Discussion Camping

Discussion in 'General Chat' started by Meloman, Nov 29, 2022.

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  1. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    Hello people, hope you are all healthy… cold weather and so on.

    You have probably seen the whole vanlife/ camper van conversion/ etc etc video on YouTube or whatever (if you haven’t- do look it up, an endless source of entertainment, like watching kittens or puppies, the conversions and van tours, that is). Anyway, due do various reasons I often felt like I was a bit of a gypsy (we moved a lot when I was younger), so the whole camper/tiny house on wheels/ vanlife etc seemed very appealing to me.

    yes, there are pros and cons, that’s fine, everyone has their own opinion and no, depending on a country you live in vanlife type dwelling is not the cheapest nor the most legal means of housing.

    Anyway, this year I got one of the smaller and cheaper versions of a teardrop type camper (ie bed plus baggage place, hook up to the car, together with the car is around 2000 kg- normal driving license etc). Well, the camper itself is actually (surprisingly) comfy to sleep in, even my dog likes it too. WARNING: if you are as “blonde” in parking trailer type thing as I am- don’t get this type. (Now there are automatic robot driving things available on larger and more expensive campers, fyi). Luckily it is light enough that I can basically push it by myself into a particular parking spot if need be.

    A real advantage for ME personally of traveling with a camper instead of booking a hotel room is that the campsites I have stayed in this summer had MUCH cleaner bathroom and shower facilities than the 250 euro hotel room I stayed in to attend a friend’s wedding. I have a thing about clean showers, especially moldy tile junctions etc- campsite seems like a better choice. Same for my own pillow/ sheets etc, I know when and how I have washed them.

    And today I watched a video of a certain Korean guy who made a show of how cool and comfy it is to do a car camping with whole bunch of interesting gadgets (ok, it is cool). But as I watched his video the only thing in my mind was “how lonely”.

    I live near a large forest, not concrete jungle, perhaps that’s why I don’t get the whole travel somewhere to camp in nature thing… What do you think?
     
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  2. otaku31

    otaku31 Well-Known Member

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    I can see myself getting into this...





    only if the van were to be parked in my own house's garage. :blobpeek:

    P.S. I don't have a single adventurous bone in my body (well there was one but it had to go and get itself broken, after which it prefers keeping within 30 km radius of my house, like the proper, little radius it ought to be). :blobsweat_2:
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2022
  3. ReaderReader

    ReaderReader (◍•ᴗ•◍) [Important things must be said 2 times]

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    This thing looks so cool!!

    But I'm sure that you need a special licence to drive with that... As a child I used to love playing in tree houses and on the boat so I'm sure I'd love to have this ... not sure how much insulation it offers or if you need a to be in a sleeping bag
    Vista_CutOut.png
     
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  4. hypersniper159

    hypersniper159 Creator of NuF’s 7th Enigma

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    I always wanted one as a kid although I’d prefer a house now even though it’s not portable. I wanted one since they looked comfy, but parking would be an issue, and constantly moving around isn’t my thing. So it would just sit there not moving, like a house just smaller. I should get a house at that point.
     
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  5. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    Before going on a trip I stayed with my dog in the camper for 6 nights in our semi-covered garage parking place (no walls but has roof). One-get my dog comfy with it, two- see what I need as well. Was pretty good, better sleep that at home even, for both my dog and I.


    In most of Europe, so long as your vehicle (fully loaded including passengers) is under 3500kg- is a normal driving license, ie normal 5 people car with 4 doors. The same applies (at least in the county I live in and a few neighboring ones) to a trailer hitch, the combined weight of your car PLUS trailer/camper loaded must be under 3500 kg. Most trailers for normal cars are supposed to be under 750kg fully loaded. This is allowed to drive with normal car driving license.

    Then if your car plus trailer is over 3500kg you need to get an “add on” driving license or a higher weight category one. But usually as long as your trailer is under 750kg with most normal cars it’s fine


    It is cold, or hot depending on season. I was ok under a normal blanket in late October, but my dog was cold. I decided to cut my trip short because it was too cold for her.

    I sort of agree, lol, if I got something for camping again I’d probably go with Nissan NV300 or similar, and convert it into a camper… much easier to park, although it does fit into a normal car parking place. Even a normal height house garage.
     
