Many years ago I was with a group doing a Grand Canyon Hike. We descended/ascended to/from the south rim. I want to say there were about 12 of us, all from the same university. Two of the hikers were foreign exchange students. If memory serves, they were German, but I'm not certain that's correct. They carried a case of beer...each...from the rim to the Colorado river. I don't remember what beer it was, but I am certain it was cans (not bottles). During the ride home, I asked them about the weight. They said: they knew it would be heavy when we were going down, but that's not a big deal. By the time we had to hike up, it wouldn't be heavy any more. Honestly, that's some genius logic. Years later...I bring bourbon. It's lighter.
... and just when I thought I'm weird to bring a projector. We actually also bring a "screen" - a white piece of fabric rolled around a PVC Pipe top and bottom - that way you can hang it between trees or something. We haven't brought the projector lately, simply because most trips we did involved a lot of hikes and that cuts evenings short. Our little teardrop has a small TV and a bluetooth capable radio as well as outside speakers so we don't bring a bluetooth speaker. We do however also bring a gas firepit (it comes in a red tincan of sorts, so it's self contained. It's called little red campfire if I'm not mistaken - pricey but works well and is small). I modified a water pik to run on 12V (internally they run on a lower voltage, so I just replaced the cord and added a little voltage regulator chip from Amazon instead of the original one designed for 120V.) Works well - won't leave home without a water pik. We also bring little solar stake lights and a few USB string lights. The probably most ridiculous thing we bring is 2 zero gravity camp chairs. They take up a considerable amount of space in my trunk but they're so worth it. Then of course there's the Coleman camp oven - small extra, but I love my freshly baked sourdough bread and yes, I do bake fresh bread while camping. Food and food related items like wine glasses etc. are a must for us. For most people what I carry in these things would be ridiculous, but hey, we have nice food from nice plates when other people eat that astronaut stuff out of plastic bags :-)
We thought of you when making this video. A lot of your camp accessories have inspired us. Love the solar stake lights. Never would have thought of that. Would have been great last year when I ran into the tongue of the trailer in the middle of the night. We own quite a lot of string lights, but never knew there were usb versions. In our video about what we take to be comfortable, the overall winner from the community was everyone's zero gravity chairs. Seems to be a must for folks who have been doing this a while. Fresh bread at camp, wish we were camping with you or at least beside you :) And as for the astronaut bags, May never knew what they were as we don't pack them when backpacking. She found one of mine that the boys and I take as survival food when on the ocean and river. She cooked it up and served it as part of the dinner one night at our house. Her face when she put the first bite in her mouth was priceless. But, by the end she said, hmmm that's not bad :)
A kinda useful item, but ridiculous only because of why I built it and brought it Last month I went camping in Yellowstone with my sister's family, and the campground showers were of course closed for fear of cooties. As my sister and her family are camping rookies, they absolutely insisted that they would die without a daily shower. I told them that dry mountain air means even if its kinda warm out you can get by without a shower and that baby wipes, body wipes, and/or sponge baths (taken in the privacy of our Aliner) are enough to get you through a week of camping, but they insisted only a proper shower would do. So I made them a very crude, very cheap, outside shower that captured all the grey water for proper disposal, did not have you standing around in your own wash water, and ensured that the rest of the busy campground would not get a free peep-show. It was worth it to get them to not wimp out and cancel on us. Really had a great time having company in camp. Probably not gonna use the shower setup again though as its quite the PITB to set up (especially if only two adults will use it). Better to take the useless fridge out of our Aliner and put a shower there. Related: I perfected my post-cooking dish-wash strategy on this trip. The solution was to bring two extra adults and a teenager to help out.
We often say in this family "if it keeps you out there longer, it is worth doing." We have done some ridiculous things to ensure we don't head home early. And it is funny because many of the things go against everything we have learned from backpacking growing up. The shower sounds like you found the right balance to keep the family together and happy. Also sounds like a very kind thing you did for them. As I can tell it probably went against everything you believe in when it comes to the outdoors. I appreciate the dish washing comment as well. We like to bring Uncle Sam on many of these trips because he gives us an extra hand with the kiddos. It is also fun taking him because he hasn't had a lot of exposure to the outdoors. Neat to see him learning right alongside our boys.
@@PlayingwithSticks No beliefs involved really. If the camp showers had been available I'd have taken one nightly myself cause it does feel good to get squeaky clean before bed. I'm just more accustomed to the primitive means of personal hygiene than they are. The did come around to the wipes/sponge bath way of thinking though, managing 4 nights between uses of the show contraption. I'll count that as a victory :P Ensuring we collected all the water was as much about courtesy to future campers at the site (no muddy mess) as it was to concern for the local environs (being a busy developed campground and all). Spilling a cup or two of water is one thing. Dropping a gallon per shower is another.
@@dorvinion We would call that a victory as well. Cosmo Weems sold us on the concept of wipes. We had no idea they made larger wipes just for camping. Pretty neat idea. And honestly you feel the same as a nice shower, minus that heat for relaxing your muscles. Also really appreciate how you highlighted taking care of the campsite for the next camper.
I always find it funny when you talk about the woodsmoke being a problem my wife loves the smell of a campfire so much I sometimes think it's the only reason she comes with me
We are kind of wimps lately when it comes to smoke. I think it is because we are out here over 90 days a summer now. When we were camping less it seemed like more of a novelty at the time. I will say, and this will offend a ton of Alaskans. I think not all smoke is created equal. Meaning some trees create great smelling smoke that smells amazing in the morning. A lot of the wet wood we use up here doesn't have that kind of smell. Well, at least to our nose that is. Our friends and family would not agree with us.
Playing with Sticks, I think you hit the nail on the head there: it is the quality of the fire and smoke. Agree with Harry that a wood campfire smell can be fantastic and adds to the experience - bit like a cabin with a fireplace - just a faint wood fire smell. But too many times my campfire ended up being just billowing clouds that overwhelmed all my cloths, sleeping bag, skin, and every nook and cranny of every piece of equipment. The smell is so hard to remove since it also seems to permeate - no washing it off my skin or changing into non-smoky cloths and bedding. I seem to be getting more sensitive to it too. I have avoided any campfire for a few years now. I miss them. But maybe I just need better or specific wood🤔. Sounds like fun experimentation. 😃
I always enjoy watching your videos.. I lived in Alaska for 8 years and never got bored !! So much to experience !! Keep up the great work and you have a beautiful family !
Thanks Janie! What a blessing you were able to be here for 8 years. It is neat if you think about it...people pay thousands of dollars to come to the place where you get to be everyday. Thanks again for the sweet comment.
I've brought my generator when I didn't need it 5x in a row (at full hook up sites), then finally decided to ditch the extra 60 pounds and showed up to a campground and couldn't get power after all. Squeaked through on the battery by conserving but goes to show that Murphy's Law is alive and well.
You sound like you have a bit of our luck. That is exactly how it goes for our family 80% of the time 😂 In this family I am the hoarder and May is the minimalist. Once she finally convinces me to donate an item, the next day we NEED it!
I think this one wins hands down. It is ridiculous, but unfortunately is a requirement. I used to edit my videos in the field. Now, I rarely do this, maybe only once a month I pull out the computer now. Even a little editing can make the trip feel less like a vacation. My 9-5 has followed me out there as well and I find is I did my job 50% worse out there and the camping 50% worse. The biggest tip we have for others who do this is to block off time either in the early morning or night for this. And don't allow the work to creep into the other time frames. This for us, has really helped camping feel like camping. Thanks for sharing this. Very creative answer you had to our question!
Love the Alaskan shots...and yes the Sonicare is worth taking. I am biased, I am a Dental Hygienist. So some of the crazy things we took on a Christmas Teardrop trip to Key West is...Christmas stockings, two Christmas wreaths one for each door, starry lights, and a snow globe.
May will love this! We were supposed to put her fairy lights in the video, but we forgot. We may have to steal your idea this winter. Would love to take the teardrop out camping all decked out in holiday fashion. Thanks for sharing this Karen! Okay, settle the debate for us Oral B or Sonicare? Seems like all the dental offices have Oral-B.
It can be pretty magical. I didn't grow up in a town with a drive in theater, so it is always been high on my list to go to one. So far this is as close as I have come.
Don't be shy folks! Please share what you bring. Even if it is only slightly ridiculous. We had a great idea this morning while driving. We would love to make a mid-winter video highlighting all the ridiculous things this community brings. We promise we will keep it anonymous, but fun!
@Poetic Heart You must live in a colder climate huh? Because in the midwest and southern climates we see people taking out box fans all the time! Don't worry you are not alone :)
Love the green plant idea. From the start I have always had yellow daffodils stuck around my van because it just looks so cheery. Now I will add a couple green plants.
Funny, we thought everybody would find this one really ridiculous. Surprised to find many people relate. We also relate to the yellow flowers. Big fans of yellow with our green as well. Thanks for sharing Pam.
One of our first purchases was a portable fire pit. It’s so convenient. It’s possible to enjoy a fire for brief or extended periods of time. No smoke. We also use ours at home when we don’t want to deal with smoke.
We were camping with friends once in a campground where even fire pits were banned due to the extreme fire danger at the time. We had several battery-operated "light sticks" of different colors for the kids, so we stuck those in a camp mug for a base, turned them all on, and put them in our fire ring at our camp spot. Our neighbor campers even came by to visit and check out our "fire".
Regarding projectors: When our kids were small, after we moved into this house, we used a projector for our TV, shining it on a blank white wall. We had room-darkening curtains hung to darken the room down, and it was a good room in which to get small children to nap. It was a good destresser tool, and didn't take up any floor space (suspended from ceiling). Best of all, the kids couldn't mess with it, and we often projected slide shows and family videos for family gatherings. This, of course, led to one memorable lament. We were out running errands with our kids and our eldest, maybe age 4 at the time, tired out and melted down. In full volume in a store with plenty of other people around she bawled, "I want to go home and watch the wall!" The expressions on other people's faces were priceless. 😂
We love our outdoor projector with our propane fire pit. We are currently saving up for our first tear drop trailer and have been tent camping forever. All of my siblings and my Mom have big RV’s and have been trying to talk us into it. We just notice that they never come out of their trailers and the whole point for us it to enjoy the outdoor. We thought it was funny that is being the minimalist we’re the ones that brought the projector. We don’t do a lot of electronics, but love watching a movie with the family outdoors and all of my siblings always make sure we are bringing it with us each time we camp.
