Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is well defined for many professions. Football players wear helmets and shoulder and hip pads. Welders wear goggles or helmets, heavy leather aprons, and heavy leather gloves. Painters need respirators and coveralls. Machinists wear safety goggles. Construction workers wear hard hats and steel toed boots. Fire fighters have fire-resistant "turn out" gear. Law enforcement has bullet proof vests. Many of our camping, RVing, and OHV related activities have PPE that will improve safety and comfort. Some, like helmets for OHV riders, may be required by law in some jurisdictions, but wearing the appropriate Personal Protective Equipment for any activity is just common sense -- and not wearing it is a badge of stupidity. Some folks might think it isn't very fashionable or macho, but it sure beats road rash, casts and bandages! Not wearing proper PPE pretty much demonstrates one has an IQ a few points less than a dandelion. When you see some macho guy hot dogging it around on his dirt bike in a t-shirt and flip-flops you can figure the bike is probably smarter than he is.
OHV riders should ALWAYS wear helmets and goggles, regardless of whether there is a helmet law. In many places, helmets are required by law, especially for minors. Other personal protection is provided by apparel, chest protectors, gloves, elbow pads, knee pads, and riding boots. You can ride in regular shirts and pants, but I don't recommend it. Ordinary clothing doesn't provide the same protection or comfort as proper riding gear. Riding jerseys and pants are specifically designed to protect your body while allowing necessary freedom of movement and adequate ventilation. Jerseys often have some padding in the elbows and pants have hip and knee pads. Special "Windchill" jerseys and gloves will help keep you warm in cooler weather. When it is rainy or down right cold, an Enduro jacket made of Gore-Tex is in order. Even if your jersey has padded elbows, I suggest wearing elbow/arm guards for extra protection. The soft padding the jersey won't give you the same level of protection as hard plastic arm guards. I describe my riding gear as "full body armor". I wear as much protection as I can and it has saved me from some nasty consequences more than once. It includes helmet and goggles, chest protector, arm guards, gloves, hip pads in my riding pants, knee braces, kidney belt, and riding boots. You can also buy body armor that you put on like a shirt. It has shoulder and elbow pads, a built-in kidney belt, and chest and back protection. Whatever you wear may seem restrictive at first or uncomfortable, especially in warm weather, but the safety it provides is more than worth it. Proper gear can protect you from a lot of injuries. Full body armor is particularly necessary for dirt biking. It may not be as necessary riding ATVs and side-by-sides since they don't fall over as easily, but helmet, goggles, and gloves are still strongly advised. For dirt biking, I can't over-emphasize the value of full body armor. ATVs are not far behind. I wouldn't want to ride either without protection. Standard knee pads are inexpensive. They are plastic devices that fit over your knees and down your leg, kind of like fancy soccer shin guards. They protect your knee cap and shin from scrapes and bruises. If you've ever knelt on a rock. let alone fallen on one, you'll appreciate the knee protection. Knee pads usually cost less than $20. A more robust protection comes in the form of knee braces. Not only do they protect your knees and shins from bumps, they help prevent lateral displacement and over-extension of the knee. They are somewhat bulky, but the main deterrent to getting knee braces is their high cost. You can easily pay up to $500 a pair for them. I spent weeks watching ebay to find mine (used) for under $100. I have a suit of body armor that can be worn under my jersey and includes a chest protector, elbow pads, and kidney belt, but it isn't as tough as the individual components and the chest protector lacks shoulder pads. Although not part of your body armor, having a convenient drinking water supply is essential to good health on the trail. I prefer a "Camelbak" hydration pack. I add a piece of Velcro to the bite valve and a corresponding mating piece to the center of my chest protector to keep the bite valve handy and avoid having it pulled off going through bushes or trees or just falling of from the drinking tube whipping in the wind. To help keep mine cool in summer weather, I wrap it in a piece of reflective foam insulation cut from an automotive windshield cover. An old Army canteen is also a good way to carry water. That's what my buddies and I used before Camelbaks. Hydration packs are much easier to use and you can even take a sip as needed while riding, which is much better way of staying hydrated than gulping down a bunch of water when you take a break, which can lead to stomach cramps.
Horse back riding presents many of the same opportunities for injury as riding an OHV. I'm not aware of any equestrian helmet laws yet, but wearing a proper riding helmet is a good idea. Statistics I've read show there are far more head injuries from horseback riding than from motorcycle riding, yet there is no outcry for equestrian helmet laws. A riding helmet may not look as fashionable or in style as a cowboy hat, but if you get thrown, it will do you a lot more good. Speaking of cowboy hats, they do provide excellent protection from sun and rain. They just don't stand up well if your head encounters a rock, a tree limb, or a log. Chaps are a common part of the cowboy costume that is often the object of humor. However, chaps are an important part of your horse back riding protection. They guard your legs against brush and tree branches and protect your thighs against rubbing on the saddle. Gloves are needed to protect your hands against blisters and abrasions. While eye protection isn't as critical as it is for OHV activities (unless you're racing or roping or driving a herd of cattle), you will want to at least wear sunglasses to protect your eyes from the glare and over-exposure to UV radiation. Cowboys usually carried their drinking water in a big canteen slung on the saddle horn. That still works and the old, blanket wrap style canteen allows you to dampen the sides to keep the water cooler. There are also saddle horn packs that carry two water bottles and are convenient to use on the trail. A hydration pack (Camelbak) like the one I use for dirt biking is also a convenient way of staying hydrated while horseback riding and is my personal favorite.
Bicycling is a convenient companion activity to RVing and camping. A lot of people give little though to personal protective equipment for bicycling but it is worth considering. Some places require helmets, especially for children and helmets are ALWAYS a good idea. I like to wear mine over a ball cap because, like many bicycle helmets, mine doesn't have a visor and I don't like the sun in my eyes. Comfortable, light weight gloves will protect your hands from blisters and help cushion your grasp on the handlebars. You can buy special bicycling gloves but we've also find that equestrian riding gloves also work well. My favorite bicycle gloves are actually left and right handed batting gloves! Riding shorts provide comfortable crotch padding as well as necessary support for male riders. The form-fitting Spandex type material helps prevent "monkey butt". Some good sunglasses or safety glasses are needed to protect your eyes. You also might benefit from clamps or elastic bands around your right ankle to prevent your pants leg from getting caught in the chain. A helmet or handle-bar mounted mirror will help you keep track of riders behind you and watch for traffic overtaking you. Again, a Camelbak is a handy way to stay hydrated, but you can also carry water bottles in racks on the frame of your bicycle. Just be sure to make regular stops to take a sip now and then.
Most aquatic activities require flotation devices. In many places they are required by law as well as by common sense. You should always wear a Coast Guard approved flotation device when boating, rafting, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing, wake boarding, and jet skiing. Those little plastic floaties for kiddie pools don't count, not for you or for the kids. You are no longer limited to the ugly, orange kapok vests that were once the only choice. Now approved flotation devices come in both vest and belt versions and in a variety of fashionable colors. Make sure your device is Coast Guard approved, to ensure your safety as well as to comply with legal requirements. For many aquatic activities a good hat and sunglasses are needed to protect your face, neck, and eyes from sunburn. Waterproof sunblock is needed to prevent sunburn. Remember to consider the reflected sunlight as well as direct exposure. You can get a nasty burn from reflection while seated in the shade on the beach or on the covered deck of a boat. UV rays can penetrate clouds, so don't ignore sunblock on cloudy days. If you do, you'll regret it!
Most people don't think of camping as an activity that needs personal protective equipment, but they are wrong! There are many camping activities, even when camping in an RV, that benefit from protective equipment. Sturdy leather gloves are at the top of my list. Y ou need them when cutting and handling fire wood, pounding and pulling tent stakes, handling hot pots and pans, and a myriad of other manual tasks around the camp site. Goggles should also be worn when cutting wood. I would also recommend wearing a broad-brimmed hat and sunglasses to protect you from the sun. Sunglasses will help protect your eyes against UV rays and painful glare. While wearing tank tops and short shorts may provide simulating entertainment or humorous diversions to your fellow campers depending on your physique, you are better off wearing light weight, long sleeved shirts and long pants. It protects you from sunburn and insects, reflects direct sunlight to keep you cooler, and allows perspiration to do a better job of cooling your body. Sturdy shoes are advised. You will see a lot of people at campgrounds in flip-flops and sandals, but they are risking injury or insect bites. Be especially dubious of wearing open footwear when desert camping, where poisonous insects are common. Ticks are a common problem in the woods and they are often carries of Lyme Disease. You can probably get away with wearing sandals and flip-flops in a paved campground or at the beach -- it you don't mind the pale strap-marks that will be there when you remove them after a day or two in the sun or the sunburn you may get on exposed areas. RVers should wear disposable rubber gloves whenever they are dumping holding tanks or handling the sewer hose and holding tank chemicals. They might also be helpful when refueling or when checking your oil, unless you like to smell of gasoline or used motor oil on your fingers. You could even consider oven mitts and hot pads as PPE for camp cooking.
Why do I need PPE for hiking? After all, its just walking. In the first place, hiking is usually a lot more than just walking. Hiking has a few items of personal protective equipment to ensure safety. Sturdy boots top the list. They need to be adequate to support your ankles and protect your feet from stones, poison insects and snakes. Proper socks are needed to keep your feet comfortable. Not only do socks cushion your feet, they provide insulation to keep your feet warmer in winter and cooler in summer and provide protection against chafing that can cause blisters. Good hiking socks will wick sweat away from your skin. In fact, if you check out footwear recommendations for hiking you will see descriptions of entire sock systems involving multiple layers to ensure maximum comfort and safety in all seasons. Like any other outdoor activity, you should protect your head and eyes from too much sun. A lot of hikers wear baseball caps, but broad-brimmed hats protect your neck as well as your face and, besides keeping your neck from getting sunburned, that can be a real advantage if you get caught in the rain. I, for one, really hate having rain run down my back! As always, wear sunglasses to protect your eyes. Some light gloves might be helpful to protect your hands, especially if you're using a walking stick or hiking anyplace you have to do any rock climbing. Though more for comfort than personal protection (unless you have to use it as a weapon), a walking stick is a good thing to have. If you've never tried hiking with one, check it out. You'll be surprised how much stress it takes off your legs and back. A lot of hikers just use an old tree branch but some prefer commercial walking sticks. You can even get light weight telescoping aluminum walking sticks for added convenience. Some of these have built in shock absorbers for even more comfort. Due to the exertion of hiking, hydration is VERY IMPORTANT, so carry a canteen, water bottles, or wear a hydration pack. Jackets appropriate to the climate and weather are also advisable. It is smart to dress in layers so you can adjust your clothing as temperatures -- air and/or body temperature -- demands. I have something called a "JackPack" that is a combination jacket and back pack. It isn't very heavy but would provide some protection against a sudden summer shower as well as for carrying a few essential items. An inexpensive plastic poncho is always a good thing to tuck in your pocket or your pack. They are about the size and weight of a folder handkerchief so they aren't cumbersome to carry and having one could save you from getting soaked in a sudden summer storm. And remember, you lose body heat 25 times as fast in wet clothes. You can get dangerously hypothermic even in mild weather (temps in the 70s Fahrenheit) if your clothes are wet.
Hunting and fishing have their own special needs. If you are a hunter, you are aware that many hunting seasons occur in winter when you will need appropriate cold weather gear. You also know you need to dress to be seen, so other hunters don't mistake you for game. A lot of hunting clothing uses various camouflage designs. While that might make you harder for your prey to see, it also makes you harder for other hunters to see. Since many animals are color blind, it is far more important that fellow hunters see you than animals don't. If your parka isn't bright orange, wear a bright safety vest. In warm weather you can wear the vest over your shirt without much discomfort. You will also need to address how you carry your weapons and ammo. Holsters and ammo bands or bags should be sturdy, comfortable, and easily accessible. Hydration is an important issue so carry a canteen or wear a hydration pack. Sturdy boots are a necessity for tramping through the woods and fields . If you're in an area where you might encounter poisonous snakes, high top boots are advised. About the only special gear I've seen for fishing are hip-waders (and a cool fishing hat!). If you plan to spend time in the water, you'll need these for both comfort and to reduce hypothermia. You might even want to wear a wet suit inside of them for extra protection. Always exercise caution when wearing hip-waders. Take care not to venture into deep water. If water comes over the top of the waders they will quickly fill up and drag you down. Make sure you know how to get out of them quickly if the need arises. A good fishing hat should protect your face and neck from sunburn. Many fisherman decorate theirs with lures. If you do, make sure there are no exposed hooks to snag your scalp or your fingers! Sunglasses will be essential to protecting your eyes from the reflections off the water . Flotation devices are advisable, especially if you're fishing from a boat or pier or where you might easily fall into the water. Sunglasses are needed to protect your eyes from reflected glare off the water.
