When Should You Go Camping, RVing or OHVing?

When should you go camping, RVing, or OHVing?  Best answer:  as often as you can!  But when is the best time to start camping, RVing, and/or OHVing? How about NOW? Some people put it off until they think they can afford it or have the time for it and by doing so may never get around to it. Some people think they need to put it off "until the kids are older".  For the most part those are not valid reasons, they're just excuses.  My suggestion is start NOW and go as often as you can. You may dream of owning and using a luxurious Class A motorhome, but it might not be in your budget yet. Begin with what your budget can handle today and make the time. You may have to spend some of your savings, but money spent can usually be replaced. Time, once spent, is gone forever! I recall hearing about a young man who, long after he had left home, fondly remembered the vacations his family had taken together. He recalled that for most of his growing up years they had been trying to save money to add a second bathroom to their small house, but kept spending the building fund on family vacations. It is doubtful that he would have recalled the second bathroom with the same fond memories he had of family vacations. What if NOW is the dead of winter? Snow camping IS an option for some people but for those who aren't ready for that particular experience you can start researching, acquiring and preparing your gear, equipment, skills, and training.

What seasons are best for camping? You can camp in all seasons, but most people don't do a lot of camping in winter. In some areas, extremely hot summers may also be a deterrent to outdoor activities. July and August are not the best times to visit the Mojave Desert but is a good time to hit the beaches or the mountains to escape the heat! Late spring and early fall are usually quite comfortable in most areas. If it is winter and you have decided you want to become a camper, use the time now to research your options and acquire and prepare your equipment and to learn about necessary camping skills so you'll be ready when the first robin of spring shows up. By the time the snow melts you'll be chomping at the bit to get out and try out your new toys and skills.  If, per chance, you are REALLY anxious to get started, look into winter camping.  It takes some special preparations, but it can be well worth it.

Once you've decided to try camping, how do you get started? First, take inventory of the resources you may already have. Do you have an SUV or other vehicle you could sleep in or use to tow a trailer? If so, you might start your camping adventure using that as your "RV". Just pack up some blankets and pillows and some food. Since you'll have limited resources on board, it might be good to start out staying in developed campgrounds where you will have access to picnic tables, fire pits, and restrooms. You may have to add a camp stove or portable BBQ and a cooler if you don't already have them. To keep the cost down, check out local classified ads and Internet sources such as ebay and craigslist. Watch for sales a local sporting goods stores or other places that sell camping equipment. I once bought a brand new 7'x7' umbrella tent for $10 at a sidewalk sale at a hardware store. It was missing one piece of the frame that I was able to fabricate from thin wall conduit for a couple of bucks. Garage sales are another good resource for adding to your camping equipment. Many people have excess camping equipment they've accumulated over the years or things they no longer need as their camping lifestyle as evolved and you can sometimes get extraordinary bargains at garage sales. Many times it has seen little use and may even be brand new!  Do your homework before you go shopping so you'll know a good deal when you see one. I wouldn't pay much more than $25 for a used Coleman lantern at a garage sale because new ones aren't that much more expensive (around $40). But for $10 or $15 it might be worth having if it is pretty much complete. Tents are another good thing to look for at garage sales. You probably won't get the latest models, but you may get a good price on older units that can serve you well. I bought a 10x14 canvas cabin tent through a local classified newspaper for under $50. It had a few rips that needed repairing, but with just a little TLC it was perfectly serviceable. I originally bought it to use for a portable dirt bike garage when were were camping, but ended up also using it on some tent camping ventures. If you can, try out camp stoves and lanterns before buying them. By the time they get in garage sales they've often been in storage a long time and may need reconditioning before they can be used, even if they haven't been used much. But don't be afraid of making repairs if they are complete and appear to be in good overall condition. I would shy away from gas stoves or lanterns if the pressure tanks leak. The pumps that pressurize them dry out but can be rebuilt easily and inexpensively, so it isn't a big deal if the pump leaks;  Sometimes all it needs is a few drops of oil to soften and swell the leather washer inside.  But if the fuel tank is rusted through or the seams are leaking, it will have to be replaced. Other components are also easy and fairly cheap to replace: control valves and generators. The generator is a tube that converts liquid fuel to vapor to power the stove or lantern. Check out previous post "What Should You Have To Begin Camping, RVing, and/or OHVing?   for more equipment details.

Next steps. Once you have acquired the basic equipment, learn how to use it. I suggest setting up camp in your own back yard a few times before venturing out. That way, if you've forgotten anything or run into to any problems, you are where you can quickly and easily deal with them and where your comfort, safety, and survival aren't in jeopardy. Next I would suggest camping in developed campgrounds close to home where you will have access to support facilities and knowledgeable camp hosts. Once you're comfortable in that environment, you might might be ready to venture out to more primitive camp sites and more challenging adventures.

