In general, our motto is to keep things simple. We enjoy dreaming up ways to address a need with the least amount of fuss.
Call it campsite-minimalism : )
Individual “Gear” posts will be listed under “Gear” in the upper main menu.
Our Van Conversion is all about that, though in a trail-bling sort of way. This minimalistic path was prompted by getting a bit tired of maintaining the many systems typically found in an RV. Plumbing, tanks, propane, winterizing, dumping, etc. We thought there had to be other ways to enjoy the outdoors. After enjoying many videos and documentaries about “Dry Cabin Living” in Alaska we set about fine tuning our camp setup. Any links shared in this post are simply examples. We have no affiliation with any of these companies but do enjoy and use their gear!
Here is a general list of how we addressed some of the day-to-day living basics. And as you read through this list also keep in mind this is girly-girl approved by my dearly beloved. In fact, she was and is as much behind all decisions as me.
Toilet. A ~2 gallon bucket with seat and WagBags. Doesn’t get much easier than that.
Hot water for kitchen cleanup or shower. Place a kettle of room temp water in basin or shower tank, then boil another kettle’s worth of water and mix. Pretty much works out to be a nice-on-body temp for us.
Shower. What we are currently testing is utilizing the Coleman Portable Sink as both sink and shower pump. I will update on the success after the 2016 season’s use. For a shower basin we utilize an easy to find ~2′ x 3′ concrete mixing tub.
Lighting. We have gone exclusively with LED lights around camp. Our current main lanterns are two “Princeton Tec Helix Basecamp Lanterns“. The design is compact and throws out a nice light (white or red). For portable lighting we typically go with an easy to find ~1300 lumen LED flashlight from Duracell. It is big, but packs a punch and a price that is hard to beat (~$20 at a big box store). On the smaller size we have a mix of AA powered flashlights. For fun we also have a color changing light and some string lights for under the awnings/tarps.
Water filtration. We drink primarily bottled water that stores easily in a dedicated area in our rig. For the rare occasion we may need to refill our three Front Runner water cans (this is our non drinking supply for kitchen/shower use) while in camp we can use our Katadyn Gravity Filter set up on a Coleman Telescoping Lantern Stand.
Cooking. Stoves are a combination of a simple Butane chef/restaurant style stove and also an Optimus Polaris Optifuel stove we typically run white gas in, though regular unleaded can be used too.
Pots/Pans. We have a nice selection of titanium cookware, not that we need to save weight since we are vehicle based, but they are naturally non-stick and a nice size for meals-for-two. We also have larger ceramic non-stick pans for large meal prep.
Those are the basics around camp for us. I’ll post updates as things area tested/added down the road : )