2020 Camping season.....over before it starts?

[rule18]

Camping trip tonight. Waiting for the whistle at 3 and we are gone til Sunday evening.

Nice, enjoy!

 

[Razzman]

Nice thing about California (maybe only thing) is that we can camp year-round. Never had to winterize the trailers or motorhome, just dump all water and clear lines after each trip. Planning our December trip now in fact. My company imposes a paid work moratorium mid-November until after New Years every year so I have nothing to do but camp! Here's a pic from two weeks before Christmas last year it was cold at night at around 36 (but that's the desert) and 63 average during the day, Jumbo Rocks CG in Joshua Tree NP. Hardly anybody there, just the camp host behind us.

 

[rule18]

Nice thing about California (maybe only thing) is that we can camp year-round. Never had to winterize the trailers or motorhome, just dump all water and clear lines after each trip. Planning our December trip now in fact. My company imposes a paid work moratorium mid-November until after New Years every year so I have nothing to do but camp! Here's a pic from two weeks before Christmas last year it was cold at night at around 36 (but that's the desert) and 63 average during the day, Jumbo Rocks CG in Joshua Tree NP. Hardly anybody there, just the camp host behind us.

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Your company forces you to take 6 weeks off with pay? That's awesome.

 

[Razzman]

Your company forces you to take 6 weeks off with pay? That's awesome.

Exactly, all we do is monitor the payment systems to make sure everything is working as expected. Takes me about a half hour a day and can be done remotely. Sweet deal! The team members switch off every week monitoring so I'm only doing it two outta six weeks. That leaves four weeks to do squat lol

 

[392DevilDog]

We can camp year round here too...but it gets a little colder than 36 lol

 

[Gr8bawana]

That looks like a neat place. Judging from the elevation change, between your camper and the one next to it, that campground looks very hilly. Big mountains out west that hopefully I'll be able to see one day.

Thanks. That isn't another campsite, it's just the screen house we put up so we could eat in peace without bugs. Although as soon as the sun went down it was too cold for any bugs except a few moths.

 

[lpennock]

We have a propane fire pit. We can use it in dry places. I should buy 5 more to sell at campsites as I think I could sell them.

Love my propane fire pit. I love being able to to use when fire restriction are in.

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[392DevilDog]

Heading camping tomorrow after work. Will be the last regular season trip for 2020.

All in we only missed 3 weeks in April 3 weeks in May and a few weekends in June.

Hope next year goes off without a hitch. And the new campers keep enjoying themselves...but leave room for me.

 

[Razzman]

We have a propane fire pit. We can use it in dry places. I should buy 5 more to sell at campsites as I think I could sell them.

Same here, only use propane pit. Haven't burned in years.

 

[GsRAM]

Heading camping tomorrow after work. Will be the last regular season trip for 2020.

All in we only missed 3 weeks in April 3 weeks in May and a few weekends in June.

Hope next year goes off without a hitch. And the new campers keep enjoying themselves...but leave room for me.

Nice man, enjoy.

But I'll say, let these newbie covid campers go back to whatever they were doing pre pandemic so there is more site availability for me....and prices on newer rigs go back down to where they were pre pandemic so I can stomach buying a new one next year...hahaha lol!

But seriously, the ones who have now discovered camping and love it, good for them.....

I dont know where all the park rangers have been though. Quiet hours are.not being observed by some, or enforced.

The pa state park rangers seem very lax with enforcing rules compared to years prior when they used to do foot patrols often. Oh well, maybe I'm just getting old.

 

[Loudram]

Nice man, enjoy.

But I'll say, let these newbie covid campers go back to whatever they were doing pre pandemic so there is more site availability for me....and prices on newer rigs go back down to where they were pre pandemic so I can stomach buying a new one next year...hahaha lol!

I agree. We might downsize a little next year.

 

[GsRAM]

I agree. We might downsize a little next year.

Really? Why's that LR?

 

[392DevilDog]

You can thank Google reviews for that. The party crowd that came along say, five years ago. They want a private resort feel. They forget the rest of us are here for the privacy feel. For nature and relaxing.

