thinking about Playing With Sticks, and I used to watch your videos, but you just don't show up anymore. Bam, there you were. It was a guy showing his mods. I looked at your program list and I clicked on 10 things we don't..... In it I saw your Rock pals folding solar panel and Rock pals power station. Made me smile. I have both. My first ones. I have newer and larger power stations that we used during hurricane Milton in Orlando. Nice to see an old friend again that I only met watching videos during covid. Cheers
Solar string lights are actually the best at night. Gives off a warm yellow glow that doesn’t blind and doesn’t attract bugs like bright led lanterns do, and easy to string up overhead since light should be placed above and not on the floor. Also reusable zip ties, can get just about anything else done too aside from making a fire.
I've started to bring a pizza stone. I can cook on it, make a table with it, put hot things on it, and use it as a safe base for a quick fire.
That is a great idea!
I never thought of that! Nice!
Thanks :) It is definitely in my top 5.
I do something similar, but can't cook with it. I bring a 12"x24" ceramic tile. It's a cutting board, place for hot pots/pans, and a few other things.
Always cool when you can repurpose an otherwise overlooked item.
Yes nice idea 💡
Just found your channel, love how 'real' your videos are. Kids talking in the background, side conversations, real footage not mico editing to perfection. What a breath of fresh air!
Love this comment Chantal. Great timing with this. We literally, just two comments ago had someone not to happy with us about what you were just describing as positive. Luckily we only get about 1 or 2 of those comments a year. But, we do also understand their perspective as some folks are just looking for bullet points and information.
Agree 100%! I just wonder how he tricked a "Miss America" to marry him?!!
Yes I too love to hear complaints about camping in a camping video. Exceedingly refreshing for sure.
Some people go too far with the little "cutsie" moments. This was fine.
I use Luci lights which are portable and solar charged. Another easy step I haven't seen mentioned is to put coffee into tea bag filters you can buy online so all you need to do is pour hot water in your mug and let steep. You can also make dehydrated meals that you just add hot water, (in your bowl). My husband and I are gluten intolerant so I make my own. A favorite is dehydrated chicken, bullion and veggies. You can also add rice.
Big fans of Luci Lights as well. Unfortunately we only get to use ours in April, September, and October. We haven't heard the tea bag coffee method before. That is awesome.
YES LUCI LIGHT WATERPROOF SOLAR PHONE CHARGER ROCKS 3 YEARS LATER AFTER PURCHASE! good product!
@@PlayingwithStickswe call it "cowgirl coffee" you pour boiling water into a Pyrex measuring cup w/ a spout on it, preloaded with desired amount of coffee.
Then you stir it & let steep!
Then, use a tea strainer as you pour the coffee into your coffee mug.
Careful not to overflow!
You can dump excess coffee grinds as they pour into strainer, right back into the Pyrex cup as you fill your mug. It makes DELISH tasty coffee, and the oils from the beans carry the essence of the coffee giving it a rich flavor as the oils aren't filtered out! I make cow girl coffee every morn!❤
Wooden clothes pins are so useful. I use them to close food storage bags, hang up damp towels or socks, and more.
Great suggestion. We do not have 1 wooden clothespin in our camper. Going to have to try it out.
Ooh yes, I also use them to hold small candles. Like I bought all these candles (cuz hey, I like em) and could not find holders to fit them bc they're so skinny...clothes pins worked, and you can stand them upright bc the pins created a solid triangular base.
I use rubber bands, they can be used for all sorts plus hair, shirts that are too big for kids, furmenting top with coffee filters, fold & roll all bags, zip locked bags, clothes rolled. Oh, I could just go ON & ON! Plus you dont have to worry about the medal poping off your clothes pens & can use them for what they do best.
@@lizishmathuser thanks for this tip. It's a really good idea. I usually put my skinny taper candles in a small pot of salt. I never thought of using a peg. Simple but effective.
Clothes pins work for lots of things. Even hanging Christmas lights on the roof or if you want use them for your camp light strings in trees. Easy to put up and take down.
The tried and true trick method is go through everything you took on a trip as you unpack it and capture what you used a lot, a little and not at all. Over the years we’ve whittled down how many clothes we pack along still ensuring we have adequate layering alternatives. Our camp kitchen kit has also been streamlined quite a bit. Also cut way back on food stock and rely more on occasional resupply shopping every 4-5 days. We now leave behind the large cooler and minimize our amount of perishables. With a little planning and intentionality, you can really limit or eliminate need for a cooler or fridge (make a hobby of I dehydrating). We still pack a roll top style camp table, but find we rarely ever use it anymore. The one area to never compromise is being dry, warm and comfortable are night; nothing will ruin an outing faster (except dehydration or illness I suppose). In this vein, I’ve learned a decent pillow is definitely worth having.
Thank you for sharing all of this Devin. We still have a long way to go on the cutting down of our clothes and camp kitchen. We are pretty good at maintaining a low amount of food. Like you we resupply every 3-4 days. This summer we are experimenting with a 12 volt fridge/freezer to cut down on our ice. We had a tip yesterday from someone who said they pre-freeze their food in a 1 gallon ziplock bag ensuring the food is flattened before freezing for much better storage. We have also made the mistake of using backpacking pillows for years. Time to bring out some "real" pillows this camping season.
@@PlayingwithSticks I've only bring what I use in my kitchen all the time. 1 of everything. I plan my meals & bring what I would use to make that meal. Or I make the meals at home & put in zip lock bags (freeze if needed) then finish making at camp or finish cooking at camp.
@@PlayingwithSticks A thermal peltier refrigerator uses ~30-50 watts continuous. I recommend a 1kWh battery,(about the size of a standard RV battery) and I would recommend doubling up on the solar panels.(200 watts or more) Those beautiful foldable arrays won't add much weight, or take up much space. It doesn't matter what kind of inverter you have, you won't use it. Those refrigerators run directly off the 12 volt battery.
@@vincentrobinette1507 The thermoelectric ones like that will chew through the 1kWh in about a day. You can get a great 12v compressor fridge now for $200-$250. My 50 liter Vevor (Alipcool CX50 clone) with LG compressor draws 0.20kWh per day (8.4 watts average due to mostly being cycled off) running 24/7, holding 32F in a 72F room (but it can be set to -4F). The 22 liter Vevor (as reviewed by Jasonoid in his 11-fridge comparison) is often under $190 delivered. My 50 liter with wheels (which I removed) was $253 on eBay delivered. So if you're willing to go with 1 day of fridge power in your battery, you can get a $200 battery pack instead of a $1000 battery pack just by getting a compressor fridge. It has a real thermostat holding your set temp, unlike just holding a fixed differential from the outdoor air temp as the thermoelectric (peltier) coolers do. Running an 8W fridge or 15W freezer vs a 50W cooler saves you a lot of battery and solar needs. It's a light enough draw you can even just use the vehicle battery if you're the least bit careful about monitoring the voltage (which most fridges tell you) and also the fridges let you set a cutoff voltage to protect your vehicle battery.
@@EfficientRVer You're exactly right about the power consumption of the Thermal Peltier fridge taking ~1kWh per day, which is why I specified that battery as a bare minimum. I have not had any experience with compressor fridges that small. You also pointed out one MAJOR advantage of compressor fridges, and that is their ability to freeze. While technically possible, a thermal peltier freezer would need much more than 1 kWh per day! Does the fridge you're talking about run directly on 12 VDC or, does it require an inverter?
Someone had comment about food storage and keeping food cold.you can make alot thing's ahead of time ,then freeze them in 1 gallon ziplock bag's freeze them flat and you will be surprised how much you can get in a cooler.
Great Idea, I may have to try that one, Thank you
This is a great thought William. We have never even considered freezing things flat. We will be trying this out soon!
You can do the same thing with water, put it in a heavy ziploc baggie freeze it flat, when it melts you have clean water and a clean storage baggie if needed.
Also, it will keep that "last item" you put in the very top of the cooler,( but inevitably works its way to the bottom,) from getting waterlogged.
This is very true. I cook double once or twice a week then I freeze specific portions with our names on it due to amount we eat, as well as date and type of food. Our freezer can take about 10 days food so we don’t cook often. When we are packing I just take out whatever we need.
