24/7 Chat About Anything
- Thread starter travelaround
- Start date
Help Support Van Living Forum:
Ravella and X
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2020
- Messages
- 528
- Reaction score
- 148
Aloha everyone! I dont have time to catch up on all of the posts on the forum since I last looked. I only saw that Nature Lover is not 100%. Take good care of yourself, NL. Make it your priority, please!
I am camp hosting on federal land starting tomorrow. My first work camping gig, and I feel really good about giving back for all of the benefit I've gained from full-timing on our public lands.
I will be taking care of 5 campgrounds, 4 of which aren't much used. They're very remote and I have the use of a gov truck. Lots of driving dirt roads where the deer and the antelope play!
I don't ever tell the whole internet exactly where I am, but if any forum regulars are in Northern Nevada this summer (through September), shoot me a PM and I'll tell you all about this lovely free campground. : )
There is 0 cell signal. I have to drive for connection, so won't be seeing much of the forum for a while. Y'all be good. If you cant be good, be safe!
I am camp hosting on federal land starting tomorrow. My first work camping gig, and I feel really good about giving back for all of the benefit I've gained from full-timing on our public lands.
I will be taking care of 5 campgrounds, 4 of which aren't much used. They're very remote and I have the use of a gov truck. Lots of driving dirt roads where the deer and the antelope play!
I don't ever tell the whole internet exactly where I am, but if any forum regulars are in Northern Nevada this summer (through September), shoot me a PM and I'll tell you all about this lovely free campground. : )
There is 0 cell signal. I have to drive for connection, so won't be seeing much of the forum for a while. Y'all be good. If you cant be good, be safe!
highdesertranger
R.I.P HDR
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2012
- Messages
- 22,892
- Reaction score
- 89
Congrats Ravella. Highdesertranger
crofter
Well-known member
Congrats & major kudos for getting a vehicle. You should have some knowledge of local cell hotspots or if none get them to give you satellite connection for emergency use. Last time I hosted the campers had an incident at least once a week, though Nevada campers may be more responsible & have fewer incidents.Ravella and X said:
Have fun!!
-crofter
"Very remote" being a key factor. Most of Nevada is "remote", "very remote" is way out past out there.
"You can't get there from here."
Anybody, that goes that far out, is usually looking for peace and quiet, and are self sufficient, as there are no easy touristy drives to these sites.
A wild guess, the CGs are in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Almost all NF in Nevada is HTNF.
Unlike Arizona, Nevada has only one NF, the Humboldt-Toiyabe. [Exception to that rule below.] Obviously, no requirement for one to leave the entire NF after 14 nights in a 28 night period.
[I recently had a conversation with a BLM ranger where, uncoached, not led on by me, I simply asked that he explain the "14 day rule". He stated "it should actually be the 14 night rule", and said that his superiors weren't interested when he made the suggestion to change the wording. The logic is that one arrives on day 1 and leaves on day 15, having stayed over for 14 nights.]
One HTNF ranger district is in headquartered in Bridgeport, CA.
Tit for tat, a piece of California's Inyo NF extends into Nevada, from about Dyer, NV up to above US-6.
Link to Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/htnf/
"You can't get there from here."
Anybody, that goes that far out, is usually looking for peace and quiet, and are self sufficient, as there are no easy touristy drives to these sites.
A wild guess, the CGs are in the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. Almost all NF in Nevada is HTNF.
Unlike Arizona, Nevada has only one NF, the Humboldt-Toiyabe. [Exception to that rule below.] Obviously, no requirement for one to leave the entire NF after 14 nights in a 28 night period.
[I recently had a conversation with a BLM ranger where, uncoached, not led on by me, I simply asked that he explain the "14 day rule". He stated "it should actually be the 14 night rule", and said that his superiors weren't interested when he made the suggestion to change the wording. The logic is that one arrives on day 1 and leaves on day 15, having stayed over for 14 nights.]
One HTNF ranger district is in headquartered in Bridgeport, CA.
