This blog will be a way for me to share destinations for camping with you. I will also try to share things that I learn along the way. (I have already learned A LOT!) I will also try to create some helpful lists, for beginners like me, to help get you started!
Here's a little about me and the story of how this came about!
Hi All! I'm Kim, a.k.a. MaineKayakGirl.
This is my sidekick, Gladys, a.k.a. MaineKayakDog. She is a rescue pup, supposedly part Aussie part Great Pyranese. This is my second summer with her and so far she does well in the kayak. I think this summer she will spend a lot more time in the bow as I plan to bring her on more adventures!
As my love of kayaking has grown and my desire to go more places I began
thinking about getting a camper. For those who follow my kayaking blog you know I do a lot of paddling solo. I am happy doing things by
myself, but the idea of being in the woods solo made me a little
nervous. So I began thinking about getting a dog. That way I would at
least know if someone or something was about to kill me! But... I am
allergic to dogs... at least that's what allergy testing showed several
years ago. That same testing did not show any allergies to cats, but I
have cats, and think, over time I have become sensitive to them so I
figured a dog may cause me to have a small reaction but probably not
major... so I fostered a few dogs to see how my allergies would do AND
to see if I really wanted a dog... turns out I did want a dog. True
confession: I am not a dog person. I do not like all dogs in fact some
dogs make me nervous, but... I AM a Gladys person.
So... As I thought about getting a camper I knew I wanted a tent camper... which apparently are really called pop ups... I still like tent camper because it really is a tent that is of the ground with a bit more structure. For the last couple of years I have kept my eye on the classified ads to see if a gently used tent camper would pop up. (See what I did there?!) I was surprised at the cost of campers that were 20 years old..at least those that were in good shape were still a substantial amount of money...
On a whim I looked at dealerships to see how much a new one would cost. I found one on sale... Last Friday I went to look at it but was pretty certain I wanted it and would come home with it. I am VERY tall... and wanted to make sure that I didn't feel like the hunchback of Notre Dame when I was inside. I checked it out... And... I brought it home!
There is a bit of a learning curve trying to drive a trailer! Well, the driving part is pretty simple... but the backing up... that is a challenge!
Anyone who tells you it is easy is, well, either really rare or full of crap! On my way home with it for the first time I did manage to back it up into the parking space at a truckstop... but that was because there were very few trucks around and I could pretty much drive in a circle and then have to back up almost straight! Then, I got home... and had to get it backed into my yard...
97.5 turns later... I got it done!
It was not smooth, but I stayed calm...and was relieved nobody was watching me!
Saturday I had a kayaking event so I didn't do anything with the camper, but wanted to get it set up and loaded for my adventures...
I also knew I needed to do more practice backing up... so... I got up Sunday morning and hooked onto it. (While it seems pretty basic to attach a trailer to a ball hitch, I learned that I had to move the latch thingy on the top... which seems easy enough... but I messed with it a bit... I had lowered it onto my hitch but it didn't look right... until I managed to move that handle and then it went down over the ball pretty easily! I will try to get a video and add it to the post. (Seems simple to people who do it all the time, but for me, it didn't seem to be a no brainer!)
(By the way, when parked I put a padlock on the hitch to try to prevent anyone from driving off with it. A friend told me they actually have hitch locks... I will probably look into it, but this works for now!
So I hooked it up, plugged in the cord for the electric and brakes and drove to a place to practice backing up. I thought about going to Walmart or Lowes but thought there may be people already out shopping, so decided to go to a movie theater parking lot. It was perfect! I was the only person there. I practiced... A LOT... and I am not perfect yet. I have a lot more practicing to do... but when I brought it home I managed to get it backed into my yard with about a 45 point turn.. better than the first time. It is still not instinctual for me... I hope it gets there!
Then I came home and set it up for the first time! OH... that reminds me.. as I was opening it I noticed one of the latches on the camper was missing a part... This is the latches as they should look while in transit.
the back latches did not come with those ring pin things. I had asked about that and was told they weren't needed. Well... when I went to set it up, I noticed one of the back latches had somehow/somewhere lost part of the hardware. (A new one is supposedly on its way to me from the dealership! ) INSIST that every latch has one of those pins.
I got it set up!!
It wasn't too bad! I used the manual of course... and have added some notes for myself to add. (I will make a list and share it at some point here!)
Gladys seemed to like it. Although I think she would be happy to be outside no matter what she was attached to!
She is so pretty!
So Sunday I puttered around the camper to get it loaded up... I had tried to make a list of things I needed for the camper. I am sure I have forgotten things or don't know about certain things... but I think I am pretty well stocked at this point. (dishes, silverware, tin foil, etc.) I will try to share some lists of things I have included in the camper so that other people may use them. I did not take pictures of what /how I packed but I will try to do that when I unpack at my first adventure. (I just closed it up because rain is coming!)
Gadys seems to like being inside too...
I have reservations for my first adventure. It is one I will do without Gladys because I want to go and make sure I have what I need and am also going to a place where I expect to see a lot of wildlife and Gladys has not seen deer/moose from the kayak and I am a bit nervous about how she would do. But future trips will include her! (I promise!)
I will update you on where I camp and how things go and what I learn along the way!
Are you a camper too? I would LOVE to hear from you! Let me know where you think I should go camping and suggest paddling places nearby if you can! You can leave a comment or send me an email at MaineKayakGirl@gmail.com
Happy Camping!
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