@@hazelem1266 Love it. We just got a new smaller 12 volt refrigerator/fridge. So freezing and packing flat is our new way of travel.
I love my 5 gallon bucket toilet. I tent camp by my self and I use a Kia soul. I found putting a toilet seat on the bucket didn't work good. I put a pool noodle on it and it works great. I'm 70 and it is a good height. I put a garbage bag for easy removal of waste. I keep extra garbage bags in the pail, and a roll of toilet paper.
How do you deal with the smell with no lid? Do you just empty every time?
i use a old small garbage can. its actually comfortable. efficient, easy and cheap. now i look forward to going,lol.
@@jackyfelder2563 compost toilet . The way to go
@@terribolan2010 Find yourself some Dry Den. It's a compressed wood pellet with zeolite and it absorbs liquids and odors. I put about 1/2 cups in the bottom of a regular garbage bag and there is no mess or odor. i can use a couple times by just twisting the bag shut between. Easy to 'flush' by covering a mess with another handful of pellets. Whole bag goes in the trash when I think it's time to start. new bag.
A 7 gallon toilet is much better. The extra height is what made the difference for my long legs.
I had a good time reading good natured comments from all your fans, thanks for that too.
Glad you had a good time William. Our favorite part is the comments from the good natured folks in this small trailer community.
That look on the kids face when Mom skipped the rock, like he just discovered Mom is magic...
We down sized our kitchen stuff to bring only 2 forks, knives, spoons and plates, pot and pan and 2 cups. If people drop over they can bring their own utensils and cups, etc.
Great point. We have found even our friends who drop by from outside the campground tend to bring their own food with them even when we say we have food. In the last three to four years I bet we have only used the extra utensils maybe 3 times. Because of that we now carry on a few paper plates just in case someone shows up. But, if not the plates come in handy for child crafts, fire starter, and the roughest backup toilet paper ever!
@@PlayingwithSticks that's some real John Wayne stuff right there! Rough and tough and don't take sh*t off of nobody 😆
@@PlayingwithSticks makes sure it’s the paper plates that don’t have the coating on them! Wouldn't want to burn whatever chemicals thats made of and put that into the air. Especially if that's the same fire you decide to cook over. Bleagh.
I made a "camp kitchen box" that holds 95% of the cooking gear, stove, plates pans, washbasin etc.. Mostly we have two of everything (just me and the wife) with three sets of utensils. I do have a slot just for enamelware mugs though of which there are seven ( one marked for use as a measuring cup) and I have a big steel coffee pot. We usually camp with friends and I always make a big pot of cowboy coffee in the morning and I like to be able to offer a cup to anyone who stops by, whether or not they remembered to bring their own mug.
I really enjoy the B roll footage of your family enjoying the outdoors together. That's what this is all about, after all.
Good dad. Doesn’t get angry when his kids act like kids. I could learn from these parents
Your lil assistant conquers😊
One thing I will *always* throw in my bag is a cheap 9x12plastic sheeting or drop cloth. Only a couple bucks and saved us from getting soaked at Scout Camp when our flap tent started leaking after a long soaking rain. Draped it over my mosquito net and stayed dry all night, despite having to dump some water in the middle of the night.
We quit packing the trailer. Bought a hitch basket and 2 plastic tubs to go on minivan. Saved unbelievable money on gas. Got a HUGE Cabela's guide tent and comfy chairs, hammocks and secret kitchen is a 5 gallon bucket with a wrap around tool belt and carabiners for fire tools. All unpacks easily when we get home.
Thanks for the video.
I just bought a Clam Quick-Set pop-up 6x6 screen shelter. Well made, and I can set it up by myself in about 45 seconds! Packed up, it's 53" long, and fits into my Prius Camper. Before that, I had a large Coleman screened shelter which fit over a picnic table. It packed up small, but was hard to set up (needed two to four people), and the poles broke twice. Before that, I had a screen shelter which used aluminum poles. It was always a head-scratcher trying to figure out how to set it up. A wind storm bent the poles. The Clam is so easy to use, and comes with wind/sun guards for the sides.
For cooking, I now leave my Colman two burner stove and pots and pans at home and use a 900W microwave, which runs off a 1kW inverter hooked up in my Prius. To avoid washing dishes (which wastes soap and water and takes time and a sink-tub), I've gone to all paper dishes and bowls (I use Dixie, which is heavy duty paper), and plasticware. If needed, I rinse off the plasticware. The paper can be tossed in the fire. I use the microwave to zap soup or other things right on the paper plate or in the paper bowl.
I leave my camp shovel at home, have almost never needed it. I use a pee bottle (with a lid) at night, and have a portable toilet. Yes, it's bulky, but I fill it with other toiletries when traveling. Instead of the stinky chemicals that come with it, I use a leak-proof plastic bag liner with kitty litter. When not being used as a toilet, it makes a great chair. I also bring folding camp chairs and a small folding table.
I've never used a generator. They are noisy and yes, disturb the quiet of the campground. Instead, I have folding solar panels (AIMS Power 120W) and a Bluetti EB70 LiFePO4 700W Power Station, which powers my Dometic refrigerator.
All this packs up nicely into my Prius. Which I also sleep in - except in bear country - then I sleep in a 9x7 tent with food locked in the car.
Don't bring generators camping. Your neighbours will hate you. Last time I went, some gronk in a BUS was running a noisy generator right next to our camp site while we were trying to wind down for the night. We ask him to turn it off. He does, but then he starts the bus engine to be his generator. It wasn't better. The noise was so bad that everyone that side of the camp ground confronted him at the door of his bus and told him, in no uncertain terms, to turn it off, or go away.
Bring it but try not using it. Share power with your camping neighbors. If electric is available keep the generator in the box. I will be taking mine this fourth because I might need to camp on my property to cut downed trees and I only have an 18 inch Worx electric chainsaw. I may rent a makia chain saw at home Depot the cut much faster and I can get extra chains then don't return them. They are cheap with rental you buy them in a store they cost more. 73
The camp ground has rules for night generators are off. Where I live after 10 the generators must be off during hurricane lock down. You also better have a good excuse to leave your home. Work or a trip to the hospital. Most businesses honor hurricane lock downs. 73
Guess use a rechargeable one.
@@terribolan2010 I hate they call them generators. They are but a battery, inverter and a way to charge the battery. They cannot generate electric on their own. Yes I even did that with my tire compressor that had a built in battery. Lit up RV 12 volt incandescent bulbs I put in standard lamps. Computer ups can also light up lamps if you don't have these new power sources. 73
@ronb6182 true about the name. Just a power storage source. But quiet.
I rebought my Clam.. I forgot one at a campsite. When Boondocking in AZ desert I lashed it down to my van, in high winds.. It held up.. Awesome tents.I have a Manchester,. Love it..
Like you, we wouldn't leave home without the Clam or Manchester. And yes, those Clams are tough. We did end up ripping one of the screens this year because I tripped on the a piece of gear with a stove in my hand and the sharp metal on the stove ripped right through the screen. But, a little bit of duct tape and she is tough as nails again. Neat to hear about your high wind. Always wondered about that, as we don't get a lot up here in the areas we camp.
I have the 4 sided clam and a portable jackery and an AGM battery and 1500 inverter and 300 portable solar panels. Have the helio Nemo for a portable shower and washing dishes, etc. also have a therefore 2.4 porta potti with a shower/changing pop up tent for it. These are essential items and make it comfortable for boondocking. Also use 6/7 gallon water jug and bring 1gallons as many as I can. Also have a 16qt compression fridge/ freezer and a portable small 10qt car fridge. Both are minimal power needed. Just solar up on your portable batteries. Use a smart tv out there too. This all from car camping. Love your assessment here! Good job.
*Thetford
What a great setup you have Wendy. May was looking at the Thetford toilets as we were considering one for our 13' Shasta Compact. Hard to choose as they have quite a few different models. We have never had a cassette toilet before, so it feels like a fun upgrade for us.
@@windex77 And compressor fridge/freezer (not "compression)! And are you aware that you can edit your post, so no one has to know you made the error? Click on the three dots at right side of your post, choose Edit, make corrections and save again.