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  6. SerialBeggar

    SerialBeggar Hate your family? Got no friends? Gimme your stuff

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    I've been watching van-life how-to videos for 4-5 years now. Due to this, I have an urge to get a Ram Promaster (high version, still debating on which length version) van, but I don't have the money.

    Anyway, in terms of the tear drop type campers, I've come to the conclusion that they're too small. After many videos, the main disadvantage I see with them is that when you open the door, the bed is right there. In fact, 98% of the interior surface space is the bed. Which is great to pop open the door in the morning to watch the sunrise while you remain laying in bed.

    However, what if it's raining heavily as you arrive and park at your camp site. No matter how quick you try to be, you'll still need to dash from your vehicle to the camper over wet mud and rain. Then when you open the door, your bed is getting rained on directly. You've got to crawl over your bed in wet clothes and muddy shoes before you can set your feet down in the very narrow "floor" space inside the camper. Of course, you can't stand up, so you can only take off your wet clothes while sitting on your bed. And just where can you hang or place your wet clothes? If it's going to be raining for a while, then what about food? Your kitchen is outside (that flipped up back end). Your food storage is accessed by opening up your kitchen (while outside).
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2022
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  7. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    Yep, rainy, windy, cold weather is not too comfy. Although in all honesty, even with a muddy wet dog it’s ok. I placed a thin synthetic blanket over my bedding (the sort you cover your legs with when chilling on the sofa.) Doggie jumps in on that throw blanket, I wipe her off, take off my shoes outside, place them in a container, climb in, take off my coat and put it in another waterproof container (can be a bag). It doesn’t dry off, but you can also hang it on the back of the seat in your car, if need be. Honestly it works out. Not super great, but works out. Although Promaster etc conversions etc are amazing (me also salivating), but the car itself is much more expensive than a mini camper… I thought that since I got no clue as to how I feel like about long term travel I better not spend too much on it. All in all I’ve spent 10 days traveling this summer (not counting my sleep in the garage time) it was ok. My plan is to go for longer next summer. Always wanted to go to Sweden and Norway…
     
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  8. SerialBeggar

    SerialBeggar Hate your family? Got no friends? Gimme your stuff

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    Of course, ...

     
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  9. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    Yeah, interesting video of that guy (he speaks so fast, I forgot how fast Americans speak…)

    here is the video of that Korean guy:
     
  10. ludagad

    ludagad Addicted to escapist novels

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    Too scared of creeps and perverts to do this. Would love it though.
     
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  11. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    That’s definitely a possibility, but so is a brick falling on one’s head when walking down the street… I am often cynical and so on, but then comes a time and I asked myself, hey, what if I never get to live to 60 years old (my dad passed away at 54), when will I travel (or do x, y, or z) if not now?

    Creeps and so on, yes, it happens, but so do car accidents, falling down the stairs, electrocution with hair dryer, allergies to peanuts and hurricanes… either live or just die now… well that’s my opinion when depression doesn’t bother me hehe
     
  12. ludagad

    ludagad Addicted to escapist novels

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    That's true, however, there are certain things I never want to happen to me. I'd rather a brick fall down and kill me than get raped by a random creep in the forest. I wouldn't be able to accept it as something that just happens sometimes.
     
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  13. Kelsealoufromkalamazoo

    Kelsealoufromkalamazoo [The Luckiest Sunfish]

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    Man I’ve always wanted to go camping. Closest I’ve ever come to it is putting up a tent in my parent’s living room…
     
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  14. SerialBeggar

    SerialBeggar Hate your family? Got no friends? Gimme your stuff

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    camping = spending a butt-load of money on gear to pretend to be homeless.
     
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  15. Meloman

    Meloman My dog is lazier than me

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    I mean I understand what you mean. It’s probably true for many of those YouTube people.

    personally I don’t see myself as being capable of doing a traveling life full time.(at least not yet). For many reasons. But travel 1/2/3/4/5 weeks a year- sure, I can see myself doing that.

    But I must admit that many people out on the campsites I’ve stayed in this summer did not bother to walk around and explore the area around them. They just sat and sunbathed on a chair near their RVs.

    I thought it was weird, you travel all the way there and just sit. That’s not for my dog and I, we need to go and explore.


    So that really depends.