An unusual item that many OHV and bicycle riders (maybe horse riders too) find useful is ladies panty hose, for both men and women. It provides a slick undergarment to prevent chafing and what riders call "monkey butt". If you straddle any kind of saddle -- on dirt bike, ATV, JetSki, bicycle, or horse, a little extra protection can prevent a lot of discomfort and guard against painful "monkey butt". Lest you think it wearing panty hose is only for wimps or girls, remember there was an NFL quarterback who wore them under his uniform in pro games. There are spandex undergarments designed to do the same thing, but they cost a LOT more and tend to be somewhat hotter and bulkier. That might be a good thing in cold weather, but not particularly desirable for desert rides. An added benefit is they can help prevent your riding boots and heavy motocross socks from chafing and causing blisters on your feet. Guys might do well to buy "control top" panty hose. The extra upper support may reduce or eliminate the need to wear an athletic supporter and are generally more comfortable.
Rock climbing, mountain climbing, and spelunking each have their own specialized equipment that is necessary to even participate. Proper boots, gloves, and harnesses are essential, along with sturdy clothing that can stand up to the rigors of constant contact with rough surfaces. Hard hats are often needed too since you will frequently find yourself in areas with loose rocks. Wearing a hard hat is sometimes cumbersome and irritating. Rocks bouncing off your hard hat are annoying. Rocks bouncing off your head are painful, perhaps even fatal!
Birdwatching seems to be a pretty passive activity but you still need to be aware of your personal safety when tromping around the wilderness and especially if climbing trees, rocks, or hills to locate or follow your targets. An appropriate safety harness might be a good idea if you plan to do a lot of tree climbing. Dress for the weather and terrain. Sturdy shoes or boots, long pants, long sleeved shirts, and broad-brimmed hat should be your basic wardrobe. And always carry drinking water. Water bottles, canteen, or the oft-mentioned hydration pack will do the job. If you plan to climb trees and set up your viewing stations in them, use a safety harness to secure yourself to a sturdy trunk in case you get so enamored with your quarry that you lose your balance or a sudden gust of wind knocks you loose.
Sightseeing may seem safe enough, and, indeed, usually it is. Wear appropriate hats, sunglasses, and clothing to protect from sunburn and insects. Wear comfortable shoes and carry water to maintain hydration. Use the straps on camera equipment to help avoid it being lost if dropped or snatched! Pay close attention to warning signs and park rules to avoid potentially dangerous situations and avert getting a citation. Maintain "situational awareness" -- observe your surroundings and watch out for suspicious behavior. Many times thieves, pickpockets, con artists and muggers will target obvious tourists, viewing them as easy and affluent targets.
Keep safe!
Information on recreational vehicles (RVs) and Off Highway Vehicles (OHVs), Camping, Sailing, and Survival
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Sunday, October 21, 2012
RVs and Camping as Disaster Recovery Options
Disasters can strike anytime, anyplace. Some locations are more susceptible than others and what is likely to occur varies greatly from place to place. If you live in southern California, you're probably used to earthquakes. Mid-west folks live with tornadoes. East and gulf coast areas suffer from hurricanes. Wildfires plague many states and winter storms are potential problems throughout most of the northern climes. Fires, floods, and chemical spills can occur anywhere. If you live anywhere near a rail line, freeway, or major highway there are probably hazardous loads traveling close enough to require you to evacuate if there is an accident. I have personally had to live with floods, wildfires, tornoadoes, and earthquakes.
What does RVing and camping have to do with disasters? Well, other than the fact that some outings might be described as disasters (hopefully very few), your RV can be used as a Disaster Recovery Vehicle and all your camping skills and equipment could be life-saving and at the very least, may add a lot of comfort and convenience to any disaster survival/recovery situation you might find yourself in.
RVs make very good disaster recovery vehicles, especially if you are able to keep them fully stocked and ready to use. Think about it. A motorhome or trailer provides shelter, cooking, sleeping, and sanitation facilities. Properly stocked it becomes a first aid station. It could even become you bug out vehicle if you have to evacuate your home. If your residence is damaged in an emergency situation you could temporarily live in your tent. Not only might you be more comfortable and private than in a Red Cross shelter set up in a local school or church, but you'll be where you may be able to protect your belongings from looters and possibly have access to things as you need them. If a disaster forces you to evacuate your home, having an RV to move into will greatly simplify your evacuation and improve your comfort until it is safe to return to your residence. A chlorine gas cloud once forced us to evacuate our suburban home in southern California. We drove our motorhome to a church parking lot outside the evacuation area and were quite comfortable as we waited for the "all clear" to return home, far more comfortable than the dozens of strangers crammed into the church gym.
Using a boat as a disaster recovery vehicle may not be the first thing that comes to mind, but it may be worth considering. If you have any kind of boat with a cabin and it is stored where you have access to it in a disaster, it might give you a fairly comfortable base to protect you from the elements and provide basic creature comforts. It occurred to me that our sailboat, moored safely out of reach of the Holiday Farm Fire on the McKenzie River could have been our only refuge had our home and RV stored there been consumed by the flames. Fortunately we were 3 miles up river and up wind of the start of the fire and the winds took the fire miles in the other direction, sparing our home -- but having evacuated, it was about a week before we could even find out if our home survived.
Having good camping skills can serve you well in an emergency. It is generally understood that professional emergency services (fire, police, ambulance, hospital) will be inoperable or overwhelmed for at least 1-3 days and quite likely up to 2 weeks following a major local disaster. Some scenarios say it could be months before a return to normal. During that time you will be on your own. Being able to take care of yourself without utilities could mean the difference between surviving comfortably and suffering. Camp cooking and knowing how to take care of sanitation needs will be essential skills following a disaster. First aid and even more advanced medical skills could be life-saving in a disaster situation. My wife and I serve on our volunteer fire department and are pursuing training as Emergency Medical Responders. Depending on the nature and extent of the emergency, first responders and doctors and hospitals may be inoperative for days or weeks. Remember, YOU are the only first responder you can really count on.
For your RV or camping equipment to be effective in an emergency it will have to be accessible and be stored where it is fairly safe from damage that would render it unusable. It must also be ready to use. Empty propane tanks or having no fuel for your camp stove will quickly make your RV or camp stove useless. Inoperable or damaged equipment may be more of a liability than an asset, so keep everything in good shape. You don't want to pull out your trusty Coleman stove in a disaster only to find the fuel tank has sprung a leak, the pump is worn out, or the generator needs to be replaced.
We were about the only house our our block with consistently functioning refrigerator and television for a day or two following the 1994 Northridge earthquake in southern California. In addition to using our RV facilities, I ran an extension cord into the house to keep our residential fridge running during the day so we didn't loose any of the food stored therein. It stayed cold enough overnight without power so we didn't have to worry about bothering the neighbors by running the generator during quiet hours. ON another occasion, we had to evacuate when our neighborhood was threatened by a poisonous chlorine gas cloud. A fork lift had knocked the valve off a large chlorine tank in a local supply yard and the whole west end of our city was evacuated. It happened when I was at work 50 miles away but my wife had the presence of mind to use the motorhome for evacuation so we weren't stuck in some Red Cross shelter with hundreds of other noisy and otherwise obnoxious people. More recently we were in a Level 3 evacuation zone ("Get Out Now!") for the Holiday Farm fire in the McKenzie River valley in Oregon. Having an emergency generator allowed me to run lights, heaters, refrigerators and the microwave oven during the 2 weeks we were without power following the fire.
Emergency supplies should be included in your RV and camping provisions. Keep your first aid kits up to date. You may want to augment your camping first aid kit with additional supplies you might need in a disaster. Try to have at least 3 days worth of non-perishable foods. If you are not subject to freezing winter weather, keep your RV fresh water tank full. Tent campers and folks who do live in cold climates should store water indoors for emergency use. You need 2-3 gallons per person per day, or 9 gallons per person to give you a 3-day emergency buffer. Keep extra clothing in your RV or with your camping gear or have a "grab and go" bag prepared in case you have to evacuate. Normally you'll have 40-50 gallons of water in your hot water heater you can drain off for drinking and cooking. And unless you put those blue tablets in your toilet tank you have close to another 5 gallons of fresh water there -- if you don't flush it! If the sewer system hasn't been damaged you could refill the toilet tank with water from showers or washing dishes or non-potable water from streams, ditches, or even puddles.
Pets and livestock are often forgotten when making an emergency preparedness plan. But given how much a part of our families and our lives our pets often become, they should be included. For small household pets, have a bag or case of food set aside with your own emergency supplies. For livestock, try to maintain at least a couple of weeks worth of food on hand and have a plan for getting water if your normal water supply is interrupted. You should acclimate your household pets to your RV so they won't be frantic if you suddenly move them into your rolling home. Take them along on a camping trip or two or spend a weekend or two driveway camping so they get used to their temporary home. Know where and how you'll transport livestock if their current habitat becomes uninhabitable. Where can you get water? How will you transport it?
Survive in style!
RVing, Camping, and OHVing, a Natural Fountain of Youth
Staying active in the RV, camping, and OHV lifestyle has been a kind of natural fountain of youth for my wife and I. Now semi-retired, we still find great joy in going places in our RV, tent camping, and riding our horses and our dirt bikes. They say dirt bikers never grow up, they just get bigger and that may be true. Besides that, you don't stop riding because you get old, get old because you stop riding! I logged more than 50 miles of off road trails on my dirt bike on my 70th birthday.
My own grandfather said "A man will rust out a lot quicker than he'll wear out" and I've seen it happen over and over. People who remain active live longer and more productive lives than those who settle for a couch potato existence when they retire. Some folks feel they've worked hard all their lives and are entitled to just take it easy when they retire. I have no argument with them, but personally, I think they're cheating themselves. Staying active is an important part of staying healthy. Sometimes, by changing what you do you can still stay active without continuing to be worn down by your job. I've seen people plop down in an easy chair and refuse to move when they retire. And they usually didn't last long. On the other hand, I've seen people stay active into their 90s and beyond. Retirement may be a good time to become an activist in your favorite cause. Being actively involved in something (anything) will most likely keep you feeling and acting younger.
RVing, camping, and OHVing provide continuing options for retired persons to remain active. There is a certain level of physical activity involved that is good for most of us, but, I think, the mental attitude has an even greater affect on us. "Young at heart" is a frequently quoted thought memorialized in poetry and songs and it is a good way of describing people who remain active. I've seen people well into their 90s who are still active and alert, reveling in outdoor activities and new learning experiences. On the other hand, I've seen people barely into their 60s for whom hobbling from the couch to the refrigerator for another beer during TV commercials causes over-exertion and is the extent of their exercise. In rare cases, a physical disability is to blame, but by and large, it is more likely due to mental attitude. If you decide your life is over, it will be, sooner than you think!
As an avid dirt biker, I admit I've had to slow down a little since I "retired", but I still enjoy riding whenever I get the chance. I realize my reaction time is a little slower, my strength and stamina a little diminished, my bones a little more brittle and my bruises and road rash (contusions) heal more slowly these days. With that in mind I try to be a little more careful when I'm riding and probably avoid some of the more technical challenges I might have welcomed in my younger days. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to put my dirt bike on craigslist. I ALWAYS wear protective gear. My wife and I still very much enjoy hitting the trails. When asked why he didn't take up golf as he got older, one of my riding buddies replied "I can still swing my leg over my dirt bike!" I figure that when the day comes for me that I can't get my leg over my dirt bike, it will be time to switch to an ATV or a UTV (side-by-side) rather than completely retiring from the OHV lifestyle. I am pleased that there are options available that will be a little less physically demanding than my dirt bike yet allow me to continue riding. Last summer I worked as an ATV mechanic at a resort in southern Utah. We had customers of all ages. Some of the more memorable groups, who had the most fun, were large family groups, that included several (at least 3) generations of riders. Part of my job was test riding vehicles after repairs so I got to get some experience with ATVs and side-by-sides. (How fun is that? Actually getting paid to go trail riding!) ATVs and UTVs give you much of the fun of off road riding in vehicles that are a little more stable and less demanding than 2-wheeled dirt bikes. I recently talked with a former dirt biker who is approaching retirement age. He was seriously injured in a dirt bike accident a few years ago and has chosen to stop dirt biking -- but he still regularly ventures out in a UTV (side-by-side). I have a dirt biking friend who is in his late 70's and is still riding. In fact, he organizes and leads two, week-long off road rides in Mexico every year!