Your kids are so cute! When he said "This is a lock." my heart just melted to the ground! Kids should definitely know about camping and stuff.
Aww thank you!
Thank you for not editing that out, when he held it up and said this is a lock. That was so cute.
Thank you! I know there are a few on here who felt we should have edited it out. We appreciate your tolerance.
@@PlayingwithSticks .... that is what family camping fun is all about. Have the whole family involved and not eliminate family members from participating in making a great video.
Oh he's a cutie.
Hey, its your channel! You're not pizza, you can never please everyone! Just make yourself happy! 🤩🤩
Thank you! We appreciate that comment
“When did you get so strong? “ , the words of a great Mom.
She is a pretty sweet mama. She balances me out well. Without here I would be saying "hurry up, keep up with me!" 😀
My fault, but I thought this was something else cuz a lady away talking in a diff language and it was kinda bizarre, confusing, and honestly the lady was all lights out. When I saw the comment," when did you get so strong, great mom" (paraphrase) i laughed hard. After ,"playing with sticks" answered and said what he said i got a clue and was like, ha ha ha ha ha ha ha , look at this comment bae bae, roflmao, in my tracks dead then I stopped and was like , "aye bae stop laughing this is a commercial and he's talking about his mom, gotta keep it at a whole dollar, I respect this dude, watched his homesteading show from inception. On real reality tho, I want to say thank you for all the knowledge and keeping your talk walk and being transparent with the business product. Salute.....
I try not to lie to my kids, he was being helpful, why call it strong, when you have all the weight on your handle that was above your head.
Dude is strong 💪 that’s a fact. You should see him today, he’s lifting semi trucks!
When i was growing up, a , Manchester tank mfg Co was 2 miles from home in Lynwood CA., later I worked in a steel plant that stamped & welded bigger compressed gas cyl casings( CGC)
For more years than I care to remember, I've used an ordinary 5 gallon pail, (free), and a salvaged toilet seat (no lid), for #2 and a gallon wide mouth jug for number 1. To conserve space, the 5 gallon pail has several extra 13 gallon trash bags, toilet paper in a coffee can, and a bag of kitty litter, (or absorbent of your choice). I cut a piece of 1/4 inch plywood a little larger than the pail so that the pail can be used as a short term seat also. Now that I'm older and the bathroom is not always as close as it needs to be, I have several of these in sheds around the farm.
Thanks for sharing. Since posting this video we have gone with a similar setup as we realized if we aren't comfortable we might as well go back to how we used to do it. We are also using the #1 jug for nights.
Love the topic and wish the keying alike were easier. Roof boxes and bike locks are not easy to match to a padlock style. The place where I saved a lot of space and $ is a camp sink/dish rack storage system. The smallest Rubbermaid Roughneck Hi-Top tote (about 2 gallons) is big enough for your camp pans, kitchen utensils, and things like dish cloths, dish soap, scrubbies and at least one heavy leather glove for handling hot handles burning logs etc. I also keep a folding saw and a small hatchet as well as fire starter (egg trays filled with paraffin wax), Oh and a 1/2 roll of TP in a ziplock bag with some wipes). When you set up, empty the tote (I use mesh bags to keep things organized) then you have a wash basin and the lid is an excellent drain rack (deep grooves for drainage). If I am backpacking or canoe tripping I bring it along and it will just fit nicely in the bottom of my cargo backpack. I also substitute a couple of multipurpose cheap frisbees to use as fire fanners, cutting boards, plates, and toys! If you are cutting on them they don't last as long but I get them for a couple of bucks so when they are worn out the dog gets them. I keep my tote loaded and ready to go so I know I have my complete kitchen. PS Thrift stores are a great place to get really good utensils cheap.
A subscriber shared this one with us yesterday. BOLT locks www.boltlock.com/ Basically you use your vehicle key to unlock all your other items. They can match it to trailer locks, padlocks, cable locks, etc. Pretty neat. Your solution for your kitchene is great. In our system we have a bag tailored to each activity. Basically a backpacking bag, a teardrop galley, a mud motor river bag, and an ocean bag. This system is a real pain because it takes up space and we have duplicate items in each system. Love how you are able to take your one system and make it work for everything. We second that Thrift Store Comment. We are about to take another Thrift run this week to get our newest renovated small trailer road ready!
I am from Iowa and lived out of my teardrop trailer for about five months last winter in the desert southwest. I brought along too many clothes. Just did not go through them like at home. When your out in the desert for days on end who cares if you're clothes get dirty. Second thing I will not be taking along is my TV DVD player and movies. I brought about fifty movies. Don't know what I was thinking. Only watched half of one movie the whole time I was gone. Other than that I had a great time. Now that the country is opening up again it's time to start planning my next adventure. Happy trails.
Thanks for sharing this Gary. We have had similar experiences to you, even up here in the colder climate. Even though we have paired down our clothing, we still are packing too much. Like you said we find we really don't need to change our clothes everyday, especially our shorts or hiking pants. We also find we don't shower as much as we thought we would (basically at home we are daily shower takers). Because we don't shower as often we now take much less water with us on the road then we thought we needed. And, if we need it we will just pull it from a stream.
It is so beautiful to be outside in nature I can see why you wouldn't watch videos. Its inferior to nature ;-)
We found overdoing it on cooking equipment caused us stress unpacking and just digging through that stuff all the time. A iron skillet and a camping cook set is all we need.
We gave up to gourmet menu and settled for great tasting foil meals. I do have to say on our last road trip we took too much stuff after 6 weeks on the road we were about ready to drop that stuff off at goodwill. Great channel your fantastic at weaving a story line into information. Seeing clips of the kids adds charm. Love it.
That is funny we are kind of the opposite. This winter we decided we have been under packing in terms of cooking equipment. We are big pre-made meal folks, but realize it may be fun to make a few meals at camp. This is all in theory, in the end I have a hunch we may go right back to warming up meals made at home. One of our new favorite meals is playswellwithbutter.com/quinoa-black-bean-tacos/. Day one we eat it as a quinoa salad and day two as tacos. We have never really been quinoa and bean people. But we are hooked. Really filling and tastes like something from a restaurant. Not to mention super easy to make and a very low cost complete protein. Thanks for the kind comment. We love knowing people appreciate the story weaving. It is a part of this that we really enjoy.
p.s seems to be a lot of folks interested in Runaway Campers lately. We have been sending folks your way almost daily. Really cool to see how much Runaway is growing. I wonder if it is the change to their new composite campers?
Don’t let the overlanders know that they could get by without a full kitchen.
Hangin with Herky
We camped across the US twice. Our cooking equipment was a tiny folding stove and a pot.
@Hangin we take the basic cooking items...stove, frying pan, saucepan and stovetop espresso...for cooking a mix of fresh and pre-cooked. Win Win.
I don't have a camper. We tent with limited storage (small truck) Also pull small motorcycle trailer.
For meals I have been using a small butane stove and mostly just boil water for coffee, ramen and I like those dehydrated meals from REI (Alpine Aire). So simple, good warm food for dinner and simple bowl/plate/spoon. Actual cooking/cleanup is too difficult in my situation and skill level. I suppose everyone is different but I love this setup.
My husband grew up camping as an Eagle Scout, but didn’t camp for a while. We went this weekend and it was a mess, but still fun😄 we slept in the jeep and I barely got any sleep! I think it will workout eventually but we just did not pack correctly!! This makes me excited for the next time 👍🏼
My wife enjoys camping and has never been uncomfortable. She is so glad she married a Boy Scout....lol
I use a regular toilet seat ($10) on a tall bucket (free chlorine tablets bucket from any pool company or community pool). Pack out waste with plastic grocery bags (free) or dig a hole and cut a hole in the bottom of the bucket.
Perfect. Thanks for sharing. After seeing this video a company is sending us the metal collapsible toilet we talked about possibly wanting to get. We will see how that goes. But since making this video we have gone back to your route as well.
Keep raising your family in the manor that you two have been, just great parenting and info for others.