Umm my large teardrop (little guy max) has it's own espresso machine :) I run it off my goal zero yeti 1400. I make daily soy lattes while camping. Also I have two velvet ottomans one inside the camper and a folding blue velvet ottoman for my clam screentent. I set the outdoor one on every trip we use our clam. It folds down and lives in the dinnette bench. We have those crazy nemo stargate luxury chairs and with the ottoman it is the most comfortable chair set up possible.
We have trailer envy every time we see someone towing your trailer! An espresso machine, now that is a first! Love it. Same with the ottomans. We have seen your style of chairs, but have never sat in one. Sounds like we have to put that on our to-do list.
The ottomans for outside work so great since we have one that folds down, has storage, and can double as a seat. It stores under our dinette when not in use. Outside it is part of our clam set up. We do keep stuff in it that we want access too. It was like$25 and it is so handy. The one inside lives under the dinette (where we installed a lagun mount so no legs). It is a foot rest but also adds a seat if needed. The espresso machine is a really neat small footprint one. Delongi dedica. The hubby got it for me as an xmas present a couple years ago. I use it daily on trips. And on the nemo chairs. My sons life long friend said to me while camping that it was more comfortable than any of chairs at either of his parents houses. He is 6’2 and 18. I take that as a strong vote on the chairs. The chairs with the ottoman make for one heck of a set inside our clam screen tent. Love your videos thanks for making them.
My camp potty is priceless. I’ve had it for years & am happy to pay the price of cleaning it just to have the convenience. As I get older and need the convenience throughout the night more often nowadays, I keep it right next to where I sleep in the tent trailer so I don’t have to zip/unzip the tent & wander out into the dark overnight. Also, it has come in handy to avoid public restrooms as much as possible during the pandemic. I’ve even used it at super busy trailheads because bathrooms were closed. Pop up potty tent takes less than 1 minute to set up/tear down, too.
My pop up shower tent takes less than 1 minute to set up, but it always seems to take about 5 minutes of twisting and fighting with it (along with a few low-voiced 4 letter words) to finally twist it back up & into its case.
Patrick Keeney - my shower tent was made by ABCOSport, but I’ve seen the same design sold by others. Probably all made in the same Chinese factory. Cost me $19 on sale, regularly about $30 - $60. It has spring wires, so it just pops up to about 6’2”. But twisting those wires in the exact right way to pack it up is a bit of a hassle, especially when I haven’t done it for a year. A very similar tent is on Walmart & Amazon, “GigaTent pop up pod”, but only 69” high, $21.
I love my gas fire pit. No issues with emerald ash borer transmitted through moving firewood. Its a luxury I value, so I haul one. The no smoke smell is so worth it.
I bring my favorite pottery plate, bowls and mug, because I like plating my food artistically just for me. I’ll make extravagant combinations of colors and textures in fruit and cheese especially. The copper skillet and tea kettle add to the beauty of the camp dining experience for one. Two if I invite JD.
Wish we camped with you! We love good food presentation. And currently we are quite the opposite. Plastic bowls/plates, metal utensils, and plating that does not have the colors and textures that would make one drool. BUT, we do keep saying we are going to up our outdoor eating this season. We have been introducing more and more of our home foods, which has been really fun.
My husband and i just went camping this last week for the first time with our 3 year old because of your family's inspiring videos. Granted we forgot a bunch of things, but these "rediculous" items seem like a good choice to bring! Keep up the good work!!
That is so awesome to hear! This isn't going to make you feel any better, but we have been camping with our oldest boy since he was born. He is almost four years old now and we still keep forgetting things and adding new gear almost every trip. It takes a lot of practice, but each trip gets better and better. Just today May and I were talking on the highway about how amazing the trip was and how some of our newest systems really enhanced our travel. When it comes to a 3 year old we are huge fans of balance bikes, especially the Stryder brand amzn.to/3i7pI2z The little guy can zip around freely and keep up with us when we are walking full speed. Not to mention these bikes will help him/her completely bypass the training wheels. Thought I would mention it, in case they are new to you. Oh, and they make a really fun winter ski attachment that goes on the wheels making it a ski bike!
@@PlayingwithSticks we're hoping to start camping with our little guy more often as he sseemed to enjoy it quite a bit! And thank you for the reccommendation for the bike, im sure he'll love it 😄
I miss berry picking when I was a kid in WA. We had a forest behind us so every summer we’d pick so many berries. It was amazing. Tons of wild huckleberries and blackberries. But there were other berries too, raspberry, strawberries, thimbleberries and sometimes salmon berries, just not behind our house but up in the mountains on the trail. And blueberries of course. This video made me hungry 😋
Just reading your comment makes me hungry and I just ate berries this afternoon. We both have never had a huckleberry. Would love to try them sometime.
It was way more fun than we thought it would be the first time we pulled it out. Initially I thought it would be a once or twice a season thing. But, I am thinking now more like a once a month thing. I think it will be a great incentive for the boys to pitch in knowing the reward would be a movie night in the woods. My wife would shoot me for saying that, as we are both early childhood educators and it has been ingrained in us to shoot for intrinsic not extrinsic rewards for our children. But, I find a little dangling of the carrot goes a long way outdoors.
It was way more fun than we thought it would be the first time we pulled it out. Initially I thought it would be a once or twice a season thing. But, I am thinking now more like a once a month thing. I think it will be a great incentive for the boys to pitch in knowing the reward would be a movie night in the woods. My wife would shoot me for saying that, as we are both early childhood educators and it has been ingrained in us to shoot for intrinsic not extrinsic rewards for our children. But, I find a little dangling of the carrot goes a long way outdoors.
@@PlayingwithSticks My grandpa would do any chore my grandma told him to do around the house, from just doing the dishes to putting up a new fence in the backyard. I have six aunts and uncles. Somehow I feel the two facts are related. And now I'm gunna go be sick...
I found a small projector that I love. It's the Motorola Moto Insta-Share Projector. It's tiny and amazing. Add in a Bluetooth speaker(s) and you've got a pretty good setup. This is a Moto Mod - so you need to have a phone that can "receive" it and run it. We have two Bose water-resistant SoundLink Color Bluetooth speakers that can run in stereo mode for a richer sound. After reading some other comments - need to look into a screen!
@@sheilastarlight5257 Definitely not worthless. Sounds more like priceless! That is a super sweet gesture on both his end and now on your end as you keep them surrounding you.
Interesting list. About the gas fire pit. Yes, they are becoming more prevalent in the Lower 48 because of the fire danger. Another part to them is they are instant off. Dust Busters are awesome, even for tents. Personally, smelling like a campfire and having your camper of breakfast....you just can't beat it! 😆😆😆 Your list? Bot so ridiculous IMHO
Good point on the instant off. We should have mentioned that. Just spent a good bit of time yesterday putting out a campfire with the boys. Fun, but adds to the work, smell, and time.
I love my sonic care. I take it camping and on all trips. We bought a tiny broom with a dust pan. We use it all the time. It’s great to clean things up when we are packing up. Thanks for sharing 🤓
All I can say is, if you want it, us it and have room for it than it's Not rediculace. Lol. I'm a fairly new subscriber and really like your content. I'm planning on getting a small camper and will be using some of your ideas. Keep it up, thanks.
Love having new folks in the community. It is always nice to get new perspectives. Glad you are enjoying the content Scott. Once you narrow down your small camper choice we would love to hear from you what you went with. We have a bit of an addiction to learning about new trailers and finding out what trailers everyone in the community has.
YESSS!!! We were hoping to get a ridiculous item on here like this. Thank you for sharing. A summer or two ago someone hiked up a stationary bike to the top of a mountain in the Matsu Valley. They rigged up the bike so when you pedaled it would grind up ice. They left syrups on top of the mountain and a cooler full of ice for anyone who reached the summit. Now that is earning your Shaved Ice!
I don’t dont have any ridiculous FUN items.....just too many “don’t bring these - never use them” items😬. I need to trade in the latter for the former. Like for the projector and gas fire pit and boat😃
There are some folks on here who send us pictures of their campsite. Wow, they bring some fun toys. They have all mentioned that the toys grow as the children grow. I think our most used fun toys are the balance bike for East and the kayak for me.
Your propane campfire reminded me about a time I was at a volleyball tournament at a campground and there was a fire ban.. I couldn't handle the boredom at night so lit up the coleman propane stove as a makeshift lantern/ campfire.. suddenly we had like 30 - 40 ppl around our "fire" lol
That gave us a big smile. We were just laughing picturing those 30-40 ppl around the "fire." It doesn't take much to make us happy does it? A little light and heat and the nostalgia factor triggers us right back to the last time we were around a "real" campfire.
Once when I was big into working out I arrived at the campsite with a full sized weight bench, barbells, and about 300 lbs of steel weights. And I used them, every other day just like normal. They took up half of my screened porch on my cabin tent. The other campers I was with thought I was nuts. But I never broke my lifting regimen.
Now this we love! So far top of the charts for ridiculousness. But, in all reality it kept you fit while those around you ate the junk camp food and added to their waist line. We will also admit that our fitness routines decrease during our camping season, almost completely. Maybe we should think about lugging something around just to make us feel guilty for bringing it and not using it. Great motivator to stay in shape out there.
You can buy weights that you fill with water at your campsite. That way you’re not hauling around all that extra weight (which takes extra fuel). I use water dumbbells and resistance bands.
Great suggestion. We have an entire video about this little kayak. We absolutely love it! ua-cam.com/video/YneGuXyfZMk/v-deo.html You can find links in the description there for the kayak plus some additional gear.
Playing with Sticks - just wanted to let you know-I hit the link on the specific video- for the kayak and it stated “not available “ Currently unavailable We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
@@RetirementLiving That is a bummer. That seems to be the case with a lot of items lately during this pandemic. Definitely worth the wait though we absolutely love this little kayak. WE have an entire video about it if you haven't seen it yet ua-cam.com/video/YneGuXyfZMk/v-deo.html
Hey Drew. Great video and we have 2 hammocks packed away in our teardrop. They don’t take up much room but we’ve only used them once in 4 years. I think it’s just the idea of finding the “perfect” 2 trees to hang one on. Happy camping my friend
Love that projector! I’m guilty of ridiculousness too. A decorative salt and pepper shakers (without salt and pepper), 10 pillows for two people, and two coffee makers (one for inside and one for outside... we love our coffee!) I like to treat my camper like a home and not a camper but I think I take away more than I take. Every trip I’m subtracting something. Maybe one day we will have less pillows 😂
This is a good one. Love the shakers without the shake :) We are crazy with the pillows as well. With the Shasta this is the first trailer where we actually use the decorative pillows as the sleeping pillows. Typically we blend a bit of both. Thanks for sharing.