Getting started OHVing. As much fun as it would be to buy everyone in the family brand new OHVs, if you're anything like me, it isn't in the budget. We started out with just two dirt bikes, both Kawasakis: a KE 125 dual sport bike for my wife and I and a KD80M for the boys who were about 8 and 10 at the time. We didn't yet appreciate the appeal it would have for the younger kids. It didn't take long to figure out we needed more bikes for more riders so we started checking out the local classifieds for some good deals. Even the youngest children wanted their own bikes, and getting them was one of the best investments we ever made! You can usually save quite a bit of money buying from a private party but whenever you do the seller won't assume any liability so if the bike breaks down the next day, you're stuck with it. A reputable dealer will usually give at least a 30 day warranty on used vehicles but you will pay more than you will if you purchase from a private party. Be sure to ask for maintenance records when you buy from a private party. You will need to make your purchase plans based at least in part you your own skills and ability to recognize and take care of any problems that might come up. You don't have to start out on dirt bikes. If you and your family are more interested in ATVs, look for some good used ATVs. ATVs are somewhat more stable for novice riders, but we had really good luck putting our "younguns" on 50cc dirt bikes. Sometimes they needed training wheels for a while, sometimes their bicycle skills were already good enough to safely handle the little motorcycle. Remember, an OHV needs to feel good to the rider and be fun to ride. If you don't feel comfortable on it or it isn't fun to ride, look for another vehicle. Size, power, suspension, seat and handlebar design and setup all affect how a vehicle feels, so don't be afraid to try a variety of configurations. If a vehicle feels too big, try a smaller one. If it feels unstable or "squirrely", try a bigger one. If it is too powerful for your current skills and taste, get one with a smaller engine or just take it easy for a while. If the suspension and setup aren't right, see if they can be adjusted to your size and weight and riding ability. Even while looking to buy your first OHV, start developing a network of fellow riders you can go out with for the first few trips. Having experienced leaders to guide you will greatly enhance your enjoyment the first few times out and you'll learn a lot of good riding, maintenance, repair, and navigation tips. So pay attention!

Entering the RV lifestyle. You may someday want to explore the RV lifesytle as a more comfortable alternative to tent camping. Here you will need to do more homework to determine which type of RV is right for you and then to find one within your budget. I offer my own experience as one possible path. Yours may be different. My first "RV" was a 1951 Chevrolet Suburban. It began life as a utility vehicle for a school district. When I bought it, it had only a front seat and the back was completely open. I made curtains for the windows. My wife and I slept in sleeping bags on the floor. I fashioned supports to fit across the rear compartment, resting on the window sills. I put a "bunky board" from an old set of bunk beds on the supports to provide a second sleeping level for our two kids. A plastic basin and a couple of 5-gallon water jugs, an ice chest, a camp stove, a Coleman lantern, and a couple of camp chairs completed our equipment list. Our first trip was exciting and quite pleasant. It was so nice to roll into camp, roll out our sleeping bags, and be ready to rest while other people were still wrestling with setting up tents in the wind and the dark! The sturdy old Suburban was also much more comfortable in the wind and rain than a tent. No uncontrolled flapping and no leaks! And no rocks under our sleeping bags.

After several years of camping in the Suburban, I found a good deal on a Class B motorhome (van conversion) and we began to move up. It was fundamentally a 3/4 ton Ford van conversion. I learned it had been custom built for an engineer who was working and living in Israel. It was not fully self contained, but was definitely a step up from the Suburban. It had a small refrigerator that ran on propane or 12-volt electricity. We felt we were in the lap of luxury making ice cubes while driving down the road. It had a real sink and faucet and a propane stove and a tiny little propane heater with no fan. The rear dinette made down into a comfortable full size bed and the kids were once again relegated to the "penthouse". Their bunks were up in the "pop top" that gave stand-up headroom (a definite improvement over the old Suburban). It even had a porta-potty tucked away in one of the cabinets, a definite advantage for women and children.

Eventually our family outgrew the Class B van conversion. It worked really well for 2 adults and a couple of small kids, but by the time our kids started getting bigger and our brood had grown to 4 children, we needed more room. There was barely room for even 4 of us to stand in the little Class B, let alone perform routine functions such as cooking and setting the table or getting ready for bed without climbing over each other. Our next step was a 19' Class C motorhome. It was a "bunkhouse" model with tons of sleeping capacity -- designed for at least 6 adults. You could probably squeeze in 7 if you put three people in the cab-over sleeper, but I figure you'd better be pretty good friends -- or you certainly would be by morning! This was our first nearly self-contained motorhome. I say nearly because it didn't have a generator. But it did have a hot water heater and full bathroom facilities plus a stove and oven and a real, forced air furnace. It even had a swamp cooler for hot days. We soon learned one of the disadvantages of a swamp cooler when we tried to use it while traveling. Even a normal lane change would cause the water in the cooler to slosh over and spill into the interior of the coach, soaking anyone and anything beneath it! This little Class C became our base of operations for our first dirt bike trips. We hung a pair of basket carriers on the front and back and loaded up a couple of dirt bikes and headed out into the Mojave Desert for some good family fun. My older boys' previous BMX bike experience served them well and they were soon showing ME how to jump a dirt bike. They took to that dirt bike like they had been born to it! A 19' Class C doesn't provide much walking around room, but preparing and serving meals and getting ready for bed was much less cramped than in the little van conversion and sleeping accommodations were a lot better. Having access to full sanitation facilities was a real blessing while dry camping in the desert (especially with a wife and two daughters!) where the nearest restrooms were at least 12 miles away. It is amazing how good a nice shower feels after a day in the sun and dirt!

