My first attempt at van camping

[lab_nomad]

I’m in Idaho working for 13 weeks. I am staying at a hotel, as I can’t find anything less expensive. Short-term furnished rentals are hard to come by (and expensive). And as I have a dog, and it’s 100 degrees, staying in the van is out of the question. I’m rather miffed, b/c the housing allowance (which is non-taxable) is what makes travel jobs attractive. Otherwise, I’m making the same money or even a bit less than my last permanent job. {sigh}

Anyhoo, I got my room for a week, and then when I went to book it for a month, I was able to get a better rate by checking in today, rather than yesterday, so I had to find a place to go for a night. I checked out freecampsites.net and found a place not too far (about 15 miles) from here. So, it was my first experience van camping versus just sleeping in the van on the 5-day drive to get here.

I stopped at a store to get supplies (batteries for my fan, water, kitty litter and garbage bags for u-know-what) and then promptly locked my keys in the van! With Penelope inside! Luckily, I called a local locksmith and he came so quickly and got the door opened in a jiffy. This Dodge Caravan has an unfortunate set up in that you can use the key fob to open the back gate or side sliding doors while the van remains locked. I had put my keys down on my plastic drawers while I was loading the supplies. Then, instead of using the key fob to close it, I pushed the button inside the door…and voila! So, I’m going to make sure from now on that whenever I open anything with the key fob that I push the unlock button first. And before I close anything, I’ll make sure I know where my keys are! 

The campsites were just pull-off-the-highway deals with picnic tables and a fire ring. No amenities. Unfortunately, since there was a highway on one side and the river on the other, there wasn’t an opportunity to hike or anything, so I read my kindle and watched videos I previously downloaded on my iPad and phone. 

It was really hot. Having my battery operated fan is really nice. The batteries are lasting! The package said 40 hours, but I swear I’ve run that fan longer and haven’t had to change them out, yet. Probably if I hadn’t bought those replacement batteries, they would’ve. . But it was still really uncomfortable, so at one point in the night, I took a cold pack out of the cooler and laid it on myself, rotating it to new places. That helped a lot.

One thing I wasn’t considering was how dirty I would get…in just one night! When I used my wipes in the morning, I actually had dirt come off me! And before leaving to drive back to town, I went to grab the dog’s leash to direct her into the van, and I must’ve spooked her (she doesn’t like fast movement above her head), and she rolled over on the ground. Ugh! I used the last of my water to rinse her off and then used a wipe on her, and she was filthy! So, the first thing I did when coming back to the hotel was to give her a bath.

I noticed the area by the side door that I use to get in and out was looking dirty, so I bought a throw rug to put down there. You never know what you’re going to need until you do. And I bought a battery pack from amazon to charge my devices b/c watching videos sure drains the batteries down. 

But despite all that…I loved it!

I’m hoping that when the weather cools down here, I can stay in the van more and use hotels less and save some of my housing allowance money.

 

[lab_nomad]

Oh, I forgot to mention that while sitting on the picnic table reading, a man pulled into my area and as soon as he started to talk to me (he was asking me how to get somewhere), Penelope lunged and barked at him. I told him I didn’t know as I wasn’t from around here.

I’m sure it was all legit, but I couldn’t help thinking that if he had any ideas to circle back at night to assault me, Penelope disabused him of that notion. Women and dogs are a natural combination, I think. I couldn’t imagine not having her with me, even though having her limits my ability to stay in the van during jobs if the weather isn’t cooperating. I’ve thought about getting a little 13’ scamp and I could stay at a campground with hookups, so she’d be cool/warm while I’m working.

 

[kklowell]

Sounds like quite the adventure! But, you loved it, and that's what counts. It won't be long and you will be able to stay in the van more often,

 

[Fandrel64]

You might look at USB rechargeable fans to save on battery buying. I picked one up on Amazon really cheap and it's supposed to last a few days on a charge but I haven't tested that yet,

 

[user 30781]

I got a couple small USB fans that fully charged don't last all night on low. Then I got myself one of the $30 Opolar fans that I'd seen mentioned a few times and it only uses about 30% of its charge on low all night long. It's strong too!

edit: I also have a Grand Caravan and I never leave it without the keys in my hand after it locked itself one morning when I was warming it up and had to go back in the house. Luckily I had a spare key inside. I still need to get a hide a key thing.

 

[lab_nomad]

Sounds like quite the adventure! But, you loved it, and that's what counts. It won't be long and you will be able to stay in the van more often,

 

[lab_nomad]

Fandrel64 and wanderingsoul…thanks for the tips about USB fans!

 

[jonyjoe303]

I always put a key that opens the door in my wallet. I learned that the hard way. Since I started putting the key in my wallet it saved me several times. No matter how careful eventually you will leave the keys in your vehicule.
For night time use I would consider a swamp cooler, they work great at night even in humid conditions. A fan only moves hot air around. I been using swampcoolers for years in my astrovan, it never let me down. And they use about as much power as a regular fan.