RVing by itself provides a fairly comfortable way for senior citizens to enjoy our the great outdoors. If you can still drive safely, you can probably enjoy the RV lifestyle. Tent camping, with the rigors of setting up and taking down camps, requires a little more physical strength and stamina, but there are even some options to make that easier, like self-erecting "pop-up" tents. And camping or RVing with your children and grandchildren is a great option and a wonderful family activity. You can leave some the more arduous tasks to the younger generation while still continuing to enjoy the lifestyle and providing guidance and wisdom from your extensive personal experience. It is a real win-win situation.
Tent camping is still a good option for many senior campers. You probably don't want to wait until you're retired to take it up, but if you're already a camper, there is no reason you can't continue. However, if you didn't get around to it until retirement, it isn't too late to start! If you are already an experienced tent camper, you may find you want to trade in your trusty old canvas cabin tent for a modern, lighter and easier to set up model but you don't have to limit your camping activities to sitting on the couch and watching the Nature channel. Getting out and getting some exercise and fresh air is usually good for you. If you aren't accustomed to the rigors of camping you should probably get a good physical checkup before you start. Like any other physical sport, you may need to train for it.
RVing, OHVing, and camping all provide many opportunities for both mental and physical exercise that can help keep us young . I truly believe what my grandfather said: "A man will rust out a lot quicker than he'll wear out!" I sure don't plan to rust!
One of my favorite quotes is "You don't stop riding because you get old; you get old because you stop riding."
Keep riding!
My own grandfather said "A man will rust out a lot quicker than he'll wear out" and I've seen it happen over and over. People who remain active live longer and more productive lives than those who settle for a couch potato existence when they retire. Some folks feel they've worked hard all their lives and are entitled to just take it easy when they retire. I have no argument with them, but personally, I think they're cheating themselves. Staying active is an important part of staying healthy. Sometimes, by changing what you do you can still stay active without continuing to be worn down by your job. I've seen people plop down in an easy chair and refuse to move when they retire. And they usually didn't last long. On the other hand, I've seen people stay active into their 90s and beyond. Retirement may be a good time to become an activist in your favorite cause. Being actively involved in something (anything) will most likely keep you feeling and acting younger.
RVing, camping, and OHVing provide continuing options for retired persons to remain active. There is a certain level of physical activity involved that is good for most of us, but, I think, the mental attitude has an even greater affect on us. "Young at heart" is a frequently quoted thought memorialized in poetry and songs and it is a good way of describing people who remain active. I've seen people well into their 90s who are still active and alert, reveling in outdoor activities and new learning experiences. On the other hand, I've seen people barely into their 60s for whom hobbling from the couch to the refrigerator for another beer during TV commercials causes over-exertion and is the extent of their exercise. In rare cases, a physical disability is to blame, but by and large, it is more likely due to mental attitude. If you decide your life is over, it will be, sooner than you think!
As an avid dirt biker, I admit I've had to slow down a little since I "retired", but I still enjoy riding whenever I get the chance. I realize my reaction time is a little slower, my strength and stamina a little diminished, my bones a little more brittle and my bruises and road rash (contusions) heal more slowly these days. With that in mind I try to be a little more careful when I'm riding and probably avoid some of the more technical challenges I might have welcomed in my younger days. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to put my dirt bike on craigslist. I ALWAYS wear protective gear. My wife and I still very much enjoy hitting the trails. When asked why he didn't take up golf as he got older, one of my riding buddies replied "I can still swing my leg over my dirt bike!" I figure that when the day comes for me that I can't get my leg over my dirt bike, it will be time to switch to an ATV or a UTV (side-by-side) rather than completely retiring from the OHV lifestyle. I am pleased that there are options available that will be a little less physically demanding than my dirt bike yet allow me to continue riding. Last summer I worked as an ATV mechanic at a resort in southern Utah. We had customers of all ages. Some of the more memorable groups, who had the most fun, were large family groups, that included several (at least 3) generations of riders. Part of my job was test riding vehicles after repairs so I got to get some experience with ATVs and side-by-sides. (How fun is that? Actually getting paid to go trail riding!) ATVs and UTVs give you much of the fun of off road riding in vehicles that are a little more stable and less demanding than 2-wheeled dirt bikes. I recently talked with a former dirt biker who is approaching retirement age. He was seriously injured in a dirt bike accident a few years ago and has chosen to stop dirt biking -- but he still regularly ventures out in a UTV (side-by-side). I have a dirt biking friend who is in his late 70's and is still riding. In fact, he organizes and leads two, week-long off road rides in Mexico every year!
RVing by itself provides a fairly comfortable way for senior citizens to enjoy our the great outdoors. If you can still drive safely, you can probably enjoy the RV lifestyle. Tent camping, with the rigors of setting up and taking down camps, requires a little more physical strength and stamina, but there are even some options to make that easier, like self-erecting "pop-up" tents. And camping or RVing with your children and grandchildren is a great option and a wonderful family activity. You can leave some the more arduous tasks to the younger generation while still continuing to enjoy the lifestyle and providing guidance and wisdom from your extensive personal experience. It is a real win-win situation.
Tent camping is still a good option for many senior campers. You probably don't want to wait until you're retired to take it up, but if you're already a camper, there is no reason you can't continue. However, if you didn't get around to it until retirement, it isn't too late to start! If you are already an experienced tent camper, you may find you want to trade in your trusty old canvas cabin tent for a modern, lighter and easier to set up model but you don't have to limit your camping activities to sitting on the couch and watching the Nature channel. Getting out and getting some exercise and fresh air is usually good for you. If you aren't accustomed to the rigors of camping you should probably get a good physical checkup before you start. Like any other physical sport, you may need to train for it.
RVing, OHVing, and camping all provide many opportunities for both mental and physical exercise that can help keep us young . I truly believe what my grandfather said: "A man will rust out a lot quicker than he'll wear out!" I sure don't plan to rust!
One of my favorite quotes is "You don't stop riding because you get old; you get old because you stop riding."
Keep riding!
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Our Ride From Hell -- or What Not To do!
Our "Ride From Hell" began as a well-planned, easy, afternoon family dirt bike rirde, right out of our back door in the Mojave Desert. We had thoroughly checked all the bikes and made sure everyone was carrying plenty of water for the planned 2-hour afternoon ride in the mountains a few miles from our home in the Mojave Desert. We were all experienced desert riders and knew well the issues we might face.
Exactly how our easy family jaunt turned into The Ride From Hell isn't entirely clear. It was a combination of things that kind of fell like dominoes, but if I had to hang it on one specific action, it would be our choice to ride certain trails we weren't familiar with. Now riding new trails is not a bad thing, in fact a lot of the fun of riding any OHV is exploring new territory. I think our problem first began when we failed to turn back immediately when we hit a section of trail that was less used and far more technically challenging than we had planned for. Perhaps our egos pushed us to keep going or perhaps we just thought things would get better. That first stretch of questionable trail was an uphill through a lightly forested area and the soil was soft and loose, making progress difficult. We figured the trail would get better once we got to the top of the hill. We were wrong! In hindsight, we should have turned around right then. Instead we kept going and before too long were far enough up this particular trail that it no longer made any sense to try to slip and slide back down it. We figured we'd find a better way down. So, we kept going -- and going -- and going. Bad choice!
We had left home about noon on a planned two-hour ride. By 3:00 our water was getting low. By 4:00 the water was gone and we were still way up on the mountain looking for the best way down. Around 5:00 we started having problems with the bikes. My big KTM started blowing white smoke and I feared I'd blown a head gasket. My youngest son, then a high school football lineman, eagerly volunteered to switch bikes so he could push the KTM as needed. The second casualty was my wife's KDX 200. It just died and wouldn't start. Now our eldest son stepped in, giving his brand new KX250 to my wife and taking over pushing the KDX 200 as needed. Fortunately it was mostly downhill at the time. We tried to set as direct a course as possible to get us off the mountain and back home but it still took us more than an hour to just reach the desert floor. Getting back down had two problems: first of all, we didn't KNOW the way down and secondly, we had somewhere gotten off the trail when it petered out and were breaking our own trail all the way down. Even with gravity working to move us in general direction we needed to go it was tough going.
With two dead or dying bikes it was decided that my wife and I would go on ahead on the working bikes and bring back water to drink and the truck to haul the broken bikes home. We were somewhat concerned about how we would find the boys when we got back. By the time we hit the highway we'd made a least a dozen turns on unmarked dirt desert roads criss-crossing the valley floor. We tried remembering our route and tried to leave definitive tracks we could follow back, but were still worried. What a relief it was reaching the highway! Now we should only be 15-20 minutes from home and salvation! After only about 5 minutes on the highway I discovered my wife was no longer behind me. When I went back to see what had happened I discovered she'd run out of gas. We had certainly not expected that! She was riding our son's KX 500 which had large desert tank and we'd NEVER run it out of gas in the nearly 20 years we'd had that bike. With no other real choice, I left her with the empty bike and headed for home as fast as I could. When I arrived at the gate I discovered my riding boots were covered in oil. Turns out my son's new KX 250 had popped a little rubber plug out one of the valve covers and it was spraying out the oil! That made it a full house -- failure of all four of our bikes on one ride. Worried that I'd done permanent damage to my son's new bike I pushed it down the driveway and into the shed.
I then headed directly to the kitchen for some water and Powerade to stem my dehydration and try to stave off heat cramps. I then mixed up a big "Round About" of Powerade and filled another with water to take back to the rest of the family. It was then I discovered my truck was just about out of gas. "No problem." I thought. "I'll just take Mike's truck." I was happy when I found his keys but my joy was short lived. His truck was also almost out of gas. As luck would have it, even my lawn mower gas can was empty. My dad used to say "If it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all" and I was sure I'd inherited his luck by then. With no other choice I drove into town about 8 miles away to get gas. I then headed back out the highway. My plan was to first rescue my wife, then we'd go look for the boys and pick them up. About a quarter mile past the turn off to our house, I saw a rider coming toward me. I didn't recognize him at first but as we passed I discovered it was Mike. He had figured out what the problem was with the KDX 200 and got it started. Turned out the fairly new gas cap wasn't vented and after a while it would vapor lock and the fuel would no longer flow to the carburetor. Opening the cap now and then provided a temporary solution until we could drill a vent hole in the cap. We loaded the bike in the truck and headed on down the highway to rescue my wife. We drove all the way to where my wife and I had turned onto the highway without seeing her or the bike. Fortunately we had cell phones and were able to reach her and learn she had gotten a ride home from a passing vehicle. Knowing she was home safe we turned our attention to rescuing our other son, who was still with my dying KTM. I was sure glad to have Mike with me since he knew about where he had left Tyler. When we got to Tyler his face was bright red. He was sunburned, dehydrated, and overheated. He'd been pushing the KTM for quite a while and had just about decided he was ready to fire it up and ride it until it died. He must of put down a half gallon of water and Powerade before even coming up for air. We loaded up the KTM and headed home. Mom had ordered pizza and we all sat down for dinner and swigged down glass after glass of Powerade and water. I thought with what I'd gotten when I first got home and what I was drinking with dinner I was in good shape. Not so! ALL of us experienced excruciating heat cramps before the evening was over. When my legs cramped up on me when I tried to stand up I called for a glass of salt water as a quick fix for low electrolytes. We all continued to drink as much water and Powerade as we could hold to compensate for being out in the heat for so long without water and to combat continuing heat cramps. Everyone was in pain from heat cramps for hours. I really thought I'd gotten it whipped by the time we went to bed but was awakened about 1:00 am with another set of painful heat cramps in both thighs. The cramps were in front and back so it was impossible to stretch out one without further cramping the other. Finally, in desperation, I sought the most neutral and comfortable position I could find and waited them out until I was able to walk, sort of. I hobbled to the kitchen and downed about 12 more ounces of salt water (by the way, dill pickle juice works even better for almost immediate relief, but we'd already used up all we had) and was able to sleep through the rest of the night, although my thigh muscles still felt bruised the next morning. I'm pretty sure the rest of the family's sleep was interrupted by heat cramps too. If you've ever had heat cramps, you know how painful they are and you won't want to have them again. If you've never had them, they're like a "Charlie Horse" on steroids!
