Solar Camping

We all have known the pleasure of sleeping outside, with the gentle protection of a tent, on a pleasant night in the wilderness, or in a nicely located Forest Service or State run campground. Nothing beats being "out" in nature, even if it is in a somewhat structured environment such as a campground. There are no pretenses, everyone there is casual, and even the President of a fortune 500 company looks no different than the bus boy 3 sites over.

Somewhere along the line, however, either thru aging, lack of time or lack of desire, we decided we were not going to "rough" it anymore. We folded up our tents for the last time, packed away the messy lantern, camp stoves, paper plates and cute little enameled coffee cups.

Yeah, this is the life, isn't it? Real dishes, Pots, Pans, cooking tools! Coffee without crunchy bits in it, comfy seating, warm beds and private space!

But, we got a whole new set of headaches for the trade off. Now we have systems requiring power, fueling and cleaning! We have heaters, fans, lights, refrigerators and all kinds of places and opportunities to plug in "things". The things that used to stay at home when we "camped". TVs, computers, video games, DVD players, air conditioners, bright lights, kitchen sinks, entertainment systems, medical equipment, drip coffee makers, microwaves. And lets not forget the most important items of all.. a flush toilet and a hot shower each morning.

So... we resign ourselves to "camping" at places that only have full hook ups so we can use all this junk as it was intended. OR... we get a generator big enough to power all this fodder if we want to slip off the concrete and into the woods or anywhere else a power outlet just isn't going to be. More money, more fuel to carry, more space needed.

As I write this, I am in a forest service campground in a wilderness area, in my small reasonably self contained trailer. The only thing supplied here for your $15 camp fee is a nicely paved spur, water that comes from sparsely spaced public spigots, and several buildings hosting pit toilets. (Blarg!)

The campsites are just that .... CAMPSITES. Once off the spur, you get a large area with a picnic table and a fire pit. The large area is carpeted with pine needles.. and dirt. Nothing is "primped". Not even me. But I don't stink.

It is what most consider "camping ", not RVing. There are many big motor homes and giant toy haulers and 5th wheels here. But I share the campground with mostly tenters who are sitting by their fires right now, trying to keep warm and a little dry in the drizzle.

At my age and disposition, I would seriously be planning my escape right now if I was one of them.

But I am snug inside, enjoying the view in comfort. With plenty of power to keep myself entertained and to help me avoid stepping on a dog or bumping my shin on an unseen obstacle. I have most of the comforts and toys listed above in here, and what I don't have, I don't have by choice, or don't require to survive. The items don't suit my lifestyle or health needs.

How do I manage to keep all the whirring electronics going when the trees lack power outlets?

I have no generator with me. Yet my battery is reading 13.2 volts after a long day and a few hours sitting inside. My lights could bring planes down, and my fridge is running at near freezing temps. The heater is running quietly and efficiently. I do not have to huddle in front of it and look forward to having my body temp drop to death levels if I step a foot away. I had a hot shower an hour ago, inside MY trailer with no bathroom. Also, to share more information than you really want, I just relieved myself in a warm sitting position on a nicely formed seat. What I "did" was flushed away. I didn't get a waft of it, and I still haven't. I did this inside my own private space.

Now, with that unsavory vision in your head, you can either scratch your eyes out, or check the pages inside to see how I never worry about electrical juice, or disturbing my neighbors anymore.