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Hello Folks
I am Michael. I live in the Stanislaus National Forest just off Highway 4 near Arnold CA. I'm 69 years old and have camped since I was a kid. I am a solo camper, always camping alone.
Until recently all of that camping was tent camping (starting with the Boy Scouts back in the 1950s and 60s). I enjoyed my tent camping immensely.
But in recent years my buddy talked me into trailer camping. He and his wife have a big 24' trailer that needs a 3/4 ton diesel pickup to tow, and it is pretty much limited to defined campsites. His wife even prefers ones with full hookups.
I bought a little teardrop (9x5') and although it was intriguing, it was too tight... felt like sleeping in a coffin, difficult to get in and out of. It had a kitchen around back on the outside. After a couple nights in that, sold it.
Bought a Sylvansport GO, which is basically a cheap Asian tent on a very sophisticated USA made aluminum trailer. But still, it's a tent that cost $10,000 because it has wheels. It gets you up off the ground, but otherwise not much different than a tent, and the tent portion of it is poor quality. After a couple nights camping in it, sold it.
Decided to go for a bigger trailer, and bought the smallest Forest River RPOD (the 171). It was closer to what my buddy's wife prefers and farther from what I prefer. It has air conditioning, TV, microwave/convection oven (all of which need AC power to work). I have no intention of camping where AC power is available, so all that stuff is worthless to me. Although it is 18 1/2 feet long and 6 1/2 feet wide, it's very cramped inside. I find it difficult to get in and out of the short queen bed. The "wet bath" is tiny, too small for me to sit in comfortably without leaving the door open. The idea of showering in there is absolutely absurd. Not for me. After two nights, put it up for sale and have sold it. I failed to think it through and made another expensive mistake.
So, I am going back to tent camping. Part of the idea of trailer camping was that it is easier, but it is most certainly NOT easier. Tent camping allows me to camp in dispersed camping areas in the National Forest, away from other people. The places I like are often only accessible via 4wd trails. None of those trailers was going to be able to get where I want.
I bought the latest model of the REI Kingdom 6 (just me, but I like a LOT of room). It's quite a bit different than the Kingdom 6 I had 10 years ago. The whole pole structure has changed. I set it up once with my buddy in his backyard and it was easy. I am sure I can set it up alone (and usually will be alone), but not as easily as the old K6 I had.
I also got one of the Teton Sports Outfitter XXL cots I will use in the K6 along with an Exped Megamat LXW pad. That is a super comfortable sleeping setup. I still have all my other tent camping gear I have had for years.
One complication is that now I have to sleep with a CPAP machine or I spend the night choking and not sleeping. I have a setup that works well (a 12v 100ah Renogy GEL battery that will power the CPAP for a couple nights and a Renogy solar suitcase setup that will at least partially recover the charge on the battery if it is out in the sun and aimed right all day.
So, that's me. Looking forward to camping with this new setup.
I am Michael. I live in the Stanislaus National Forest just off Highway 4 near Arnold CA. I'm 69 years old and have camped since I was a kid. I am a solo camper, always camping alone.
Until recently all of that camping was tent camping (starting with the Boy Scouts back in the 1950s and 60s). I enjoyed my tent camping immensely.
But in recent years my buddy talked me into trailer camping. He and his wife have a big 24' trailer that needs a 3/4 ton diesel pickup to tow, and it is pretty much limited to defined campsites. His wife even prefers ones with full hookups.
I bought a little teardrop (9x5') and although it was intriguing, it was too tight... felt like sleeping in a coffin, difficult to get in and out of. It had a kitchen around back on the outside. After a couple nights in that, sold it.
Bought a Sylvansport GO, which is basically a cheap Asian tent on a very sophisticated USA made aluminum trailer. But still, it's a tent that cost $10,000 because it has wheels. It gets you up off the ground, but otherwise not much different than a tent, and the tent portion of it is poor quality. After a couple nights camping in it, sold it.
Decided to go for a bigger trailer, and bought the smallest Forest River RPOD (the 171). It was closer to what my buddy's wife prefers and farther from what I prefer. It has air conditioning, TV, microwave/convection oven (all of which need AC power to work). I have no intention of camping where AC power is available, so all that stuff is worthless to me. Although it is 18 1/2 feet long and 6 1/2 feet wide, it's very cramped inside. I find it difficult to get in and out of the short queen bed. The "wet bath" is tiny, too small for me to sit in comfortably without leaving the door open. The idea of showering in there is absolutely absurd. Not for me. After two nights, put it up for sale and have sold it. I failed to think it through and made another expensive mistake.
So, I am going back to tent camping. Part of the idea of trailer camping was that it is easier, but it is most certainly NOT easier. Tent camping allows me to camp in dispersed camping areas in the National Forest, away from other people. The places I like are often only accessible via 4wd trails. None of those trailers was going to be able to get where I want.
I bought the latest model of the REI Kingdom 6 (just me, but I like a LOT of room). It's quite a bit different than the Kingdom 6 I had 10 years ago. The whole pole structure has changed. I set it up once with my buddy in his backyard and it was easy. I am sure I can set it up alone (and usually will be alone), but not as easily as the old K6 I had.
I also got one of the Teton Sports Outfitter XXL cots I will use in the K6 along with an Exped Megamat LXW pad. That is a super comfortable sleeping setup. I still have all my other tent camping gear I have had for years.
One complication is that now I have to sleep with a CPAP machine or I spend the night choking and not sleeping. I have a setup that works well (a 12v 100ah Renogy GEL battery that will power the CPAP for a couple nights and a Renogy solar suitcase setup that will at least partially recover the charge on the battery if it is out in the sun and aimed right all day.
So, that's me. Looking forward to camping with this new setup.
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