No, I'm keeping my THOW, but hitting the road with a home-made teardrop made by a retired engineer who wanted to see the lower 48. When he was done, he passed it on to me, so I can go to the van-build in November. I'll be bringing my power tools and sewing machine for various projects to help on this insanely great project, starting November 8th.
Having lived out of a hatchback and a tent for a summer, trying to find a healthy place to live and recover a little from brain damage, I found out right away about how less is more. Three bins kept my life together: one for the tent and bedding, one for the stove and all related items, and one for clothing, music, books, and everything else.
That was the best summer of my life. Freedom for the first time in 50 years. Amazing.
So, now, i live in a tiny house on wheels, and am downsizing for a while to trailer and car camping. I'll be leaving my trailer for a week or so at a time to go exploring just the same way as before, but with a few mod cons.
No solar. Nope. Too pricey as yet, and too much to take care of and worry about theft. I can't afford that. So, I cut my needs to what I can run off my car battery.
I bought a countertop ice-maker to chill my 5-day cooler. No fridge needed, nor solar panels to keep it going. It only draws 110 watts, and can make a pound of ice in an hour. Not bad, I'd say, and cheaper than buying it every few days. And, if kept in a container, can be used as fresh water for drinking, or refrozen instead of tossed on the ground as 'dirty.' Bonus is that your food isn't swimming in water. No muss, no fuss.
Pocket-sized brick batteries charge phone, tablet, immersible shower pump, headlamp, radio, headphones, a fan, and fairy lights. Yes, all of them run off usb. Recharging them all, including the bricks, off the car, or in a library or coffee shop is the plan when I'm moving.
The toilet system I've set up is cheap, compact, odor-free, and indoors. Doesn't look like a 'bucket toilet' either, because it's not. (I'll post details eslewhere.) Ah, convenience.
In age, I'm 20ºC, and getting hotter every year, so the Southwest is only for me in the winter. This is my first time trying out being a snowbird. I call the PNW home only in the sunnier months, from now until I can't drive any more. I figure that I have a while, yet.
Who knows? Life is either a great adventure, or nothing.
Oz
Having lived out of a hatchback and a tent for a summer, trying to find a healthy place to live and recover a little from brain damage, I found out right away about how less is more. Three bins kept my life together: one for the tent and bedding, one for the stove and all related items, and one for clothing, music, books, and everything else.
That was the best summer of my life. Freedom for the first time in 50 years. Amazing.
So, now, i live in a tiny house on wheels, and am downsizing for a while to trailer and car camping. I'll be leaving my trailer for a week or so at a time to go exploring just the same way as before, but with a few mod cons.
No solar. Nope. Too pricey as yet, and too much to take care of and worry about theft. I can't afford that. So, I cut my needs to what I can run off my car battery.
I bought a countertop ice-maker to chill my 5-day cooler. No fridge needed, nor solar panels to keep it going. It only draws 110 watts, and can make a pound of ice in an hour. Not bad, I'd say, and cheaper than buying it every few days. And, if kept in a container, can be used as fresh water for drinking, or refrozen instead of tossed on the ground as 'dirty.' Bonus is that your food isn't swimming in water. No muss, no fuss.
Pocket-sized brick batteries charge phone, tablet, immersible shower pump, headlamp, radio, headphones, a fan, and fairy lights. Yes, all of them run off usb. Recharging them all, including the bricks, off the car, or in a library or coffee shop is the plan when I'm moving.
The toilet system I've set up is cheap, compact, odor-free, and indoors. Doesn't look like a 'bucket toilet' either, because it's not. (I'll post details eslewhere.) Ah, convenience.
In age, I'm 20ºC, and getting hotter every year, so the Southwest is only for me in the winter. This is my first time trying out being a snowbird. I call the PNW home only in the sunnier months, from now until I can't drive any more. I figure that I have a while, yet.
Who knows? Life is either a great adventure, or nothing.
Oz