Tit for tat, a piece of California's Inyo NF extends into Nevada, from about Dyer, NV up to above US-6.
Link to Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest:
https://www.fs.usda.gov/htnf/
travelaround
Well-known member
Congratulations to Ravella on the new job!
I may be visiting Nevada later this year. My youngest son lives in Reno, so I'd be seeking a boondocking spot near there. Any suggestions? Anyone? Closer to Lake Tahoe would be fine with me. He works full time so it isn't like I'd be seeing him every day. He lives with the people who sold me the property in Happy Camp. I don't want to park in their driveway though it is a nice neighborhood.
Maki - great idea to have a scaffolding that can double as a table. Hope your repairs go well and last a long time.
Nature Lover - How's everything going? Hope you're healing well. It has been a difficult year for you!
Who here has a tent on board? After seeing my daughter's tent I thought I might want to get one too, but that looks like storage of it would take too much room. I also like the idea of not having anything outside my van so I can easily turn the key and leave if things don't go as planned.
I may be visiting Nevada later this year. My youngest son lives in Reno, so I'd be seeking a boondocking spot near there. Any suggestions? Anyone? Closer to Lake Tahoe would be fine with me. He works full time so it isn't like I'd be seeing him every day. He lives with the people who sold me the property in Happy Camp. I don't want to park in their driveway though it is a nice neighborhood.
Maki - great idea to have a scaffolding that can double as a table. Hope your repairs go well and last a long time.
Nature Lover - How's everything going? Hope you're healing well. It has been a difficult year for you!
Who here has a tent on board? After seeing my daughter's tent I thought I might want to get one too, but that looks like storage of it would take too much room. I also like the idea of not having anything outside my van so I can easily turn the key and leave if things don't go as planned.
Travelaround don't worry about getting a tent right now. Just start van life without one. You will soon figure out if you want one or not. I did not start out with one but found out I needed one for the work space it offered me. It also came in handy a few weeks ago as a gathering place when camping with friends on some what chilly afternoons when the wind was up. But my needs are very different than yours. Just start without one and see how that goes. If you get one be sure you can set it up by yourself. They all have to be staked down and have guy ropes added because of winds. That is the time consuming part.
The video Bob wells did showing the Clam shelter going up in 45 seconds is a lie. Sure the thing can popup that fast but it is essential to stake it out which takes 4 bottom corner stakes, 3 stakes and guy ropes to the rings on the sides and 4 more stakes and guy ropes to the top corners. He did a diservice in that video by leaving that part of setting up the screen room out of the video.
The video Bob wells did showing the Clam shelter going up in 45 seconds is a lie. Sure the thing can popup that fast but it is essential to stake it out which takes 4 bottom corner stakes, 3 stakes and guy ropes to the rings on the sides and 4 more stakes and guy ropes to the top corners. He did a diservice in that video by leaving that part of setting up the screen room out of the video.
Looks like it is going to start heating up a bit. I plan to pave myself and not overdo things with too much physical activity. I am camped in the forest so at least I am near shade and only getting sun on my solar panel around late morning to mid afternoon. So far that is enough for my needs. But I can always top it up with my generator if I want now that it has been altered to run at high altitude.
Have new neighbors today, they are also quiet. They are here to see the vintage, route 66 car show that is being held this weekend in the nearby town of Williams AZ. I met them briefly today as they came over looking for matches to light their camp stove. I very much enjoy camping in the Kaibab Forest. Where I am there is a forest mangement plan to keep out overgrowth and underbrush to reduce fire risk. So it is not at all gloomy or crowded feeling. Quite possible to find decent solar input in the clearings between trees. Where I am there is a good Verizon signal during the non peak hours. It gets a little slow in the evenings and between 8 to 10 am.