Lessons learned: 1) Have a good plan and stick to it. Don't keep going when things start getting out of control. 2) Don't assume you have "enough" water. We were each carrying 72 to 96 ounces of water when we left at noon, which would have been plenty for our planned 2 hour ride, perhaps longer if we rationed it knowing it had to last longer. However, we used up our water early, thinking we'd be home before it ran out. 3) Don't underestimate the desert -- or any other terrain you may be riding or hiking in. 4) Limit exploration of new trails. Either get someone who has ridden them before to guide you the first time or be cautious about how far you go into new territory, especially if the going gets rough. 5) Watch the time and turn back when you reach the half-way point of your planned excursion whether you have reached your destination or not. Don't be afraid to back track. 6) Always plan a return/escape route.
The Ride From Hell makes a good story now, and, hopefully, helps motivate other riders to avoid making the same mistakes we did. Now it is remembered as an "adventure". But at the time, it was no fun at all, and a source of significant pain for all of us on top of the emotional stress. One rule we DIDN'T break was 'Never Ride Alone'. Each of us experienced some necessary solo time here and there, but overall we were mostly at least 2x2.
What Not To Do. DO NOT continue to explore unfamiliar trails if the going gets rough. You can quickly get into a situation that may be hard to get out of. DO NOT use up all your water early in a ride. Even if you have plenty, ration it so you still have some left at the end of the ride. DO NOT ride outbound for more than half the time you have allocated for the ride. If you haven't reached your destination when you reach the half way mark for your planned ride on the clock, turn around!
Previously the only regrettable ride I'd been in involved following the advice of a more experienced rider who, it turns out, had a reputation for not knowing where he was going! We were in unfamiliar territory and relying on outdated maps to find our way back to camp. Our self appointed leader mis-read the map and led us up a steep trail that quickly petered out to a goat trail. We ended up deep in uncharted wilderness that added hours to our ride back to camp. Fortunately, using some common sense and dead reckoning, we found our way back to a familiar road the finally back to camp, but not before encountering and negotiating over and around boulders the size of Volkswagens. Once again, it now makes a good story but there was nothing good about it at the time.
Ride safely!
Tent Camping Luxury Options
A penchant for the comforts of home isn't limited to RVers but what kind of luxury options could there possibly be for tent campers? Aren't luxury and tent camping more or less mutually exclusive? We all enjoy a bit of extra comfort and convenience, even when roughing it -- epitomized by multi-million dollar motorhomes. Here are a few luxury options for tent camping.
Portable generators are now light weight, quiet, and fuel efficient enough to be viable for use by tent campers, allowing them access to many of the conveniences of an RV, such as microwave ovens and electronic entertainment systems. Count on spending several hundred dollars for a portable generator. Older units that you might find good prices on will probably be heavy and noisy, so look for newer Honda or Yamaha powered models. They are light weight, quiet, and fuel efficient. You won't need the high wattage required to run the air conditioners on RVs. I have an 850 watt unit I use to charge the batteries and run lights and small appliances and power tools in my motorcycle trailer when we aren't using it together with our motorhome. It isn't enough to run roof AC on the trailer or the 120-volt air compressor. Portable generators used for AC equipped travel trailers usually need a minimum of 2,000 - 2,500 watts and most factory installed units are at least 4000 watts.
Portable hot water systems give tent campers hot water for showers and doing dishes. Prices are around $100 - $300 or so. Add a shower enclosure (about $50) and you can enjoy hot, private showers in your camp site while tent camping. Washing dishes is a whole lot easier when you can fill your sink with hot water just like you would at home instead of having to heat it in pans on your camp stove.
Air mattresses have reached the point where they sometimes rival traditional mattresses for comfort. Top of the line models may include built in manual or 12 or 120 volt pumps for added convenience. Individual, one person air mattresses are pretty cheap. Full size or larger mattresses with electric pumps push $100 or more but are far more comfortable. So-called self-inflating air mattresses expand when they're unrolled reducing or eliminating the need to huff and puff to fill them. Larger residential style mattresses usually inflate to 6-8" deep so, unless they spring a major leak, you're not going to feel anything that's under the mattress. Some air mattresses are so good you won't miss having them on a cot, but camp cots are another way to increase your nighttime comfort, especially if you have problems getting up off the ground in the morning.
Luxury sleeping bags give you 4-season comfort even on the coldest nights. You can get good summer bags for around $30. Good 4-season bags are going to cost a lot more, $80 to over $500! The pricier bags are light weight, down filled, and suitable for backpacking as well as car camping. The extra fill in 4-season bags tends to make them softer and more comfortable to lay on. They may be too warm for summer nights but you will appreciate the extra insulation on colder fall and winter nights. That extra padding gives them a very luxurious feel too.
Tent heaters take the chill out of "off season" camping and cool nights. Catalytic heaters, either powered by white gas or propane, are available for under $100. Take care to follow instructions and allow adequate ventilation to prevent suffocation. A popular propane powered tent heater is the Buddy Heater. They include a shutoff if they get tipped over and a low oxygen shut down to make them safer to use in confined spaces. I still have an old Coleman white gas catalytic heater that works very well, but it takes about an hour to warm up so its not the most convenient appliance. You can buy wood burning stoves designed for use in tents but most tents are not designed to accommodate them. You need a fire-proof opening in the roof for the flue and should have a fire proof or at least fire resistant base on which to put the stove. They are mostly used in heavy canvas cabin tents. Anytime you have a flame-driven appliance in tent, whether a simple candle, lantern, or heater, always make sure you provide adequate ventilation.
Portable sinks make routine tasks like washing your hands, shaving, brushing your teeth, and doing dishes more convenient. I have one that has its own water supply built in. Essentially, the sink is molded into a water jug and equipped with a hand operated pump. When using a portable sink you'll need to figure out a way to dispose of the water. Mine has a drain hose so I can let it drain into a bucket. Some other options are glorified plastic dishpans and you have to take them somewhere and dump them. In any case, having any kind of sink at your campsite sure beats repeated and frequent trips to the campground sink -- if they even have one! Check out portable sinks at your military surplus store. One option is field surgical sinks, but less expensive and more portable one-person sinks can also be found. They usually consist of a plastic bowl that fits in a canvas and metal folding stand that folds up like a camp stool. You can even get collapsible portable sinks that take up little room when stored in your camp kit. Some portable sinks include a built-in 3- gallon water reservoir so they're mostly self-contained.
Luxury tents. Tents themselves come in many styles with many different features. You will or did probably start out with a very simple tent but options include multi-room family tents and tents with attached front porches, closets, vestibules, and awnings. I've even seen some that look like a Swiss chalet, with double peaks and plastic windows with the appearance of multiple panes of glass. Self-erecting "pop-up" tents are fun to use. Just take them out of their bag and toss them in the air. Poof! Instant tent! All that is left is to stake them down. Wrestling the springy things back into their bags is a different matter and may provide several minutes of amusement for your fellow campers. Truck tents and SUV tents might be considered luxuries by some people or essential by others. More than one user has gotten a bloody nose when the spring-loaded tent poles got away from him as he tried to twist it back into its compact storage mode.
For a luxurious tent floor, bring along some foam anti-fatigue mats. They are about 1/2" thick and lock together like a jig-saw puzzle or dove-tail cabinetry. These days you can even get bright colors instead of the dull, grey/black originals. They will protect you against a lot of the small debris that often pokes through the tent floor and makes standing or lying on it uncomfortable. They also supplement your sleeping pads, giving you extra padding and extra insulation against cold, damp ground.
Tent and camp site lighting was once limited to kerosene or Coleman lanterns and flashlights. Today there are an endless list of battery powered lanterns including those with built in solar chargers and those with remote controls. That luxury "remote control" quickly becomes a "must have" item on cold nights when you don't have to get out of your sleeping bag to turn the lantern on or off. LED lanterns and flashlights are far more efficient than the traditional incandescent models so batteries will last a LOT longer. I recently came across a 20-light string of battery powered LED tent lights, much like small Christmas lights, they are a bright white and, being LEDs, the batteries should last a long time. They were under $12 including shipping on ebay.
Canopies provide protection from sun and rain. Ranging from simple and inexpensive "dining flys" to cover your picnic table, to large "EZ Up" canopies, there is an option for just about everyone. Dining flys are essentially tarps with a set of poles, stakes, and guy ropes. They are typically set up over the picnic table, hence the name, "dining fly". The "EZ Up" models usually have the fabric permanently attached to the poles. They may require guy ropes in the wind, but are otherwise self supporting. This style is usually used as an independent shade for kicking back in your camp chairs. This is the kind of canopy often used by vendors at fairs, flea markets, and trade shows. Dining flies are typically around $30, self contained EZ up style canopies can run hundreds of dollars, depending on size and rated strength. You can sometimes find fairly inexpensive 10x10 canopies for around $75. One of my favorites is made like a dome tent -- light weight nylon fabic and shock-corded fiberglass poles. It is compact, light weight, takes up little room during storage or transport, and is easy to set up and take down.
Advanced ice chests range from "5-day" chests to 12-volt powered coolers. The "5-day" chests reportedly will keep ice in them frozen for up to 5 days, depending on how much hot stuff you add and how often you open the chest. Regular ice chests are usually adequate for most outings and are often a lot more affordable. Cheap styrofoam chests cost only a few dollars. Regular plastic chests are typically $20 - $50, depending on brand and size. 5-day chests run a bit more and can be found in both plastic and very durable stainless steel. Consumer tests during a hot San Fernando Valley, California summer with temperatures over 90 showed they DO work better. 5-day ice chests at Walmart range from about $30 to $110. 12-volt powered coolers are usually about the same size and shape as ice chests but instead of relying on ice to keep the contents cool they have thermo-electric systems that cool. Many of them have switches that allow them to be used as warmers instead of coolers. Truckers often use these to keep their food and drinks cold -- or their pizza warm -- on the road. They typically cost around $100 - $200 but I saw one small soft-side version for $39.99. Some include a 120 volt adapter so you can plug them in at home to pre-cool them. Using them in 12 volt mode allows you to keep things cool on the way to camp and, if you have sufficient battery reserve or run your vehicle engine periodically, in camp.
Camp cooking was once limited to the campfire but today there are many options. The venerable Coleman stove is considered a camp essential by most tent campers. Options such as ovens and toasters that sit on top of the stove extend its flexibility. A really nice luxury alternative is the portable stove and oven. These usually have two burners on top of an oven compartment all in a stainless steel framework. They are very attractive and mimic most of the features of your home range albeit in a smaller package.
Entertainment systems have come a long way. Long ago entertainment consisted primarily of a ball to toss around or perhaps a horseshoe set. Today the sky is the limit. With portable generators, you can bring along complete home theater systems for quality audio/visual performances in camp. Dozens of simple camp games, like lawn darts, have been developed that take up little room yet provide hours of fun. With a little imagination you could use a LCD projector with your computer or DVD player and entertain the whole campground.
And don't forget cordless tools. These modern wonders can add a lot of convenience to camping. While they may be more easiler carried in an RV, having a few appropriate pieces of equipment in your tent camping tool box isn't a bad idea.
Camp in comfort!
Portable generators are now light weight, quiet, and fuel efficient enough to be viable for use by tent campers, allowing them access to many of the conveniences of an RV, such as microwave ovens and electronic entertainment systems. Count on spending several hundred dollars for a portable generator. Older units that you might find good prices on will probably be heavy and noisy, so look for newer Honda or Yamaha powered models. They are light weight, quiet, and fuel efficient. You won't need the high wattage required to run the air conditioners on RVs. I have an 850 watt unit I use to charge the batteries and run lights and small appliances and power tools in my motorcycle trailer when we aren't using it together with our motorhome. It isn't enough to run roof AC on the trailer or the 120-volt air compressor. Portable generators used for AC equipped travel trailers usually need a minimum of 2,000 - 2,500 watts and most factory installed units are at least 4000 watts.
Portable hot water systems give tent campers hot water for showers and doing dishes. Prices are around $100 - $300 or so. Add a shower enclosure (about $50) and you can enjoy hot, private showers in your camp site while tent camping. Washing dishes is a whole lot easier when you can fill your sink with hot water just like you would at home instead of having to heat it in pans on your camp stove.
