Blue View – Gettin’ Ready to Camp
/We’ve been a bit slow getting our Kia Sorento ready for camping. Marcie had a week-long bout with the flu (we thought it was Covid-19 – same symptoms, but the test eventually came back negative, so we’re assuming it was the flu), then we had some business things to take care of. Since it’s been too cold for tent camping anyway, we haven’t felt much urgency in prepping the Kia. But now that spring is almost here, we’re raring to go.
We have most of our camping gear already… stove, sleeping bags, cookware, camp chairs, etc. We sold our 6-man tent long ago, but have managed to borrow my sister’s Coleman Instant Tent to see how we like returning to tent camping. This tent is great. It literally takes only a couple of minutes to put up and has plenty of room for the two of us.
Coleman Instant 6-Man Tent
One thing we didn’t like in our past tent camping experience was sleeping on the ground. We had an air mattress that lost most of its pressure as the night temperatures cooled down, and by morning it didn’t provide much padding. Even when it was inflated, getting up from that close-to-the-ground position was sometimes difficult in the mornings.
This time around, we’re using two cots, strapped together, as sleeping platforms. We have a great double, self-inflating sleeping pad that we used in Blue that will fit nicely on top of the cots. Should be nice and comfy.
Our big addition will be a camp/chuckwagon box. We’ll be building a box that will fit in the back of the Sorento that will organize and hold most of what’s needed for cooking. One side will pull out and hold pots, pans, plates, cutlery, gadgets and the stove. It will also have a work/prep table. We’ll be able to cook under the shelter of the tailgate when the weather is sloppy or when we’re boondocking without the luxury of a picnic table. When there is a picnic table available, the entire pull-out box can be lifted off the drawer slides and carried to the picnic table.
Another pull-out will be home to either a cooler or a small fridge, as well as storage for food. Initially, we’ll make due with a cooler, but if we decide tent camping will be a long term option, I have plans to add the fridge as well as a house battery to power it.
Our planned chuckwagon box
This is the rough sketch of our planned chuckwagon box. In the next week or two, we’ll get it built and provide lots of details if anyone is interested in building their own version.
See you next week.