SeaDawg

If you'll be mostly in California, I'd omit the 30 lb tanks, unless you are truly "buff." My daughter can lift them out, and back, I'm sure. She's tough. Not me, anymore. And, a lot of places won't fill portable tanks "in place." I can lift 20 lb tanks, empty or full, over the ledge, and I'm short. They're also the common exchange size. I wouldn't want to trade a brand new tank at blue rhino. I'd carry an extra old one, from your grill, or a garage sale, in a milk crate to keep it upright, in the truck bed. Blue rhino takes anything.

Quite true, and could be said of some of our mods, too. Pretty slick though, for those of us (like me) who don't like to drink tank water,even filtered. @John E DaviesI like your suggestion on the alternative switch, though. I collect cold water in a kettle, and use it for dishwashing, but it's a pain. Love your mod, @Minnesota Oli. Please let us know how it works for you through the next year. My guess, you'll be loving it.

WOW! That beautiful Futura pressure cooker is practically a work of art! I see that it will also works on induction, as well as gas. Several people here have portable induction burners for use at powered campsites. My mother in law was a pressure cooker master. I wish she had given me lessons. I've never mastered it. Maybe someday you'll teach me? 🙃 We carried only one small pot, and one small fry pan, for over a decade. (Only two burners, right?) A few years ago, I found a very small wok skillet made by nordicware that has become my favorite indoor cooking utensil. Great for heating soups, making jambalaya or stir fries, thai, etc. I carry melmac plates and bowls, as we do in the boat. Decent quality, so not too many scratches after 14 seasons. We do sometimes use paper plates and bowls, or many times, just a napkin for sandwiches at lunch. If you already own corelle, take it. It's pretty sturdy stuff. Just don't store it with metal. You may want to slide a cheap, thin paper plate, or a bit of shelfliner, between them, for travel. I have 4 plastic paper plate holders, so we can use the thin coated paper plates from Aldi, that burn quickly and completely on the fire. I have a lot of forks and spoons , probably 10, each, so I don't have to do dishes every meal. Wipe them off with the napkin, and keep for a day or two til I do dishes, with a tea ketlle of hot water . Much of our cooking is on the fire, or on the grill . My advice is don't overload. After a few trips, you'll know what you need. Every season, I carry less.

Another nugget of good info , Mattnan. Since there are two of us, I can look ahead for good gas stops, as we travel, both for price and maneuverability. For my solo traveler friends, this often means planning the route and setting way points in the route planner, for gas and rest stops. I use GasBuddy, Google, and waze. We often like the stations like membership Costco, Sams, and many of the non-membership Murphy's at walmarts. Usually convenient to the interstate, and one way lanes. The outside lanes are easiest to get in and out of. The downside of costco and sams is no bathrooms or shopping, unless you park and go into the warehouse. We've found that some of the Loves and flying js (especially near major interstate junctions) can be very, very tight, and chaotic with people pulling in and out from both directions. Some are great. But, sometimes, it's even worth paying a few cents a gallon more, to avoid the high traffic stations and lines. While you're waiting for your trailer, start paying attention when you're gassing up. You will need much more room, with a trailer behind, to maneuver tight lanes . You can do this. Everyone is new, at some point. Then, later, you can help others with sharing your experiences.

That is such great advice. Sometimes, it can help to just take another loop around the campground, and take a break.

@ScubaRx, did you fabricate the mounts yourself? Or, could you tell us where you found them?

@ScubaRx, do you "just" thread the pole up, and then attach to the lower mount? Do you have to break out the ladder? Telescoping pole? It's pretty cool, and very tall!

On our boat, the one dry bath, separate shower often becomes a sail locker, or storage locker. The original bath becomes a wet bath. Separate shower in rental rvs often gets the same destination. Laundry bags, boots, etc, til we need to use it, then its a mess putting stuff elsewhere. I'm of course really used to wet baths, so take it for what it's worth. I have zero issues with a multipurpose room. I actually prefer it.

@BackofBeyond, hoping the answer is you come back to the fold, one day.

Yes, it is. So sorry for the folks in your photo. What an awful experience.

I've read that you can't collect rainwater in Colorado, without a special specific permit, but is micro hydro prohibited, as well? There is no collection going on. A small turbine in a stream, if you have one. They might just roost and poop on it, instead. Yikes! I would "guess" a three acre buffer might be sufficient. Where we get annoyed/frustrated is when a wind generator is anchored near us, or worse yet, a few years ago, docked two boats behind. Say, 200 feet or so. An acre is roughly (i think) 200 x 200 ft. That was an older boat, with an older wind gen, and the water carries every sound. EVERY sound. My best guess is 70db when we had wind.. which was most of the time. Plus squeaky bearings,which were worse. I was really glad when they left. We don't actually see too many wind generators on boats, anymore. Most have gone over to silent solar. Boats amplify the sounds like a drum. In your scenario, I'd be more concerned about your own sleep. It's hard to send dc power from a distance, without big/thick wire, and not have significant resistive loss. Placing the controller near the batteries helps, as opposed to some of the newer systems that have a controller at or in the wind generator. I'll be very interested in what you come up with. More "power" to you! Please keep us posted on what you decide to do.

