Starling Travel

Heimplanet, a German company, has decided to solve a problem that didn’t really need solving with their new tent, The Cave. It’s an inflatable tent, which supposedly sets up in less than a minute.

Here is a video about it: (Continue Reading…)

I’m interested in this Portable Outdoor Sink from General Superstore.

It folds up pretty small, but it’s still more bulky than the setup I have now.

I like how it has a real faucet and a drain. Since we are staying at campsites that have water and electricity more often, I would like to just be able to hook up to the water at the campsite and have a working sink.

Here’s a video with a horrible robot voice that describes the sink and shows how it works.

Here’s a video of the assembly: General Superstore Portable Outdoor Sink Assembly

And a trouble shooting video if it leaks: General Superstore Portable Outdoor Sink spray or leak during the water hose installation

The biggest problem that I have with this sink is that it costs TWICE what I paid for my entire camp kitchen, but watching the videos gave me good ideas for making one of my own. What I really need to do is make a potable water hose that has a garden hose connector on one side and a faucet connector on the other.

I can purchase a RV faucet like this 2-Way Low Boy Hand Water Pump and if I can figure out a way to connect it to a potable water hose, it would work like a sink at home. Preferably, I’d love an easy way to connect it to my existing camp kitchen.

I still haven’t figured out how I’m going to create my perfect camp kitchen, but with every product I see, I get more and more ideas on how I’m going to do it.

Mobiltec visited Pleasant Valley Campground in California. His favorite campground, Horton Creek, was closed, so he had to camp in Pleasant Valley. He filmed a quiet little video of it. He showed the river, his campground and then went gold prospecting.

He talks about people from Hawaii coming to Taft, California to vacation:

Some of the people who came up here flew in from Florida and some of them even flew in from Hawaii, and it cracks me up that people who live in Hawaii, when they wanna go on vacation, they come to places like Taft, California to enjoy themselves. Well what are ya gonna do when you leave paradise? Where else can you go? You wanna do somethin’ different, right? It always kinda blows me away when that happens… ’cause I really have never liked this place.

I found that interesting as well. When Mike and I visited Hawaii, all the people there were obsessed with Las Vegas. That tiny glittering bit of neon in the desert was their preferred vacation spot. I guess even paradise gets boring sometimes.

Here is part two of his journey where he investigates old gold mines:

It’s amazing how quickly the earth overtakes what we’ve built upon it. There used to be ore rail tracks, but now there are only a few bare bones sticking out of the ground while wild Mustangs wander.

Here is part three when he goes to Fish Lake Hot Springs and Cave Springs:

For more information:

• Pleasant Valley Campground on Google Maps
• Horton Creek Campground on Google Maps

Check out these solar powered umbrella lights.

They are available on Amazon here: Nature Power Umbrella Lights at Amazon.com

You can connect them to your trailer awning.

You can also hook them on your outdoor umbrella.

They charge up with the sunshine every day, so they can glow at night. No wires needed. I see a lot of campers with cool lights on their awnings, but I don’t really have a spot for something like this on my teardrop trailer. I do, however, have a use for them on my umbrella in my backyard. So cool!

Here’s a video showing them in action:

The only problem that I have with them is that they are $35 for a pack of four of them. At $8.75 a piece, that seems CRAZY expensive to me when I can find other solar lights for much less.

Take, for example, this set of 8 solar-powered LED Accent Lights on Amazon.com. They cost $20 for the set, which works out to $2.50 apiece. I could remove the stakes to drive them into the lawn and add these IKEA curtain clips. For only $24, I’d have TWICE as many hanging solar lamps.

Note to self: Do this and post about it later.

Via: Lisa Sperle on Pinterest / Solar powered umbrella lights – for glamping!

Update 07-09-12: I actually DID make my own and filmed a tutorial showing you how to make them. You can see it here:

• Gadgets Page » How To Make a Hanging Solar Light

I love this idea for storing and using toilet paper for camping:

• DIY Camping Ideas « living on less in the northwest

She took a small coffee can and cut a slit in it:

The she placed the roll of toilet paper inside the can:

When you pull the toilet paper through the slit, you have an easy dispenser.

If you position the slit opposite the handle, it’s easy to hold and pull the paper.

I ALWAYS bring toilet paper when we camp, no matter how posh the campground. There have been at least three times when bringing our own toilet paper has bailed us out because the campground restrooms were out. You might think it’s silly to pack TP when over the last seven years we’ve only used it three times, but I’ll tell you, I was SO glad we had it those three times that I will never go camping without it.

This boot is the most interesting thing in a radius of 200 miles.

This boot is actually more witty than I thought it was at first. (Continue Reading…)

I have looked at this video of a fold up truck camper many times, but I couldn’t find any information about who made it or how to buy it, so I never posted it here.

The people at Tiny House Talk were able to identify it. (Continue Reading…)