first trip! about to leave............

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doublegregg

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about to leave for my first trip. cargo van, sleeping on a car camping self inflating mattress, old classic coleman two burner converted to propane, a bunch of luci lights, 10 gallons of water......... what a new experience - i'm guessing one of the biggest changes will be just the new environment, being by myself without all the distractions of home. trying to keep cooking simple. i love to cook, but i am wondering how much of a mood for cooking i'll be in 'out there.' so bringing things to heat up or open up...

anyway, about three hours to ebbett's pass from the smokey bay area........................ should be mosquito-less... i hope. wish me luck!
 
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gregg, for my 2-cents, you're doing it right. Take some trips, figure it out, "before" you commit to spending a lot of time and money on builds. When you get away from everyday life, you have time to actually think about things without all the bazillion distractions. Start with cooking the simplest way you can, called 'eat to live'. Take some chips.

The higher you go into the Sierra, the less smoke you should encounter. 3 summers ago I was in the eastern Sierra south of Mammoth, and the Owens Valley was heavy with smoke, but heading up to the trailheads at 9,000' the air was mostly clear. If you like to hike, you can drive right up to the pass (8700'), and go north on the PCT for a few miles. Nice hike. Have fun.
 
ty.......... i'm hoping for clear air... yes, trying to keep, at least the cooking, kind of simple... i watched some of the videos, actually abz van life, and she's not into a fridge. so that was pretty helpful. i got lots of snacks, fruit, couple stalks of brocoli. oh, uh --- since there's no internet, no tv, no radio, no....... anything, i brought two meditation books. my brain will be with me - well, let's hope so....
 
I am about to head out in a handful of days and wish I had gone with an air matress and a simple cooker and some jugs of water. I was/am trying too hard dotting eyes and crossing teas. It is a big part of who I am.A guy who plans out his meals a month in advance (makes grocery shopping easier)...This tactic of advanced planning hasn't saved me anything.

Q nails it when s/he says to  piece it as you go. I  myself would not like to  do an entire build out at the home depot parkinglot.. but a bit here and a bit there would be great. I did not need to have everything perfect out the gate. I would have enjoyed it much more and would be out enjoying.

I think there is a saying in some sailing circles about.. "Go small go now." Unfortuantely I did not heed that advice. However, I have stockpiled powdered eggs.

It would be super cool to be a "trail angel" if you are near the PCT. I intend to do that whenever I am near the trail. With all the covid stuff I don't know how that affected the hikers this year.

Have fun out there.
 
kick ass and have fun.  as with camping, cooking will start simple and then you discover the joy of afternoon cooking.  maybe.  cheers! ;)
 
"And I have 4 boxes of mashed potato flakes."

....which are great for thickening soups a bit!
 
thanks all for the encouragement. had a very interesting trip.... my first van trip, as i said. i did the cooking kind of inbetween: i think i prefer the snack method, rather than the heating up method. i didn't do any cooking from scratch, but brought some home cooked things to heat up. i think i'll prefer to keep cooking super simple: less prep, less cooking, less fuel used, less cleanup!!! so i agree with Qxxx.. and i'm a foodie.

the first night i woke to a nightmare: three bears, standing upright, were terrorizing the camp. i flopped back to sleep, somehow. desert_sailing - i like the sailing saying - and i think i will live by it. (uh, go small go now??) i didn't no if a list was the way to prepare - i kind of threw things in, but am trying to make a list, post trip, to use next time. i was afraid that the trip would be so difficult or unrewarding, etc, that it would be er... my last, or something like that....

i found a bunch of nice, hopefully future camp sites. this is basically near ebbett's pass ----- what a gorgeous area........stayed at pacific valley, paying $5 per night (i'm an old f*rt). now, i'll order some things for the van and next trip... thinking of pulling the trigger on a lithium battery, and possibly a bulkhead partition. that would be for stealth, plus i live in an urban area, where smashed windows are common. but as i sat in my van, i was realizing a bulkhead would block a lot of view and light. my cargo van has no sidewindows, only rear.

