Tag Archives: camping

Product Review: Propane Tank Covers

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propane

One childhood life lesson that was engrained in my brain by my father was, “if you want anything to last you have to take good care of it.” Amy and I have had our popup camper for over a year. We have been blessed to travel to many campgrounds during this time. The constant traveling is beginning to wear on parts of our camper. It doesn’t look like the brand new camper we bought last December.

 

One thing that is beginning to weather is our set of propane tanks. So, as I am looking forward to some spring camping soon, I decided I want to make some investments to help maintain our camper. The first thing would be to buy this product. Camping World (part of Good Sam) offers thousands of RV products at www.campingworld.com If you are like me and a little hesitant to order over the Internet, you can call them toll free.

I bought a twin propane cover made by ADCO. The cover has an elastic bottom so it fits snug around your propane tanks. There is a zipper at the top to allow easy access to gauges. Included is a piece of thin plywood to place on top of the tanks so that it creates a form for the cover. However, getting the piece of wood inside the cover was a small hassle.

Either way, we are happy with our $17.79 investment. The cover keeps our propane tanks protected from the elements. The polar white color “brightens” up the front end of the camper, helping the camper look “new”.

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/30-lb-twin-gas-bottle-cover-polar-white/19074

No worries if you only have a single propane tank. They have covers for that as well. We originally only had one as well but had our RV dealer add another one as we like to camp in early spring, late fall, and sometimes during the winter. Having an extra tank allows us to run our furnace for longer periods of time.

HAPPY CAMPING!

 

 

 

Camping Tip of the Day: Making Use of Dryer Lint

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We have all been told how important it is to empty out our dryer lint traps. Not only does a lint buildup cause poor air circulation and cause our dryer to be less efficient, it is a major risk for fire. “According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 15,000 fires are sparked every year by clothes dryers. Lint and other debris can build up in your dryer vent, reducing air flow to the dryer, backing up dryer exhaust gases, creating a fire hazard. “Read more: http://www.abcactionnews.com/dpp/money/angies_list/thousands-of-fires-are-sparked-each-year-by-clogged-dryer-vents#ixzz2rQPP05iK

So, let’s make something good out of a bad situation. You should empty your dryer vents every time you use it. Take the lint and store it in a Ziploc bag. You’ll be amazed how much you will accumulate over the period of a month. When you are camping, you can use the dryer lint as a fire starter. Simply take the lint of the bag, spray it with Pam or any other vegetable oil spray, and wrap it with one layer of newspaper. Place it in the fire pit, building up a “teepee” of kindling wood around it. Light the newspaper and watch your fire burn!

HAPPY CAMPING!

Camping Tip of the Day: Bring Your Friends!

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I know this may seem like common sense, but hear me out. The friends we have are friends because of the common experiences, hobbies, and beliefs we share. But the reality is that our friends don’t necessarily share all of our hobbies. I have some good friends who claim that camping is a waste of time. I have heard, “Why would I go camping when I’ll end up smelling like a campfire for days?” Or “why would I sleep in a camper when I have a perfectly comfortable bed at home?”toasted

One of my goals this year is to encourage more of my friends to enjoy the great outdoors. When Amy and I started this blog, our “mission statement” was to encourage people to camp more and provide resources (i.e. campground reviews, product reviews) in order to do so. America is a beautiful country and there is so much here to explore. I am so grateful for the opportunities I have to camp.  I once saw a quote that said, “Camping is cheaper than therapy”. I would 100% agree. Being out in the woods, breathing in the fresh air, and relaxing by the campfire can making any stressful work week better. Even better, camping with friends and enjoying the experience together.

There are many campgrounds that have group camping sections. You can rent out this area and have up to five or six campers. What better way to bond with your closest friends than to try the group camping section?

Some of your friends may resist the idea when you ask about camping. So, here are some ideas:

1. Suggest to your friend a campground nearby so if they really don’t like it the first night they have the ability to go home the next day.

2. Try to make it as comfortable as possible (within reason). Offer them any of your gear that will help with the experience. Your friend will not want to go out and buy a ton of camping equipment if they think they will not enjoy it to begin with.

3. Get input from your friends on what activities they would like to do while camping (fishing kayaking, hiking, just relaxing around the fire). Maybe even entice them with other common hobbies: “Bring your guitar so we can jam by the fire” or “I heard there is an outlet mall nearby!”