    I have had many friends and one of one my few current friends REALLY love the outdoors. As in they save up money to go travel, hike up some crazy mountain and so on. Real camping and so on. I’ve been with that friend up on couple of mountains and confirmed that I prefer flat forests or lakes more.

    Once it gets boring to walk around the same forest near my home 4 times a day with my dog (literally, not joking), I , and my dog, like to go and explore other areas. Due to expensive hotel/etc rooms, no dog policies, covid measures and (my nemesis) moldy bathrooms, I personally prefer to stay at clean campsites somewhere near a lake that I haven’t yet visited.

    when I was 12-17 years old I did several weekends of “compulsory” camping (school program) in REAL tents, carrying over 10-20 kg backpacks over 15 kilometers a day on average and cooking on those little gas stoves outside in ALL kinds of weather- I am very well aware on how annoying a wet tent is. And bugs. And foxes stealing shoes. And rocks under you sleeping place on the cold ground.

    I still have my tent in my basement storage place. I was thinking of taking my car and my tent and going off somewhere just like that, but the several weeks of rain at that time reminded me of how “fun” wet tent was.

    for me that camper purchase was NOT a necessity, but more like a reason to go out and do more instead of just complaining about how “bored” I was in the near-by forest.

    whilst “homeless vanlifers” spend a lot of money… true… I’m not yet there. I actually visited a country I’ve never been in before on my last trip. It was short but interesting. I am planning (as in look up campsites and travel routes on Internet) a trip for next warm season to go to Sweden and/or Norway. Never been there. If you take into account that my dog will be upset if we drive more than 2-4 hours a day- to go that far I need like over 10-15 days just to go one way. That is if I go following “main” roads. If I were to spontaneously go off to some small village- add more days.

    now say my trip is 30 days. Even a cheapest hotel is over 50 euros. And usually they are around 200 euros per night in high season. The 3 star ones or below. Hostel with a dog… heheh.

    campsites are around 20-30 euros, dogs allowed, showers (often) included or at least available.

    so by buying that little camper not only do I “help” myself to get out there, but also I need to tell myself that I must travel in all those different places where I wished to go but was too intimidated by hotel prices. Now I got “no excuses” to not go… at least whilst I’m healthy and got funds to travel…

    however even this type of “comfortable” camping is not for everyone. Money, time, physical ability, “I just wanna stay at home and play computer games during my vacation “, other hobbies, family reasons, safety reasons… I understand. I also like to sit and read all day Chinese mtl novels. I also like my cuppa tea easily available at any time in my kitchen. Traveling even in hotels is not for everyone, it could be too “adventurous” for some, I understand.

    But for me travel is on my “ do before I die” type list. I can cut my traveling short. I can sell off my camper and my tent tomorrow. I can sit and read novels all day and not go anywhere. The area I live in is near a nice forest. I DONT HAVE TO go anywhere to enjoy it.

    But say I get into a car accident and get a wheel chair or whatever (knock on wood not), will I be always thinking “flip I should have visited that leaning tower of Pisa whilst I could”? I mean we already have many regrets in our lives, oh I should have chosen another major in uni, I should not have dated that person, I should not have… why add another one to my list of regrets when I can do something about it?

    But that’s me personally. I see camping not as “homeless” but more like a means of transportation with sleeping comfortably, AND exploring new areas with my dog. Whilst I am not keen on going up some crazy mountains, I am really interested in long distance walking on flat-ish ground. And I REALLY enjoy seeing new towns and villages and their local architecture. Maybe that’s more pertinent to European towns and villages as each country and region has their own local architecture, history, food, music, culture, customs and so on.

    I can literally go around some old part of town in a country where I live and take photos of random door knobs and under the roof decorations. I find that interesting. I’m not too keen on going inside the museums (and no dogs allowed), but outside architecture is very interesting to me.

    Hence I am really surprised that many people like to sit and sunbathe by their RV and not go anywhere. It’s like you drive somewhere over 1000 km just to sit still…. I find it even a bit regrettable for those people. To me that is really a waste of money.
    You might as well spend that money for that expensive RV on buying a stationary house near some pretty view. And sit still in your own garden. That would make more sense for me, personally.

    But I suppose we all have our own reasons for doing things which seem peculiar in the eyes of others.
     
    Last edited: Dec 4, 2022
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