I'm A Dry Camper Most of the Time

[flyfisherman]

First and foremost, by far and away, the main purpose for the popup camper is to "facilitate" my obsession with the fly rod and all the bric-a-brac that's affiliated with it. Most places where camp is usually set up are the national forest campgrounds and most of those are without hook-ups; there are even some locations where we set up that are not even C/G's but just out in the boonies! There are some NFS C/G's that have electrical but they are the exception and not the rule. Also, there are some state forest C/G's that are very simular to the national forest in that there's no hook-ups and are very basic. When planning a fishing trip where there are different places to be visited, always try and plan a state park in there somewhere so their hot showers and laundry facilities might be put to extra good use!

Along with the popup always carry a 9' X 9' dome tent that might be used for an overnight downriver canoe fishing trip. There are some rivers where we like to set-up the camper at a little NFS or state forest C/G right adjacent to the river and then drive back up-river and launch the canoe, meandering and fishing our way back to the camper with the option of pitching the tent and spending a night, and hopefully pan frying some trout over a campfire that evening! Also, when setting up the camper for a longer stay, maybe four or five days, like to pitch the tent next to the camper and use it for a storage room where we can store items out of sight (ice coolers, lanterns, fishing tackle, ect), like when we are away from the area. Have also pressed the tent into action as a "porta-potie" room where and when it has been needed.

Bottom line is this is my style of camping and the little Starcraft has been set-up with that in mind from the very beginning.


Fly

[ForestCreature]

Yep, another dry camper here too. The majority of our camping has been in State and National forests. The Aliner is perfect, giving us easy set up  and all the comforts we need, including a hot shower.  When we shopped for a camper hot water was one of my priorities because of how we prefer camp.
 
 The first and only mod we have ever done to the camper was to make dry camping easier. That was to add solar. Many argue that our small system of 45 watts is not enough, but we use minimal power and it charges  the battery full every day. It's enough for us. Hasn't failed us in 4 yrs.
 
 Being in MI we are lucky to have many Forest CGs, both State and National.
 The hardest part of it seems to be they are all at least 3 hrs away, the best ones 4hrs  or more. With the gas prices last summer, it kept us closer to home (couldn't justify over 70.00 in gas for 2 nights of camping) for those quick weekends so we did more at State Parks last year. We did manage to sneak a few forests in tho.  We really missed being in the forest away from the masses. Looking forward to getting back to where we belong  with the new season (if it ever gets here).....
 
 Come on Spring!!

[vjm1639]

Most of our favorite campgrounds within a couple of hours from our home are dry camping. None of the parks in the Shenandoah National Park have hookups, Prince William Forest Park has no hook ups and they are some of our favorites. The only time I absolutely MUST have electricity are the hot humid days of summer and then I have to have my AC! Actually though, we purchased a Honda generator last summer so we're hoping that will help with not having to have electric hookups this summer. If I can at least run fans, I'll be fine most of the time. More often than not I don't care as much for the more resorty campgrounds...every now and then they're ok, but the majority of our trips are strictly for relaxation, peace, and quiet. We do go to a few that are more resorty but we know where the best spots are and try to get far away from the larger crowds. :>
 
My favorite vacations have been at remote, primative cabins we've had to backpack into! No running water, no electricity, no people! Just the wildlife and us.

[Fishin BC]

We are Dry Campers too, infact until we attend our first rally with the Scampers we have never stayed in our PU anywhere with hookups.  After having a c class motorhome when our kids were younger and staying full services parks, I was raring to get back out in the woods for real!  We love fishing in the Eastern Sierra and having the PU gets us off the ground but self contained enough to be comfortable.  Fly, we always take a 9x9 tent with us too.  Comes in real handy, we keep our float tubes and gear in it when we aren't out fishing.

We have friends that just recently bought a c class and we tease them all the time about their condo on wheels.  RV parks are great for a stop over to do the laundry, clean and stock the trailer, get a hot shower...but to me camping is not staying in a trailer park, it's being out away from the crowd.  Just my two cents. :W

[Fuzzymike]

We would like to dry camp some time.  Having tented it over the many years it will be nothing new.  About the only concern is our critters.  We have ferrets and the little furballs can't really take teperatures over 80.  Would like to plan a few dry trips this spring and the fall.  Summer is too much for them and if it's a week long trip or over 2 nights they really have to come.  Plus now 2 of the 5 are on meds and have to come.  Don't have a battery but have a batery charger.

Hey Forestcreature could you explain more on the solar system you have and use.

[ForestCreature]

Hey Forestcreature could you explain more on the solar system you have and use.

Hi Squishy, there is more on the solar in the Solar thread in this section. A couple threads down.
 The system we have is an ICP, the one that Costco sells.
 
 BTW, welcome to the board!

[chasd60]

I am a wet camper :! . But I do plan on some dry camping this year, dry as in no hookups. Got my panels and dual batteries installed, now just waiting for the weather.