No one is offended, I'm sure. We love talking about camping here. That's why we have trailers . And, we sometimes have different views, on various subjects. We keep it clean, and courteous.

Of course you can use the port, for a small 12v wind generator, probably 200 to 400 watts. The fuse on the zamp port, I think, is 10 amps. Just like solar, you'll need a controller, specifically one that's made for wind turbines. We looked into a helical wind turbine when we built our home, to supplement the solar. To get it high enough in the air to do anything more than "make a statement " (and actually generate a meaningful amount of power) would not have been possible with our municipal codes. But, that research was done over 10 years ago, and advances have been made in turbine design. We just decided to up the solar, and eventually add battery backup. It's worked great for us With our sailboat, we've anchored and docked next to boats with wind generators, and absolutely hated the noise. Newer systems may be more quiet. Idk. If you get one, make sure you can brake it in high winds, without lowering the mast. Make sure it's worth it, actually, in $$ . I'd suggest you speak to someone at Arizona wind and sun, to start with. They sell quality usa made gear . Whatever you decide, check wind maps, and make sure your wind gen kicks in at levels of at least average wind. Many people think they have a lot of wind, but many wind gens don't kick in before 10 to 14 mph winds. And if they do, output is measly. As far as portable, you own the property. Consider making it a permanent install, in high clean air, imo. As much as I love clean energy, I've not (yet) found anything I'd take traveling, and risk annoying my neighbors. We have 600 watts of solar on our boat. It's silent, always. Fixed solar on the trailer is 400 watts , plus 200 watts portable. Helical and vertical axxis are more quiet, but in our old research , less efficient. I can run a 60 db gen for an hour or two. 65 db of a turbine, whenever the wind kicks up, would not make me happy. I'm no longer "young," but my hearing is still good. If you do decide to be the pioneer, and find a good system, I will truly look forward to your posts . We've also looked at micro hydro generation, as we have several streams on our camping property. Another (mostly silent) thought. Then again, you could build your own wind generator, and try it out. Here's one: https://offgridworld.com/simple-diy-200-watt-wind-turbine-built-from-household-materials/ I'm a huge fan of clean energy. Wind included.

Pretty simply, actually. We treat the trailer, as likely you do, as a hard sided tent. We minimize our impact. We live on solar. We pretty much live the same, at home. Solar powered home. Solar powered boat. At home, we collect rainwater, and filter it for use everywhere. As I think you do, we believe in treading as lightly as possible on our planet. We try to use the fewest resources possible. Mess up as little as possible. Leave a very small footprint, if we can . I don't love the desert, like you apparently do. More power to you. Room for everyone. I love trees,mountains and water. Green and blue are my favorite colors. 😁 well, I like all the colors of the ocean...and the mountains. Last year, we actually counted, and 152 days, camping in our 2008 Oliver. It takes some thinking and planning, as you know. Some years more, some less, probably. Is what it is. Happy camping.

That's good advice, @FrankC. When my sister and her husband first started looking at trailers, they had their hearts set on a tab. I found one for rent near our camping property in Asheville, they rented it for a long weekend, and discovered that they loved camping, but not the tab. Two goals accomplished, in long weekend, dry camping with us in WNC . I have a friend whose sister is a travel nurse. One of my cousins is a travel nurse. Bless you all for moving to the area of greatest need. My friend's sister and her husband full time in a travel trailer. it works for them. But, Frank's idea of renting a few times would help you see if the small quarters could work for you. Do you have a place you can use as a home base, with storage? Or, are you keeping a home elsewhere?

Hmm. Much, I agree with. But one point I can't agree on. We don't ever "bathe" or "rinse off " with soap in rivers or streams. Even biodegradable soaps can contribute to pollution and imbalance of fragile ecosystems. We have enough pollutants running into our waterways, imo, from other sources . I don't need to add to it. If you must use lake or stream water to bathe, take it away from the shore in a container, imo. And disperse the effluent where the earth can filter. Another thing, for new campers. Boondocking is a super appealing idea. But, please educate yourself on proper preservation of the environment. In some remote places, your footsteps can crush years, or even decades of growth. If there are established paths, please stay on them. If there are established sites, please use them. I've found so many places cluttered with stuff from previous campers, it's disheartening, and I've spent hours cleaning up behind others . Many of us bought our trailers to get out and enjoy nature. Let's do our best to make sure it's there for the next generations, too. Tread lightly. Pack in/pack out. Leave your campsite as good or better than you found it , please. Use resources wisely, and enjoy what you see and experience. I'm sure @BoondockingAirstreamand I agree on that 100 per cent.