Do you use a jackery to power the projector? I'm sorry if you've gotten this question a lot and I couldn't find it. Just wondering roughly how many watts it pulls.
I am into wildlife photography so bring a Kaboat with electric motor, camo tarp and DSLR with big telephoto lens to stealthily sit waterside and wait for that perfect shot of birds or those creatures that come down to the lake or river. I liked the plant and fire pit idea .
Hey a fellow Kaboat owner! We own the Alaska edition 15XL. We love it. It is our all around boat. We use it here for the rivers, lakes, and ocean. We hae an outboard for the ocean and lakes and then we use a homemade thai longtail mud motor to get up the streams to then float down. The camo and telephoto pairing sounds great. Would love to go on a trip like that someday. With the boys it has been a while since we have had a nice slow nature trip like that. Thanks for sharing this Paul. Always exciting to chat with folks with very similar interests.
Love it! Thanks for sharing! We just picked up our Tab boondock and we are so Happy!! I was eyeing up a portable ( non electric) blender at MEC ( Canadian REI) it even crushes ice! What! Might have to get that :) definitely want a propane fire ring!! Keep on being real - love your videos!
The blender sounds super fun. Out of curiosity do you remember the watts it requires to run? Would love to see if these run off many of the solar portable generators out there. Thanks for sharing this Kym.
Playing with Sticks, My Ninja blender says 450watts, but that is the max rating. It used 160 watts dry per “kill-a-watt” meter. It may use more under heavy load.
I just got a camper to redo & bought some fake plants 🌱 today 😂 So get it just a lil color & touch of home & Not to worry if suns hitting them right watering them bugs getting in ect. So I totally get the plants! 😁
They really are excessive. I will admit though during shoulder season (spring and fall) they bring in a nice touch of color when everything is either brown or white up here.
we have a shasta like yours,any idea on the dry weight of it?i dont know if i said last time but i updated to 14" tires (ford ranger 14" 5hole rims fit right on)
We weighed it but I can’t remember. I remember all the ads from back in the day said somewhere between 900 and 1,000lbs. But when I weighed it I believe it was like just under 1100 pounds. My brains a little foggy but it is either just under 1200 or just under 1100 but I’m 99% sure 1100
@@PlayingwithSticks ok thank you, all other research(youtube) it was 1000lbs and old temporary registration in the old paperwork said 1400 lbs,thank you for getting back with me,not everyone does that,thanks im getting a ford maverick hibread ,max tow weight is 2000lb's
I started watching your video with the thought, I don’t carry anything “extra” but the necessity. Yeah, I guess I do carry some glamping items after all. Living in CA, I couldn’t imagine camping without my propane campfire. Best purchase I’ve made and even bought the huge tank just for the fireplace. Love that thing and love that some nights we only have it on long enough to roast a marshmallow. I also carry a telescope with us as it’s fun to explore the night sky. My daughter has her trailer toys that she only gets to play with camping. I have watercolor and other art supplies as I love adding drawings in my camp journal of our trip. Lastly, I have a more comfortable bed in my trailer than I do at home. Memory foam and feather mattress pad with quilts I’ve made covering us at night. So cozy and makes me want to stay out longer and enjoy sleeping in while on my camping vacation. Thanks for the video!
Never would have even thought of the telescope. Great idea. Adding that to our wish list for sure. We haven't toasted marshmallows yet on our firepit. Looking forward to it getting dark here soon to start doing all the night fire rituals. Still getting dark about 11pm, but losing light fast. We also have special items for the boys that they only get camping. Great little trick we picked up along the way. And like you, we also work really hard to find a bedding situation that rivals or exceeds our home bed's comfort level. Thank you for sharing all this Alison. This is why we make these videos. It is so fun learning from others and picking up a thing or two to use on our next trip.
A couple times I brought my telescope on a camping trip. I found it a great way to meet fellow campers as so many people have rarely had a chance to look through a proper scope, or to explore a dark sky with just their eyes. Alas I have no room to bring it these days so I bring binoculars instead. Nothing fancy, just some basic 10x50, but better than nothing.
@@dorvinion My telescope isn't very fancy at all. It's actually not mine as it was a gift from the grandparents to my daughter several years ago. I'm sure it wasn't too pricey and packs into a padded backpack including the tripod. We got very lucky on our last trip a few weeks ago to be able to spot the comet, Jupiter and it's moons, Pluto (at least I think that's what the dot was) and Saturn. My daughter is 9 and knows a bit more about astronomy than I do but I LOVE the Night Sky app as it shows the location of what we are searching for or lets you know what you might be seeing at night. Binoculars are a good idea as well. Can be used for many different purposes for sure. Happy Camping!!
Great video. I get the need for the video projector having small children. For the fake plants, get plastic containers that are lighter in weight and get the hooks that have the small latch so you can leave them up all the time and now worry about them flying off. You could also think about a nice wall mural to bring green in. We have a nice beach, ocean, palm tree one in our t@b 400 and love it. I love that portable gas fire pit. What model/brand and where did you purchase it? I totally agree, wood fires are nice but they are always a hassle and many camp grounds don't allow them.
We looked all over the big city of Los Anchorage for some plastic hanging baskets. We found nothing. Guessing it was due to the pandemic. Great suggestion though. We will have to try again. Also great idea on the mural. We still haven't got around to decorating the trailer. One of these days... The brand is Camp Chef and the model is the "compact" I believe. But just the last month I can't seem to find it anywhere. Seems to be sold out everywhere.
I have an Apeman projector and love it. Got it off Amazon. It’s 4” square and an inch thick. It’s also a backup battery. That combined with a Switch means MarioKart anywhere.
My wife was just telling me about these yesterday. She saw someone on UA-cam pull one out on a table and just start screen sharing. Really amazing! Love the idea that it is a backup battery. Mario Kart in the woods sounds amazing, that is if the mosquitoes decide to let you play it for a bit 😀
We always bring a large laptop, with external HD with about 600 movies on it. Bought the laptop specifically for camping. A dozen camping trips, used it once.
Worx hydroshot power washer. It can wash with 2 liter bottle, has a house for any water source. 350 psi. Fits in a small bag. Uses a rechargeable drill 20 volt battery. FYI. 🇺🇸👍
We have come to think people like us are in the minority on this. We are always surprised when we mention this movie to friends and family nobody seems to be very excited about it. Most definitely one of our modern favorites as well.
Don’t pressure wash wood. It breaks down the fibers. I agree with the small vacuum. We’ve taken one with us on several camping trips. It can really help. We made the “investment” and purchased a small “counter” broom with a dust pan and keep it with our gear.
Rockwood makes some really good RVs overall. They are under the umbrella of FOREST RIVER. I would say Rockwood Popups are the best in one category...how the struts work on the beds. Check them out on YT. Rockwood makes them so you do NOT NOT need to go under the bed to install the struts.
@@mikefoehr235 Thank you for sharing this. We just got done spending 3 weeks in a pop-up. And all the little steps definitely add up. Neat to see folks are finding innovative ways to work remove some of the steps.
We do not. We see them advertised quite often. I actually have one in my office desk for earthquake related emergencies. Occasionally I crank it just to turn on the light or the radio to see if it still works.
Love it Oscar! We have done the gas generator as well, but never the tv/dvd combo. The closest we have came was taking a car dvd player East's aunt gave him. Unfortunately we forgot to use it when we were out there.
@@888johnmac Up here the only quiet campsite we ever find is boondocking. How is it down there (assuming you are from the lower 48)? We have always been interested to hear the comparisons. Generators are pretty much the norm at public campgrounds here. There are a few gems here and there, but they are all pretty much in the boonies.
It is great to watch your family and you in the beauty of Alaska! Great video! Fun content! Blessings galore to you and yours! What we bring:) my journal with different color pens; laptop to download the pictures we take during the day and enjoy watching them at night, and treats and toys for our dogs! Oh, how much we enjoy being outdoors!!!
Thank you Mirna! We need to journal more. It is an amazing little hobby. Especially if you have a creative artistic way of doing. I (Drew) do not, but I appreciate those who do. You just gave us a great idea. Projector photo highlights on the camper at the end of the trip.
Playing with Sticks journaling is awesome! You have so much to document/write experiences of your children, special moments when they did something for the first time, etc. It will be priceless as you, your spouse, and the children grow. You will have a lot of stories to share with them and with each other. I have been journaling since I was 17-years old ... that was many moons ago. 😊
@@36PawsPNWC Okay, we are convinced! Time to start using the journal. Also, everyone says the second child never gets the keepsakes like the first. So this will be a great way to ensure he gets some memories captured as well.
Playing with Sticks I celebrate your decision!!! I look forward to hearing more about this new venture and how creative the two of you become...attaching pictures, leaves, maps of a special trip, and writing from the heart! Your sons may want to add their scribbles in it too! Drew, you may discover how imaginative and creative you actually are! Enjoy!
This is great Sandy! You may like this one. There was a guy up here in AK who somehow, maybe with the help of his buddies hiked a stationary exercise bike to one of the highest peaks in the area. Attached to the bike was some sort of blender mechanism that was powered by pedaling the bike. He left behind syrups for the snow cones and coolers of ice for anyone who came across it. I think it was to celebrate summer solstice. That is a pretty big hike day and celebration for Alaskans.
The most ridiculous thing for Drew is that he doesn't require a razor because his facial hair doesn't grow fast enough out here! He says it comes from his Danish side 😂
I have to say, I got a little nervous (actually, a lot!) when I saw you all berry picking, especially after seeing the bear scat! Do you ever have problems with bears; and, if so, what do you do about it? I’ve heard that Alaska has A LOT of bears! 🐻
Good question Rose. Not too many problems here. Unlike the Lower 48 the bears have quite a lot of room to roam, so we don't have many habitual bears that you find at more of the popular campgrounds like Glacier or Yellowstone. And yes, we do have a LOT of bears! But usually we get to watch them from a pretty safe distance when camping. Now, when we are fishing that is a whole different story!