Love watching your videos, wife and I just moved from tenting to a teardrop. I used to pull a 6x10 enclosed trailer with all of our gear thinking if I have it ill use it and even had back-ups of things. We got rid of about 85% of our crap. Moving into a teardrop was great, we love it. We are brand new to the teardrop world and watching a lot of UA-cam videos to learn. You are right by saying, just buy the right, quality, one the first time. Buying cheap wont last, save your money and buy a good one. I have the keyed alike locks you are talking about and they are the best. I had ten locks all keyed the same. Thank you for making the videos and keep them coming, take care!
Tent camper here. I started with a mummy style bag and inflatable air mattress because I thought that was the real deal camping. The mummy bag was too constricting and the air pad was not very forgiving. Moved on to a big rectangle bag and recently a super nice Thermarest Mondo Kind 3D XXL 4” thick air/foam pad. Highly recommend the CLAM too, mine is the pavilion and while big, it’s a lifesaver.
You sound very much like us. We have about 5 mummy bags we use between us and friends. Unfortunately we learned like you that we really don't enjoy them. But, after investing that much in sleeping bags it is hard to justify switching to the nice old square versions. We also still own our old 3/4th thermarests for backpacking, but like you have moved over to the larger, thicker versions. Wish we got the Clam earlier. Just amazing little tent!
@@PlayingwithSticks I would think so too. I started in an Impreza but after camping I moved up to a GMC Canyon for more room for more stuff and future towing aka a pop up! +1 sub from me, you guys make some great vids.
I had a Chalet A frame trailer without a bathroom. I picked up a folding handicap seat with a lift up seat and removable bucket. All that designed for medical use. Light weight metal, but rated to hold over 200 lb person at a height above a toilet. Strong side rails/handles were a bonus.
We were noticing these the other day on amazon when looking at toilets to post in our video links. Thank you for sharing this!
Thanks for some great tips with this video. Heres some of mine. Some of the things I’ve found with my van conversion. We spent bunches on an electric 12v frigerator and it did not last. Then we got a coleman ice chest and instead of ice we use those refreezable things from amazon. For those who don’t like cooking while camping like us; we make burritos, hamburger patties, etc., all at home and warm them up in a lunchbox stove that we plug in to our 12v system or warm on a camp fire.
My son and I just got back from a 10 day camping/ trout fishing trip, we both have 7 x 12 cargo trailer conversions that are awesome...we eliminated 3 of my 6 large totes of stuff I didn't really use...I have so much more room under my full size bed now....Go thru your gear, get rid of stuff you didn't / don't use, keep your trailer / tent clean so when you get back from fishing / hiking you can enjoy a clean site....this really made a difference for my wife and I.
I'm with you on the chairs. We used to buy the $10 cheap camp chairs and they were always so uncomfortable, and flimsy. Definitely spend a little money on some good chairs.
My wife broke her shoulder on plastic chairs at Sun N Fun I bought her a good chair at home Depot and someone gave me another which I use. You learn to not make the same mistakes. 73
I don't use a gas lantern anymore now that they have affordable LED lanterns. It's not as bright, but one set of batteries will last for weeks especially if it runs on "D" cells, whereas even a single mantle gas lantern might last 2 evenings on a Colman bottle. Although they do throw off a lot heat so you could view a gas mantle lantern as a more dangerous substitute for a Little Buddy. I've been camping so long that I actually started out using Chinese made "hurricane lanterns". I love the nostalgia but less light than even an LED and all the dangers plus more of a mantle lantern so they don't come anymore either. Oh and if you have an old florescent lantern ditch that too. They take too long to warm up when cold (if they work at all) and use a lot more batteries than an LED lantern.
We have a considerably larger trailer, so it is harder for us to put things off the list than for you. But trying to think of some other things: Hibachi BBQ's and big bags of charcoal (use fire instead), electric coolers (kills the batteries overnight even with solar), big TV's (also kill batteries), any device like an inflator that has built in rechargeable batteries (5 year life span tops get one that plugs into 12V or you can change the batteries), 3000 watt inverters (if you have more than 900 watts peak you've forgotten you are running on batteries), incandescent light bulbs (if you still have them it is well worth the money to replace them with LED, at least all the ones you use regularly), and gasoline for the generator (get a dual fuel. Much better to carry extra propane than gasoline. Has more uses around the campsite.)
Still trying to think of things. If you have any old incandescent flashlights just throw them out and get LED's. Same as how you should convert all the lights on your trailer. You'll use 1/8 the batteries and have brighter light.
Ice packs. Just freeze water bottles. That way when they melt you have nice cold fresh water. The plastic water bottles you buy anywhere will not break when frozen but they may distort. No big deal And they will keep the cooler cold until they melt.
Cheap tents. With tents you get what you pay for. If you want or need a tent and you don't know anything about them, buy the most expensive reputable name brand you can afford. The cheap ones don't even hold out water. If it rains you will end up in a pool of water and very cold. Also the zippers don't last.
Cheap air mattresses. These are single use.
That's all for now.
Have always brought along an extra tent footprint. Great to set things out on, step onto, and keep items dry on damp mornings. Folds up tiny.
An extra long foot print feeds water right under your tent. ???
My camp cookery consists of medium and large discount house frying pans, 4 qt cheap pot and cover, 9 cup perk coffee pot. Metal pie pan, small metal bowl, metal cup, fork, steak knife and table spoon for each person. Plus whatever cooking tools seem right. Medium size metal pail. Cheap reasonably light weight and nothing breakable or melty. Been working for me for over 50 years.
Yours cookery sounds very similar to ours. We have no more and no less than you, honestly almost the exact same. However, we don't have a metal pie pan. What do you use that for?
Kayak camping was the game changer for me. There just wasn't room to pack all the things we had used on previous trips. I ousted a lot of things and never looked back.
We have a small tear drop and a portable gas grill that uses those small propane cylinders. I'm with you, hate buying them and wanting something else. We're looking at a slim 6lb that would fit in our trailer's storage tub, won't take up a lot of room, and will save us money in the long run. One thing my wife and I keep doing is after each camping trip, we identify something else we thought we needed but didn't. It's all about minimization for us. Take what you need to be comfortable, but too much stuff and you become more focus on the stuff and not the adventure. Safe travels
Good points all around. One of our fears with adding gear is that at some point they will become the focus like you said. There is a balance and we are still trying to figure that out for our family.
Your older son is hilarious. Love that you guys kept the clips in where he just appears and takes over.🤣
Thanks Adrianne. Glad you enjoyed it. It is fun for us as well looking back on these moments and seeing a bit of the behind the scenes moments.
I agree❤️👍
6:25 !!!!
Sooo true about the tent. I splurged and got myself the Gazelle T4 Overland Edition and love it!!! There were some issues with strong wind pushing in one of the sides but that wasn't anything a guy line on each side didn't fix.
Great video! On a side note...given how far combination locks have advanced in recent years (and the variety) I'd ditch keyed locks altogether and go w/combination locks! No longer hassling with carrying keys (or worse), forgetting keys and/or losing keys, makes changing over to combo-locks pretty much a no brainer :)
Funny we never thought of that. Great idea. Any brands you would suggest. Our keys are starting to get out of control!
@@PlayingwithSticks - Master Lock & Brinks offer some really nice brass (and steel) individual rotary dial combination locks, as well as heavy-duty combination locks that resist cutting from bolt cutters, which is more ideal for trailer hitch latches. Most of the combination locks actually feature a changeable combination option, which allows users to pick a combination that is not limited to the factory combination and/or allows for changing the combo when too many people (or the wrong people) learn the original combination.
@@PlayingwithSticks Unless you buy very fancy locks, consider learning how to pick a basic 5 pin lock. I am not fast at it, it could take me ages, but i can do it!
Even though our popup has heat we never used it. We purchased the Buddy heater and it was wonderful. Keeping us warm and cozy while changing clothes an in the morning while changing into day wear We never left the Buddy on all night so the canisters lasted a bit longer. . We love our camping chairs around the campfire . Portable solar is cool if the sun is shining . With such a small teardrop I understand why some things need to be ruled out. Happy Camping
I have a teardrop & occasionally use a buddy heater & also found the heat going up causing the roof to get uncomfortably warm so I purchased a small usb fan & clamped it on the handle ,
Sometimes it is these simple solutions that we overlook. Thank you for sharing this!
i used a couple 12v computer cooling fans. a little loud but it was dirt cheap
This fan uses the heat of the fan - so no power required. www.amazon.com/dp/B0762PR6XT/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fabc_vke0FbJ4YNXQ7
Doing away with the cast iron dutch oven. Haven't used it the last 3 times out and it's heavy. Most of my cooking is done on sticks or at the coleman
Thanks for sharing John. It is funny we go back and forth with our cast iron. Like you said, we toss it due to weight, but then we bring it right back for ease of cleanup and much better cooking.