As the party crowd began to dwindle off...we new got the newbie crowd.

I am all for everyone to have their style of fun. But there are different times and places fir different styles.

We usually stay away for holidays...or go to the non electric areas. But the newbies all seem to have bought generators too

Oh well. We started tent camping to get further into the forest.

Improvise adapt overcome.

 

[Loudram]

Really? Why's that LR?

My wife wants a larger shower. We have the smaller radius shower and I wouldn't mind finding something between 27' and 30'. It'll fit better on the garage side of our driveway. And on top of that the tongue is a little heavier than I like. They really listed this tongue on the light side. It's listed at 650lbs but mine loaded is 1100lbs and I don't have a ton of heavy stuff in the front pass thru. I always add 100lbs minimum to the dry tongue weight for the battery and full propane bottles. So that brings it up to 750lbs.

I think a smaller aluminum framed trailer is the way to go. My truck pulls the current ones fine so if we don't find one we like it's not the end of the world. The only thing that bothers me is that I'm close to or maybe over my payload but if I am I'm only over by 100 or 200lbs. If I keep this trailer I'll upgrade my hitch too. I have the 10k/1k Equalizer hitch. I'd step up to the 12000k/1200k one because of my tongue weight. The trailer itself is only 7600lbs loaded and I have the 3.92 rear.

There are a lot of factors playing into this decision. It's not a done deal, we have to find what we want at the price we want. We're in the driver's seat, we can live with this trailer so it'll come down to "make me an offer that I can't refuse" or we walk.

 

[GsRAM]

Well gents, my last camping trip of the year is officially in the books.

We had a good time again. Rude/unfriendly neighbors on the one side again (I still don't get not saying hello...lol) but that's just me. The other side was only there 2 nights but were friendly and had two cute dogs. I spent some time chatting with them. They were good, old school, friendly campers like me, so I enjoyed that. It's always great to meet nice, good people that's for sure.

We got out 4 times this year. Not as much as I'd have liked, but better than nothing which is what I thought it'd be when I started this thread.

When I got home today and cleaned the camper inside and out I winterized it. Kind of sad knowing it'll be 6 months at least till she'll leave the driveway.

Every year for the past 3 yrs I tell myself this is the year for a new camper, but i continue on with the Layton. I just can't get rid of the old girl (lol) . My two sons are taller than i am now so we really do need more room, but my youngest is very sentimental and doesn't want me to sell the Layton, the only camper he's ever known.

We'll see what next year brings. I'm praying for a healthier and more normal 2021, maybe this Christmas visions of new TTs will be dancing in my head.. hahahaha... (only if prices come back down!)

Have a good night gents...

 

[Loudram]

It's sad when the season is over. I love camping. Can't wait until April.

 

[bloup]

Also sad, winter is just around the bend [emoji30]


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[Loudram]

Also sad, winter is just around the bend [emoji30]


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Yep, I'm not really a winter person either.

 

[GsRAM]

It's sad when the season is over. I love camping. Can't wait until April.

Sure is man. My wife was bummed yesterday knowing it was over for the season. She said something to me yesterday that really hit home with me. Her family was not campers. She never went until I took her when we were first dating, nearly 20 years ago now. She told me that this year she appreciated camping more than ever with this pandemic.

Other years we take beach trips and do other activities, but this year, like for so many others, camping was our one outlet to get away from home for a few days, break away from the M-F working from home routine and do something different. I agree. Even with the big crowds this year.

I've always loved camping, but this year especially. My two boys must have thanked me 20 times this weekend for taking them camping. I love that they love it and I hope they will continue the tradition of camping with their families.

It's a lot of work, but worth it. Its great.

 

[GsRAM]

Also sad, winter is just around the bend [emoji30]


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No doubt. This time of year is my least favorite. The clocks are going back soon (which causes me all kinds of sleeping issues for several weeks), days are super short, long, dark nights, cold, stuck inside a lot. My wife loves Florida and maybe someday we'll move there. At least the cold can be avoided for the most part there.