Air mattresses have reached the point where they sometimes rival traditional mattresses for comfort. Top of the line models may include built in manual or 12 or 120 volt pumps for added convenience. Individual, one person air mattresses are pretty cheap. Full size or larger mattresses with electric pumps push $100 or more but are far more comfortable. So-called self-inflating air mattresses expand when they're unrolled reducing or eliminating the need to huff and puff to fill them. Larger residential style mattresses usually inflate to 6-8" deep so, unless they spring a major leak, you're not going to feel anything that's under the mattress. Some air mattresses are so good you won't miss having them on a cot, but camp cots are another way to increase your nighttime comfort, especially if you have problems getting up off the ground in the morning.
Luxury sleeping bags give you 4-season comfort even on the coldest nights. You can get good summer bags for around $30. Good 4-season bags are going to cost a lot more, $80 to over $500! The pricier bags are light weight, down filled, and suitable for backpacking as well as car camping. The extra fill in 4-season bags tends to make them softer and more comfortable to lay on. They may be too warm for summer nights but you will appreciate the extra insulation on colder fall and winter nights. That extra padding gives them a very luxurious feel too.
Tent heaters take the chill out of "off season" camping and cool nights. Catalytic heaters, either powered by white gas or propane, are available for under $100. Take care to follow instructions and allow adequate ventilation to prevent suffocation. A popular propane powered tent heater is the Buddy Heater. They include a shutoff if they get tipped over and a low oxygen shut down to make them safer to use in confined spaces. I still have an old Coleman white gas catalytic heater that works very well, but it takes about an hour to warm up so its not the most convenient appliance. You can buy wood burning stoves designed for use in tents but most tents are not designed to accommodate them. You need a fire-proof opening in the roof for the flue and should have a fire proof or at least fire resistant base on which to put the stove. They are mostly used in heavy canvas cabin tents. Anytime you have a flame-driven appliance in tent, whether a simple candle, lantern, or heater, always make sure you provide adequate ventilation.
Portable sinks make routine tasks like washing your hands, shaving, brushing your teeth, and doing dishes more convenient. I have one that has its own water supply built in. Essentially, the sink is molded into a water jug and equipped with a hand operated pump. When using a portable sink you'll need to figure out a way to dispose of the water. Mine has a drain hose so I can let it drain into a bucket. Some other options are glorified plastic dishpans and you have to take them somewhere and dump them. In any case, having any kind of sink at your campsite sure beats repeated and frequent trips to the campground sink -- if they even have one! Check out portable sinks at your military surplus store. One option is field surgical sinks, but less expensive and more portable one-person sinks can also be found. They usually consist of a plastic bowl that fits in a canvas and metal folding stand that folds up like a camp stool. You can even get collapsible portable sinks that take up little room when stored in your camp kit. Some portable sinks include a built-in 3- gallon water reservoir so they're mostly self-contained.
Luxury tents. Tents themselves come in many styles with many different features. You will or did probably start out with a very simple tent but options include multi-room family tents and tents with attached front porches, closets, vestibules, and awnings. I've even seen some that look like a Swiss chalet, with double peaks and plastic windows with the appearance of multiple panes of glass. Self-erecting "pop-up" tents are fun to use. Just take them out of their bag and toss them in the air. Poof! Instant tent! All that is left is to stake them down. Wrestling the springy things back into their bags is a different matter and may provide several minutes of amusement for your fellow campers. Truck tents and SUV tents might be considered luxuries by some people or essential by others. More than one user has gotten a bloody nose when the spring-loaded tent poles got away from him as he tried to twist it back into its compact storage mode.
For a luxurious tent floor, bring along some foam anti-fatigue mats. They are about 1/2" thick and lock together like a jig-saw puzzle or dove-tail cabinetry. These days you can even get bright colors instead of the dull, grey/black originals. They will protect you against a lot of the small debris that often pokes through the tent floor and makes standing or lying on it uncomfortable. They also supplement your sleeping pads, giving you extra padding and extra insulation against cold, damp ground.
Tent and camp site lighting was once limited to kerosene or Coleman lanterns and flashlights. Today there are an endless list of battery powered lanterns including those with built in solar chargers and those with remote controls. That luxury "remote control" quickly becomes a "must have" item on cold nights when you don't have to get out of your sleeping bag to turn the lantern on or off. LED lanterns and flashlights are far more efficient than the traditional incandescent models so batteries will last a LOT longer. I recently came across a 20-light string of battery powered LED tent lights, much like small Christmas lights, they are a bright white and, being LEDs, the batteries should last a long time. They were under $12 including shipping on ebay.
Canopies provide protection from sun and rain. Ranging from simple and inexpensive "dining flys" to cover your picnic table, to large "EZ Up" canopies, there is an option for just about everyone. Dining flys are essentially tarps with a set of poles, stakes, and guy ropes. They are typically set up over the picnic table, hence the name, "dining fly". The "EZ Up" models usually have the fabric permanently attached to the poles. They may require guy ropes in the wind, but are otherwise self supporting. This style is usually used as an independent shade for kicking back in your camp chairs. This is the kind of canopy often used by vendors at fairs, flea markets, and trade shows. Dining flies are typically around $30, self contained EZ up style canopies can run hundreds of dollars, depending on size and rated strength. You can sometimes find fairly inexpensive 10x10 canopies for around $75. One of my favorites is made like a dome tent -- light weight nylon fabic and shock-corded fiberglass poles. It is compact, light weight, takes up little room during storage or transport, and is easy to set up and take down.
Advanced ice chests range from "5-day" chests to 12-volt powered coolers. The "5-day" chests reportedly will keep ice in them frozen for up to 5 days, depending on how much hot stuff you add and how often you open the chest. Regular ice chests are usually adequate for most outings and are often a lot more affordable. Cheap styrofoam chests cost only a few dollars. Regular plastic chests are typically $20 - $50, depending on brand and size. 5-day chests run a bit more and can be found in both plastic and very durable stainless steel. Consumer tests during a hot San Fernando Valley, California summer with temperatures over 90 showed they DO work better. 5-day ice chests at Walmart range from about $30 to $110. 12-volt powered coolers are usually about the same size and shape as ice chests but instead of relying on ice to keep the contents cool they have thermo-electric systems that cool. Many of them have switches that allow them to be used as warmers instead of coolers. Truckers often use these to keep their food and drinks cold -- or their pizza warm -- on the road. They typically cost around $100 - $200 but I saw one small soft-side version for $39.99. Some include a 120 volt adapter so you can plug them in at home to pre-cool them. Using them in 12 volt mode allows you to keep things cool on the way to camp and, if you have sufficient battery reserve or run your vehicle engine periodically, in camp.
Camp cooking was once limited to the campfire but today there are many options. The venerable Coleman stove is considered a camp essential by most tent campers. Options such as ovens and toasters that sit on top of the stove extend its flexibility. A really nice luxury alternative is the portable stove and oven. These usually have two burners on top of an oven compartment all in a stainless steel framework. They are very attractive and mimic most of the features of your home range albeit in a smaller package.
Entertainment systems have come a long way. Long ago entertainment consisted primarily of a ball to toss around or perhaps a horseshoe set. Today the sky is the limit. With portable generators, you can bring along complete home theater systems for quality audio/visual performances in camp. Dozens of simple camp games, like lawn darts, have been developed that take up little room yet provide hours of fun. With a little imagination you could use a LCD projector with your computer or DVD player and entertain the whole campground.
And don't forget cordless tools. These modern wonders can add a lot of convenience to camping. While they may be more easiler carried in an RV, having a few appropriate pieces of equipment in your tent camping tool box isn't a bad idea.
Camp in comfort!
RV Luxury Options
Were I to try to list ALL of the luxury options available to RVers, the list would be endless. No doubt there are new inventions being created that would make the list out of date before I could click "Publish". By the time you read the list, new additions might even be obsolete! With that in mind I will list some of the more popular and desirable features that are standard usually only on high end luxury units but often envied by the rest of us. Keep in mind that "luxuries" are, by definition, nice to have but usually not essential. However, it is surprising how quickly some luxuries become necessities to some people. Luxury features are usually not standard equipment on production vehicles except for very high end units but are often ordered or added by owners by the time they hit the used market.
The sky is the limit! There is virtually no end to ways you might enhance your RV if you have the initiative, imagination, and money. I've even seen RVs with a hot tub! While that is probably not a practical or even desirable option for most people, there are many luxury options that are useful, realistic, and even economically possible.
Near the top of my list are power levelers. Leveling and stabilizing an RV using leveling blocks or digging holes is a laborious, messy, and time consuming task. Fully automatic levelers do it all at the touch of a button. Once you activate the "Extend" feature, the coach automatically levels itself. The leveling jacks are extended and hydraulically adjusted until the unit is level. A manual mode allows you to change the positions of each jack, a useful option if you need to raise one wheel to change a tire. Hydraulic or electric levelers without the automatic feature require the owner to adjust each jack using a toggle switch or lever on the control panel until the unit is level. Clearly, the automatic option is the most convenient but any power leveling system is a lot better than none. When it comes time to break camp, moving the switch for the automatic system to "Retract" retracts the jacks and prepares the chassis for the road. Without the automatic feature the owner has to use the toggle switches for each jack to retract them. In all cases, you should get out and look beneath your rig to make sure the jacks are fully retracted before you attempt to move it. Adding hydraulic levelers to an existing unit is usually possible, but the high cost ($2500-$3000 plus installation) is a deterrent for most people. We kind of "eased in" to having automatic levelers. A Pace Arrow Class A we had a few years ago included a kind of leveling (but not stabilizing) via the air bags in the suspension. Then our luxurious Holiday Rambler had automatic levelers and I have to say I've really got to like them. Even to the point of wondering how I ever got along without them. I've been in places where they lifted the rear wheels clear off the ground to get the body level! I don't recommend doing that. Always block the front wheels with chocks. When the back wheels are lifted off the ground, the parking brake is of no use since it only locks the rear brakes. If any wheels are lifted off the ground, try to find a more level spot if possible. Levelers also stabilize the coach, which leveling blocks do not do. The use of leveling blocks can make the body level, but wind and movement inside the coach will still cause it to rock on the suspension. Levelers are connected directly to the frame and put the coach in direct contact with the ground so it doesn't bounce on its springs. Hydraulic levelers provide a convenience beyond saving the labor of working with leveling blocks. You can level your rig quickly when you arrive in camp without having to get out, a feature that is especially welcome in inclement weather. Levelers are one of the luxury options that, at least in my mind, are close to being a necesity.
Automatic electric steps add a measure of convenience. In normal mode they automatically extend whenever the door is opened and retract when it is closed. An override switch allows the steps remain extended or retracted as long as you like while in camp. They usually have a lock out that prevents the engine from being started while the step is extended. Electric steps can replace the manual steps on some RVs. Plan to pay about $500 plus installation. Extending a manual step doesn't require a whole lot of effort. The benefits of an electric step are mostly found in the convenience of having it move into place automatically when you open the door. This feature is especially nice when the ground is uneven or muddy and getting out of the vehicle to manually open the steps wouldn't be much fun. Electric steps usually have lights that come on automatically when the step is extended, adding a measure of convenience and safety at night. I have made it a point to convert my step lights to LEDs to conserve battery power when leaving the step out in camp. While clearly not necessary for most of us, electric steps are a luxury item that adds convenience and, if you happen to have a disability that makes it hard to bend over to open or close the manual step, a pretty essential feature.
Automatic transfer switches take care of switching from shore to generator power whenever the generator is started instead of having to plug the shore power cord into the generator receptacle. Prices range from about $50 - $300 plus installation. Kind of a lot to pay to avoid plugging in and unplugging a power cord, but it is much appreciated in bad weather and avoids the embarassment of calling a service tech for a "generator problem" when you forget to switch the cable. Once again, convenience is the watch word.
Inverters. Inverters are gaining popularity for providing 120 volt AC power from batteries so you can use your microwave or enjoy your entertainment system without having to run the generator. Though far from being standard equipment yet, they are showing up on more and more units. I thought I was being quite innovative when I installed one in an RV that lacked a 120 volt generator about twenty five years ago before they were offered on any factory units. Just seemed like a good idea at the time. Shortly after that I began seeing them in high end vehicles and now they are showing up on many units.
Automatic ice makers are small freezers with a connection to the RV's fresh water system to automatically keep the internal ice bin full. Of course you can make ice cubes in the freezer in your RV refrigerator, but you have to fill the trays yourself and you it can take along time to make enough ice to meet your needs. An automatic ice maker works like the one in your fridge at home, turning out ice cubes until the bin is full, then shutting itself off until you remove some of the ice. Not cheap. Figure around $600 plus installation if your rig doesn't already have one. There are portable ice makers too, with claims of around 25 #s of ice per day. Portable ice makers can be found for around $150 or so.
