What Stuff Are You Carrying?
We’ve been at this adventure for more than four months. In that time, we’ve (ask Julie and she’ll say “I’ve ”), made a lot of mistakes. Some of them have been epic in that the thing was so avoidable if only we stopped and fully thought through the issue. If there is such a thing as being in RV School and graded on the entirety of your RV expertise, where the fewest number of mistakes is the most important aspect of your grade, I’m in RV detention facing expulsion. Yeah, it’s apparently a thing.
We brought summerish/fallish clothing believing our wardrobe would begin with flip-flops and tee shirts. We really haven’t seen weather that matches the wardrobe choices and have been disappointed. But that’s not on us, as the weather played a huge part by not cooperating with our ideas. Climate averages were off and not by a little… 20 to 40 degree differences. So yeah, a wonderful winter get away. But while we don’t control the weather, we do control what we take along. This is a big part of RV’ing, which is deciding what to bring. We thought we were pretty good at figuring out what to carry, but as time wore on, we realized we were lugging around stuff we simply don’t use. Planning to bring and use stuff doesn't always align with your destination choices.
Let’s see here… We needed an outdoor table and chairs, in case we wanted to have dinner with guests. It’s amazing that we thought none of the campgrounds we went to had picnic tables. How about 2 spare fire extinguishers? Fire pit? Golf clubs when you don’t have anyone to play with? Enough hoses to stretch across Rhode Island. Tools to erect a small suburb (except the right ones for the job!), throw pillows, large storage tubs, that are always in the way, umbrellas we refuse to use when its raining, and pressure treated wood blocks that I cannot recall why we took them.
And like all things we’ve learned throughout this voyage, we decided to look at what other more experienced people haul with them to realize what we’ve been doing wrong and correct our mistakes. If there’s going to be a course correction, reset the things we should bring on our next journey, the following list explains the items and their uses that we’ve noticed. Let us know if we should take any or all of these things on the next adventure.
Golf Carts…
We’re amazed at how many people transport them wherever they go. And they include plastic and canvas covers that keep out the cold and foul weather. They’re equipped with horns, lights, turn signals, and fancy rims with racing tires. They load them up into the back of their pickups, or have a trailer, or it’s onboard in a toy hauler. Somehow, they show up and usually in great numbers. They scoot all around and are used for carting anything and everything.
Outdoor RV Decorations…
Ok, so we hung lights on the RV at Christmas, which a lot of people do. We also decorated the inside, complete with a Christmas tree our friends gave us before we took off on our adventure. The holidays are the holidays and people show their spirit in all kinds of ways. But there are lights that brighten the underside or the top of their RV’s. Flashing lights in different colors, neon lights, lighted signs, stair lights, lights on their cars and then, lights on themselves. Add to that all of the "yard" stuff and House Beautiful will come and feature your splendor in their next issue.
Canopies…
There’s nothing better for a group to do at an RV park when it’s raining then use a party tent. Aside from their campfires, standing on a lawn with 10 or 12 people under a canopy is a thing to do. There’s lots of laughter and no one seems to notice that it’s raining. Often, the tents are daisy chained and used to protect more people or cover their outdoor things like decorations, lights and golf carts. I’ve not seen a canopy used over a picnic table when people are eating when it’s raining, but that might be worth a try... although I'd guess some do. After all, the idea is to be outside.
Pets…
We don’t have a pet, but there is no shortage of them in campgrounds. The majority are dogs. Sometimes more than one dog and then, occasionally, there are three or four. They are ice breakers for curious people who want to stop and ramp up a conversation. Or, we stop to ask if we can pet their dog and the answer is usually yes. We’ve seen all breeds and its fun, as you can keep a daily schedule based upon when your neighbors walk their dogs. They’re no different than friends and neighbors that own homes who have pets. Our neighborhood in NH has them and we know them all by name… Barney, Bailey, Jo and Hope. Each brings smiles to everyone. But there’s also Reggie and Sunny, the cats who run the whole shebang. I’m not sure where campers transport their dogs, but if it’s anything like back home, they ride in high style.
The hard part of all of this is where do you put these things in your camper? Mind you, we’re not advocating that anyone tosses out other items in lieu for the list above. You can bring whatever you want as long as you make the room for it. Even if you never use the things you brought along, it is justified under the “you never know” rule.
This past week, Julie and I camped next to a nice family… Chris, Angela and their son Colton. From Florida, they traveled north for better weather. We left New England for warmer weather and they left Florida for cooler weather. Newly married, they were here to relax and enjoy the campgrounds numerous amenities. They played pickleball, went fishing, played ping pong, walked their two dogs (Mike and Ed), enjoyed eating meals at their campsite picnic table (without a tent), and spent time like all good families walking their duck and chicks.
I’m trying to imagine the discussion on what to bring before embarking on a long camping trip. “Honey, don’t forget to load up the fishing poles, dogs and Harold, the Llama.”
The truth Angela explained is that they gave up typical suburban living for a farm kind of life, complete with ducks and hens. This trip, Angela felt they needed to make room for the chicks, as they needed care and could not be left alone. Names? The one mature duck and the chicks and (hatchlings that did not come out of the camper), are all called “little ones”. Amazingly we watched the chicks wander as a group, although they stayed close to the camper. The one mature duck seemed to get along with Mike and Ed, as they navigated effortlessly around their campsite. They never wandered onto anyone else’s campsite. Happiness was all around these people. A lot to admire, even if it seemed unusual.
I guess it boils down to what you want to bring on your trip. There are always basic items that must be in your camper. But it’s those additional items you bring that will enhance your camping experience. And there aren’t any hard and fast rules. Load up your golf carts, decorations, pet lizards and hit the road!
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