As much as I love tent camping, I value comfort more than I once did.
For example, I usually get at least one permit for a controlled hunt at a wildlife management area. If I don't win it in the random drawing, I usually buy one or more in the online sale for unclaimed permits. I also hunt several times a year in the Ozark and Ouachita national forests.
Part of the WMA tent camping routine is finding a fairly level spot and clearing rocks and sticks. Then, I erect and stake the tent, stake the tension lines on the rain fly, inflate an air mattress and arrange the bedding.
Then I set up the kitchen and the lanterns.
I always enjoyed making camp, but I dislike breaking camp, especially in the rain, and it seems like it always rains on the last day of a controlled hunt. I often awakened with water standing in the tent.
In that situation, I wad everything up, stuff it in the back of the truck and spread it out to dry when I get home.
It's a pain, and I hate the waterlogged, disheveled feeling.
After years of dreaming, I recently got a Little Guy Five-Wide Roughrider teardrop camper.
It is perfect for backcountry camping. A thick, metal skid plate shields the underside and protects all of the wiring. It also has a pintle hitch, which allows for much more movement than a regular ball hitch. That enables it to stay hitched in extremely uneven terrain.
The interior is spartan, containing only a bed, a small shelf and a small amount of cabinet space. A fire extinguisher is mounted to the wall.
The only windows, tinted very dark, are on the doors. Venetian blinds are made especially to guarantee privacy.
The interior and exterior have LED lighting. There's also a crank hatch with a multispeed, two-directional fan that provides flow-through ventilation if you lift one or more of the door windows.
The rear of the camper contains a large galley area under a lid. Some versions come with a propane stove and a sink. Mine does not, and I like it that way. I prefer to cook, wash and run water away from the camper. The galley also contains a bright LED.
Independent stabilizer struts are in the rear of the frame, and there's a crank wheel on the trailer tongue so you can level the unit.
A metal shield across the front of the shell protects it from road debris.
It also contains ports to run ductwork from a heating and air unit made especially for the campers by a company called ClimateRight. The 5,000-BTU unit sits on a heavy-gauge metal rack in front of the shell. It can be mounted permanently, or you can remove it and store it separately while traveling or when not in use.
Also included is a deep cycle battery that is rigged for a solar panel to charge the battery when "dry" camping in a place where electrical hookups are not available.
One thing I like about this camper is that I can tie a fishing kayak in the back of the truck with the tailgate down without interfering with the camper's ability to pivot.
When dry camping, a generator or inverter will provide power for lights, heating, air and other accessories.
Generators are cheaper to buy, but since they must run constantly at 3,600-rpm to generate electricity, they use more fuel and are a lot heavier than an inverter. They are also a lot noisier, which is a major consideration if you camp near other people.
An inverter generates raw alternating current and converts it to direct current, then converts the DC to clean AC at 120 volts/60hz. It produces power on demand, which means it can run at lower speeds.
Inverters like the Honda EU2000 and the Westinghouse WH2000iXLT produce 53 decibels. You can talk in a normal voice while they run, as opposed to a standard generator that cranks out at least 62db. Most are considerably louder.
Surge watts are important. For example, the ClimateRight 5,000-BTU unit runs at 700 watts, but it takes 1,200 watts to start it.
More comfortable and weather-resistant equipment will make my camping experiences more versatile, and that encourages me to do a lot more of it.
Sports on 08/28/2016