Dishwashers are still fairly rare in RVs but are gaining acceptance. They usually take the form of a drawer that often replaces the gas oven (which in turn has been replaced by a microwave/convection oven).
Washers and dryers are fairly common in large luxury RVs and appeal to folks who go full timing or work camping. They aren't particularly practical for boondocking because of the water consumption, but having a dryer to toss wet clothing into if you get caught in the rain can be handy. If you have washer and dryer be sure to use them once a month or so to keep them in good working order. Allowing them to sit unused for long periods is an invitation to premature failure.
Trash compactors are found in some luxury RVs but in my experience most RVs don't even have a waste basket or a good place to put one, let alone a trash compactor. Seems like a kind of natural addition since space is at such a premium. Being able to pack the trash down so it doesn't take up so much room seems like a good idea. Of course you can always stomp your trash down to compact it!
Upgraded mattresses these days even include the famous "Sleep Number Bed" in sizes made for RVs. The mattresses in many standard level coaches are minimal at best and often break down faster than you would hope. Replacing a poor or worn out mattress or even adding a nice memory foam topper will add a lot of luxury to your sleep with little effort (except for paying for it!).
Hmmmmm. I'm seeing a trend here. Seems like we all like features that do the work for us or at least make things more convenient or more comfortable. The list continues...
Satellite TV receivers come in several forms, ranging from portable dishes you set up outside your RV to top of the line roof mounted dome units that even realign themselves automatically as you drive, allowing your passengers to watch satellite programs on the road. In between are roof mounted dishes you align manually in camp. You need a subscription to one of the satellite TV services in order to use them.
Home theater systems are finding their way into RVs. Flat LCD screen TVs are lighter and have a smaller footprint than older CRT models, making big screens feasible in RVs. Powerful sound systems, some with computer programs what measure and compensate for acoustical defects produce near theater-quality surround sound experiences. Satellite receivers let you get programming virtually anywhere. There both manual and automatic satellite dishes. Some automatic dishes can even be used while in motion. Home theater systems enhance any RV entertainment system to increase performance and enhance the viewing/listening pleasure. You may be able to adapt residential components for use in an RV, but take care in mounting them to make sure they are secure, and, when possible, isolated from road vibrations. Systems designed for RV use are "hardened" to withstand RV conditions (vibration, temperature swings, etc). Sometimes just upgrading your speakers or adding additional speakers will greatly improve the sound of an RV entertainment system. Upgrading old, heavy, bulky CRT televisions to new flat panel models usually allows you to have a bigger, clearer screen for improved viewing pleasure, reduces weight, and reduces energy consumption. It might also give you more room to install additional components, such as audio amplifiers, VHS, and DVD players. Sound bars are a really easy and fairly inexpensive way to upgrade the audio on your TV. Some, like Sceptre brand TVs and sound bars have all the controls for both on a single remote.
Exterior entertainment systems let you enjoy audio-visual presentations out on your "patio". The earliest and least expensive versions were simply radios or radio/cassette players. These days you will see big screen TVs and Surround Sound speaker systems. You can entertain the whole camp with some of these. Just be sure the whole camp WANTS to be entertained when you turn it on and turn it up!
Closely related to entertainment systems are computer and Internet access. The hot spot feature on most smart phones can give you Internet anywhere there is cell coverage. Speaking of cell coverage, cell phone booster systems can greatly improve your range -- if you are willing able to pay several hundred bucks to acquire them.
Exterior kitchens may include a sink, small refrigerator, stove, and BBQ grill. These compact kitchens usually slide or swing out from an exterior cabinet under your patio awning and provide all the facilities you need for outdoor dining. A simplified version is just an outdoor BBQ, but even that adds convenience.
A second trend: we like our amusements and entertainments.
Slide outs began as options on luxury RVs and are rapidly becoming standard equipment. When they first came out I saw companies offering conversions to add slide outs to existing units, but the high cost has made it diminishing market. The last time I checked adding a single 14' slide out to an existing RV would cost close to $30,000, usually making it way more cost effective to trade up to a unit that already has slide outs -- and trading up would avoid possible engineering failures for adding a slide-out to a unit that was never designed to accommodate the extra weight or leverage.
More luxuries turned standard equipment. Once considered high end luxuries, on board generators are pretty much standard equipment on most Class A and many Class C motorhomes. They are still often optional on Class B motorhomes and many travel trailers. Today's advanced portable generators offer portable power in a light weight, quiet, fuel-efficient package. Portable generators are not quite as convenient as on board generators. On board generators usually have electric starters and can be turned on and off from inside the RV at the flip of a switch. You will usually want to set up your portable generator some distance from your RV or tent (but not near anyone else's). You have to unload it and they usually have a rope pull starter although electric starters are options on some. Then you just need to run your RV shore power cord to the generator and you're in business. Microwave ovens were once luxury options, but are now pretty much standard equipment on most newer RVs. Fortunately, they can usually be added for a few hundred dollars if your RV doesn't yet have one. Roof air conditioners have become common as standard features on most motorhomes and travel trailers. Adding an air conditioner to an RV that doesn't have one is quite expensive. The units themselves run around $700-$1000 plus installation. If you are camping with full hookups you can usually take advantage of them even if you don't have a generator. Some large units with two roof air conditioners may require 50 amp power to run both units at the same time. Vehicles equipped with 30 amp systems can probably only run one AC at a time. These units will usually have a switch that selects which AC gets power at any given time so you can manually switch them back and forth to keep the whole RV cool. A fancier and more expensive setup is a timed switch that automatically switches between the two units. If you plan to run an air conditioner using a portable generator, choose one with at least 2,000 - 2,500 watts output. Most on board units are at least 4,000 watts. Believe it or not, showers and toilets were once luxury options. Early units relied on a "Porta-potty" when boondocking or to avoid trips to the campground restrooms. Almost all motorhomes and travel trailers these days are also equipped with a hot water heater and have showers. Some even have small bath tubs. I've even seen custom units with hot tubs!
Awnings are standard features on many RVs but there are always luxury options you can choose for an upgrade. Power awnings open and close at the touch of a button. Rain and wind sensors can automatically close power awnings before they are damaged by bad weather. Many awning accessories are available to improve convenience. De-flappers reduce noise and potential tearing from wind; light strings can be attached to the accessory slot in the awning rail to illuminate your "patio" at night; screens and privacy curtains can turn the awning into an outside room; 12-volt fans can create a cooling, artificial breeze on hot days; on REALLY hot days you can add a mist system. Recently I've seen a fancy, color-changing LED rope light for RV awnings. They are kind of pricey (around $100) but provide a variety of colors for different moods and even have a hand held remote control.
Powered roof vents are a nice addition to just about any RV. Standard roof vents are just a screened and domed opening to allow warm air to escape. You'll be surprised how much cooler it can be in an RV with the roof vents and a couple of windows open. Since heat rises, the hot air will exit through the roof vent, drawing (hopefully) cooler air in through the open windows. Just the movement of air through the interior makes it feel cooler even if the air coming in isn't. Powered roof vents usually have two-way fans that can either expel hot or foul air or smoke or draw in cool air. Universal fan kits are available to add a small fan to almost any existing vent. Of course you'll need to run 12-volt power from somewhere. Fancier roof vents, like the Fantastic brand units, have large, 10-12", multi-blade fans. Available upgrades include power raising and lowering of the dome, a thermostat, and even a rain sensor to close the dome if it rains while you're away from your RV. Thermostats are a popular option, allowing you to set the temperature at which the fan will turn off so when it cools down at night you don't need have to get up to shut it off or wake up freezing. Remote controls are also available for some models so you can manage them from the comfort of your couch or bed and also not have to drag out a step stool to reach the controls when they're mounted on high ceilings.
Washers and dryers, as previously mentioned, are usually only found in large, high-end motorhomes and trailers but add an almost residential capability for anyone living in their RV for extended periods. We didn't seek his option, but since it came with one large RV, we have found it useful. If nothing else, being able to dry rain-soaked clothing between activities is a god-send. There are both stackable washer/dryers and combinations that put the washer and dryer in a single unit. The combos obviously take up less floor space and usually weigh less, but you have to wash AND dry a load before you can start the next one instead of putting a load in the dryer and starting the next load in the washer. Using your washer will consume significant amounts of fresh water and quickly fill your holding tanks when dry camping, so be frugal in their use. They are much more practical when staying in campgrounds with full hookups. BTW, if you have washer and dryer, be sure to use them regularly. Disuse allows them to deteriorate and you will find they don't work right when you do need them.
Central vacuum cleaners are sometimes found on high end units. The motor and bags are built in and you use a long hose with attachments to clean your unit from stem to stern. While this provides a level of convenience, I found a simple canister vacuum more than adequate and far less expensive. And it takes up about the same cabinet space as you would have to sacrifice to install a central system. The shorter hose of the canister vacuum is easier to store and easier to handle. I have an older Kenmore cannister that includes a power vacuum head so it is nearly as powerful as an upright without the added weight and space.
Outside kitchens are gaining popularity. Some are fairly complete kitchens built into the side or rear of the RV. Smaller versions occupy an exterior storage compartment in basement model coaches. Adding a complete outside kitchen to an existing RV would probably cost a lot more than its worth, but you might be able to set up basic functionality in an existing outside storage compartment. The convenience of having kitchen facilities right there under your patio awning makes serving you and your guests fun and easy. Lacking a cabinet where you could install kitchen facilities you might use a "camp kitchen" or a chuck box meant for tent camping to organize your stove, grill, cooler and other items for outside use.
And don't forget cordless tools. These modern wonders can add a lot of convenience to camping. A cordless drill can be used for many tasks around a modern RV. One of my favorites is a small 4.5 volt screwdriver from Worx. It has an extendable shaft which makes it handy for reaching into deep spaces where shorter, fatter drill/drivers won't fit. I found it surprisingly powerful and the battery quite adequate, especially for such a small unit. With a few hex-shank drills it can even be used as a drill.
You have earned a little luxury! Enjoy!
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Solo Camping
Although for most folks camping is a group activity, some people do enjoy solo camping from time to time. If you take appropriate precautions for your own safety it can be very relaxing to get away all by yourself for a while. There is no reason you can't go RVing or camping by yourself, but it is usually more fun -- and safer -- if you have someone to share it with. The famous mountain men of the old west spent months or even years by themselves, living off the land. Of course they had a lot more preparation, wilderness training, and survival skills than most of us do today. I strongly urge you NOT to participate in any high risk activities solo. Even Surivorman Les Stroud always has a safety team standing by if he doesn't show up where he is supposed to on time.
There are some risks associated with solo camping, especially if you are also involved in other activities, like hiking or OHV riding. There is a very dramatic story of Aron Ralston, who went hiking alone in the slot canyons in southern Utah in 2003. He fell into a gorge and one arm was pinned by an 800 pound boulder that fell on him. Eventually, after 5 days and 7 hours, he had to cut off his own dead arm using a dull multi-tool to escape. If he had tried to amputate is arm earlier he would have bled to death. If he had waited, he would have died of shock and/or exposure. Unfortunately, he had failed to follow the basic rules of solo camping. He had not left good information about where he was going and when he would be back so it took longer than it should have before anyone knew he was missing and even longer to figure out where to look for him. When he finally got free it was a family vacationing from the Netherlands, not intentional rescuers, who found him and helped him get to safety.
Following the basic rules of solo camping can add a measure of safety to your outing. First of all, always let someone know where you are going, when you are going, and when you should return. That way, if something happens, like it did to the young man mentioned above, someone will know to come looking for you and will know where to start looking. Once you have shared your plans, stick to them. It won't do you any good at all if you suddenly decided on a different destination. If you do have to change your plans, notify whoever you shared your original plans with. If that isn't feasible, at least stop by the local ranger or sheriff station for your new destination and let them know what you're up to and when you expect to be back. Also tell them what your original plans were so they'll know where people may start looking for you. Then, be sure to stop by on your way back to let them know you got out OK. When going solo, make sure you are in good health before you start. If you start out already ill or injured, your chances of having a successful adventure are severely reduced. Illness and injury can affect your judgement as well as limit your physical capabilities. Be sure to carry plenty of water and bring along a good first aid kit. If you require any prescription medications, make sure you have more than enough with you to last throughout your trip . Avoid particularly dangerous situations and activities. Solo rock climbing or spelunking, for example, would be very bad ideas.
