Hubby joined me on this weeks camp out. Fun with the caravan and pop up tent. Lots of walks in the forest and around the lake. It’s really nice to unplug and be out of town. Starting tomorrow I will be weeding 8 hours a day to prep for next weeks trip. Hoping for some rain so I don’t need to water the garden. Didn’t take many pictures because I was relaxing but here is our campsite and caravan with tent. Am staying at several state campgrounds in Washington and Oregon this summer and into September. Have to get my sweetie used to the outdoors before his retirement so it’s not too much of a shock. So far so good It’s surprising what you can get into a 5x8 foot space. As you can see I am not a minimalist
Hello Jewell--The Bride and I sat and poured over your pics together. That is an amazing accommodation that you pull around. It looks like it has all the amenities...so cosy and welcoming. Did you guys buy it that way, or was it a refurbished horse transporter? Your pics are great, but I can't get a really good idea of the dimensions. Great posting.
Sjoerd, thanks for asking. I am very proud of my camper as you can tell by my lengthy reply. The caravan is a 5x8 foot aluminum cargo trailer. I had the company install the windows, vent, wood walls and add 6” to the height (learned car camping I really like to stand up and be able to move around easily) I chose aluminum because I was super conscious of weight since my car can only pull a maximum of 2000 lbs and you want to stay well under the maximum. I chose one piece roof (and no screw sides) because I didn’t ever want leaks (rot/mold) which is common in caravans. I camp in the winter also with rainy/snowy cold weather. I also didn’t want to spend much. The bare trailer with modifications came in around $5000 with what’s mentioned above. If I had it to do again I would have done the walls myself with lighter wood and better insulation. I insulated the ceiling and put up the bead board on it. This may seem like a lot for a bare caravan, but my research showed leaks as a major problem and often poor construction in RVs. Two years and I have not had any problems. My first winter traveling I did well over 3,000 miles from Canada to the Mexican border. I continue to go solo regularly and monthly with hubby on shorter trips that fit his work schedule. I spent another $2000 in bits and bobs primarily on several rechargeable usb lighting options, lithium Goal Zero and Renolgy solar recharging batteries with some portable solar. Then there was the wood, screws, etc.(After the first year of the build I quit keeping track)The power supplies are great for Phones, iPads, lighting and my little electric bike (Swag). The last camping trip last week I was surprised to see I was the only one with light after dark. (I obviously watch too much YouTube for off-grid camping) I can be totally off grid for weeks or as long as my water holds out. I also have or purchased porti potti, water storage, 3 heater options, hand pump for water, and a shower option (all part of my first year financial tracking). This winter we purchased two pop up screen shelters (setup in literally two minutes). Last summer we had a miserable time on one trip with mosquitoes. Having a screened in shelter has been really nice this spring. The smallest one is pictured above and I have used it for car camping without the trailer. The caravan is totally customized to my weirdness. Lots of thrift shop finds. The interior has an old drop leaf table that can be taken outside and a built-in for books, big maps, a small electric heater (when plugged in at some campgrounds) and three baskets for clothes. I’ve done it all over a two year process, the biggest changes were when I put on the back wall, window and door. That always gets lots of comments. The split door was necessary for keeping the dogs in but allowing air flow. Last year I made the bench/bed to pull out so hubby and I can both sleep on it, but we still need to have the cushions professionally covered so everything works smoothly. (Unfortunately I don’t sew...just build) We’ve hinted at buying a slightly larger cargo trailer (6x10) and going bigger but ... I think I’m finished building. Next week I am hosting a camp-out at a local state park for the book study and meditation groups I facilitated this last winter. It should be fun and it will be the first time both tents and camper are set up together. Hope you and your bride get lots of time to travel, however you decide to do it.
Jewell, what an interesting read that was. I just sat here scratching my head and grinning. You have done such a marvellous job with building that. Chapeau ! The anti-mosquito work you did sounds very successful. I can recall when the Bride and I were travelling in Oz with a camper, battling flying biters was a great priority, but we found a solution. We just had to think about it for a while. The way that you have outfitted it is remarkable...and using the second-hand store is so clever. I like doing things inexpensively...its an art. Yeah--prices and weight are the two essentials here, I believe. Well clever-clogs...I hope that your camp-out do will be a great success. Thanks again for your great explanation.