@@PlayingwithSticks I see what you’re saying. When I visited some of the national parks out west (Grand Teton, RMNP, & Yellowstone), it was almost like “Disney Land” with the crowds and with how a lot of the animals seemed so used to people and had no fear of them. I can see how this can be a problem with bears that are also finding “free food” at campgrounds. I guess the bears see “free food” getting served up from people fishing, like you say, and from people hunting, too. Be careful out there.
I love your videos. Many of your most ridiculous items are also mine. I am also looking for a pressure washer .... heard there was something that could also be used as a shower by adjusting the pressure? Thanks for sharing, as always. Safe journeys.
Never would have thought about using a pressure washer as a shower. On ours there is a soap setting that is very minimal. If you didn't have the soap in the pressure wash it would work great for a shower. Thanks for sharing Brenda.
Everything! And nothing has worked. Our next thing is trying Avon Skin So Soft. Worked on our horses growing up, heard it works on two legged creatures as well :) But, lately we have been around campers who use Thermacells. Not sure if I spelled that right. They seem to work great! A couple of months ago we were swarmed by mosquitoes. Went out on a hike and when we returned a family had set up camp next to us. There thermacell must have worked over into our site because we were mosquito free the rest of the night.
@playingwithsticks We use a thermacell, and my husband who’s the mosquito magnet of the family swears by it. The only real negative is the cost of refills for fuel & pads.
Sasha Forbes, Yeah! Tests and anecdotal evidence shows Thermacells work! People complain that it is not effective if there is a breeze.....yeah, and the cost like you say. One of the camping smells that gets on everything and gets old fast is bug repellant, so I am looking for any alternatives.
@@mikemead2315 Some of the hardcore full time boondockers up here swear by soaking their clothing and gear in permethrin. Thermacell sounds like a much better alternative for most of us.
is a instant hot water heater ridiculous? I made one & have all the hot water I need for showers or cleaning dishes. Yes I saw your video on using little/no water.....not going to do it :~)
Actually when asking teardrop owners what they carry, we have found a lot carry the hot water heaters. Both the on demands and the electric heaters like you have in your kitchen. Think of the low water video more for when you are in a pinch. You know you are on day 6 and you thought you had enough water. That would be a great time to break out the squirt bottles.
Of course. Are you talking film equipment? Like cameras and audio? To make it easy for folks when they ask that question I have created a list on our Amazon storefront. www.amazon.com/shop/playingwithsticks/list/2QUX4MJIPT9G9 At the time of shooting this video I used a Panasonic GH5, also an amazing and quite simple camera. #GBR!
Yeah, the power washer is pretty ridiculous. Can’t believe how light you go on filming gear. Nice B-roll, BTW. As far as the original question, I think the most ridiculous thing I brought with me was an infrared converted SLR camera to South Sudan. I wasn’t in a camper, but I was camping and had to be able to carry everything on my back. I already had 30 pounds of photo gear so what’s one more camera body, right?
The GH5 is pretty ridiculous in itself in terms of how amazing it is for cutting down gear. I show all that gear, but in reality all shots in the field (hiking, boating, etc) are only shot with the GH5 matched with the kit lens. No gimbals, no tripods, monopods, etc. For outdoor filming the in-body image stabilization is such a benefit for reducing your gear. Now, I don't really appreciate the skin tones and color coming out of the GH5. But, we have been more than happy sacrificing a nice picture profile for stress free trips. Thanks for the positive words John. Others are going to have to check out your channel if they really want to see some good images. It is fun watching folks like you, RV East Coast, and Camp and Camera. We really appreciate all the effort these channels put in to give a pleasing image and sound.
@@wollwerthimagery6267 Thanks John. We are often surprised by what comes out of these new little cameras as well. It is like carrying a stills camera and a cinema camera in one. Are they the best at doing either one, no. But they do a pretty good job at both.
@@PlayingwithSticks I end up selling a lot of stock video and pictures from my travels. The long and the short of that is that I usually end up carrying a lot more gear than I'd like.
@@wollwerthimagery6267 Do you find it is worth the effort to sell the stock photos/videos? We often wonder if we should try it out sometime. Or is it more of a hobby for you?
You are absolutely right. We have had our fair share of bear encounters over the years. But, I will say it is around the fish where we really have the encounters.
Love the plants idea. I’ll be adding those as well. I have my share of fake plants inside my home. As you said, something soothing about the green. Love your channel. Keep up the excellent videos. What kind of camera do you use? Quality is outstanding.
Thanks for the nice comment. Glad there are few on here who relate to us on the plants. Funny thing, we were completely against fake plants for years in our home. Today, I would say 40% of our plants require no water or air to survive :) The camera is our trusty Panasonic GH5. Just used a new color profile on it this video and we are loving it.
We agree George. We mentioned it in our community post. Beings the last few videos have mostly been tech talk we added some more Alaskan shots by request from many in the community. We will definitely take your comment into consideration though for future videos. Thanks George!
@@yawnderdreams Thanks Seth. It has been interesting watching our community expand. Different needs, wants, desires. It has added a fun element to the channel as we now do niche videos here and there for the different pockets of viewers. But, with that comes not satisfying everyone. This channel was built by a small group of community members who were really engaged in the lifestyle angle of the channel. So it is something we will always come back around to to honor the origin of this little small camper community.
Oh man! Honestly that is our favorite part. Seeing camp through their fresh eyes is amazing! Without kids what is camping? Haha. I think I just can't stand still long enough to stay at camp without kids around. If there were no kids I think it would be back to backpacking so I could keep moving.
FAKE PLANT?!?! Every other thing is understandable but FAKE PLANT!!! seriously, you can make a mini herb garden in a 500ml plastic water bottles. Just imagine ur baby successfully break off one of the plastic leaf & choke on it coz his parent ate salad(baby like it's just the same) herb garden is just same ambiance (actually better ambiance coz of natural fragrance) u save money on herb&safe for toddler.
Great idea Malou. We keep talking about expanding our indoor herb garden. Never thought about expanding it into the trailers. Thanks again for the great idea and for helping us keep the little ones safe.
Sorry just so surprise that u have children & fake plant. Actually I'm into herb but Mom like her fake plant which me & my brother hate. Then one day my nephew w/autism was found chewing on the petal of a fake flower so all fake plant has to go. Few months later, my nephew was munching the Xmas tree neddle leaves. So all fake plant are"ban" within 6ft from the Flr & we gave mom Aloe Vera(it has spike to deter child playing with it, low sun&water requirement & is safe if eaten by a child, just in case)
Many years ago I was with a group doing a Grand Canyon Hike. We descended/ascended to/from the south rim. I want to say there were about 12 of us, all from the same university. Two of the hikers were foreign exchange students. If memory serves, they were German, but I'm not certain that's correct. They carried a case of beer...each...from the rim to the Colorado river. I don't remember what beer it was, but I am certain it was cans (not bottles).
During the ride home, I asked them about the weight. They said: they knew it would be heavy when we were going down, but that's not a big deal. By the time we had to hike up, it wouldn't be heavy any more. Honestly, that's some genius logic.
Years later...I bring bourbon. It's lighter.
Great story here. They sound like folks we would enjoy hanging out with. Bourbon does also sound much more efficient!
... and just when I thought I'm weird to bring a projector. We actually also bring a "screen" - a white piece of fabric rolled around a PVC Pipe top and bottom - that way you can hang it between trees or something. We haven't brought the projector lately, simply because most trips we did involved a lot of hikes and that cuts evenings short. Our little teardrop has a small TV and a bluetooth capable radio as well as outside speakers so we don't bring a bluetooth speaker. We do however also bring a gas firepit (it comes in a red tincan of sorts, so it's self contained. It's called little red campfire if I'm not mistaken - pricey but works well and is small).
I modified a water pik to run on 12V (internally they run on a lower voltage, so I just replaced the cord and added a little voltage regulator chip from Amazon instead of the original one designed for 120V.) Works well - won't leave home without a water pik. We also bring little solar stake lights and a few USB string lights.
The probably most ridiculous thing we bring is 2 zero gravity camp chairs. They take up a considerable amount of space in my trunk but they're so worth it. Then of course there's the Coleman camp oven - small extra, but I love my freshly baked sourdough bread and yes, I do bake fresh bread while camping. Food and food related items like wine glasses etc. are a must for us. For most people what I carry in these things would be ridiculous, but hey, we have nice food from nice plates when other people eat that astronaut stuff out of plastic bags :-)
We thought of you when making this video. A lot of your camp accessories have inspired us. Love the solar stake lights. Never would have thought of that. Would have been great last year when I ran into the tongue of the trailer in the middle of the night. We own quite a lot of string lights, but never knew there were usb versions. In our video about what we take to be comfortable, the overall winner from the community was everyone's zero gravity chairs. Seems to be a must for folks who have been doing this a while. Fresh bread at camp, wish we were camping with you or at least beside you :) And as for the astronaut bags, May never knew what they were as we don't pack them when backpacking. She found one of mine that the boys and I take as survival food when on the ocean and river. She cooked it up and served it as part of the dinner one night at our house. Her face when she put the first bite in her mouth was priceless. But, by the end she said, hmmm that's not bad :)
A kinda useful item, but ridiculous only because of why I built it and brought it
Last month I went camping in Yellowstone with my sister's family, and the campground showers were of course closed for fear of cooties.
As my sister and her family are camping rookies, they absolutely insisted that they would die without a daily shower.
I told them that dry mountain air means even if its kinda warm out you can get by without a shower and that baby wipes, body wipes, and/or sponge baths (taken in the privacy of our Aliner) are enough to get you through a week of camping, but they insisted only a proper shower would do.
So I made them a very crude, very cheap, outside shower that captured all the grey water for proper disposal, did not have you standing around in your own wash water, and ensured that the rest of the busy campground would not get a free peep-show.
It was worth it to get them to not wimp out and cancel on us. Really had a great time having company in camp.
Probably not gonna use the shower setup again though as its quite the PITB to set up (especially if only two adults will use it). Better to take the useless fridge out of our Aliner and put a shower there.
Related: I perfected my post-cooking dish-wash strategy on this trip. The solution was to bring two extra adults and a teenager to help out.
We often say in this family "if it keeps you out there longer, it is worth doing." We have done some ridiculous things to ensure we don't head home early. And it is funny because many of the things go against everything we have learned from backpacking growing up. The shower sounds like you found the right balance to keep the family together and happy. Also sounds like a very kind thing you did for them. As I can tell it probably went against everything you believe in when it comes to the outdoors.