NEVER go dirt biking or ATV or horseback riding or similar activities alone. The potential for equipment failure or a serious injury during these adventures is too high to ignore. Even excellent expert dirt bikers have found themselves in situations where they need help. A good friend of mine and an excellent, experienced rider was taking a leisurely solo jaunt on his dirt bike in a desert area he was very familiar with. He wisely avoided all the "black diamond" (most difficult) trails. He was badly injured when his front wheel unexpectedly washed out in a soft spot and he crashed on an ordinary, level dirt road. All alone he had to pick up his bike, start it, ride back to his truck, load the bike, and drive some 150 miles home. All this with 3 broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken wrist and a sprained ankle. I doubt if that is anyone's idea of a good time. If he had been riding with a buddy, he would have at least has someone to help him pick up his bike and get him home. If his injuries had been more serious he would have had someone assist him and/or to go for help. He also had ignored the basic rule and had not left good information about where he was going and when he should be back. If his injuries had been more serious when he was by himself, he might have died before anyone would have found him. My own grown son, who is a very experienced and expert rider, had a near miss on a solo ride on a familiar canyon trail near his home. It was raining and he was being extra careful as the trail went over a large boulder in the middle of a scree slope -- TOO careful, as he lacked the momentum to carry him safely to the other side. He stalled and the bike tipped off the boulder and he and the bike both began siding down the scree. Only a fortuitous outcropping of shrubbery kept both him and the bike from sliding all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Fortunately he was not seriously injured and was able to bulldog the bike across the scree and eventually made his way down to a forest service road in the valley below. I don't think he'll EVER go riding alone again!
If you choose to go camping solo, leave word where you're going and when you expect to be back. Make sure you and all your equipment is in good condition. Carry plenty of water, more than you think you'll need for the time you expect to be gone. Carry a first aid kit and some high energy food. Then stay alert and be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks. Bring your cell phone. While cell phones may not work in a lot of remote places, it is sometimes surprising where you can get a signal. Some areas with limited capabilities have emergency only service. About the only number you can use is '911'. A hand held Ham, CB, FRS, or GMRS radio might also provide emergency communications, but they normally work only "line of sight" between your transmitter and a receiver and have limited range. If you're in a mountainous area, you may have to hike to the top of a peak to be able to reach some receivers. It will also be helpful to learn what channels or frequencies might be monitored by local law enforcement or rangers. CB channel 9 is the standard emergency channel; channel 19 is the traditional trucker's channel, and channel 13 was adopted as the RV channel. These are my no means hard and fast rules, but they may give you a place to start instead of blindly going through all 40 channels. Modern technology offers emergency beacons you can activate to notify friends and/or authorities if you have a serious problem and provides them with GPS coordinates to help them find you. They can often be set for alerts to be sent via text or email to a predetermined list of recipients keeping them apprised of your progress and alerting them if you have an emergency and need help. Carry a signal mirror. I also like to bring along a flashlight that flashes SOS. It can be set to continuously signal for help even when I'm resting.
Camp safe!
There are some risks associated with solo camping, especially if you are also involved in other activities, like hiking or OHV riding. There is a very dramatic story of Aron Ralston, who went hiking alone in the slot canyons in southern Utah in 2003. He fell into a gorge and one arm was pinned by an 800 pound boulder that fell on him. Eventually, after 5 days and 7 hours, he had to cut off his own dead arm using a dull multi-tool to escape. If he had tried to amputate is arm earlier he would have bled to death. If he had waited, he would have died of shock and/or exposure. Unfortunately, he had failed to follow the basic rules of solo camping. He had not left good information about where he was going and when he would be back so it took longer than it should have before anyone knew he was missing and even longer to figure out where to look for him. When he finally got free it was a family vacationing from the Netherlands, not intentional rescuers, who found him and helped him get to safety.
Following the basic rules of solo camping can add a measure of safety to your outing. First of all, always let someone know where you are going, when you are going, and when you should return. That way, if something happens, like it did to the young man mentioned above, someone will know to come looking for you and will know where to start looking. Once you have shared your plans, stick to them. It won't do you any good at all if you suddenly decided on a different destination. If you do have to change your plans, notify whoever you shared your original plans with. If that isn't feasible, at least stop by the local ranger or sheriff station for your new destination and let them know what you're up to and when you expect to be back. Also tell them what your original plans were so they'll know where people may start looking for you. Then, be sure to stop by on your way back to let them know you got out OK. When going solo, make sure you are in good health before you start. If you start out already ill or injured, your chances of having a successful adventure are severely reduced. Illness and injury can affect your judgement as well as limit your physical capabilities. Be sure to carry plenty of water and bring along a good first aid kit. If you require any prescription medications, make sure you have more than enough with you to last throughout your trip . Avoid particularly dangerous situations and activities. Solo rock climbing or spelunking, for example, would be very bad ideas.
NEVER go dirt biking or ATV or horseback riding or similar activities alone. The potential for equipment failure or a serious injury during these adventures is too high to ignore. Even excellent expert dirt bikers have found themselves in situations where they need help. A good friend of mine and an excellent, experienced rider was taking a leisurely solo jaunt on his dirt bike in a desert area he was very familiar with. He wisely avoided all the "black diamond" (most difficult) trails. He was badly injured when his front wheel unexpectedly washed out in a soft spot and he crashed on an ordinary, level dirt road. All alone he had to pick up his bike, start it, ride back to his truck, load the bike, and drive some 150 miles home. All this with 3 broken ribs, a broken collar bone, a broken wrist and a sprained ankle. I doubt if that is anyone's idea of a good time. If he had been riding with a buddy, he would have at least has someone to help him pick up his bike and get him home. If his injuries had been more serious he would have had someone assist him and/or to go for help. He also had ignored the basic rule and had not left good information about where he was going and when he should be back. If his injuries had been more serious when he was by himself, he might have died before anyone would have found him. My own grown son, who is a very experienced and expert rider, had a near miss on a solo ride on a familiar canyon trail near his home. It was raining and he was being extra careful as the trail went over a large boulder in the middle of a scree slope -- TOO careful, as he lacked the momentum to carry him safely to the other side. He stalled and the bike tipped off the boulder and he and the bike both began siding down the scree. Only a fortuitous outcropping of shrubbery kept both him and the bike from sliding all the way to the bottom of the mountain. Fortunately he was not seriously injured and was able to bulldog the bike across the scree and eventually made his way down to a forest service road in the valley below. I don't think he'll EVER go riding alone again!
If you choose to go camping solo, leave word where you're going and when you expect to be back. Make sure you and all your equipment is in good condition. Carry plenty of water, more than you think you'll need for the time you expect to be gone. Carry a first aid kit and some high energy food. Then stay alert and be careful. Don't take any unnecessary risks. Bring your cell phone. While cell phones may not work in a lot of remote places, it is sometimes surprising where you can get a signal. Some areas with limited capabilities have emergency only service. About the only number you can use is '911'. A hand held Ham, CB, FRS, or GMRS radio might also provide emergency communications, but they normally work only "line of sight" between your transmitter and a receiver and have limited range. If you're in a mountainous area, you may have to hike to the top of a peak to be able to reach some receivers. It will also be helpful to learn what channels or frequencies might be monitored by local law enforcement or rangers. CB channel 9 is the standard emergency channel; channel 19 is the traditional trucker's channel, and channel 13 was adopted as the RV channel. These are my no means hard and fast rules, but they may give you a place to start instead of blindly going through all 40 channels. Modern technology offers emergency beacons you can activate to notify friends and/or authorities if you have a serious problem and provides them with GPS coordinates to help them find you. They can often be set for alerts to be sent via text or email to a predetermined list of recipients keeping them apprised of your progress and alerting them if you have an emergency and need help. Carry a signal mirror. I also like to bring along a flashlight that flashes SOS. It can be set to continuously signal for help even when I'm resting.
Camp safe!
Group Camping
Group camping is probably one of the most popular forms of camping after family camping. Part of the fun of camping is sharing activities with our friends and family. About the only difference between family camping and group camping is that the family camping group usually consists of people related by blood or marriage. Group camping folks are connected by common interests and/or friendship. Group camping makes campfires more fun and expands our options. There is also a measure of security that comes with group camping. Y ou can participate in a group camp as individuals or as families. Our Desert Rat group in California often included families with at least 3 generations present as well as some individuals who's families had no interest in camping or dirt biking. All were welcome and all had a good time. Those who didn't ride spent a lot of quality time visiting with each other in camp. People from individual campsites often congregate at commercial campgrounds for both planned and spontaneous group activities.
Group camping requires a little more planning and coordination than solo or family camping. For one thing, you need to know how large the group is going to be so you can make sure you have sufficient camp space for everyone. Family camping often involves just your immediate family; group camping can include many people. We've as many as 175 people show up for our annual Turkey In The Dirt Thanksgiving Potluck.
If you're headed to a developed campground you will need to reserve a group site or several individual sites. If you have to get individual sites you will want to try to get them all together or at least as close as possible. Then you'll probably want to designate one of the sites as your "primary" site or "HQ" (headquarters) where you gather for coordination and shared campfire activities. Having access to a well developed group site will offer several advantages. There will usually be a large central gathering area with a permanent fire pit, maybe some rustic seating, and sometimes even a bowery or pavilion for sun and rain protection.
If you're boondocking or camping in a primitive area, you will need to scout it out ahead of time and get there early to stake out your territory and reserve enough space for everyone you expect to join you. Some primitive areas are used enough that they have developed defacto camp sites with rock fire rings. Try to use existing areas when possible. Not only will it be more environmentally friendly than stomping out a new site, you will probably find it helpful that someone else has already found the most levels spots for RVs, aleady cleared pads for tents, and probably created a central rock fire ring. We've found the old wagon train evening format ("circle the wagons") a good one for primitive camp sites. Arrange your RVs and/or tents around a central fire pit and group meeting area. That way no one is very far from the campfire or each other. You want spacing that respects privacy while facilitating group participation.
Pot luck dinners are a fun thing to do in a group. True pot luck dinners are often spontaneous and everyone just brings whatever they may have on hand. You can pull one together anytime and it will usually be quite successful. If you are a little bit of a control freak or have specific menus in mind or expect a large number of participants, you can organize your pot luck dinners ahead of time. That is what we always did for our annual "Turkey In The Dirt" dirt bike outings at Thanksgiving. One year we had 142 RSVPs and 175 people show up. With a group that large, a spontaneous pot luck probably wouldn't work as well as making at least some assignments ahead of time so you don't end up with 17 green bean casseroles and no mashed potatotes!
Group campfires are always fun. For one thing, it spreads out the work of building and maintaining the campfire and shares the cost of the wood. More importantly, it is an opportunity for great social activities like storytelling and sing-a-longs. Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and making S'mores are long time campfire traditions. If you've tired of that you might want to organize a Dutch oven dinner or try your hand at other forms of campfire cooking. Always try to make room around the fire for everyone in your group. At the end of the evening, make sure the fire is out and the camp chairs are all properly stored or at least folded flat so an evening breeze doesn't blow them into the fire pit. The hot coals buried beneath a fire that has been "put out" may still hold enough heat to melt or even ignite camp chairs. If you're the last one to leave a group campfire, store your own chairs and make sure any that anyone else has left behind are moved away from the fire ring and are folded flat. I've seen aluminum frames melted into puddles and the plastic webbing vaporized by morning when chairs that weren't put away blew into the fire pit overnight.
When camping in certain open areas of the Mojave Desert where shooting was allowed, we often did a little skeet shooting in the evenings. Firearms aren't for everyone, but it was a fun activity for those who chose to participate. It may also have a side effect regarding security since it is obviously an armed camp to anyone within earshot and that might deter would be protagonists. If you choose such an activity, be sure to exercise proper range and firearm procedures to ensure everyone's safety.
Many kinds of activities lend themselves to group participation. We very much enjoy group dirt bike rides. Someone volunteers or is appointed as the ride leader and chooses a route and/or destination. Another competent rider volunteers or is chosen to ride "sweep" and make sure no one gets lost or left behind on the trail. The same thing can be done with ATVs or UTVs (side-by-sides). There are many campground activities for the less motor minded too: horseshoes, touch football, frisbee, volleyball, badminton, and lawn darts come quickly to mind as common and popular things to do when camping. Basketball may be an option at a developed campground as some do have basketball courts. We've found skeet shooting to be a fun group activity for our desert outings. Just make sure you have a safe backstop and have someone keep an eye out for errant travelers who may inadvertently drift into the line of fire. Skeet shooting may have a hidden benefit: it may alert potential intruders or persons with ill intent that yours is a competent armed camp and deter them from bothering you.