I agree

Thanks for the memories. My parents are both from Spamville, Austin, MN. My grandfather was construction super on some of the Hormel estates, as well as some of the other grand homes in the area . What they did without power tools is amazing. They worked foundation to roof , in those days. Everyone worked, on everything. My grandfather had back injuries, twice, on roofs where he probably shouldn't have been. From falls. If any if you are on i90, west of Rochester, the spam museum is a short detour. Austin is a lovely small city. I still have many relatives there. The new museum is just off main street, downtown. Many camping opportunities around the area. My advice? Don't skip the smaller, sometimes forgotten little places. We've often found them to be the best. Get out, and go. You don't have to boondock in the desert, to enjoy Americana.. Personally, I hate desert camping.. others love it. Its up to you.

I know, right? We've had to cancel several plans to Alaska, Europe and Australia last few years. Camping in the US has been our sanity. Thank goodness for that. But, I'm looking forward to getting out there again, soon . Hopefully, later this year. Hope to be able to keep reservations we made almost 18 months ago. If not, there's always plan b. Trailers have wheels. Just, adjust course. We have found and met fun and wonderful people, everywhere we've camped. Here, and several continents. We'll keep camping, til we can't.

I feel all of your pain, and your wife's. Even our Sunshine skyway bridge is always a "suck it up, buttercup" moment for me, as I approach the crest. Can't see anything, til you're at the top, like you're going to launch. I will say, once you get into the big (great) room in Carlsbad, it's anything but claustrophobic, unlike a lot of caves (and tunnels.) It's magnificent. I'm truly glad I swallowed my temerity, and went. I dislike narrow, high roads. Ledges make me dizzy-- even balconies in some theaters. Hate tunnels. Side story: first time in Norway, my father's cousin and his son picked us up at the train station. Took us through the then longest road tunnel in the world (Aurland tunnel), then over the top of the old Aurland snow road. Lots of scary ledges. I made it. We've done it many times since. I've lived. And, it's amazingly beautiful. Stegestein overlook is a modern wonder. Best views from any bathroom, in the world! (Newer. Wasnt there first few trips.) If I can do it, you can do it, too. When I'm driving, I just follow the pavement and traffic . Paul can look down and around. I can't. Is what it is. I seldom look around unless we're stopped. I'm ok if I just follow the road.

Yummy. Gumbo is one if my favorites. The lighting makes it look red, but no tomato in my gumbo. Ever. Its really more brown. My recipe is 2nd hand, via an old friend, who got it from a NOLA chef. Simple , but great. The veggies, andouille sausage,, and seafood create the flavors.

I am not a good cave traveler (I get spooked out by caves. Also really long tunnels. ) But, I did actually enjoy (most) of our time in Carlsbad, many years ago. That long descent. The darkness. The beauty. I don't know if it's open, but you are so close, if it is. When the weather clears.

Over the decades, we've rented or delivered rental rvs to many locations. Many rv rental places used to have "sharing" areas. People left food, grills, propane canisters,, etc. If we found something there, like a nice grill, we'd return it at the end if our trip. (Our friend who has a rental rv company in Alaska eliminated the sharing table, at the suggestion of his insurance company.) We've benefited from grills, spices, etc., in Australia, New Zealand, and other countries. Like @Steph and Dud B, we've given a lot of things away at last or next to last night. Usually to tent or van campers close by, or that we've met in the common area. In Alaska, on our multiple delivery trips, we stop at my cousin's cabin near Denali for a few nights, to help her with projects and catch up. We offload chairs, grill, blankets, extra groceries, etc. What's open, she uses. The other stuff, she takes to her church, where it get distributed to those in need. We keep just enough to keep us going for a final night at Lake Matanuska, where we have a picnic table, so no chairs necessary. A side story. We camped one time with friends from Minnesota. One of their chairs broke, we had three, so we gave them one of ours. It became the "traveling chair," and we got photos from fun places of "the traveling chair." A few years later, we met them on a trip to Alaska. They returned the chair. It went on several thousand miles to my cousin in Alaska, went home to them in Wyoming at the end of season, and the saga continues. Some things are just plain fun. This well traveled chair is one.

+1 on topgun's post. We use reflectix, or cheap windshield covers from the dollar store, when we take new rvs to Alaska. Not only for the cold, but to cut the almost all day sun. I have a hard time sleeping when the sun is up at midnight. Store them under the mattress during the day.

Ouch. I don't think that's an option for most of us, at that price. Then again, this is targeting businesses, not campers. Hope they'll eventually come out with a moderate price structure, without the "premium" services.