I appreciate the dish washing comment as well. We like to bring Uncle Sam on many of these trips because he gives us an extra hand with the kiddos. It is also fun taking him because he hasn't had a lot of exposure to the outdoors. Neat to see him learning right alongside our boys.
@@PlayingwithSticks No beliefs involved really. If the camp showers had been available I'd have taken one nightly myself cause it does feel good to get squeaky clean before bed.
I'm just more accustomed to the primitive means of personal hygiene than they are.
The did come around to the wipes/sponge bath way of thinking though, managing 4 nights between uses of the show contraption. I'll count that as a victory :P
Ensuring we collected all the water was as much about courtesy to future campers at the site (no muddy mess) as it was to concern for the local environs (being a busy developed campground and all). Spilling a cup or two of water is one thing. Dropping a gallon per shower is another.
@@dorvinion We would call that a victory as well. Cosmo Weems sold us on the concept of wipes. We had no idea they made larger wipes just for camping. Pretty neat idea. And honestly you feel the same as a nice shower, minus that heat for relaxing your muscles. Also really appreciate how you highlighted taking care of the campsite for the next camper.
Really appreciate the love 💗 ppl myou o li
Let us see please
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I always find it funny when you talk about the woodsmoke being a problem my wife loves the smell of a campfire so much I sometimes think it's the only reason she comes with me
We are kind of wimps lately when it comes to smoke. I think it is because we are out here over 90 days a summer now. When we were camping less it seemed like more of a novelty at the time. I will say, and this will offend a ton of Alaskans. I think not all smoke is created equal. Meaning some trees create great smelling smoke that smells amazing in the morning. A lot of the wet wood we use up here doesn't have that kind of smell. Well, at least to our nose that is. Our friends and family would not agree with us.
Playing with Sticks, I think you hit the nail on the head there: it is the quality of the fire and smoke. Agree with Harry that a wood campfire smell can be fantastic and adds to the experience - bit like a cabin with a fireplace - just a faint wood fire smell. But too many times my campfire ended up being just billowing clouds that overwhelmed all my cloths, sleeping bag, skin, and every nook and cranny of every piece of equipment. The smell is so hard to remove since it also seems to permeate - no washing it off my skin or changing into non-smoky cloths and bedding. I seem to be getting more sensitive to it too. I have avoided any campfire for a few years now. I miss them.
But maybe I just need better or specific wood🤔. Sounds like fun experimentation. 😃
When I was little my mom would bring an electric popcorn popper, 40 years later we are still giving her crap about it hahaha
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That is good! I bet she had some happy camper in that family.
I always enjoy watching your videos.. I lived in Alaska for 8 years and never got bored !! So much to experience !! Keep up the great work and you have a beautiful family !
Thanks Janie! What a blessing you were able to be here for 8 years. It is neat if you think about it...people pay thousands of dollars to come to the place where you get to be everyday. Thanks again for the sweet comment.
I've brought my generator when I didn't need it 5x in a row (at full hook up sites), then finally decided to ditch the extra 60 pounds and showed up to a campground and couldn't get power after all. Squeaked through on the battery by conserving but goes to show that Murphy's Law is alive and well.
You sound like you have a bit of our luck. That is exactly how it goes for our family 80% of the time 😂 In this family I am the hoarder and May is the minimalist. Once she finally convinces me to donate an item, the next day we NEED it!
The most ridiculous thing I bring is work. I'm tethered to my laptop and phone. It sucks.
I think this one wins hands down. It is ridiculous, but unfortunately is a requirement. I used to edit my videos in the field. Now, I rarely do this, maybe only once a month I pull out the computer now. Even a little editing can make the trip feel less like a vacation. My 9-5 has followed me out there as well and I find is I did my job 50% worse out there and the camping 50% worse. The biggest tip we have for others who do this is to block off time either in the early morning or night for this. And don't allow the work to creep into the other time frames. This for us, has really helped camping feel like camping. Thanks for sharing this. Very creative answer you had to our question!
Love the Alaskan shots...and yes the Sonicare is worth taking. I am biased, I am a Dental Hygienist. So some of the crazy things we took on a Christmas Teardrop trip to Key West is...Christmas stockings, two Christmas wreaths one for each door, starry lights, and a snow globe.
May will love this! We were supposed to put her fairy lights in the video, but we forgot. We may have to steal your idea this winter. Would love to take the teardrop out camping all decked out in holiday fashion. Thanks for sharing this Karen! Okay, settle the debate for us Oral B or Sonicare? Seems like all the dental offices have Oral-B.
I used to think the projector was over the top until I got to watch a movie with friends.
It can be pretty magical. I didn't grow up in a town with a drive in theater, so it is always been high on my list to go to one. So far this is as close as I have come.
Don't be shy folks! Please share what you bring. Even if it is only slightly ridiculous. We had a great idea this morning while driving. We would love to make a mid-winter video highlighting all the ridiculous things this community brings. We promise we will keep it anonymous, but fun!
@Poetic Heart You must live in a colder climate huh? Because in the midwest and southern climates we see people taking out box fans all the time! Don't worry you are not alone :)
Love the green plant idea. From the start I have always had yellow daffodils stuck around my van because it just looks so cheery. Now I will add a couple green plants.
Funny, we thought everybody would find this one really ridiculous. Surprised to find many people relate. We also relate to the yellow flowers. Big fans of yellow with our green as well. Thanks for sharing Pam.
One of our first purchases was a portable fire pit. It’s so convenient. It’s possible to enjoy a fire for brief or extended periods of time. No smoke. We also use ours at home when we don’t want to deal with smoke.
Slow motion bear scat. 😂
Glad to see someone enjoying some good old poo shots.
We were camping with friends once in a campground where even fire pits were banned due to the extreme fire danger at the time. We had several battery-operated "light sticks" of different colors for the kids, so we stuck those in a camp mug for a base, turned them all on, and put them in our fire ring at our camp spot. Our neighbor campers even came by to visit and check out our "fire".
LMAO! Slow-motion bear scat is the most Alaska thing I think I've ever seen on UA-cam.
Regarding projectors: When our kids were small, after we moved into this house, we used a projector for our TV, shining it on a blank white wall. We had room-darkening curtains hung to darken the room down, and it was a good room in which to get small children to nap. It was a good destresser tool, and didn't take up any floor space (suspended from ceiling). Best of all, the kids couldn't mess with it, and we often projected slide shows and family videos for family gatherings.
This, of course, led to one memorable lament. We were out running errands with our kids and our eldest, maybe age 4 at the time, tired out and melted down. In full volume in a store with plenty of other people around she bawled, "I want to go home and watch the wall!" The expressions on other people's faces were priceless. 😂
We love our outdoor projector with our propane fire pit. We are currently saving up for our first tear drop trailer and have been tent camping forever. All of my siblings and my Mom have big RV’s and have been trying to talk us into it. We just notice that they never come out of their trailers and the whole point for us it to enjoy the outdoor. We thought it was funny that is being the minimalist we’re the ones that brought the projector. We don’t do a lot of electronics, but love watching a movie with the family outdoors and all of my siblings always make sure we are bringing it with us each time we camp.
Umm my large teardrop (little guy max) has it's own espresso machine :) I run it off my goal zero yeti 1400. I make daily soy lattes while camping. Also I have two velvet ottomans one inside the camper and a folding blue velvet ottoman for my clam screentent. I set the outdoor one on every trip we use our clam. It folds down and lives in the dinnette bench. We have those crazy nemo stargate luxury chairs and with the ottoman it is the most comfortable chair set up possible.
We have trailer envy every time we see someone towing your trailer! An espresso machine, now that is a first! Love it. Same with the ottomans. We have seen your style of chairs, but have never sat in one. Sounds like we have to put that on our to-do list.
The ottomans for outside work so great since we have one that folds down, has storage, and can double as a seat. It stores under our dinette when not in use. Outside it is part of our clam set up. We do keep stuff in it that we want access too. It was like$25 and it is so handy. The one inside lives under the dinette (where we installed a lagun mount so no legs). It is a foot rest but also adds a seat if needed. The espresso machine is a really neat small footprint one. Delongi dedica. The hubby got it for me as an xmas present a couple years ago. I use it daily on trips. And on the nemo chairs. My sons life long friend said to me while camping that it was more comfortable than any of chairs at either of his parents houses. He is 6’2 and 18. I take that as a strong vote on the chairs. The chairs with the ottoman make for one heck of a set inside our clam screen tent. Love your videos thanks for making them.
Your kiddos are experiencing the best childhood!
Aww, thanks Melissa!
My camp potty is priceless. I’ve had it for years & am happy to pay the price of cleaning it just to have the convenience. As I get older and need the convenience throughout the night more often nowadays, I keep it right next to where I sleep in the tent trailer so I don’t have to zip/unzip the tent & wander out into the dark overnight. Also, it has come in handy to avoid public restrooms as much as possible during the pandemic. I’ve even used it at super busy trailheads because bathrooms were closed. Pop up potty tent takes less than 1 minute to set up/tear down, too.
I bet there are quite a few folks in the community who will 100% agree with you on this one Sasha! Especially during these interesting times.
My pop up shower tent takes less than 1 minute to set up, but it always seems to take about 5 minutes of twisting and fighting with it (along with a few low-voiced 4 letter words) to finally twist it back up & into its case.
@@broddr What type of tent do you have? I have one that goes together with poles, and it's a hassle to assemble.
Patrick Keeney - my shower tent was made by ABCOSport, but I’ve seen the same design sold by others. Probably all made in the same Chinese factory. Cost me $19 on sale, regularly about $30 - $60. It has spring wires, so it just pops up to about 6’2”. But twisting those wires in the exact right way to pack it up is a bit of a hassle, especially when I haven’t done it for a year. A very similar tent is on Walmart & Amazon, “GigaTent pop up pod”, but only 69” high, $21.
She said camp potty. Not camp potty tent .right ?
I love my gas fire pit. No issues with emerald ash borer transmitted through moving firewood. Its a luxury I value, so I haul one. The no smoke smell is so worth it.
I bring my favorite pottery plate, bowls and mug, because I like plating my food artistically just for me. I’ll make extravagant combinations of colors and textures in fruit and cheese especially. The copper skillet and tea kettle add to the beauty of the camp dining experience for one. Two if I invite JD.