my main worry, or one of them, was the evening and night, when i'd be sitting in my van, no cell, no radio, no anything, really. it was ok --- actually, a lot of quiet time, which was quite a change. in the city, i'm kind of attracted (addicted, more like it) to all the amenities of the internet, tv, radio, cell, bla bla... but out there, i began reading a meditation book i'd gotten, and some fiction (woman in white, which has never gone out of print in 140 years).

thanks for all your help!
 
doublegregg said:
the first night i woke to a nightmare: three bears, standing upright, were terrorizing the camp. i flopped back to sleep, somehow.
That will teach you to not make porridge again.
 
doublegregg said:
thanks all for the encouragement. had a very interesting trip.... my first van trip, as i said. i did the cooking kind of inbetween: i think i prefer the snack method, rather than the heating up method. i didn't do any cooking from scratch, but brought some home cooked things to heat up. i think i'll prefer to keep cooking super simple: less prep, less cooking, less fuel used, less cleanup!!! so i agree with Qxxx.. and i'm a foodie.

the first night i woke to a nightmare: three bears, standing upright, were terrorizing the camp. i flopped back to sleep, somehow. desert_sailing - i like the sailing saying - and i think i will live by it. (uh, go small go now??) .i didn't no if a list was the way to prepare - i kind of threw things in, but am trying to make a list, post trip,  to use next time. i was afraid that the trip would be so difficult or unrewarding, etc, that it would be er... my last, or something like that....

i found a bunch of nice, hopefully future camp sites. this is basically near ebbett's pass ----- what a gorgeous area........stayed at pacific valley, paying $5 per night (i'm an old f*rt).  now, i'll order some things for the van and next trip... thinking of pulling the trigger on a lithium battery, and possibly a bulkhead partition. that would be for stealth, plus i live in an urban area, where smashed windows are common. but as i sat in my van, i was realizing a bulkhead would block a lot of view and light. my cargo van has no sidewindows, only rear.

.my main worry, or one of them, was the evening and night, when i'd be sitting in my van, no cell, no radio, no anything, really. it was ok --- actually, a lot of quiet time, which was quite a change. in the city, i'm kind of attracted (addicted, more like it) to all the amenities of the internet, tv, radio, cell, bla bla... but out there, i began reading a meditation book i'd gotten, and some fiction (woman in white, which has never gone out of print in 140 years).

thanks for all your help!


Cooking - yes, simpler is better, and there are lots of things you can do it improve the "box meals" you can find in the grocery store. And there's a book I bought a number of years ago titled "Apocalypse Chow". Or, how to eat good meals that are made from canned/dried/bottled foods when the power is out. One of the authors is a foodie.

Lists - lots of helpful lists already out there, and you should make use of them. But when I was starting out, doing short-term camping as research, I found the most important list was the one I made after each trip - what is the ONE thing I missed most on this trip? Then I'd obtain that thing. Rinse and repeat. These days, often the only item on that list is nothing. So I think I've achieved one of the things I most wanted in my life!

Solitude - we each have a different balance we need to maintain. But being able to actually live inside your own self, thinking, analyzing, and feeling, instead of distracting yourself is, IMNSHO, a real achievement.
 
Well gregg, glad you had good time. Possibly one thing you learned is you don't "really" need all the S&B "stuff" to enjoy yourself. I've been camping out since boy scouts at age 12, and in the 70s backpacked all over the Sierra for 10-14 days with just a 25 pound pack. The experience is always more important than "stuff" (channeling Steve Jobs). Some people spend many months and thousands of dollars making a build, but I when very minimalist. Maybe better to go in a bit at a time, and see how it goes, :).

I've spent about 12 months on the road over the past 3 years, do my cooking on a 1-burner Coleman stove outside. always have a good time. Minimal amenities, and avoid internet when I travel, more peace and quiet. As a senior citizen I prefer staying in the CGs in the National Forests for 1/2 price, although I boondock about half the time too. So, you kind of figure out what works best for you. Have fun.