Today I set up my screen room and then cut a half dozen cardstock kits on my vinyl cutter. I will package them up this evening. Tomorrow I will likely begin putting varnish on the cabinet doors. The screen room will be used for the varnish room to help reduce the dust, I will have the wind panels up on all 5 sides. It will likely take a number of days to get enough coats of finish on them. I know I will need some more 220 grit paper for in between coats. I will also need a box of deck screws to act as little legs on the backside of the doors to raise them up off the tarp I put on the ground inside of my screen room. So in the morning I am heading into town for supplies.
When working in a boondock situation on bulds improvisation had to happen as I do not have any other large surface to rest them on a or way to suspend the doors while they dry. The small screw holes left on the back of the doors won't be a problem to fill in.
Have new neighbors today, they are also quiet. They are here to see the vintage, route 66 car show that is being held this weekend in the nearby town of Williams AZ. I met them briefly today as they came over looking for matches to light their camp stove. I very much enjoy camping in the Kaibab Forest. Where I am there is a forest mangement plan to keep out overgrowth and underbrush to reduce fire risk. So it is not at all gloomy or crowded feeling. Quite possible to find decent solar input in the clearings between trees. Where I am there is a good Verizon signal during the non peak hours. It gets a little slow in the evenings and between 8 to 10 am.
Today I set up my screen room and then cut a half dozen cardstock kits on my vinyl cutter. I will package them up this evening. Tomorrow I will likely begin putting varnish on the cabinet doors. The screen room will be used for the varnish room to help reduce the dust, I will have the wind panels up on all 5 sides. It will likely take a number of days to get enough coats of finish on them. I know I will need some more 220 grit paper for in between coats. I will also need a box of deck screws to act as little legs on the backside of the doors to raise them up off the tarp I put on the ground inside of my screen room. So in the morning I am heading into town for supplies.
When working in a boondock situation on bulds improvisation had to happen as I do not have any other large surface to rest them on a or way to suspend the doors while they dry. The small screw holes left on the back of the doors won't be a problem to fill in.
vanbrat
Well-known member
We have an easy-up that has, on occasion, gone out with us. It is easy to put up as long as there are 2 of us that will do it. And it has 12 steaks that are needed if there is wind. That said if we where to ever be someplace for very long it does come in handy for shade and rain protection. Last time we used it it covered our table lowered closely over every thing in a storm it was strongly tied down and everything under it stayed nice and dry. We also do this if we are leaving the camp for a few hours or longer. It is a bugger to get under so not the first or easiest camp to get into. We camped it a spot that had NO shade and it saved our poor puppy dog, he does not do heat and hot sunshine very well. So do the pros and cons and decide what you want. Try with out first and then think about where to store it and all that.... Ours gets tied to the ladder outside the van. We know it is in danger of theft more out there, but depending on what we need, sometimes it's worth the chance.travelaround said:
travelaround
Well-known member
Good idea to put those screws on the back while your cabinet doors dry. I'm going to remember that idea!
RAINY day here . . . so rainy. RV guy came by to say the guy with the RV shop may be backing out, and that he and the woodworker might do it without the RV shop's help. Don't know why the RV shop would do that, but apparently he watched a lot of videos of people with magnificent builds and was thinking I was expecting something like that when I really am looking for something much more simple and basic at this time. I'm focusing more on the framework and gadgets like solar panels, fan, etc... not on fancy cabinetry. I bought a couple cheap cabinets to get started so they wouldn't have to do anything like that. One cabinet has a sink, and the other has a closet for clothes and drawers. I wouldn't expect them to last twenty years, but for a few years, they would be okay. Good news is that RV guy says they can bring the materials out here to work on it in my RV space, or on my land... and ordering parts would be cheaper as the RV shop wouldn't be making a profit. RV guy that I'm working with is a long-time RV repair expert with solar panel installation experience.
Okay, still hoping to have a van worthy of living in someday. It might not be "house beautiful" but it would probably have a small washer and dryer, which I already purchased for this trailer. Maybe a few other things one might not normally see in a converted van, since RV guy thinks like a RV guy not like a vanlifer. My van can handle it.