I won't bore you with the rest of the step-by-step migration to our current Class A diesel pusher. Suffice it to say, our needs and wants grew over time and we continued to upgrade as appropriate opportunities presented themselves. As we observed fellow campers and inspected other rigs we began to see the advantages of features we had previously considered unnecessary or frivolous. The front lounge we once considered a big waste of space became a necessity after a couple of trips with 6 kids in one without it! But you get the idea of how your camping experience can evolve over time. Your first RV might be a tent trailer or a truck camper or small travel trailer instead of an old Suburban. You need to do what is right for YOU, not blindly follow what I, or anyone else, has done or tells you to do. Most important of all, DO SOMETHING!

What about kids? There have been attempts by well-intentioned but ill-informed do-gooders to prevent youngsters from riding OHVs. No doubt other activities have also been targeted, ranging from rifle skills to little league baseball. For the most part, these folks are WAY off the mark. OHV riding, starting kids out young has its place in OHV riding and other camping activities. Of course it must be done responsibly. What is REALLY irresponsible is to deny youngsters the opportunity to learn early. Our youngest son began dirt biking when he was less than 4 years old. We were at Spring Fling, our annual spring vacation outing in the Mojave Desert in April when he began seriously asking to ride. We told him he'd have to learn to ride his bicycle without training wheels before he could try riding the little 50-cc bike his brothers and sisters learned on. When we got home from that trip he jumped out of the motorhome and ran to get his bike. He brought it back and laid it down on the parking strip as we were sill unloading our motorcycles and announced firmly "Take 'em off!", pointing to his training wheels. He spent the next month vigorously practicing and on the very next trip for Memorial Day, he rode 13 miles of a Poker Run on a little motorcycle with wheels about the size of a pie plate -- and wanted more! Our other kids didn't start out quite as young, but everyone of them was a competent rider before they hit first grade. I've seen plenty of teens get hurt trying to learn to ride later in their lives. By then they're beginning to feel the invincibility that comes with being a teenager and too often think they can do anything their friends can do, without admitting their friends have been riding and developing skills for years. One of my oldest son's friends even had to be air-lifted out of a remote area with a broken collar bone after failing to negotiate a sharp turn and going over the bars trying to keep up with his more experienced friends. We started our kids out sitting on the gas tank and giving them rides. It allowed them to experience the sights, sounds, and feel of riding and let us explain the function of throttle, brake, and clutch so it would all be familiar when they finally got to ride their own little bikes. The tiny 50-cc motorcycles they started on didn't have clutch levers, just a centrifugal clutch that helped reduce the number of simultaneous skills they had to master. These little bikes are often fitted with devices to restrict throttle movement and reduce power through exhaust restrictors to make them pretty mellow for novice riders and allow them to "grow" with the rider's skills. Our youngest daughter started out on a 50-cc Italjet when she was about 5. Eventually, by the time she was in about the 3rd grade, she had inherited a 60-cc Honda from an older brother and could keep up with anyone. The Honda was a "real" motorcycle, with clutch lever and 6-speed transmission. When she was about 12 or 13 she astonished mature riders as she stayed right on their back fenders through all kinds of difficult terrain on her 125cc Kawasaki. Upon returning from one ride, one of the very good adult riders commented that he "had a kid on his tail" the whole ride and couldn't shake him and when they got to the top of Government Peak the kid took off his helmet and the adult rider was blown away to discover "it was a chick!" Whenever you start riding -- or start your kids riding -- make sure to wear proper protective gear. NEVER ride without a helmet. Proper boots, gloves, goggles, and appropriate jersey and pants plus kidney belt knee guards and chest protectors should be worn for every ride. I also like elbow protectors that put a lot more between your funny bone and rocks or hard ground than the soft pads in your jersey. Believe me, hitting your funny bone on the rocks is NOT funny! NEVER ride in a T-shirt or tank top! You may think it looks and feels cools, but between sun and windburn and the road rash you'll pick up if you bail, it just isn't worth it and you'll actually feel cooler in a vented jersey that protects your arms from direct sunlight. Avoid dark colors that will absorb the heat and make you harder to see.

Weekends are the most common time for camping, RVing, and OHVing.   But they aren't the only time you can go, if you can get away from your daily grind.  Mid-week outings can be less crowded and less stressful and are good times to explore new places and activities.  Once you're comfortable with your outdoor routine you can go just about any time.  Summer vacations and 3-day weekends give you some extra time to enjoy the great out doors.

One you get started, get out as often as you can.  When our kids were growing up we went dirt biking almost every holiday weekend.  The timing was just about right, far enough apart to look forward to each outing and close enough together so we could retain our confidence and continue to learn and improve things on each trip.  I would suggest setting a goal of getting out once a month for the same reasons.

Start NOW!