Wish we camped with you! We love good food presentation. And currently we are quite the opposite. Plastic bowls/plates, metal utensils, and plating that does not have the colors and textures that would make one drool. BUT, we do keep saying we are going to up our outdoor eating this season. We have been introducing more and more of our home foods, which has been really fun.
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My husband and i just went camping this last week for the first time with our 3 year old because of your family's inspiring videos. Granted we forgot a bunch of things, but these "rediculous" items seem like a good choice to bring!
Keep up the good work!!
That is so awesome to hear! This isn't going to make you feel any better, but we have been camping with our oldest boy since he was born. He is almost four years old now and we still keep forgetting things and adding new gear almost every trip. It takes a lot of practice, but each trip gets better and better. Just today May and I were talking on the highway about how amazing the trip was and how some of our newest systems really enhanced our travel. When it comes to a 3 year old we are huge fans of balance bikes, especially the Stryder brand amzn.to/3i7pI2z The little guy can zip around freely and keep up with us when we are walking full speed. Not to mention these bikes will help him/her completely bypass the training wheels. Thought I would mention it, in case they are new to you. Oh, and they make a really fun winter ski attachment that goes on the wheels making it a ski bike!
@@PlayingwithSticks we're hoping to start camping with our little guy more often as he sseemed to enjoy it quite a bit! And thank you for the reccommendation for the bike, im sure he'll love it 😄
I miss berry picking when I was a kid in WA. We had a forest behind us so every summer we’d pick so many berries. It was amazing. Tons of wild huckleberries and blackberries. But there were other berries too, raspberry, strawberries, thimbleberries and sometimes salmon berries, just not behind our house but up in the mountains on the trail. And blueberries of course. This video made me hungry 😋
Just reading your comment makes me hungry and I just ate berries this afternoon. We both have never had a huckleberry. Would love to try them sometime.
Tbh, I've been looking at little projectors on Amazon for car camping too. Doesn't seem ridiculous to me, haha.
It was way more fun than we thought it would be the first time we pulled it out. Initially I thought it would be a once or twice a season thing. But, I am thinking now more like a once a month thing. I think it will be a great incentive for the boys to pitch in knowing the reward would be a movie night in the woods. My wife would shoot me for saying that, as we are both early childhood educators and it has been ingrained in us to shoot for intrinsic not extrinsic rewards for our children. But, I find a little dangling of the carrot goes a long way outdoors.
It was way more fun than we thought it would be the first time we pulled it out. Initially I thought it would be a once or twice a season thing. But, I am thinking now more like a once a month thing. I think it will be a great incentive for the boys to pitch in knowing the reward would be a movie night in the woods. My wife would shoot me for saying that, as we are both early childhood educators and it has been ingrained in us to shoot for intrinsic not extrinsic rewards for our children. But, I find a little dangling of the carrot goes a long way outdoors.
@@PlayingwithSticks My grandpa would do any chore my grandma told him to do around the house, from just doing the dishes to putting up a new fence in the backyard. I have six aunts and uncles. Somehow I feel the two facts are related. And now I'm gunna go be sick...
I found a small projector that I love. It's the Motorola Moto Insta-Share Projector. It's tiny and amazing. Add in a Bluetooth speaker(s) and you've got a pretty good setup. This is a Moto Mod - so you need to have a phone that can "receive" it and run it. We have two Bose water-resistant SoundLink Color Bluetooth speakers that can run in stereo mode for a richer sound. After reading some other comments - need to look into a screen!
@@PlayingwithSticks ll
I’ve got the filming gear and vacuum, but considering adding a projector now.
I will soon be putting fake plants in my teardrop.....now I can tell my wife it wasn't my idea.
Love it!
Rediculus items... I gotcha beat lol. 10 pillows on my bed and 50 stuffed animals scattered throughout the RV. TOTALLY worthless but there they are!
This is a good one Sheila! Okay, do the animals have a theme? Are they all cats? Does each one come from a different state?
@@PlayingwithSticks well, kinda have a theme. They were each presents to me from my deceased husband. Most are teddy bears but all are special.
@@sheilastarlight5257 Definitely not worthless. Sounds more like priceless! That is a super sweet gesture on both his end and now on your end as you keep them surrounding you.
I LOVE smell of camp🔥
I think most do. We are definitely the odd ones out here! I will admit though, with the right wood I love it as well.
@@mattstone8878 Yes! We are right with you there.
Interesting list. About the gas fire pit. Yes, they are becoming more prevalent in the Lower 48 because of the fire danger. Another part to them is they are instant off. Dust Busters are awesome, even for tents. Personally, smelling like a campfire and having your camper of breakfast....you just can't beat it! 😆😆😆 Your list? Bot so ridiculous IMHO
Good point on the instant off. We should have mentioned that. Just spent a good bit of time yesterday putting out a campfire with the boys. Fun, but adds to the work, smell, and time.
Hahah we have fake plants also. We now have an awning tent and why not try the projector there - this is a cool idea!
I love my sonic care. I take it camping and on all trips. We bought a tiny broom with a dust pan. We use it all the time. It’s great to clean things up when we are packing up. Thanks for sharing 🤓
I think we have that same broom and dustpan. Is your pan yellow?
Playing with Sticks ours is white. It is the cutest broom I’ve ever seen 🤓
All I can say is, if you want it, us it and have room for it than it's Not rediculace. Lol. I'm a fairly new subscriber and really like your content. I'm planning on getting a small camper and will be using some of your ideas. Keep it up, thanks.
Love having new folks in the community. It is always nice to get new perspectives. Glad you are enjoying the content Scott. Once you narrow down your small camper choice we would love to hear from you what you went with. We have a bit of an addiction to learning about new trailers and finding out what trailers everyone in the community has.
Margaritaville Fiji Frozen Drink Maker. Nothing says good morning in the woods like BRRRRRRRRRR.
YESSS!!! We were hoping to get a ridiculous item on here like this. Thank you for sharing. A summer or two ago someone hiked up a stationary bike to the top of a mountain in the Matsu Valley. They rigged up the bike so when you pedaled it would grind up ice. They left syrups on top of the mountain and a cooler full of ice for anyone who reached the summit. Now that is earning your Shaved Ice!
?@@PlayingwithSticks
I don’t dont have any ridiculous FUN items.....just too many “don’t bring these - never use them” items😬.
I need to trade in the latter for the former.
Like for the projector and gas fire pit and boat😃
There are some folks on here who send us pictures of their campsite. Wow, they bring some fun toys. They have all mentioned that the toys grow as the children grow. I think our most used fun toys are the balance bike for East and the kayak for me.
Your propane campfire reminded me about a time I was at a volleyball tournament at a campground and there was a fire ban.. I couldn't handle the boredom at night so lit up the coleman propane stove as a makeshift lantern/ campfire.. suddenly we had like 30 - 40 ppl around our "fire" lol
That gave us a big smile. We were just laughing picturing those 30-40 ppl around the "fire." It doesn't take much to make us happy does it? A little light and heat and the nostalgia factor triggers us right back to the last time we were around a "real" campfire.
Once when I was big into working out I arrived at the campsite with a full sized weight bench, barbells, and about 300 lbs of steel weights. And I used them, every other day just like normal. They took up half of my screened porch on my cabin tent. The other campers I was with thought I was nuts. But I never broke my lifting regimen.
Now this we love! So far top of the charts for ridiculousness. But, in all reality it kept you fit while those around you ate the junk camp food and added to their waist line. We will also admit that our fitness routines decrease during our camping season, almost completely. Maybe we should think about lugging something around just to make us feel guilty for bringing it and not using it. Great motivator to stay in shape out there.
You can buy weights that you fill with water at your campsite. That way you’re not hauling around all that extra weight (which takes extra fuel). I use water dumbbells and resistance bands.
If you want to clean your deck or flat concrete there are attachments for that. Just do a web search for "driveway pressure washer attachment".
Thank you for sharing Anne.
Could you put a link to your blow up kayak? Thanks (love your channel)
Great suggestion. We have an entire video about this little kayak. We absolutely love it! ua-cam.com/video/YneGuXyfZMk/v-deo.html You can find links in the description there for the kayak plus some additional gear.
Playing with Sticks - just wanted to let you know-I hit the link on the specific video- for the kayak and it stated “not available “
Currently unavailable
We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.
@@RetirementLiving That is a bummer. That seems to be the case with a lot of items lately during this pandemic. Definitely worth the wait though we absolutely love this little kayak. WE have an entire video about it if you haven't seen it yet ua-cam.com/video/YneGuXyfZMk/v-deo.html
Hey Drew. Great video and we have 2 hammocks packed away in our teardrop. They don’t take up much room but we’ve only used them once in 4 years. I think it’s just the idea of finding the “perfect” 2 trees to hang one on. Happy camping my friend
This is great. We also have one in our teardrop and have not used it once!
Love that projector! I’m guilty of ridiculousness too. A decorative salt and pepper shakers (without salt and pepper), 10 pillows for two people, and two coffee makers (one for inside and one for outside... we love our coffee!) I like to treat my camper like a home and not a camper but I think I take away more than I take. Every trip I’m subtracting something. Maybe one day we will have less pillows 😂
This is a good one. Love the shakers without the shake :) We are crazy with the pillows as well. With the Shasta this is the first trailer where we actually use the decorative pillows as the sleeping pillows. Typically we blend a bit of both. Thanks for sharing.
Oh no, pillows are a MUST! I'm in this bed alone and have 10 pillows for myself!
@@PlayingwithSticks k
@@dustinbates5924 :)
Umbrella. I bring an umbrella hiking/backpacking in Alaska.
We often laugh how Alaskans are too tough to carry umbrellas. Love hearing that someone is breaking the mold. Thanks for sharing Samuel.
L to
@@lokalopez4617 :)
Do you use a jackery to power the projector? I'm sorry if you've gotten this question a lot and I couldn't find it. Just wondering roughly how many watts it pulls.
I am into wildlife photography so bring a Kaboat with electric motor, camo tarp and DSLR with big telephoto lens to stealthily sit waterside and wait for that perfect shot of birds or those creatures that come down to the lake or river. I liked the plant and fire pit idea .
Hey a fellow Kaboat owner! We own the Alaska edition 15XL. We love it. It is our all around boat. We use it here for the rivers, lakes, and ocean. We hae an outboard for the ocean and lakes and then we use a homemade thai longtail mud motor to get up the streams to then float down. The camo and telephoto pairing sounds great. Would love to go on a trip like that someday. With the boys it has been a while since we have had a nice slow nature trip like that. Thanks for sharing this Paul. Always exciting to chat with folks with very similar interests.