Reminds me - a few days ago our local sheriff's department posted photos on Facebook of a van accident. The driver had already been warned not to drive with large quantities of water in the back. This is probably water being carried to a cannabis cultivation site, which we have too many of in the county right now, just north of Mt. Shasta. Anyhow, once they stopped him and made him dump some water out because of the van's GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). Another day, same van, wrecked on the side of the highway because he apparently didn't believe the deputies the first time he was stopped.
The photos on Facebook:
It made me think that after I get my van conversion I'd like to pack it with as much as I think would be normal, and get it weighed. Now, my van is larger than the one in the picture, but I definitely would not want to have that problem.
RAINY day here . . . so rainy. RV guy came by to say the guy with the RV shop may be backing out, and that he and the woodworker might do it without the RV shop's help. Don't know why the RV shop would do that, but apparently he watched a lot of videos of people with magnificent builds and was thinking I was expecting something like that when I really am looking for something much more simple and basic at this time. I'm focusing more on the framework and gadgets like solar panels, fan, etc... not on fancy cabinetry. I bought a couple cheap cabinets to get started so they wouldn't have to do anything like that. One cabinet has a sink, and the other has a closet for clothes and drawers. I wouldn't expect them to last twenty years, but for a few years, they would be okay. Good news is that RV guy says they can bring the materials out here to work on it in my RV space, or on my land... and ordering parts would be cheaper as the RV shop wouldn't be making a profit. RV guy that I'm working with is a long-time RV repair expert with solar panel installation experience.
Okay, still hoping to have a van worthy of living in someday. It might not be "house beautiful" but it would probably have a small washer and dryer, which I already purchased for this trailer. Maybe a few other things one might not normally see in a converted van, since RV guy thinks like a RV guy not like a vanlifer. My van can handle it.
Reminds me - a few days ago our local sheriff's department posted photos on Facebook of a van accident. The driver had already been warned not to drive with large quantities of water in the back. This is probably water being carried to a cannabis cultivation site, which we have too many of in the county right now, just north of Mt. Shasta. Anyhow, once they stopped him and made him dump some water out because of the van's GVWR (gross vehicle weight rating). Another day, same van, wrecked on the side of the highway because he apparently didn't believe the deputies the first time he was stopped.
The photos on Facebook:
It made me think that after I get my van conversion I'd like to pack it with as much as I think would be normal, and get it weighed. Now, my van is larger than the one in the picture, but I definitely would not want to have that problem.
travelaround
Well-known member
Thanks for the tent advice Vanbrat and Maki ... I think I'll start out without one but consider getting one later, as you suggested. I've already done some van travel, but never got to the point where I could just park in one spot for two weeks without a need to keep moving on. I'm restless. Hope I can settle down into longer periods of boondocking.
I figured out this evening that this weeks feeling very tired was the first sign of dehydration. I thoght I was drinking plenty of fluids while I was working on the cabinet doors last weekend and while pacing up tochange casmpsies but I guess I did not. I was working up a sweat on those tasks, I should have paid extra attention to hydration. Tonight the secondary warning symptom of dehydration appeared, feeling like I need to pee not very long after I just did that. So now I willntank up on extra water and for sure I will be getting up in the middle of the night for the real deal. Better that than getting even sicker feeling.
With hot weather on its way I am goining to need to set a timer and put out the right quantity of liquid to drink during the day. One of the getting older issues is being more susceptible to heat and to dehydration. I was thinking I had lost more weight this lsdt week, now I am guessing it was mostly water weight, too bad about that, wrong kind of weight to lose. But its no mystery now why I was feeling so tired. From now on for the rest of summer I will pay attention that feeling of utter exhaustion and or headaches as being the earliest warning signs of dehydration.