4. Before the trip, meet with your friend. Come up with a menu of the meals and who will do what. Again, any bit of “ownership” may persuade your friends that camping is a great time!

5.  If they are still resistant to come along – invite them for just the evening for a cookout and time by the campfire.  Who knows, once they visit they may get the camping “bug” after all!

6. Be open-minded. No matter what you do, in the end they still may not enjoy camping. You’ll have to accept it. Hopefully, though,  they will love it!

HAPPY CAMPING!!

Camping Tip of the Day: No Reservations

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Although this advice is completely out of character for me, I highly recommend taking a camping trip (7+days) with no reservations. Last June, Amy and I took an 11 day trip to Michigan without making any reservations ahead of time. Yes, it can be a bit risky. What if we would have gone to a campground and there were not sites available? However, the first two weeks of June are not high season for Michigan. Students are still in school until June 10th or so and the weather does not warm up until the end of June. So, it was a perfect time to go without reservations. For someone who needs a plan for everything, this trip was quite liberating for me. We camped somewhere for a while and when we were ready to leave, we packed up and hit the road. We never encountered a “no vacancy” situation. It was so nice to know that we were not tied down to any plan other than to find rest and relaxation in our camping experience.

Now, I would NOT recommend this during certain seasons. For example, I would not suggest heading to Florida during the Spring Break season without reservations. Nor would I suggest going anywhere during the 4th of July weekend without making reservations ahead of time. The chances of coming up empty-handed are too high.

But in the end, I still encourage you to try this, especially if you are the type-A personality (like me). You wouldn’t believe how freeing it is until you try it….

Sunrise over Higgins Lake

Sunrise over Higgins Lake

Camping Tip of the Day: Bring a Bird Feeder

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Bring a bird feeder? Really? Yes. If you’re like us, you enjoy viewing wildlife on your camping adventures. If you are camping in a wooded area, especially in a state or national park, birds are abundant. Why not bring a small bird feeder along so you can hang it on a nearby tree and enjoy the beauty of God’s creation?

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But Doug, our space is limited. I get that. We own a pop-up and we really have to pack it in a precise manner. However, you can find a small, inexpensive bird feeder at Wal-Mart, small bag of feed or suet bars, and pack it in the storage section of your camper.

Nothing is better than opening up the tent windows in our popup and watching the birds feed in the woods behind our campsite. It’s a nice way to wake up in the morning.

If you plan to do this, research the type of birds in the area where you will be camping. For example, if the area is known for Cardinals, bring sunflower seeds. If you bring the right type of seed you will have better luck seeing and hearing the birds.

HAPPY CAMPING!

Camping Tip of the Day: Use a Checklist

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One thing that has helped Amy and me prepare our camping trip is a checklist. Nothing is more frustrating than arriving at your campsite only to realize that you left your pillow or flashlight or worse yet; your beer (just kidding). Type out a checklist and save the document on your computer. As your camping needs change, you can always go back and revise the checklist. We often have different things to pack depending on the season/weather. A day before the trip, we print out the checklist and begin packing the camper. Having a pop-up, as opposed to a travel trailer, requires more thought on how we pack it. Our checklist is broken down into categories. Each category has a specific list of supplies.

1. Clothing/Cosmetics

2. Food and Cooking Supplies

3. Dog Stuff (we have two dogs that require all their toys and of course treats LOL)

4. Personal

5. Miscellaneous

The night before the trip, we begin packing the camper and SUV. As we put items in we check them off the list. Some items stay in the camper year round (i.e. campfire chairs, Dutch Oven, etc). However, we still double-check those items are actually in the camper and then we check them off. Over the course of the last two years, we have updated the checklist several times, the benefit of having it on the computer. If you really want to get tech-savvy, create the checklist on Excel and save the document on an Internet-based storage system, like Dropbox. Use your Smart Phone to access the document thereby never printing the document but always having the checklist in your pocket.

Not only do we use a checklist, we also have specific places where things go in the camper and the SUV. For example, our chairs, dutch oven, pie iron, and hot dog sticks go underneath the left-hand side storage compartment in the dining area of our pop-up. Our cooler is last to be packed in the back of our SUV.

Packing for a camping trip can be stressful, especially when you pack for 10+ day trips.  Camping is supposed to be fun and relaxing. Once you use the checklist and get into the routine of packing, this process will become less and less overwhelming.

HAPPY CAMPING!