@@PlayingwithSticks I never had the "ease of cleanup" with cast that people talk about, and I have seasoned the pans thoroughly.
@@johnh7918 We would agree if you aren't using boiled water to remove the items. But, then again I have never put boiled water on a regular pan, maybe it does the exact same thing.
@@johnh7918 use dutch oven liners... your welcome... bring back the dutch
Proper use and they clean up very easy. Nothing sticks not even cakes. I only bring mine when I have a dinner I plan to cook in it. It is not in the every time I go category.
Awesome video! I am in the process of minimizing. I use to bring a large plastic picnic table with me that was very hard to store even in a motorhome. I just bought a trifold one that is just as effective and so easy to hide away until needed.
Glad it was helpful! The trifold sounds great.
I was thinking of a folding picnic table so thanks for the tip.
this is way MORE helpful than some people telling you what to bring. thanks!
100% agree with the Little Buddy heater. Go for the larger unit with an adapter for a 5lb propane bottle.
Good ideas- also a proper height folding table.
Yes, so true on proper height. And so hard to find!
I absolutely agree! Have a Clam. (Wish I'd bought the giant double Clam instead.) Use a portable solar battery. Portable solar panels.
Sometimes we wonder if our family would be better off with just the 2 room Gazelle and no trailer. But, then it always comes back to the nice comfy bed for us.
I currently camp at my tractor show using 2 tarps 1 under my 9 ton flatbed trl and 1 over it. Then throw my bed roll under. I have a battery and inverter i used to charge off a generator and one year i forgot my battery so i just hooked it up to my rental pu truck. I run a box fan for cooling and/or keep bugs off. I use an old grill and this year i had picked up a propane stove (thanks covid no show this year) i built a 4ft cubed box and bought 200w of solar last year and kept my battery charged and charged a friends fifth wheel so they didnt need generator. I still brought my 7500w generac along. Shouldve brought welder also since a spring hanger broke on trl and had to pay to get fixed. Hopefully i can get a pickup camper in a year or two or i might try building something to go on my flatbed pu truck
Love your style! Sorry to hear about the cancellation of the show, that is unfortunate. You sound like the type of guy we want to camp next to. Have a problem, go over to him, he probably has a solution with him.
@@PlayingwithSticks the show has on one building "come as strangers. Leave as friends" one of my first years exhibiting a guy bottomed out his camper power tongue jack leveling his camper and i lifted it onto his trk with my bottle jack. Another guy got a flat on the big tire of his tractor in the plow field. He had a pancake compressor but no power i had a small generator and we got his tube patched and aired up. Loaned my battery charger to a family since their aux power didnt work and his converter took a crap. The next year the generator they brought puked out so we ran his 2 camper ac and powered moms camper and charged my battery off my new generator and i left with more gas then i showed up with. Swapped a couple meals with them and now been to their house visiting since theyre 4 hrs away but 10min from church camp
The 1lb propane cylinders can be refilled from a 20lb tank and the adapters are only like $10.
Flame King makes a 1lbs that is designed to be refilled. The Coleman ones are not... you can do it, but it is not as safe. I got 4 of the flame king ones and could not be happier.
@@BLASTIC0 how is it not safe? The science is the exact same as refilling a lighter
@@duckmeat4674 The valves are basically designed for limited use (disposable design). I've unscrewed some generic ones when I was done cooking and it wouldn't even reclose and all the gas leaked right out. I only buy the Coleman ones now, haven't tried refilling any (use a 20lb on a hose for some stuff). Interesting about the flame king and the 11lb pancake tank
I have a 5lb tank. It was $50 and you can refill it at uhaul
So glad to see reasonable campers. Not exstream campers, family, children, it was nice
Great information! I like that you put your family moments into the video and didn't cut out the interruptions and especially the little people. Keep up the good work!
Thank you! I know not everyone appreciates the candid moments, but those are the parts that make this fun for us.
@@PlayingwithSticks In twenty years you’ll REALLY be glad you didn’t edit out those precious moments!
I got the same buddy heater but I also got a wood stove fan that blows the heat around very well. Heats up my conversion van turned box trailer nicely.
We were kind of late to the game on this one. But once we learned that trick like you did we made an entire video about it last year. That fan makes a big difference!
@@PlayingwithSticks yes it did... I love your videos..
I've had my tong jack like you have for 30 + years on my 5' X 10' Utility trailer. It's been through the wilderness. The trick I learned frm smeone to put all the clamps on the frame and weld the main bracket with the crank to the trailer frame. That way it will not move.
Real/Steel plates and real cutlery are the way to go... We threw out the plastic one we had in our camping set and no complaints now!
Foldable kitchen area is a total must have because it holds and organizes everything like BQQ, water (rinse kit) , propane, wash bins, cooking ustensils, dish towels (so they dry)!
Foldable toilet is a must We carry 2 pieces of 2x4 to elevate the folding toilet because they are not the standard height and it helps!!
Love the videos keep them coming!
We now have upgraded to the real cutlery. We still keep the plastic plates as we have found a set we love. They have high rounded edges which keeps the food on the plate. Very nice to have with the young boys. Before these plates food kept making its way to the ground. We may have to try the 2X4 trick. Thank you for sharing Sylvie.
@@PlayingwithSticks Sometimes you gotta share the knowledge
We had a few people do the same to us And we did appreciate the simple ideas as to minimize the waste.
We even keep our clothes in plastic bins with locking lids (Rubbermaid) so they do double/triple duty, holds clothes or dry goods, extra seat, extra surface/side table or for your young one an elevated play area for games or drawing, etc...
We did this when tenting and still do it for teardropping... even when tent got 3" of rain flooding in, our clothes were dry.
Hope everyone enjoys a bit of the outdoors today!
Vie 🇨🇦
You can easily refill the small propane cylinders(from the standard BBQ size tank) with an adapter you can buy at the hardware store. That's what we do.
This is a great suggestion. We eventually want to highlight this on the channel as an option for folks as well. Thank you for reminding us Laura.
Seems you have to weigh it while you refill?
I took the 20 pound bottle off my mini camper ( taking much weight off the tongue) and use the 1 pound bottles for most of my trips. 2 of them is enough to do most of what I need to do. While the 11 pound bottle is a good suggestion ( yes it can be used on regular grill) they are priced very high compared to a 20 pound bottle so for now I am sticking to my small 1 pound bottle they can be purchased all over the country with ease and do the job for me as well.
I’m mostly solo camping, currently on the market for a tear drop trailer. I sleep in a bunker tent atm. It’s fine for sleeping and keeping me off the ground. My favourite thing to take it my Yeti storage case. I can just grab and go knowing I have. My jet boil, knife, first aid utensils. Head lamp wet wipes and more.
Good stuff, sub'd. We tent camped for years, and upgraded to bigger and glampier setups, before (re)building a 16' vintage camper, to sleep 4. But we also do primitive canoe camping. Living and camping in Florida, one thing I should have purchased years ago was a Thermocell. They work great at keeping mosquitoes away, about as well as Off Deep Woods, but without living with a residue and smell on your skin. To deal with the heat, again years ago I wish I would have discovered this, is to string up tarps across the campsite as shade (also helps with our random summer thunderstorms that pop up in minutes). With modern materials like 1.1 oz silpoly, a large rain fly packs away to a very minimal space. We finished our camper just over a year ago, and I'm already going to replace the tongue jack. I feel you on that one.
Now that our camper is sufficient as a bug-out shelter, I'll be purchasing a small generator for hurricane duty. A 2k watt unit is plenty for running our tiny a/c and fridge in the camper, which makes life so much nicer when your house is without power for a week.