 

[WanderingRose]

You now have a story to share around the campfire of your first night in your van.

When I am parked on dirt or sand, I often will take my shoes off at the door to keep down what gets inside.

I carry a brush for my dog and keep it right by the door.

I bought a CGear sand-free mat a couple of years ago, and it does a great job of capturing dirt on my shoes and the dogs feet before it gets inside, then shakes out easily.

It’s an adventure!

 

[lab_nomad]

Yeah, I was thinking of putting something in front of the van. Thanks for the tip about the mat. You know, it never occurred to me to take off my shoes, duh.

 

[lab_nomad]

I always put a key that opens the door in my wallet. I learned that the hard way. Since I started putting the key in my wallet it saved me several times. No matter how careful eventually you will leave the keys in your vehicule.
For night time use I would consider a swamp cooler, they work great at night even in humid conditions. A fan only moves hot air around. I been using swampcoolers for years in my astrovan, it never let me down. And they use about as much power as a regular fan.

Thanks for the tip. Are the rechargeable or do they need to be plugged in while running? Is this something i can get via amazon? And what brands would you recommend, or are they all about the same?

 

[GypsyJan]

You can put a damp t-shirt in the cooler in the afternoon, then wear it to bed if things get too warm. A swamp cooler won't work well if the humidity level is high.

You can wear a key that opens your door on a chain or string around your neck. That would let you in to retrieve the fob that actually starts your vehicle.

Also, if you have a fob, it should have an alarm to activate to suppliment the dog's barking and hopefully will also flash lights, too.

 

[GypsyJan]

And if you get a Scamp, there is an app for your phone that lets you view Penelope via a cam while you are at work. That way, if the a/c should fail or the power goes out, you or a neighbor can rescue her.

 

[lab_nomad]

You can put a damp t-shirt in the cooler in the afternoon, then wear it to bed if things get too warm. A swamp cooler won't work well if the humidity level is high.

You can wear a key that opens your door on a chain or string around your neck. That would let you in to retrieve the fob that actually starts your vehicle.

Also, if you have a fob, it should have an alarm to activate to  suppliment the dog's barking and hopefully will also flash lights, too.

That’s a good idea about the shirt! The humidity is pretty low here. I think this area is considered semi-arid. 

I don’t have a key. Just a fob. And the thing that I stick into the ignition isn’t even a key. It’s just the end of the fob. Weird. Never saw that before. I think it’s possible to get another fob and program it, but I’m not sure.

 

[lab_nomad]

And if you get a Scamp, there is an app for your phone that lets you view Penelope via a cam while you are at work. That way, if the a/c should fail or the power goes out, you or a neighbor can rescue her.

No freakin’ way! Oh, man, that’s a major point in Scamp’s favor. Ooh, I might have to seriously consider it. Although, I feel like my minivan is unwieldy; I can’t imagine trying to tow something. 

 

[user 30781]

You can wear a key that opens your door on a chain or string around your neck. That would let you in to retrieve the fob that actually starts your vehicle.

You just gave me a great idea.  I was thinking I needed a magnetic hide a key but I don't really like those, they fall off sometimes.  I quit carrying a purse at the beginning of the pandemic and just carried the few cards I need in a card carrier on a lanyard.  I recently switched to a very thin RFID wallet after I got my enhanced license.  It came with a lanyard and I also added the lanyard I had been using for extra strength.  So if someone runs by and tries to snatch that wallet they're going to have to take my head off to get it.  I could just tuck a key inside the zippered part.  Problem solved!

 

[txmnjim]

And if you get a Scamp, there is an app for your phone that lets you view Penelope via a cam while you are at work. That way, if the a/c should fail or the power goes out, you or a neighbor can rescue her.

i can see where if the power goes out she could tell but not if just the AC goes out? 
the dog would be having to give out visible signs of stress or something i would think
and she would have to interpret it? my old lab was stuck in my apt one time when the
heater strip got stuck (what the maintenance guy said) even though i had AC on as it
was summer in Austin,Tx and boy was he glad to see me when i got home! GL to the OP!

 

[lab_nomad]

i can see where if the power goes out she could tell but not if just the AC goes out? 
the dog would be having to give out visible signs of stress or something i would think
and she would have to interpret it?

If only there was some way a person could tell that a dog was hot. Hmm. Let me rack my brain. I think I saw something on the internet once. What was it called? Panning? Pamping? Planting? Grrr. What is that called?

LOL. I’m just having a little fun with you.

 

[wayne49]

Audio-visual link over the internet?

 

[Cammalu]

I had a friend lose her dog after only ten minutes in a car. She had groceries and took them out and forgot her dog was in the car. She hadn’t finished putting stuff up and realized her mistake. It was too late.

Heat can kill a dog very quickly. Don’t take chances.