Group camping lends itself well to any group of people with common interests. Local Good Sam Club chapters bring together people from the same area, usually with a focus on specific kinds of activities. Many Good Sam activities focus on service projects or fundraising for adopted charities. RV clubs sponsored by or based on vehicle brands are also common. In many places you will find dirt bike, ATV. and 4WD clubs to match your choice of vehicle and riding styles. Rockhounds, birdwatchers, hikers, and history buffs may also have organizations in your area if that is where your interests lie.
Circle the wagons!
Group camping requires a little more planning and coordination than solo or family camping. For one thing, you need to know how large the group is going to be so you can make sure you have sufficient camp space for everyone. Family camping often involves just your immediate family; group camping can include many people. We've as many as 175 people show up for our annual Turkey In The Dirt Thanksgiving Potluck.
If you're headed to a developed campground you will need to reserve a group site or several individual sites. If you have to get individual sites you will want to try to get them all together or at least as close as possible. Then you'll probably want to designate one of the sites as your "primary" site or "HQ" (headquarters) where you gather for coordination and shared campfire activities. Having access to a well developed group site will offer several advantages. There will usually be a large central gathering area with a permanent fire pit, maybe some rustic seating, and sometimes even a bowery or pavilion for sun and rain protection.
If you're boondocking or camping in a primitive area, you will need to scout it out ahead of time and get there early to stake out your territory and reserve enough space for everyone you expect to join you. Some primitive areas are used enough that they have developed defacto camp sites with rock fire rings. Try to use existing areas when possible. Not only will it be more environmentally friendly than stomping out a new site, you will probably find it helpful that someone else has already found the most levels spots for RVs, aleady cleared pads for tents, and probably created a central rock fire ring. We've found the old wagon train evening format ("circle the wagons") a good one for primitive camp sites. Arrange your RVs and/or tents around a central fire pit and group meeting area. That way no one is very far from the campfire or each other. You want spacing that respects privacy while facilitating group participation.
Pot luck dinners are a fun thing to do in a group. True pot luck dinners are often spontaneous and everyone just brings whatever they may have on hand. You can pull one together anytime and it will usually be quite successful. If you are a little bit of a control freak or have specific menus in mind or expect a large number of participants, you can organize your pot luck dinners ahead of time. That is what we always did for our annual "Turkey In The Dirt" dirt bike outings at Thanksgiving. One year we had 142 RSVPs and 175 people show up. With a group that large, a spontaneous pot luck probably wouldn't work as well as making at least some assignments ahead of time so you don't end up with 17 green bean casseroles and no mashed potatotes!
Group campfires are always fun. For one thing, it spreads out the work of building and maintaining the campfire and shares the cost of the wood. More importantly, it is an opportunity for great social activities like storytelling and sing-a-longs. Roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and making S'mores are long time campfire traditions. If you've tired of that you might want to organize a Dutch oven dinner or try your hand at other forms of campfire cooking. Always try to make room around the fire for everyone in your group. At the end of the evening, make sure the fire is out and the camp chairs are all properly stored or at least folded flat so an evening breeze doesn't blow them into the fire pit. The hot coals buried beneath a fire that has been "put out" may still hold enough heat to melt or even ignite camp chairs. If you're the last one to leave a group campfire, store your own chairs and make sure any that anyone else has left behind are moved away from the fire ring and are folded flat. I've seen aluminum frames melted into puddles and the plastic webbing vaporized by morning when chairs that weren't put away blew into the fire pit overnight.
When camping in certain open areas of the Mojave Desert where shooting was allowed, we often did a little skeet shooting in the evenings. Firearms aren't for everyone, but it was a fun activity for those who chose to participate. It may also have a side effect regarding security since it is obviously an armed camp to anyone within earshot and that might deter would be protagonists. If you choose such an activity, be sure to exercise proper range and firearm procedures to ensure everyone's safety.
Many kinds of activities lend themselves to group participation. We very much enjoy group dirt bike rides. Someone volunteers or is appointed as the ride leader and chooses a route and/or destination. Another competent rider volunteers or is chosen to ride "sweep" and make sure no one gets lost or left behind on the trail. The same thing can be done with ATVs or UTVs (side-by-sides). There are many campground activities for the less motor minded too: horseshoes, touch football, frisbee, volleyball, badminton, and lawn darts come quickly to mind as common and popular things to do when camping. Basketball may be an option at a developed campground as some do have basketball courts. We've found skeet shooting to be a fun group activity for our desert outings. Just make sure you have a safe backstop and have someone keep an eye out for errant travelers who may inadvertently drift into the line of fire. Skeet shooting may have a hidden benefit: it may alert potential intruders or persons with ill intent that yours is a competent armed camp and deter them from bothering you.
Group camping lends itself well to any group of people with common interests. Local Good Sam Club chapters bring together people from the same area, usually with a focus on specific kinds of activities. Many Good Sam activities focus on service projects or fundraising for adopted charities. RV clubs sponsored by or based on vehicle brands are also common. In many places you will find dirt bike, ATV. and 4WD clubs to match your choice of vehicle and riding styles. Rockhounds, birdwatchers, hikers, and history buffs may also have organizations in your area if that is where your interests lie.
Circle the wagons!
Family Camping
Whether you go in a luxury RV or a second hand tent, camping is a fantastic family activity. Next to Boy Scout troops, families are probably the largest demographic for camping. We started camping with our kids when they were babies. A couple of weeks ago we spent a weekend with our grown son, his wife and their baby. Everyone had a wonderful time. We had originally planned to take our truck camper up into a local canyon that is ablaze with fall colors but our truck developed mechanical problems and we had to fall back to tent camping. The canyon roads were not compatible with our 40' Class A motorhome. The campground was already partially closed for winter and the restrooms were shut down but we still had a fun time. For a group that has been mostly camping in motorhomes for the last 30 years or so, we did pretty well with tent camping. I even practiced what I preach and started our campfire with flint and steel. The evening was cool -- perfect campfire weather -- and we were quit comfortable sleeping in our tents.
Family camping in our RV and riding our dirt bikes about once a month was a mainstay activity for our family of 8 when our 6 kids were growing up. Now that the kids are grown and we're semi-retired, things have slowed down a bit, but we still enjoy camping with our extended family. We spent a wonderful, non-dirt biking camp out with one of our daughters and her husband and his family in accordance with their summer traditions last year and had a great time. It was really fun to see and even become part of their camping traditions for a while.
Family camping doesn't have to be restricted to just your immediate family. We've been to a couple of extended family reunions that were held at campgrounds. There were dozens of motorhomes and travel trailers from several states containing multiple generations of extended family. Activities included sharing family history and an exchange of home made gifts as well as potlucks and campfires. I still use the knitted napkin holder in our motorhome that we got at one of these. It was really fun to meet some of the relatives I'd only heard about before but never met and listen first hand to adventures that my dad had alluded to over the years.
Sometimes it is nice not to have a lot of planned activities. Most of our family outings over the years have been dirt bike trips and everyone was usually anxious to hit the trails. But our most recent tent camping trip with our son and his little family we had an open schedule and just took our time with everything. It was quite relaxing. We arrived at our campsite early enough that we had plenty of light to set up our tents without any rush. We heated up some of Marilyn's Marvelous Mojave Mild chili on our trusty Coleman stove and enjoyed a leisurely dinner around the campfire. Since our campsite was in a forested area and we had two huge pine trees right in our site, we didn't get in much star gazing. Star gazing is better in the desert; too many trees in forested areas. The next day we slept in and then enjoyed a great breakfast. Making it together in camp was whole lot more fun than fixing breakfast at home. Even routine tasks like cooking become a fun, shared adventure in camp. Why is it pancakes seem to taste better when camping? We were able to spend a lot of time just talking and catching up on what both families had been doing and discussing upcoming events. A couple of chipmunks that lived in the pine trees in our camp provided lots of active entertainment. I suspect they were as amused at us as we were with them.
Family dinners are a fairly frequent occurrence for us, as I'm sure they are for many people, and these always involve a lot of shared kitchen responsibilities. However, family meals while camping take on a whole different ambiance. The fun of cooking outdoors and getting creative with the meals gives things a whole new meaning. As much as we all like having family over for meals, preparing those meals at home and cleaning up afterwards can be a lot of work, work that is tedious and tiring. Preparing meals in camp might actually be even more work, but if nothing else, the novelty of it makes it more fun. My wife and daughter-in-law were giddy as a couple of school girls as they prepared our meals during our tent camping trip on the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway in Payson Canyon. They even seemed to enjoy cleaning up afterwards! And us guys helped out too, believe it or not! Whenever you go camping you need share responsibilities for routine tasks. Guys may not be handy in the kitchen, but most can manage an outdoor BBQ well enough to grill some burgers, hot dogs, and/or steaks and maybe even do some corn and baked potatoes and even the most macho dude shouldn't be above helping out with the dishes, especially when camping.
Campfires are always a good time for conversations, reminiscing, storytelling, and singing songs. This is particularly true for family campfires. Even if all you do is sit and let yourselves be hypnotized by the flames, there is a kind of bonding that seems to take place. Campfires are especially enjoyable on cooler evenings when you actually need the glowing fire to take the chill off, but we found them a lot of fun even on warm nights in the desert. Everyone can do their part in preparing and maintaining the fire and in participating in campfire activities. Whether recounting the day's activities or sharing tall tales, campfire story-telling is always enjoyable and often fascinating.
Our tent trip took advantage of the amazing fall colors along the Nebo Loop Scenic Byway in Utah County, Utah near our home. Maples at the lower part of the canyon were bright red. Higher up, the aspens were vibrant yellow, all contrasted with the vivid greens of evergreen trees. The Nebo Loop winds up through Payson Canyon in the Wasatch Mountains, with spectacular views of Utah Valley and Mount Nebo, the highest peak in the Wasatch Range. We were especially glad to finally make this trip. We've lived within 5 miles of the Payson end of the Nebo Loop for more than 6 years, and for one reason or another, never got around to making the drive. Getting together with other family members was an excellent reason and sharing the beauty with them enhanced the experience. Way too often we ignore glorious opportunities right in our own back yards, sometimes until it is too late. Gather up your family and head for the hills (or the lake or the beach or the desert) as often as you can. Don't wait for an excuse to go -- make one up if you have to! Just going is reason enough.
Family camping trips are always a good opportunity for meaningful conversations and even though our kids now have kids of their own, still offer many teaching moments. These days it is just as likely that my kids will be the ones doing the teaching, not only for their own kids, but in sharing new skills with Grandma and Grandpa as well. But that doesn't mean the senior citizens should just sit back. There are still some things we can teach the younger generations, especially if we remain active and alert to learning new things ourselves. I thoroughly enjoyed a story attributed to Mark Twain that says when he was 14 years old his father was the most ignorant man he knew but by the time he was 21 he was amazed at how much the old man had learned in 7 years!
Family boating activities can be as fun and forge as many bonds as camping. As with RVing, OHVing, or camping, boating gets you out of the daily grind and lets you share in some special activities. Sailboats are especially good places for sharing fun and responsibilities. Motor boats can be exciting and invigorating. I sometimes wonder if the fact that our bodies are around 70% water accounts for at least some of our attraction to the water.
Family camping begins long before you reach the campground or even hit the road. Start by involving the whole family in choosing a destination and/or route, scheduling, and planning menus and activities. Let each one do their part in preparing gear and packing provisions. All but the youngest campers or others with special circumstances should be responsible for their own clothing and equipment. We made sure our kids learned to prepare their own dirt bikes and gear for each trip. It worked well enough that when my oldest daughter began racing Women's Desert Expert Class she did many of the races entirely on her own, providing not only her own camp support but her own bike maintenance and repairs! And, by the way, this same daughter was also a beauty pageant contestant one afternoon after a morning of desert racing! Make sure everyone has assigned tasks to help set up camp once you arrive and throughout your stay. Everyone is going to be anxious to go about planned activities or just begin exploring, but overall things will go a lot smoother if you take time to set up camp together BEFORE starting any adventures. Then everyone can relax and have a good time.
Trip out together!
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