In regards power, I originally spent a week wiring up my solar setup, but anymore I'm tearing that all out and going to a solar generator, aka Portable Power Station. I have a Yeti 1000, but the 500 size is good too. Jackerys are probably the most popular. Much easier than trying to wire everything up youreself.
https://www.amazon.com/Jackery-Explorer-500-Generador-carretera/dp/B07SM5HBK1
 
doublegregg said:
the first night i woke to a nightmare: three bears, standing upright, were terrorizing the camp.
I kinda glossed over this and read more as.. you were having a dream "nightmare" of bears and it caused you to awaken.

I am now thinking you meant there were actually 3 real to life bears in your camp rummagin around... and instead of shooting them with a slingshot and youtubing it you went back to sleep??!!
 
And I thought that it was real until I read your post, then realized that it was a nightmare that woke him up.
No I'm confused and backpedaling....

So was it real? :s Or just a dream? :sleepy:
 
nightmare
sorry for confusion - i woke FROM a nightmare of these three bears........ so, no, they weren't real. (altho they were terrifying, standing there upright, paws up, like monsters... they were obviously ready to wreak horrific havoc...........!)

Qxxx - i camped in the boy scouts also... and a little when i was a young adult. i was never sure how much i was getting from the camping experience, actually. i guess at 64, well, we'll see. i think i'm more open about it, at my age now!
and i do have a backup camera... it works well backing up and seeing what is behind me, and at ground level, which would be invisible otherwise. no, the blind spot i'm talking about is you're sitting in the captain's chair, turn around and look at the typical car blind spot, towards the rear passenger corner of the vehicle. on my cargo van, which has no side windows, the whole right side is a huge blind spot. mainly a problem if there are moving objects in that direction.

anyway, the trip was a success --- ! cooking was simple. the propane worked effortlessly. didn't bring my heater, but my sleeping bag (a mummy i used as a cover) kept me very warm as the temps dropped to 40F. i'm working on a list for my next trip. and jacqueg, yes, your advice is helpful... i decided to try to make a list of each duffel, container, big and small.... to make packing easy is the goal. on this trip, i just did my best to grab things, and kept an eye out for what i really, really needed. but that felt very haphazard and stressful. i felt being organized (my weakest point) would be a requirement and should make things easier.....

so, i'm adapting. and being alone, out there --------------- on one's own --- it's interesting. such a different experience for someone from an urban area...

thanks again for everyone's help and for listening! have a good rest of the summer.......
 
doublegregg said:
Qxxx - i camped in the boy scouts also... and a little when i was a young adult. i was never sure how much i was getting from the camping experience, 
For my part, I've kept it up continually over the years with a long list of outdoorsy activities, including just plain getting away from things for a few days. Having the van gives you a real degree of freedom that we all sorely need in today's life. I have just 2 pieces of furniture, a bed I built and a computer desk I bought, plus the solar generator for light and computer power. Just take things one step at a time, keep taking away trips, and work it out as you go. Easy peasy.

FWIW, the only bears I've ever seen were in a CG in Yosemite in the 1970s, but then I'm careful with food and cooking. No cooking bacon inside the van, lol.
 
doublegregg said:
trying to keep cooking simple. i love to cook, but i am wondering how much of a mood for cooking i'll be in 'out there.' so bringing things to heat up or open up...  le
my 2 cents re: cooking/food.  i often have a batch of veggie bean soup in the fridge for a quick meal at home.  so when camping i take pack some so my first few meals are healthy and ready to go in the cooler.  i also freeze a huge block of ice which usually lasts for 4 days in my standard cooler.  once i'm camping the meal prep just becomes part of the fun and i always make extra so i have leftovers.
 
ty for food info..............

i'm pretty careful, but yeah, i discarded my plan to do any frying in my van ............. um, unless i catch some fish. maybe i'll try to cook that outside my van, altho i'm not looking to cook outside. and like you, beachplease, i brought some ready made super healthy things, in my cooler.
 
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