Thanks for sharing all this Patrick. We are in the final stages of finishing up our 13' foot vintage camper to sleep four as well. Should be in one of our next videos coming out. Love canoe camping. The portaging part we don't love as much as we used to. We seriously considered a Thermocell last year, but decided to wait awhile as May was pregnant. Because the product was newer, we didn't want to take the risk that 10 years down the road they say they cause birth defects or something. Will have to pick us up a thermocell soon. Great suggestion on the tarps. We are still hoping those silpoly tarps start decreasing in price a bit. They can be a bit of an upfront investment. We would agree a 2k watt unit would be just right for the bugout trailer. We haven't had to use ours yet, but it is nice knowing it is there when the next thing goes down.
@@PlayingwithSticks if you have a sewing machine, or know someone with one, check out ripstopbytheroll.com. I bought the material and learned to sew a silpoly awning for the camper (also learned to sew curtains and cushions, too), and it was pretty straight forward. Saved a lot of money, and gained some skills. I should have made a video series, haha. Pics: instagram.com/p/Bx5CV2PhWQl/?igshid=1igov15pi2urc
I bought a Clam Escape screen house last year and love it. Best investment I've ever made! I've been living on the road for 20 years and can't believe I made it so long without it. I'm doing adding some things to it so I can live in the desert year round.
I like that you’re getting away from the 1 lb propane throw away green tanks! However, if you still need them fir the Mr Buddy Heater and you don’t use the hose system, please look into Flame King refillable 1lb tanks. I’ve used mine since October and refill it with a 20 pounder, my cost is now below 90 cents per fill. Thanks for the video. Skillet
@@Fjord_Driver thanks for recall notice. I’ll check out my serial numbers. Skillet
I got away from the one pound propane and use butane stove and butane cans they are recyclable. You can refill a one pound cylinder if you have the adapter but you still need a 20 pound bottle with you, you are not allowed to travel with a one pound cylinder if it was refilled. It's not breaking the law if you don't travel with a cylinder that was refilled. If it's empty it's legal. The buddy heater is the only thing I would use a one pound cylinder. I did buy an adapter for my gas grill to use one pound cylinder but I'm not taking it camping my stove is all I need to cook. Maybe down the road I may convert a butane stove into a butane grill I don't understand why it's not available yet. You can use the same burner from the stove to heat the lava rocks. I guess a habatchi grill would be better, you only need one side for two to four people.
Just get the adapter hose for the mr buddy AND MAKE SURE YOU GET THE HOSE FROM THEM! (Non mr buddy hoses deteriorate over time and will clog your unit). I hook my 20lbs tank right up for a 5-6 night trip and it’s fantastic. You can use a 5 or 11 lbs tank too if you’d like 👍
This is silly just start a recycling program and recycle them spent cylinders. I would not travel with any propane bottles unless they are kept outside the vehicle or trailer.
@@ronb6182 please start a recycling program and we’ll join it.
If you don’t travel with 1 lb propane tanks in your vehicle, how do you get them home? Just asking.
We have a 9 ft coachmen clipper express pop up trailer. We have 2 large double coated dogs. We bring an aluminum shade cloth for when it’s hot. We can cover the trailer to reflect heat away, cover the vehicle to keep cooler,or tie up like a shade sail. The cloth can reduce the temperature up to 10 degrees underneath. They are lightweight and perforated. They don’t catch the wind like a tarp.
My daughter asked my why I pack so much? Me: but I need my flag and pole, and fairy lights, and windmills, and 20 different camping lanterns, and Half a library. Yes, we have a library in our tent. Xx
Love it. And you sad May's favorite 2 words "fairy lights"!
I HAVE to have my seasonally appropriate field guides.
You're my kind of camper🤣❤
@Patriots Rising You're missing the whole point of camping: To spend lots of money to pretend you're homeless!🤣😂😁
I have found if you have a vacuum sealer at home and can plan meals ahead of time, fixing bases ahead of time and freezing them can cut down meal prep time when you get to your destination. Last year I was able to freeze a spaghetti meat sauce (4 person meal) and all I had to do was get water boiling and warm it up in the bag, then after it was warm put noodles into the water and add the sauce. Also prepared SOS before adding milk, just took a can of condensed milk and water to the mix and instant gravy in the skillet. Also do other things such as chili, pork chops, chicken dishes all pre cooked at home and finished off with boiling water and vacuum bags.
Great idea Bruce. We are big fans of our vacuum sealer. We are going to have to try this. We currently moved away from all tupperware and put our food flat in the cooler using ziplock bags to save space. With the vacuum sealer it would even be more efficient then our current setup.
My husband. Not sure why I ever took that...
Love it! We had a similar comment from a guy on here who said his ex-wife.
@@PlayingwithSticks Well aren't we destined to meet...hmmm...maybe not...LOL
I know, right?? I divorced mine and had a wonderful time camping!
Sad
I'd never have that problem; my husband is so city spoiled he says he won't go camping unless there's an air conditioner, bed, and pool. Pffft.
I spent a lot of time and money on putting a toilet and blackwater tank in my van but recently we got 2 of those 5 gallon bucket toilet seat things and my God those are awesome. I don't regret the van toilet at all, but there's something about comfortably shitting in the middle of a beautiful forest that frees ones soul
Love it! We agree completely about the comfort of the bucket toilet and especially open air.
BOLT Locks are keyed to match car ignition, great for trailers and easy to use. Eliminated lots of keys with this option.
If we could give this tent hearts we would! Honestly we thought you were being sarcastic in your comment. These things actually exist! Thank you so much for sharing this. We will for sure be talking about this one in future videos. Thanks again Henry!
And unlike most keyed alike options they aren't working off just one pattern for the company
I mentioned on one of your videos that one of my favorite take alongs in my teardrop is a Gorilla scaffold that is 12" x 4' x 16" high. Very sturdy! works as a bench, a stool to get bikes off the truck, guest seating and works perfectly for a bench to eat at our portable 2' x 4' table. It is aluminum so I can set the Little Buddy Heater under it. Food is cooked you are ready to sit down and eat and it is cold! Well put the Little Buddy under the bench, won't melt it, place a piece of carpet remnant on the bench, sit down next to your wife, drape a camp blanket over your knees, and truly enjoy your dinner in pretty good warmth with a little wine (and hopefully out of the wind)!
Per solar Panels I will say that while foldables take up less space they tend to be more expensive than normal panels and if a connection between panels breaks your energy input will be reduced significantly.
Very fun. We teardroped for 5 years. Just upgraded to a horizon InTech. Camping in Texas it’s all about shade and AC.
Even though we are upgrading size we are looking to only take what we need to use.
Great upgrade. To me that camper still has a very teardropish feel. It may be quite a bit larger, but still has that unique small camper vibe.
Great idea for a video! Figuring out what you don’t need can be expensive lol. I camped for years off of adventure motorcycles, so you can only bring the most important things. Now that I’m spending more time camping out of my 4Runner, that packing discipline has paid off, but I have still parred down my kit from things I didn’t use. Everybody camps different and requires different things, we all just gotta go through the process of figuring out what that is.
Great insight Steve on the different camping styles. Sounds like you are living out some pretty fun adventures. I am assuming when you are referring to adventure motorcycles you are talking bikes like KLRs and BMW's? We have quite a few buddies into that as well. One of our all time favorite shows is Long Way Round with Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. I assume you have seen that as well. Back in the day May and I used to ride a lot of smaller bikes across country in Asia. Like you said, the minimal packing from those trips has really impacted our packing today for our teardrop life. We have noticed though over the past few years that we have started to slowly move away from complete minimalist packing and add a few creature comforts here and there.
im so excited to see these kinds of family.
Most of my "camping" was in the Army, we brought everything. 🤣 I bought a Jeep Wrangler last year and getting back into camping. My dad gave me a 20lb propane tank. I looked at buying the smaller 10lb, but 1) it's twice the price 2) need more propane?? Drive to any store and they probably have propane exchange for 20lb tanks.