[griffsmom]

We'll be making our first forray into dry camping this weekend, when we go to the non-hook-up section of San Onofre State Beach (San Mateo cg).  I'm already preparing our 4 y/o DS that we'll be dry camping and we won't be able to watch any DVDs.  I think we should be okay.  It's just nighttime I'm a little worried about.  He ususally decompresses by watching a little bit of a movie before bedtime, but I think if we wear him out sufficiently during the day, it'll be just fine. (Can you tell I'm in "trying to convince myself" mode? :eyecrazy: )

[Dee4j]

We'll be making our first forray into dry camping this weekend, when we go to the non-hook-up section of San Onofre State Beach (San Mateo cg).  I'm already preparing our 4 y/o DS that we'll be dry camping and we won't be able to watch any DVDs.  I think we should be okay.  It's just nighttime I'm a little worried about.  He ususally decompresses by watching a little bit of a movie before bedtime, but I think if we wear him out sufficiently during the day, it'll be just fine. (Can you tell I'm in "trying to convince myself" mode? :eyecrazy: )

Do yo have a DVD in the car??? that may work as a last resort...Have fun. I'm old, lazy, and don't have the desire to dry camp anymore, I've put in my years of dry camping..  nothing like making bottles in a tent at 1 am for a 2 1/2 month old.

Maybe I could be talked into it if it's a short trip..I guess I don't need hookups for beer & campfires :p

[griffsmom]

Do yo have a DVD in the car??? that may work as a last resort...Have fun. I'm old, lazy, and don't have the desire to dry camp anymore, I've put in my years of dry camping.. nothing like making bottles in a tent at 1 am for a 2 1/2 month old.
 
Maybe I could be talked into it if it's a short trip..I guess I don't need hookups for beer & campfires :p

Yes, we have the DVD in the Expy.  Good call, Dee.  I'll tuck that one away in case I end up needing it.  I think we'll be fine,tho.  Griffin just "reminded" me again at dinner that we have no hook ups, and I told him, that's right we're dry camping.  His reply?  "Oh no we're not!  We have a sink in the camper!!"  Hmmm...maybe I didn't get through to him as much as I thought I did.  Better re-the instruction manual that came with him.

[Dee4j]

I told him, that's right we're dry camping.  His reply?  "Oh no we're not!  We have a sink in the camper!!"

pretty smart boy!!! It amazes me how their minds work.. Kara comes up with some doozys sometimes too
have a fun weekend

[griffsmom]

Well, we're back from our first forray into dry camping and have once again lived to tell the tale!  

We only ran the generator (for ourselves...more about that in a minute) for 20 minutes or so, mainly just to see if it worked and how quiet it was, and not because we actually needed to run it.  The Honda 2000eui (or whatever the little letters are after "2000") is really, really quiet!  Griffsdad did a good job on researching and then selecting this model.
 
Now for the rest of the story...after we shut off our generator, the guy in the site next to us came over and started talking about needing to turn his generator on so that he could watch the one of the final Four games, but warning us how his generator was going to blow us out with the noise level.  He then started "hinting" about how we probably would be much more comfortable from a decibel-level perspective if we just let him run an extension cord over to our generator.  Well, DH is a nice guy (and the guy's generator really was EXCRUCIATINGLY AND OBNOXIOUSLY loud) so he let him run the extension cord over.  The guy used our generator for the game and then told us that he was just going to watch his "show" for another 30 minutes, and then we could turn our generator off.  Oh, thanks for that.  :rolleyes:   In any event, it put a deposit into our "good camper karma" account, so no big loss.
 
I didn't fill up the PU's water tank, but instead drew upon our 11 years of pre-PU tent camping skills for dish washing, child washing, etc.  It wasn't exactly difficult, but it was certainly less convenient, and it sure made me appreciate the PU and hook ups a bit more.  I think one of my favorite things about the PU is instant hot running water for dishes.  Oh yeah, and perculator coffee!   We'll dry camp again--it definitely opens up more beautiful camping places, especially on the coast!

[Dee4j]

gee maybe I'll dry camp with ya as long as I can run an extension cord once in awhile... :p

[Camping Coxes]

I think one of my favorite things about the PU is instant hot running water for dishes. Oh yeah, and perculator coffee! We'll dry camp again--it definitely opens up more beautiful camping places, especially on the coast!

This is what I've been preaching all along.  You really limit your experiences with insisting on hook-ups only places.  I.E. our trip to Lake Tahoe was a not-so-pleasant experience, but we had hook-ups.  We much preferred the beauty and serenity and cleanliness of the state park we were at the eyar before, but had no hook-ups.  We all agreed it's worth hauling water and using flashlights more than the overhead lights to have the more beautiful sites.  You learn to conserve energy and water, as you said, relying on your pre pop-up camping days.
 
One hint for water -- Paul is purchasing a hand crank pump (I think he said it's a boating thing) to use to pump water into the holding tanks.  He tried using a funnel and pouring it in, and it gets mighty heavy.  So we're going to designate a water container for filling the PU from the community faucet and use the hand pump.  
 
Oh, and coffee -- Melitta used to make a non-electric coffee pot that I use for camping.  I don't know if they make it anymore.  But it's as good as percolated coffee!  Those coffee bags you dunk like a tea bag are for the birds!

[Dee4j]

I do belive they have 12V coffee makers you can just plug it into the car and I also agree, dry camping does have it's advantages as far as beauty