We love these DIY Tent Stakes so well, we decided to share the info. We think any half handy person could fabricate these from common materials. Four of them for about $25. A simple DIY project.
These stakes are great for EZ-ups. For sandy area’s. For conditions that subject you to windy conditions.
Note about the image: This is a 10×10 Commercial Grade EZ-up style straight leg awning. With an attached “Standing Room” brand tent. The tent is fully enclosed. 4 Flap zippered walls and screens, and full floor and overhead top. No Bugs!
We attended the annual Arizona Roundup Vintage Trailer Rally this past weekend (December 6,7,8, 2019). The rally was at Buckskin Mountain SP, near Parker, Arizona. About a 45 minute drive from the more recognized, or more famous snowbird community of Quartzite, Arizona.
This annual weekend camp out is attended mostly by an established group membership. Years ago we got an invitation and decided to try it. We have been going ever since.
A group of us from Las Vegas, not original members, attend as an annual get together. We also share some friendships with people from California, Arizona, Utah, and more distant places. A time to catch up, outdoor cook with each other, and share a campfire each night.
The original group is mostly teardrop trailers and vintage trailers, as well as vintage tow vehicles. Though the group seems to welcome anyone that loves camping.
Some years the campground is sold out for this event a year in advance. December of 2019 was the first time I saw an abundance of open campsites and an apparent decline of regulars attending. I personally reserve for the next year while I attend the event.
Saturday midday was the communal potluck at the picnic pavilion that overlooks a beautiful section of the Colorado River. A time to swap stories with anyone that attends. The food is always good!
This year was relatively cool weather, and some rain. Not overly cold though. I must admit one day we had to duck under awnings most of the day to stay dry.
The rain managed to hold off so we had a campfire each night. During the day most of us did some hiking, photography, sat around and relaxed, or did some Dutch Oven Cooking.
If you are interested in this event find the “Arizona Round-Up” group on Facebook. They always meet at Buckskin the first Saturday weekend in December. There are often vintage trailers or tow vehicles for sale. I leave my wallet at home. LOL!
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In our neck of the woods….a.k.a the desert southwest. Our season for camping anywhere close to home, all but shuts down June through August. Its just too dang hot not only during the day, but also at night.
Us desert dwellers often hole up for the summer and become armchair campers. Or we try to find something suitable at an elevation over 8000ft to get out of the heat
We are 180 degrees out of phase with much of the rest of the country who often times embrace camping the summer months. Most campers find the 3 summer months the prime season. Kids are out of school, all parks are open….. prime vacation time.
As for us, our first official scheduled event after our summer lull, comes up the middle of September. An annual camp-out that includes a Nevada State Park Sponsored Dutch Oven Cooking competition. It attracts about 50 cooks and 250 food samplers. It fills the campground….and many bellies!
Send us some of your summer photos camping with your DIY project. Also include a small write up of where, and the details. We would enjoy sharing your experiences with our readers and subscribers.
We are excited to inform you we just transferred one of our articles on Solar. We are in the process of transferring old web pages off a site we are going to eventually delete.
If you are considering solar on your trailer or RV. Or just curious. This is a lengthy somewhat technical end of things. From a build it from scratch mentality.
It includes charts to aid you in understanding some of the concepts, and steps in approaching your design. Or even capacity estimations if you intend to purchase a plug and play type configuration.
Nissan has been working on a solution (ROAM) to recycle used electric vehicle (EV) batteries. Batteries that are cycled beyond their usable life span for vehicles.
Nissan has developed a device called a “Roam”. A cube made up of lithium-ion battery cells. Cells that have been pulled from Nissan electric vehicles.
A “Roam” can store up to 700Wh of energy, offering 1kW worth of output.
When the “Roam” is combined with a 400W Solar panel it can provide ample power to most RV type trailers. Enough to provide enough power for a week without being recharged.
The “Roam” could be charged in approximately one hour when plugged into a suitable power outlet.
While this is still a concept, not in production, it shows possibilities for recycling EV batteries that may not still be suitable to power a vehicle. But still usable for other purposes. Thus extending their usable life.
For more information, do a internet search on Nissan Roam, or Nissan x OPUS.
Have you ever been camped next to someone that left their campsite for the day and their detector keeps going off on periodic intervals? The audible alarm is hard to ignore. Sometimes this is a Carbon Monoxide problem. Other times it may be low voltage.
If it is your rig, attend to it immediately. If it is a fellow campers rig make sure they aren’t in it unconscious, and/or notify a ranger or camp host immediately.
In the article at the link below we focus on choices you might want to consider. Especially before you buy a major component, cut holes, frame things in, or run wiring.
We had priorities to enable long term “boondocking” or “lot squatting” for extended periods. Perpetually in fact, without firing up a noisy generator.
We had additional concerns since we camp in desert terrain. The Southwest section of the USA. Where air temperatures can exceed 100°F for days on end. Even continuing throughout the entire night. It is not uncommon to have the interiors of closed up vehicles exceed 150°F.
We wanted to power ours off Solar and Battery. We can state we have succeeded, and have been successfully refrigerating and freezing our food for numerous years. Off solar and 2 relatively inexpensive marine deep cycle batteries.
We are prepping the trailer and tow vehicle to head out soon. We attend an annual Teardrop & Vintage Trailer Rally. This rally goes on every December at Buckskin Mountain SP. Near Parker, Arizona. Right on the banks of the Colorado River.
The campground usually sells out for this event….normally a year in advance. There is a ton of eye candy in the form of Vintage Trailers, and Vintage Vehicles. Mix in some Dutch Oven Cooking, serious “Glampers”, sites and trailers decorated for Christmas, and lots of socializing by like minded people. You can see why this event is so popular.
Be sure to watch for our follow-up post/article and some of the many photos we will more than likely take [December 2018].