With hot weather on its way I am goining to need to set a timer and put out the right quantity of liquid to drink during the day. One of the getting older issues is being more susceptible to heat and to dehydration. I was thinking I had lost more weight this lsdt week, now I am guessing it was mostly water weight, too bad about that, wrong kind of weight to lose. But its no mystery now why I was feeling so tired. From now on for the rest of summer I will pay attention that feeling of utter exhaustion and or headaches as being the earliest warning signs of dehydration.
An alternative to a tent is an awning or shade cloth. Shade is critically important for comfort. One of the first things I do at a new camp is put up shadecloth on the side of my trailer that faces the afternoon sun. In Quartzsite in April I put shade cloth on both the East, South and West sides as there is no shade in the desert and it was very hot out.
Abnorm has a good setup for shade cloth that he uses on his van. Maybe he will share photos and an explantion of it. He does not use a tent.
One of the projects I am getting ready to do in the next few weeks is making a white marine vinyl cover for my car front windshield. There is no custom sized ready made to order one for my vehicle model as they quit making my model of car in 2011.
Abnorm has a good setup for shade cloth that he uses on his van. Maybe he will share photos and an explantion of it. He does not use a tent.
One of the projects I am getting ready to do in the next few weeks is making a white marine vinyl cover for my car front windshield. There is no custom sized ready made to order one for my vehicle model as they quit making my model of car in 2011.
- Joined
- Sep 8, 2016
- Messages
- 2,404
- Reaction score
- 1,320
Hiya Maki......You've been busy......
Here's the thread on the sunshade on the forum......'Keeps on Ticking....(the grey tarps remain a seasonal hit-or-miss)
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=40716
Here's the thread on the sunshade on the forum......'Keeps on Ticking....(the grey tarps remain a seasonal hit-or-miss)
https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=40716
travelaround
Well-known member
Thanks for that shadecloth information! I do have a nice black shadecloth that Bob recommended in one of his videos. I've never used it before. I also bought a big aluminet for almost 100 dollars, and it burned in the fire.
I was just talking to my son yesterday about how strange it feels when we think about something we have or had, and we have no idea whether we still have it. In all the time since the fire I've never been in a place where I could look through everything I still have to see what was saved and what wasn't. But I know the aluminet was sitting on a kitchen chair and didn't make it out the door with me. I might get another one if I don't win the one Bob is about to give away.
I was just talking to my son yesterday about how strange it feels when we think about something we have or had, and we have no idea whether we still have it. In all the time since the fire I've never been in a place where I could look through everything I still have to see what was saved and what wasn't. But I know the aluminet was sitting on a kitchen chair and didn't make it out the door with me. I might get another one if I don't win the one Bob is about to give away.
travelaround
Well-known member
maki2 said:
That's another thing I recently discovered was saved from the fire. I bought one to fit a Ford Transit windshield - thought I lost it in the fire, but found it under the bed at the back of the cargo trailer a few weeks ago.
I rearranged everything in the cargo trailer in anticipation of taking everything out of the van for the conversion. That's done. Now the cargo trailer is full and I can't even walk into it without moving things around. I'd like to get a storage shed to put on my property because I need to keep everything there............ too much stuff! Story of my life.
I agree that dehydration can sneak up on you. I am going to buy a water bottle that has hours and ounces marked on the side so I won't lose track of how much and how often I should drink. My work buddy has one and fills it once for morning and again after lunch. The downside is having to make more trips to the restroom, but one is rewarded with clear pee replacing the dark orange pee, LOL.
nature lover
Well-known member
Hello nomads and wannabes. Well I finally followed others advice and went to the urgent care center. The pain isolated to the right side near my liver and I thought maybe I had lacerated or bruised it. So they did a CAT scan and now I am in intermediate intensive care at Lancaster General Hospital. Nine ribs broken and they’re doing therapies like breathing exercises to keep me from having pneumonia. So this Stubborn old man wouldn’t go to the doctor because he thought he could handle it and now he spending at least one day in intensive care. But I am getting therapies and the boys to sleep van is waiting for me at my friends house. God bless the nomads and their friends everyone of them. The journey will continue here, there, or in the air.
