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Day camping

WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311
edited May 2018 in Camping & Travel


Here's a topic I haven't heard many talk about. Day camping. When I head out for fishing for a day or just exploring, I hook up and go. It's nice to pull up somewhere, open the hatch and have a coffee. Makes for great and easy lunches too. Think of your rig as the ultimate picnic basket...

WilliamA

"When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
2017 T@G XL
Boyceville, Wi.

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    AspenAspen Member Posts: 45

    I love this idea and actually plan on day camping / tailgating quite a bit with my new T@G! I often have group hikes with friends and dogs, and it's a great way to unwind after a day on the trails.... especially the ones that are a 3-4 hr drive to NH or VT and I don't have the time to spend the night but could maybe even use a little nap and lunch before hitting the road. ;) Thanks for the pic for inspiration and hopes of better weather this spring!

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    WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2018

    Aspen,
    You laid it out more eloquently than I! At the end of the season, I like to bask in the glow of the grand adventures, but the day trips, by weight of numbers, usually prove to me the real value of my trailer. If you get used to taking it with, the value and convenience quickly add up and return more than the month-long sojourns. I think that both are equally important, and rewarding...
    WilliamA

    "When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

    2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
    2017 T@G XL
    Boyceville, Wi.

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    LuckyJLuckyJ Member Posts: 1,240

    Would the GF taking an after work nap in the driveway make that count? :)

    But I do pull it on any occasion, short or long that we have. So fun to tow around, and city is also fun. Even parking is not to complicated.

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    WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311

    @LuckyJ said:
    Would the GF taking an after work nap in the driveway make that count? :)

    But I do pull it on any occasion, short or long that we have. So fun to tow around, and city is also fun. Even parking is not to complicated.

    Exactly. The only way to get experience is, well, to get experience...
    WilliamA

    "When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

    2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
    2017 T@G XL
    Boyceville, Wi.

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    TomDTomD Member Posts: 358

    Day camping for me is in the driveway. I know some of you do this as well. B)

    Tom
    Aptos, California
    2015 LG Silver Shadow
    2012 Ford Edge Sport TV

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    AspenAspen Member Posts: 45

    I have yet to have an inaugural trip with my new T@G but was able to finally spend my first night "day camping" in the driveway... mostly to get Bandit acquainted with a new sleep setting. A super comfortable night (despite the glaring glow from the radio clock) and we slept like rocks. I was not plugged into electricity from the house so I just used some lights for reading and the usb charger for the phone..... forgot the 110 outlets don't run off the battery. I'll have to figure out a way for watching dvd's on the television or plugging in the laptop without any hook-ups at the camp-sites that I have booked this summer.

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    VernaVerna Member Posts: 139

    Aspen, I rely on the small battery packs to recharge the phone and Kindle at night. Then I charge the battery packs during the day as the solar panels are charging my batteries.

    The TV is a 12V TV and it should run long enough on the battery (without a negligible drain) to watch at least two+ hours of basketball games,....I mean movies ;).

    Depending on your charging cord for your laptop, you can either plug into your 12V plug, or you’ll need at last a 100/400 watt inverter to charge your laptop. Caution: if your inverter is not a pure sine wave inverter, do not turn your laptop on during charging.

    I camp 4+ months in Southern Arizona in the winter using solar power to recharge my batteries, so you can live a “ normal” life camping off the electrical grid.

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    AspenAspen Member Posts: 45

    Thank you @Verna ! That solved that problem! ... And I was able to find a converter on Amazon. I considered solar power as a future option, but since most of my camping is in heavily forested areas of the northeast I assume I wouldn't generate enough of a charge (?). I'm most likely going to pack my generator if I can swap out the propane tank and still not creep up in tongue weight or load down the Subie TV too much. ... still juggling options (with safety as a priority) prior to hitting the road for our inaugural camping trip. Thanks again for the inverter tip!

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    LuckyJLuckyJ Member Posts: 1,240

    @Aspen you can turn off the radio/inter center blue light off. If memory is good, you just have to hold the intensity buttom long enough.

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    AspenAspen Member Posts: 45

    Good to know @LuckyJ... thanks for the tip! I was playing with it setting the clock and that background glow was surprisingly bright all night.

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    WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2018

    During one of my camping sortees last year I plugged in to shore power (state park) and my youngest watched movies the whole time. It wasn't until I was leaving that I realized I hadn't turned the shore power breaker on. I know you can go at least 2 days rock'n the entertainment off grid... :)
    WilliamA

    "When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

    2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
    2017 T@G XL
    Boyceville, Wi.

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    TomDTomD Member Posts: 358
    edited May 2018

    William..IPad no doubt.

    Tom
    Aptos, California
    2015 LG Silver Shadow
    2012 Ford Edge Sport TV

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    WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311

    Tom,
    No, it was the tele and dvd player. He's 9 and thinks my trailer is the space shuttle...
    WilliamA

    "When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

    2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
    2017 T@G XL
    Boyceville, Wi.

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    WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311
    edited May 2018

    @LuckyJ said:
    Would the GF taking an after work nap in the driveway make that count? :)

    But I do pull it on any occasion, short or long that we have. So fun to tow around, and city is also fun. Even parking is not to complicated.

    Lucky,
    I take my trailer often for day trips and generally can count on the "TDF" (T@G delay factor) at most gas stations. Folks everywhere want to have a look! If I were only a bit younger, it'd be like walking around with a puppy...
    "It's sooooo CUUUUUTE!!!!!"
    Where was NuCamp when I actually wanted a female companion?
    Ugh....I'm old enough now to just want to go fishing...
    Note to single travellers: Always put out TWO lawn chairs. People (the fairer sex) will think you are accompanied.
    It never works of course, but gives one hope that it might.....someday...
    WilliamA

    "When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

    2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
    2017 T@G XL
    Boyceville, Wi.

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    TomDTomD Member Posts: 358

    LOL! William. 9 year old without high tech stuff in tow? Enjoy the moment.

    Tom
    Aptos, California
    2015 LG Silver Shadow
    2012 Ford Edge Sport TV

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    StellaMarisStellaMaris Member Posts: 26

    We used our T@G XL last year to tailgate at a polo match. Took the generator, so we had all of the power we needed for cooking, cooling, etc. T@Gs are GREAT for tailgating! BTW, @WilliamA - where did you get that VERY cool awning for the galley?

    Kim
    "StellaM@ris", 2017 T@G Max XL
    2020 Ford Escape SEL Ecoboost and 2003 Explorer XLT
    Tyke, Buckshot, and Bonnie (the 4-legged children)

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    WilliamAWilliamA Member Posts: 1,311

    Hi Kim,
    Thanks for the comment. I actually built my awning (2 of them as it turns out!) so to the best of my knowledge, they aren't commercially available. As with other of my one-offs, it there's interest, I'll post a PDF.

    Here's the build thread:
    http://teardrop-trailers.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/comment/1671#Comment_1671

    WilliamA

    "When I am in charge, Starburst brand fruit chews will get their own food group....and where are all the freakin laser beams? There should be more laser beams..."

    2021 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk
    2017 T@G XL
    Boyceville, Wi.

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