After years of cub scout camping: good tent, good site selection. Great big tarp over all if you’re really worried.
Never woke up in a wet tent on those trips.
-jk
I have sit here and laughed out loud for the last thirty minutes...my experience EXACTLY
With wife and two kids....Salter Path family campground 1968 or 69...thunderstorm...rain rain rain....poured
Packed everything up...soaking wet...NEVER AGAIN...I can see...view enjoy...appreciate the great outdoors, vistas, oceans etc in a much preferred comfortable style AND without all that hassle
Probably for less money too
Anyway...I just really enjoyed this post...thanks
After years of cub scout camping: good tent, good site selection. Great big tarp over all if you’re really worried.
Never woke up in a wet tent on those trips.
-jk
We had our last ever tent camping experience last August, to see the eclipse. It was same old, same old for me, but Mrs. Neals hadn't been camping in several years. She was very game, and never complained, but it was very hard on her, I could tell. Not so easy anymore for me either, truth be told. So last fall we bought a Pleasure Way Class b Van. We love it, but have only had one trip so far, but by next month we'll be on the road again.
Our one trip was in December to Palm Desert (where we have friends) and Anza Borrego State Park (east of San Diego). Had a great time, and everything seemed to work as advertised. I kept telling Mrs. Neals that all campers have weight limits, so she really shouldn't do any shopping. Ha!
I will second the comments about being a bit handy. I learned that my van has unprotected plumbing underneath, so the sink/toilet/shower can't be used in freezing weather. No big deal, right? Well it is, if you live where nights are below freezing and your destination is someplace warm. You have to winterize the plumbing by either using a compressor to blow all water out of the lines, or replace the water with RV antifreeze. Then reverse the process to get your plumbing back in working order. Of course it was below freezing the morning we left to head south, so had to wait until Palm Desert to de-winterize. Not very convenient when you're ready for some fun!
Still excited to have many more RV adventures and especially to keep Mrs Neals warm, dry and comfortable.
My wife and I successfully completed our camper's maiden voyage last week...about a 1400-mile round trip to Fort Myers, FL. We could not have had a better time. While our camper is very much in the "functional, but not pretty" vein, it worked as advertised and our travel was pretty stress-free overall. We got some great advice about adding a sway bar (much easier and more confident handling), as well as some upgraded brake and suspension components.
Moving forward, we've got a handful of needed repairs replacements, followed by a list of desired upgrades. But all in all, we came home very happy about our purchase and very excited about our future adventures. I'd say the lifestyle (and it is definitely a whole lifestyle!) pretty much immediately agrees with us.
A few pics:
IMG-0379.jpg
IMG-0383.jpg
IMG-0388.jpg
IMG-0423.jpg
Like with cars the upgrade list seems long at the beginning. Then when you get them done you start longing for a new project.