Good point on the high price and the lack of ability to exchange a cylinder. We have a boring Jeep Liberty, gets the job done but would love to have a "real Jeep" someday.
get a TJ Rubicon
Im going to keep repeating the video about the locks. That is cute. Thanks I think your child made everyones day. 73
You do a lot of stuff really well. I came from a long distance backpacking background, so having nothing built-in was natural to me. Your set up is a great example of why modular is better than built-in. I mean, I get it, it looks cooler when you have a built-in stove, sink, battery...etc. But the fact is, where you park your camper isn't always the best place to bathe, wash dishes, cook or generate electricity. The added build-in components add weight and cost, and they limit flexibility and storage.
One question I'd like to ask: how to you prep your food ahead of time and how do you protect your food? What sort of cooler(s) do you use? Are bear bags in the equation? In my experience, if you find a place with good sun and water (and you showed up with a full propane tank) food it really the only limiting factor, so I'm really curious about your solutions. Great video and thanks as always.
Love that you came from a long distance backpacking background. We have always had the desire to do a trail like the IAT or the AT, but never got the chance. We got the taste for it doing a 110 mile trail. That was definitely one of our most favorite adventures.
Love your take on modular vs built-in. This is something innately we both knew, but you finally put it in words for us. Actually sounds like a great future video topic.
As for the food. We have had this question a few times, but have never made a video on it. Honestly we haven't made a video, because we are still trying to figure it out years later. It is an area of our camping lifestyle that we haven't mastered, really we have barely improved in this area since we started taking out the teardrop. Our prep cooking to cooking on site ratio is about 50:50. We tend to make a lot of what we call "hobo meals." Probably not the most politically correct term today. Lets call them "tinfoil meals." We usually have a few meals in mind before we head out that we plan on cooking in advance. 1/3rd of these meals are fully cooked and the other 2/3rds we partially cook the items to be used in the tinfoil meals. We precook the items about 50-75% before leaving home for those items that take quite a while to cook at camp . This way when we reheat them on the open fire or on the coleman stove they aren't overcooked or dried out, but yet we can get them quickly up to temp. This last year we have been using the instant pot a lot more to pre-cook the items, especially potatoes and meats. About 1 meal a day is either reheated from being fully cooked or finished off after being 75% cooked at home. The other large meal of the day is made completely from fresh produce and meat, and sometimes a meat substitute. This food prepping I just shared works pretty well for us. The part that we haven't figured out is protecting the food. We started with coolers with ice cubes. Moved on to one or two solid ice blocks. Dabbled in dry ice, but didn't enjoy storing the cooler in the trailer and couldn't store it in the car due to the gas it releases. From there we learned a trick where you store your ice in small pyrex or rubbermaid tupperware. This was neat in that our food never became water logged, and we had fresh clean ice to use in drinks (the ice also didn't melt as fast as regular ice cubes wrapped around food) However, these little tupperwares scattered throughout the cooler took up way too much space. So this winter we started researching 12 volt cooler/freezers as many of our UA-cam friends from this channel have shared that that is what they use. They seem really happy about making the switch and we haven't really heard many negative complaints. We also realized this was an area of camping that we didn't know anything about, so we thought it was time to learn. We currently have the ICECO GO 20 that we will be putting to the test. Yes, this is a small cooler/freezer, but we loved the amount of watts it consumed and we were hoping without all our ice this may be the right fit for our family. Confession here, another thing we do that is definitely not "roughing it, we head out to little ma and pa stores across Alaska about every 3 days. Meaning every three days we either haul the teardrop to the store if the location we are boondocking in feels a little vulnerable or we unhitch and take a quick drive to town to stock up on fresh produce. I am not sure how other families eat, but I have a feeling we consume more fresh fruits and vegetables than the average family. The beauty of the fresh food is you have very little trash to haul out at the end of your trip. But, the downside is it is a bit hard to store. As for bear bags we just make sure everything gets back in the coolers and into the car at all times if we are not eating or cooking. We try to follow basic backpacking rules in terms of how far we camp from a stream, how far we eat from our campsite, etc. Alaska is a bit different than places like Glacier National Park for example. Our bears up here have quite a bit of space to roam and habitual bears are not near as common. When we do find that perfect location with sun and water and geography that makes you want to play in the area every day, we tend to pull out our spare dry food that we carry with us at all times to extend our stays. Not the most pleasurable, but sure beats running to town to stock up. Another confession. We love food so much there are actually times we break the perfect camp just to move on to the next region/boondocking site so we can get some more new food. We sometimes have to do this when the boondocking site is so far from a town that it doesn't make sense to make such a long drive without heading to a new location. Our #1 goal this summer is to focus on camp food. We are quite the foodies both of us spend a lot of our time at home in the kitchen cooking SE Asian food. Our goal is to move more of these home recipes into our camping lifestyle. I think once we introduce those foods outside in the next two weeks our needs will greatly change in terms of stoves, utensils, storage, cooling, etc. We want to make it successful, but we also want to do it in a way that doesn't take up a lot of space and add a lot of weight. We are both actually really excited about this little challenge. Sorry for the super long response. You just touched on a subject that we are currently thinking a lot about and thought why not share.
@@PlayingwithSticks First off, you're right, a video about modular vs. built-in would be great. I'm pretty sure i already know where I land, but I'm certain your audience would be interested.
Secondly, a video about your food prep/protection would be great...especially since you're still figuring it out. I can't speak for anyone else, but for me (and my wife) one of the best parts of your channel is that you're a family figuring things out. You're not a pro trying to sell us something. You're doing your best and sharing the experience. Frankly, some of the things that don't work for you might work for us and vise versa. Our families are different and our travels are different so, naturally, our needs are different. What's really helpful is seeing your process, not just the finished product. Seriously, even a video about you guys building a menu would be great.
Next, if you are looking to head south to do a long hike, I'd recommend some of the stuff around Yosemite first (maybe Tuolumne as a start) and, obviously, the Grand Canyon. I've done the AT twice (once on a thru) and it deserves much respect, but the weather/bugs can be a bummer (Mt. Washington is rough). The PCT is fantastic, but it's really long.
Finally and, perhaps, most importantly, your responses are appreciated. The more detailed and thorough, the better. You need never apologize for a detailed response. Cheers and best to you and yours.
Thank you for sharing these suggestions. Yosemite has never been very high on our list, but it should be. It is such a gorgeous place. Being up here in Alaska we watch a lot of videos in the winter about camping. Most of those videos are deserts and the desert is starting to really have a draw for us. We've also never been to the Grand canyon. Wow, even the Pacific rim trail is really long. We just googled it and had never realized how long it was. we're going to have to start doing some googling and seeing what the youngest kids are who have done some of these through trails. Thanks again for sharing all this. And also sharing what you enjoy about the channel. It is comments like these that help us when planning for future videos.
@@PlayingwithSticks You're entirely welcome for the suggestions. You share a lot of really helpful information with your subscribers. One more suggestion for you, if it's deserts you want, I've got two words for you: Southern Utah. Zion, Bryce, Escalante and Canyonlands alone are a good month's worth of camping and hiking. You toss in spectacular day trips to Arches and Dead Horse...man...it's like nothing you've ever seen. Postcard alley takes 1/2 hour and if you get it during sundown it's just magic. Then the La Sals, they're purple at sunset. Very pretty. That said, if you only do one southern 48 trip, consider doing a rafting trip in the Grand Canyon. A J-Rig (basically a pontoon boat) does the whole thing in 3 days, so you get to see a lot and it's tons of fun plus most of the guides are well educated on the geology & history. Looking forward to your next video and thanks as always.
I come from the Backpacking mind set as well. I like the idea of everything being modular and loading it out depending on your trip. Happy Trails
Don't forget the small propane cylinders are much easier to cross thread. Then you will inadvertently use that propane bottle with damaged threads on everything else at some point. Now you can buy all new stuff or hunt down bits and pieces to make your old stuff work (stores are routinely out of the bits and pieces, at least the bit or piece I want). Great channel. Looking forward to watching the old and new content. Camping is the main character of what I see so far. Refreshing compared to some of the 'look at us' channels out there.
Thanks Andrew. Your comment hit close to home about the camping, because honestly if it was up to us we would not be in front of the camera. Love the filming, love the camping, not a huge fan of the look at us part of it al. But unfortunately at the moment we have nobody else to do the talking, so that leaves us :)
Great video! We found in our camp kitchen, cheap "camp" cutesy cutlery and plates didn't last long or we weren't happy with them. Upgraded to a real but mismatched cutlery from thrift shop and quality stainless plates and are much happier. Have you ever tried cutting up a steak on a crappy plate with cheap cutlery? Enough said and they will last forever.