Love it! Thanks for sharing! We just picked up our Tab boondock and we are so
Happy!! I was eyeing up a portable ( non electric) blender at MEC ( Canadian REI) it even crushes ice! What! Might have to get that :) definitely want a propane fire ring!!
Keep on being real - love your videos!
The blender sounds super fun. Out of curiosity do you remember the watts it requires to run? Would love to see if these run off many of the solar portable generators out there. Thanks for sharing this Kym.
Playing with Sticks, My Ninja blender says 450watts, but that is the max rating. It used 160 watts dry
per “kill-a-watt” meter. It may use more under heavy load.
I was looking at the GSI Vortex Blender. Bit pricey though
@@mikemead2315 Wow, that is much lower than I expected. This would work off many solar portable generators. Thanks Mike!
I just got a camper to redo & bought some fake plants 🌱 today 😂 So get it just a lil color & touch of home & Not to worry if suns hitting them right watering them bugs getting in ect. So I totally get the plants! 😁
So cool to know others are as crazy as us! Love it Kya. Oh, congrats on the "new to you" camper.
The fake plants seem a bit excessive considering the beautiful scenery but I get it :). I like the projector idea.
They really are excessive. I will admit though during shoulder season (spring and fall) they bring in a nice touch of color when everything is either brown or white up here.
we have a shasta like yours,any idea on the dry weight of it?i dont know if i said last time but i updated to 14" tires (ford ranger 14" 5hole rims fit right on)
We weighed it but I can’t remember. I remember all the ads from back in the day said somewhere between 900 and 1,000lbs. But when I weighed it I believe it was like just under 1100 pounds. My brains a little foggy but it is either just under 1200 or just under 1100 but I’m 99% sure 1100
@@PlayingwithSticks ok thank you, all other research(youtube) it was 1000lbs and old temporary registration in the old paperwork said 1400 lbs,thank you for getting back with me,not everyone does that,thanks im getting a ford maverick hibread ,max tow weight is 2000lb's
I started watching your video with the thought, I don’t carry anything “extra” but the necessity. Yeah, I guess I do carry some glamping items after all. Living in CA, I couldn’t imagine camping without my propane campfire. Best purchase I’ve made and even bought the huge tank just for the fireplace. Love that thing and love that some nights we only have it on long enough to roast a marshmallow.
I also carry a telescope with us as it’s fun to explore the night sky. My daughter has her trailer toys that she only gets to play with camping. I have watercolor and other art supplies as I love adding drawings in my camp journal of our trip. Lastly, I have a more comfortable bed in my trailer than I do at home. Memory foam and feather mattress pad with quilts I’ve made covering us at night. So cozy and makes me want to stay out longer and enjoy sleeping in while on my camping vacation. Thanks for the video!
Never would have even thought of the telescope. Great idea. Adding that to our wish list for sure. We haven't toasted marshmallows yet on our firepit. Looking forward to it getting dark here soon to start doing all the night fire rituals. Still getting dark about 11pm, but losing light fast. We also have special items for the boys that they only get camping. Great little trick we picked up along the way. And like you, we also work really hard to find a bedding situation that rivals or exceeds our home bed's comfort level. Thank you for sharing all this Alison. This is why we make these videos. It is so fun learning from others and picking up a thing or two to use on our next trip.
A couple times I brought my telescope on a camping trip.
I found it a great way to meet fellow campers as so many people have rarely had a chance to look through a proper scope, or to explore a dark sky with just their eyes.
Alas I have no room to bring it these days so I bring binoculars instead. Nothing fancy, just some basic 10x50, but better than nothing.
@@dorvinion My telescope isn't very fancy at all. It's actually not mine as it was a gift from the grandparents to my daughter several years ago. I'm sure it wasn't too pricey and packs into a padded backpack including the tripod. We got very lucky on our last trip a few weeks ago to be able to spot the comet, Jupiter and it's moons, Pluto (at least I think that's what the dot was) and Saturn. My daughter is 9 and knows a bit more about astronomy than I do but I LOVE the Night Sky app as it shows the location of what we are searching for or lets you know what you might be seeing at night. Binoculars are a good idea as well. Can be used for many different purposes for sure.
Happy Camping!!
@@dorvinion We have never looked through a proper telescope as well. Would love to try it out someday!
Great video. I get the need for the video projector having small children. For the fake plants, get plastic containers that are lighter in weight and get the hooks that have the small latch so you can leave them up all the time and now worry about them flying off. You could also think about a nice wall mural to bring green in. We have a nice beach, ocean, palm tree one in our t@b 400 and love it. I love that portable gas fire pit. What model/brand and where did you purchase it? I totally agree, wood fires are nice but they are always a hassle and many camp grounds don't allow them.
We looked all over the big city of Los Anchorage for some plastic hanging baskets. We found nothing. Guessing it was due to the pandemic. Great suggestion though. We will have to try again. Also great idea on the mural. We still haven't got around to decorating the trailer. One of these days... The brand is Camp Chef and the model is the "compact" I believe. But just the last month I can't seem to find it anywhere. Seems to be sold out everywhere.
I have an Apeman projector and love it. Got it off Amazon. It’s 4” square and an inch thick. It’s also a backup battery. That combined with a Switch means MarioKart anywhere.
My wife was just telling me about these yesterday. She saw someone on UA-cam pull one out on a table and just start screen sharing. Really amazing! Love the idea that it is a backup battery. Mario Kart in the woods sounds amazing, that is if the mosquitoes decide to let you play it for a bit 😀
Óne. Befrm apts
Try putting your firepit in the Clam. Works great.
Thanks Philip! Will have to try that.
Been watching yall for awhile now. Decided to finally subscribe! For the content and the family b rolls!
Ua tsaug. Glad you are enjoying it Cho.
@@PlayingwithSticks 🙇♂️🙇♂️🙇♂️ just blew my mind with that response. 🙆♂️🤣🤣🤣
We always bring a large laptop, with external HD with about 600 movies on it. Bought the laptop specifically for camping. A dozen camping trips, used it once.
That is so funny! We were just telling somebody on here about our portable DVD player that we bring, but have never used! Love this one Kevin.
@@PlayingwithSticks our state just opened school remotely. So guess what laptop my kids are using. At least not a total waste.
@@KevinSmith-os5yz Your state education plan sounds a lot like ours. Glad to see that laptop go to good use.
Worx hydroshot power washer. It can wash with 2 liter bottle, has a house for any water source. 350 psi. Fits in a small bag. Uses a rechargeable drill 20 volt battery. FYI. 🇺🇸👍
Now that sounds amazing! Beats the pressure washer we showed. How cool that you can use a 2 liter bottle.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty, my favorite modern movie, sweet!
We have come to think people like us are in the minority on this. We are always surprised when we mention this movie to friends and family nobody seems to be very excited about it. Most definitely one of our modern favorites as well.
I loved the projector idea!
And I totally agree with the portable vacuum, specially when we have kids. I also take mine when we go camping! LOL :D
Yay, we aren't the only ones with a vacuum! Thanks for sharing Helena.
Don’t pressure wash wood. It breaks down the fibers. I agree with the small vacuum. We’ve taken one with us on several camping trips. It can really help. We made the “investment” and purchased a small “counter” broom with a dust pan and keep it with our gear.
Thanks for the tip on the wood Garret.
We bring it all camping. Just like home. With a Rockwood Roo, have all the comforts of home in a hybrid.
We've never heard of the Roo before. That hybrid trailer looks fun! Thanks for sharing Mike.
Rockwood makes some really good RVs overall. They are under the umbrella of FOREST RIVER. I would say Rockwood Popups are the best in one category...how the struts work on the beds. Check them out on YT. Rockwood makes them so you do NOT NOT need to go under the bed to install the struts.
@@mikefoehr235 Thank you for sharing this. We just got done spending 3 weeks in a pop-up. And all the little steps definitely add up. Neat to see folks are finding innovative ways to work remove some of the steps.
Just found your channel and I really like it.You do a great job on your videos and your family is precious!
Thanks Ron! Comments like this mean a lot to us.
Do you know anything about Emergency Weather Alert Radios maybe with optional windup charging?
We do not. We see them advertised quite often. I actually have one in my office desk for earthquake related emergencies. Occasionally I crank it just to turn on the light or the radio to see if it still works.
Do you have videos on tow vehicles? I’m interested in knowing more about towing with your matrix.
Yes we do. Check out this one. ua-cam.com/video/j2RgmPBODe8/v-deo.html
I bring a 19-inch tv DVD combo to watch movies and a gas generator
Love it Oscar! We have done the gas generator as well, but never the tv/dvd combo. The closest we have came was taking a car dvd player East's aunt gave him. Unfortunately we forgot to use it when we were out there.
bet you're popular at a quiet campsite
@@888johnmac Up here the only quiet campsite we ever find is boondocking. How is it down there (assuming you are from the lower 48)? We have always been interested to hear the comparisons. Generators are pretty much the norm at public campgrounds here. There are a few gems here and there, but they are all pretty much in the boonies.
I was curious what brand of portable propane fire pit do you utilize?
Ours is from Camp chef. It is there very basic model. We got it on sale for a little over $50
Thanks Drew!
You are most welcome!
It is great to watch your family and you in the beauty of Alaska! Great video! Fun content! Blessings galore to you and yours!
What we bring:) my journal with different color pens; laptop to download the pictures we take during the day and enjoy watching them at night, and treats and toys for our dogs! Oh, how much we enjoy being outdoors!!!
Thank you Mirna! We need to journal more. It is an amazing little hobby. Especially if you have a creative artistic way of doing. I (Drew) do not, but I appreciate those who do. You just gave us a great idea. Projector photo highlights on the camper at the end of the trip.
Playing with Sticks journaling is awesome! You have so much to document/write experiences of your children, special moments when they did something for the first time, etc. It will be priceless as you, your spouse, and the children grow. You will have a lot of stories to share with them and with each other. I have been journaling since I was 17-years old ... that was many moons ago. 😊
@@36PawsPNWC Okay, we are convinced! Time to start using the journal. Also, everyone says the second child never gets the keepsakes like the first. So this will be a great way to ensure he gets some memories captured as well.
Playing with Sticks I celebrate your decision!!! I look forward to hearing more about this new venture and how creative the two of you become...attaching pictures, leaves, maps of a special trip, and writing from the heart! Your sons may want to add their scribbles in it too! Drew, you may discover how imaginative and creative you actually are! Enjoy!
