Hungry for Adventurez

  So you want to start camping! Great! Camping is a great way to get outside and explore your home state. One of the first things you need to get started is choose where you want to camp. The location you choose will affect what equipment you need as a first time camper. Furthermore different types of camping locations might be better for one party, and less appropriate for another group. Here are three types of camping locations I recommend for first time campers. Camping for the First Time in Your Backyard If you are camping with people who might be hesitant, if weather is going to be unpredictable, or if you will be camping with children who have never slept outside, this is a great option. If you don’t have a yard, or live in an apartment, you might have a friend or family member who would be willing to help. Camping in a yard means there will always be an opportunity to bail if things go sour, and bathrooms will be private and predictable. You will also be prepared for the local e

  I have been camping in my 2008 Prius for about a year as a weekend activity. Sometimes I even convince my partner to come with me. A few weeks ago I went over the details about how I use my space for solo camping, but I realized there were so many differences between my solo setup and my couples setup that I needed to make it into it's own blog.  My layout Bedding When camping with my partner, we use a special air mattress designed for use in a prius and similar types of small cars. It has special wings on the side to bend around the wheel area, and it comes with a 12 volt pump. The mattress is deflated and packed away whenever we change locations. We bring whatever blankets and sheets are seasonally appropriate. We need to upgrade our rig with a solar or battery fan, because we have found that very hot nights are almost unbearable so close together in such a small space.  Food Due to the issue of space, our dry food storage and cooler moves around depending on what we are doi

  Cooking is one of the most important systems that a camper needs to choose when starting out. In this blog, I go over the pros and cons of cooking via camp stove, electric kettle, campfire, and bringing food that needs no cooking at all. These are all from my own experience. Keep in mind that your experiences might be different from mine. Also keep in mind that you might need more than one solution in your rig. If you want to look at how cooking fits into the larger picture of your car camping rig, read this blog post .  Gas Camp Stove These come in several forms. You can get cute little ones that fit in a pocket when disconnected from the fuel canister, which are also perfect for backpacking. You can also get two burner stoves that fold up like a suitcase.  Pros: They heat up very quickly, and don’t require much futzing to get going. They will continue to work in the rain and elements. They come in a variety of sizes to meet your needs. You can take them off the grid safely.  Cons:

My Prius at the local woods   I have been camping in my 2008 Prius for about a year as a weekend activity. Sometimes I even convince my partner to come with me. It occurred to me that I haven’t shared my non-damaging “build” before. Let's walk through how I handle camping with such little space with one person. I don’t have any fancy pictures of my setup, because car camping is not as aesthetic as the van life photos would make you think. Luckily, I do have some graphic design skills, and have made up some fun illustrations instead.  Basic Prius Layout A Prius looks like this with the seats up. It has seating for five people including the driver. The bench seats fold down perfectly flat - something that is not universal across hybrid vehicles, making the Prius one of the best small cars for camping. There is a small bit of space between the folded bench seats and the front seats, which can be slid forward at night to make more headroom if needed. Note that the trunk area is not per