We are just realizing the same thing. After multiple meals sliding off of our plate into the fire or onto the ground I think we are due for a thrift store run as well. Thanks for sharing your insights Melissa!
@@PlayingwithSticks The MSR Alpine Plates have a lip on them so they can handle pasta and beans on your plate like a pro.
@@PlayingwithSticks Dollar Tree has large Stainless pet bowls (6-7" across base). For me, it's wide enough to use as a small plate, and well ... it's already a bowl - 2 for 1!!
@@thechristinediane pet bowls I wouldn't trust if they are food grade metal. I don't cut in my plastic food containers I use kitchen pair of scissors to cut meat for me and my wife I do that at home also when alone. We eat in the living room mostly watching tv so already cut meat is better. I don't use scissors in restaurants or in company with family or friends. I try not to leave cut marks in my dishes. I don't do steak too much so other meats cut easy.
@@meln3771 I got stainless steel pie plates, good ones, work for almost everything, small mixing bowls (stainless) for cereal, oatmeal, soup
Love your video! I used to bring marshmallow roasting sticks, but now I just find deadwood sticks and sharpen the ends with a pocket knife. Burn the tip a bit before using and you won't have to worry about slivers. Saves space and weight, and kids love looking for the "perfect" smores stick.
We found sticks and used a knife to carve it up a little and our axe to make it smooth. It was a fun little project 🤩
Loved this. Very helpful and the cutest moment was when he said.... "This is a lock 🔐 😃!"
Glad you enjoyed it. May said the same thing about the lock scene. We hope one day to look back at these videos as a way to catch glimpses of the little guys growing up in the outdoors. Even in the last year it has been really fun to look back at our first videos and see how much East has grown.
That was the best part of the video. 👏
Ps .. you heater needs a little Fan to prevent the heat only going up .. You van get one for the mini stoves and the come separate sold. Especially with radiant heat .. works wonders.cause it keeps heating fresh air up .. and make a thru.flow .. it will seem you bought a heater 2/3 larger .. try it out with a cheap dollar store Fan , usb or something, just for a test (plastic will melt if too close but just for demonstration ).. place it slightly behind the heater on the top side.. especially in smaller areas.. use the heater like you normally do .. then try with Fan for hour.. Wow.
Game changer .. the stove versions work awesome but bit pricier cause it can also take direct heat like from a wood stove..
Try it out with a dinky Fan .. you will love it .. the air gets warm all around .. and no longer feel like radiant heat .. only baking when in direct line of sight.. step to the left in winter and youll freeze .. but while you are in the heat it feels like you are microwave cooked.. on the skin ..
Definitely try out the FAn in combo, cheers
Love how simple this solution is! Thank you Alexander. We still struggle with this little heater, so this comment was very timely.
@@PlayingwithSticks ... Ohyeah .. almost forgot the most important thing .. a cheap dollar store usb fan or something works also really well in HOt weather .. if you have a bottle of frozen water or two.. place close together and the Fan behind it a bit... and sit in the draft.flow area... oeeeeeee.. just nice enough when the heat gets to Ya!..
The Fan in winterstove really makes Ambiant Warm air.. like all around.. Big 'chilly/yes/no'difference.
The dumping sounds of the rocks in the lake after the toilet segment thO! Clever ;)
In hindsight we could have edited that much better. Could have had the sounds while I was talking and then move into the lake for a more obvious connection. Glad you caught it!
We have learned a lot, as well, at Colorado Teardrops Camper Trailers. It's great to see you enjoying the Teardrop Trailer that we built for you. I make the electrical system for these trailers, and these days our trailers are better than ever. Thanks for all of the Tips you have learned regarding how to really enjoy camping with a teardrop trailer.
We are really impressed with your trailers. Quite a few folks in the community have great things to say about their Colorado teardrops. Our teardrop does look similar to yours. But, definitely a home build. Not up to the standard of trailers you produce. If you all ever have a used Colorado Teardrop Camper Trailer laying around that you ever want us to take out on the road let us know. We would love to highlight other teardrop trailers on the channel if we ever get the chance. Thanks for the really kind comment Curt. We appreciate it!
@@PlayingwithSticks Oh, my apology! You have done a very good job building your trailer so much like a manufactured product. Wow.
You can refill the portable LP tanks very easily. I've got several I've had for years. I like how they pack in my kit very easily.
Great suggestion. We should have mentioned this option in the video. It was a tough decision between a 5 or 11lb propane tank vs refilling small tanks. But, sounds like this will make a great topic for one of our future videos. Thanks for giving us a great little vs. video idea.
The problem I have found with looking into that option if by the time you have 4 or so 1 lb bottle you pretty much have taken up the space of an 11 pound or 5 pound tank I camp in a Camry so space is very very limited and we have 2 dogs with is so back seat doesn't even have much option... I will take a 1 pound of I am going just for a one nighter and maybe bring 2 just in case but more then that I just bring a 20lb tank only because I have several and I haven't convinced myself to buy a 5 or 11 lb
Radian Leather why wouldn’t you just get something bigger?
No matter what you do, everyone has their bigger and better idea these days.
I can camp for an entire week and not use 1lb of propane for cooking. I may use 1lb heating water for showering. Basically I can get through a week completely off grid with less than three 1lb tanks. And they package extremely well in my kit.
@@toolman9081 totally agree man. For me it depends on the time of year. My state has fire bans a good chunk of the year when I go out. I typically cook over fire as much as possible or a woodgas stove which are great. Also depends on how many people I'm with if its just me a 1 lb will last me a few days, unfortunately wife doesn't like my rough camp eating like I do 😆
Best tounge Jack I have bought is a boat jack for my sled trailer.. Smooth , strong and only $50.
Hey guys! Just a suggestion, if you do have a need for a few different locks you can go ahead and re-key them all to the same key. It's really easy! If you don't want to bother to learn a new skill, a locksmith should do the job for fairly cheap.
We did not know this. Thank you for sharing this. We were just at the locksmith yesterday getting keys made for the trailer. Wish I would have known this 24 hours ago.
The things you have shown. Have BEEN doing for 30years. From Melbourne AUSTRALIA 🤠👍
The small propane cylinders are probably going to stay in your life for stuff like torches, or maybe lanterns. Might as well refill them with a coupling, that will keep them out of the landfill. You just screw on the coupling, and then before you turn on the valve, make sure the discharging cylinder is inverted.
drew, that's a great tip. i did hold off buying a tent until you came along video gave me good insight on what to buy. it meets my criteria and i can set it at the rear of the travelodge with that camo sheet over the area to protect from sun and rain. mainly a tent with bug and mosquito mesh net. thanks again and your community for sharing their ideas.
Your are most welcome! We held off on the Clam tent for quite some time due to the price. But, after seeing it in person the quality really does match the cost.
This is so much fun to watch - I usually go hiking or travel by public transport, so my camping gear fits in a backpack 🙃 recently got a car, but it is a two seater convertible with a booth the size of, well, two hiking backpacks, pretty much 😆 That means some of these items I never even considered (like, you'd bring a heater? Whoa! So luxurious lol) but still an enjoyable video and the comments have some helpful tips as well!
A while back I read some good advice about what to take when backpacking that has some relevance here. The author said that after a backpacking trip, sort everything you took into three piles: Pile 1 - stuff you used every day, Pile 2 - stuff you used occasionally, Pile 3 - stuff you didn't use at all. The next time you go backpacking just take the stuff in pile 1!
In my case, I used to load a mountain bike onto a hitch mounted bike carrier. After crossing the continent twice with a bike in tow and only using it a handful of times I now leave it at home. One less thing to worry about! And no bike means no bike carrier, no spare tubes, no pump, no bike lock, etc..
This is great advice John. We are going to have to share this in one of our videos.
I love how encouraging you are with your kids. My ex-wife and I were same. You're a good kid, um man Charlie.
Thank you. We appreciate the kind words.
YOU'RE (not YOUR) a good kid.
@@Switzer1234 Good catch. I was swiping and need to proof read.