No p
Pizza oven and an hand crank ice cream maker.
That's not ridiculous. That's Genius!
Agreed!
This is great Sandy! You may like this one. There was a guy up here in AK who somehow, maybe with the help of his buddies hiked a stationary exercise bike to one of the highest peaks in the area. Attached to the bike was some sort of blender mechanism that was powered by pedaling the bike. He left behind syrups for the snow cones and coolers of ice for anyone who came across it. I think it was to celebrate summer solstice. That is a pretty big hike day and celebration for Alaskans.
Comfort. That's where its at. If you can add to that, why not?
We like your way of thinking!
The most ridiculous thing I bring is a straight razor and brush for shaving
The most ridiculous thing for Drew is that he doesn't require a razor because his facial hair doesn't grow fast enough out here! He says it comes from his Danish side 😂
I have to say, I got a little nervous (actually, a lot!) when I saw you all berry picking, especially after seeing the bear scat! Do you ever have problems with bears; and, if so, what do you do about it? I’ve heard that Alaska has A LOT of bears! 🐻
Good question Rose. Not too many problems here. Unlike the Lower 48 the bears have quite a lot of room to roam, so we don't have many habitual bears that you find at more of the popular campgrounds like Glacier or Yellowstone. And yes, we do have a LOT of bears! But usually we get to watch them from a pretty safe distance when camping. Now, when we are fishing that is a whole different story!
@@PlayingwithSticks I see what you’re saying. When I visited some of the national parks out west (Grand Teton, RMNP, & Yellowstone), it was almost like “Disney Land” with the crowds and with how a lot of the animals seemed so used to people and had no fear of them. I can see how this can be a problem with bears that are also finding “free food” at campgrounds. I guess the bears see “free food” getting served up from people fishing, like you say, and from people hunting, too. Be careful out there.
Great video! Love the fake plants and the babies!
Thanks so much Maykou! 😊
On my way to not cooking in trailer vid. I prefer outside cooking even in bad weather . Inside heat some water or popcorn .
You sound just like us. Basically we only use ours for water and toast.
I love your videos. Many of your most ridiculous items are also mine. I am also looking for a pressure washer .... heard there was something that could also be used as a shower by adjusting the pressure? Thanks for sharing, as always. Safe journeys.
Never would have thought about using a pressure washer as a shower. On ours there is a soap setting that is very minimal. If you didn't have the soap in the pressure wash it would work great for a shower. Thanks for sharing Brenda.
Yes, number 2 is crazy!
#2 as in the camera gear? The things we do to give back to the small camper community. Just kidding, we love it!
what do you do for mosquitos?
Everything! And nothing has worked. Our next thing is trying Avon Skin So Soft. Worked on our horses growing up, heard it works on two legged creatures as well :) But, lately we have been around campers who use Thermacells. Not sure if I spelled that right. They seem to work great! A couple of months ago we were swarmed by mosquitoes. Went out on a hike and when we returned a family had set up camp next to us. There thermacell must have worked over into our site because we were mosquito free the rest of the night.
@playingwithsticks We use a thermacell, and my husband who’s the mosquito magnet of the family swears by it. The only real negative is the cost of refills for fuel & pads.
Sasha Forbes, Yeah! Tests and anecdotal evidence shows Thermacells work! People complain that it is not effective if there is a breeze.....yeah, and the cost like you say.
One of the camping smells that gets on everything and gets old fast is bug repellant, so I am looking for any alternatives.
@@Sasha-vs6sd Thank you. Great to hear it is working for you guys. Once our little one is a bit older the thermacell will be coming out with us.
@@mikemead2315 Some of the hardcore full time boondockers up here swear by soaking their clothing and gear in permethrin. Thermacell sounds like a much better alternative for most of us.
What's the song after the bluetooth speaker?
It is a song called Weather Any Storm by Cody Francis
*to be drunk; not to drank (wine)
Much appreciated! Grammar is definitely not our forte. We appreciate any help we can get.
... makes sense... he was drunk after he drunk the wine 🍷😂 ... or drank?
@@davidf9630 Yes! A way for me to remember this. And it is fun too.
is a instant hot water heater ridiculous? I made one & have all the hot water I need for showers or cleaning dishes. Yes I saw your video on using little/no water.....not going to do it :~)
Actually when asking teardrop owners what they carry, we have found a lot carry the hot water heaters. Both the on demands and the electric heaters like you have in your kitchen. Think of the low water video more for when you are in a pinch. You know you are on day 6 and you thought you had enough water. That would be a great time to break out the squirt bottles.
More info on your recording equipment?
Of course. Are you talking film equipment? Like cameras and audio? To make it easy for folks when they ask that question I have created a list on our Amazon storefront. www.amazon.com/shop/playingwithsticks/list/2QUX4MJIPT9G9 At the time of shooting this video I used a Panasonic GH5, also an amazing and quite simple camera. #GBR!
@@PlayingwithSticks Thanks! Your videos are the best.
That guy left his lens cap on. silly
Funny. Two days ago when I was editing this video I saw the same thing. That is awesome that you caught that.
Great video! Lilttle ones are getting big!
Thank you! Yes, they are growing quick, especially our youngest. That little guy is going to eat us out of house and home and he isn't even 1 yet!
Yeah, the power washer is pretty ridiculous. Can’t believe how light you go on filming gear. Nice B-roll, BTW. As far as the original question, I think the most ridiculous thing I brought with me was an infrared converted SLR camera to South Sudan. I wasn’t in a camper, but I was camping and had to be able to carry everything on my back. I already had 30 pounds of photo gear so what’s one more camera body, right?
The GH5 is pretty ridiculous in itself in terms of how amazing it is for cutting down gear. I show all that gear, but in reality all shots in the field (hiking, boating, etc) are only shot with the GH5 matched with the kit lens. No gimbals, no tripods, monopods, etc. For outdoor filming the in-body image stabilization is such a benefit for reducing your gear. Now, I don't really appreciate the skin tones and color coming out of the GH5. But, we have been more than happy sacrificing a nice picture profile for stress free trips. Thanks for the positive words John. Others are going to have to check out your channel if they really want to see some good images. It is fun watching folks like you, RV East Coast, and Camp and Camera. We really appreciate all the effort these channels put in to give a pleasing image and sound.
@@PlayingwithSticks pretty amazed at the quality you're able to get out of such a small setup. And thanks for the kind words.
@@wollwerthimagery6267 Thanks John. We are often surprised by what comes out of these new little cameras as well. It is like carrying a stills camera and a cinema camera in one. Are they the best at doing either one, no. But they do a pretty good job at both.
@@PlayingwithSticks I end up selling a lot of stock video and pictures from my travels. The long and the short of that is that I usually end up carrying a lot more gear than I'd like.
@@wollwerthimagery6267 Do you find it is worth the effort to sell the stock photos/videos? We often wonder if we should try it out sometime. Or is it more of a hobby for you?
Berries mean Bears 🐻
You are absolutely right. We have had our fair share of bear encounters over the years. But, I will say it is around the fish where we really have the encounters.
Awesome video
Thanks Liz!
Great video
Thanks Ted!
Put pressure washer on low or change the tip. They will remove seals and have even seen when water got inside a camper (with slide out).
Yes, very true. That is why we completely keep it away from our vintage trailer. Well, except for this video demonstration.
Love the plants idea. I’ll be adding those as well. I have my share of fake plants inside my home. As you said, something soothing about the green. Love your channel. Keep up the excellent videos. What kind of camera do you use? Quality is outstanding.
Thanks for the nice comment. Glad there are few on here who relate to us on the plants. Funny thing, we were completely against fake plants for years in our home. Today, I would say 40% of our plants require no water or air to survive :) The camera is our trusty Panasonic GH5. Just used a new color profile on it this video and we are loving it.
What do you call that wind screen thing for your microphone, a dead white christian baby?
Is this supposed to be funny? I’m not good at picking up bad humor. It is a dead cat. I’m guessing that name offends you in some way?
Great channel, sub.
Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it.
13:36 🙋♂️
Was that a hands up for I own a vacuum too? Or was that a yes, that was me who requested some slow motion bear #2!
We always bring a disco ball light and use it almost every evening 😂
Now that is AWESOME! Honey, put disco ball on the wish list please!
Drew, this video had a bit to much filler in it, longer than necessary.
We agree George. We mentioned it in our community post. Beings the last few videos have mostly been tech talk we added some more Alaskan shots by request from many in the community. We will definitely take your comment into consideration though for future videos. Thanks George!
I for one, loved the extra footage and the beauty of Alaska that I definitely don't get to see here in Indiana. So thank you for the filler.
@@yawnderdreams Thanks Seth. It has been interesting watching our community expand. Different needs, wants, desires. It has added a fun element to the channel as we now do niche videos here and there for the different pockets of viewers. But, with that comes not satisfying everyone. This channel was built by a small group of community members who were really engaged in the lifestyle angle of the channel. So it is something we will always come back around to to honor the origin of this little small camper community.
Children are ridiculous to bring. They completely mess up a camping trip.
Oh man! Honestly that is our favorite part. Seeing camp through their fresh eyes is amazing! Without kids what is camping? Haha. I think I just can't stand still long enough to stay at camp without kids around. If there were no kids I think it would be back to backpacking so I could keep moving.
FAKE PLANT?!?! Every other thing is understandable but FAKE PLANT!!! seriously, you can make a mini herb garden in a 500ml plastic water bottles. Just imagine ur baby successfully break off one of the plastic leaf & choke on it coz his parent ate salad(baby like it's just the same) herb garden is just same ambiance (actually better ambiance coz of natural fragrance) u save money on herb&safe for toddler.
Great idea Malou. We keep talking about expanding our indoor herb garden. Never thought about expanding it into the trailers. Thanks again for the great idea and for helping us keep the little ones safe.
Sorry just so surprise that u have children & fake plant. Actually I'm into herb but Mom like her fake plant which me & my brother hate. Then one day my nephew w/autism was found chewing on the petal of a fake flower so all fake plant has to go. Few months later, my nephew was munching the Xmas tree neddle leaves. So all fake plant are"ban" within 6ft from the Flr & we gave mom Aloe Vera(it has spike to deter child playing with it, low sun&water requirement & is safe if eaten by a child, just in case)
Great video
Thanks Anne!