This is something a little different for Noile, which is being presented here along the lines of ´better living through crafting of one sort or another´. It has nothing to do with fabric, sewing, or weaving, though, but just generally to do with ´better living´: We bought a hard-sided Aliner Scout camper.
Since we got our Aliner, we´ve been camping every chance we could. We camped the night we bought it — in a thunderstorm, 120 miles from home! — and stopped last fall only when burn bans were put into place which kept us from making the campfires we love.
Our first meal in our Aliner Scout. The meal, set out
in the dinette side of our camper, was homemade baguette;
green grapes; multi-colored grape tomatoes on stainless steel
camping plates; a slab of orange Mimolette cheese (on a cutting
board with a purple knife); and a green Granny Smith apple.
Dinner, our first night, shown in the photo above, was delicious. We´d driven only a few miles from the dealer, and it was pouring rain outside. We were well-fed, snug, and cozy inside.
However, the drive home the next day was a nightmare: We had no experience towing any kind of trailer, the highway was daunting, and we both wondered if we´d make it out alive. They let people pull trailers without any training?!? YIKES!
At any given moment, we were this close to parking the rig and leaving it by the side of the road — it was harrowing.
Reader, we survived. It got better, fast, with a little more experience. Also, we learned we like side roads a lot more than highways, but highways are no longer as frightening as they were at first. And we bought wide trailer mirrors which attach to our standard mirrors. It turns out that it´s important to see behind you! And much less nerve-wracking.
Photo shows a large, black, removable mirror clamped
onto the driver´s side of our tow vehicle.
Yes, we knew nothing. But we learned fast. And, in spite of the awful start, one of my happiest memories will always be the next morning, at our campsite, when I curled up on the sofa and read while rain poured over our camper and the window I was facing. There was nothing to see but the woods, green and wet and beautiful!
Next to me, on that very first trip, Mr. Noile took an unexpected conference call before we could leave: We both were comfortable and cozy in the woods and in the midst of all that damp, vibrant, green. I think we knew, at that moment, how ´right´ our Scout was going to be for us.
Quick photo in the mist after leaving the dealer before the rain
began falling in earnest. The photo shows a small (four cylinder)
gray and black SUV and, behind it, a triangular pop-up camper
in the open position. There is a large window set into the triangular
side, and a green decal on the lower part of the camper. Red and
orange leveling blocks show under the tow bar, with a silver, also
triangular, metal stabilizer set on the blocks.
But this post is less about driving, or even the joys of reading in the rain, in camp, and more about gear. There was a learning curve, for this, too, but a less terrifying one.
In my next post about our Aliner, I discuss weight concerns. We tow with our 20-plus year old Honda Element, using a Class 3 towbar. Our Aliner comes in under the recommended tow limit for our Element, but not by much.
Photo of the interior of the open back of a Honda Element
showing the driver´s and front passenger´s seats from the
back, and various bits of gear in the cavernous cargo area.
To reduce overall weight, we removed the back seats from our Element, and we´re very selective about what we carry when towing. We also removed superfluous bed boards from the Aliner, travel without propane on the trailer, and don´t carry water in the camper.
And we don´t use heavy duty camping bins. Instead, I bought a slew of light storage bins, and we use roughly eight for our packable camping items. Weight inside the vehicle matters, too, when towing, especially when the margins are so small.
Photo of several transparent storage bins with gray covers
with various types of camping gear stored inside.
The light bins have been great: They´ve helped us to keep gear weight to a minimum, and they have been hugely instrumental in streamlining our departure/return process so that it takes the least amount of effort, and so that we can take off on short, or no, notice.
One bin is for basic tools; we each have a bin for clothing; we have one bin for our toiletries bags; one bin for tableware, etc., for eating; one for kitchenware, for cooking and preparing food; one for lanterns and flashlights, etc., and one for butane and batteries.
Photo showing bed end of our Aliner camper. The bed lies below
a picture window, covered with two brightly-colored duvets in blues
and tropical fuchsia, purple, and pinks. Barely-seen tubs are under
the bed; one that can just bee made out has a white label. To the
right are light-colored cabinets and a counter with a sink, which is
temporarily covered with a cutting board. To the left is another
counter, with cabinets under. Unseen is the camper door, just to
the right of the left counter.
We tow with all our gear in our Element. At a campsite, our clothing bins get popped under our bed in the Aliner, and toiletries and coats, etc., in the many cabinets. Everything else stays in the truck: At mealtimes the tableware and kitchenware bins come out.
There´s out-of-the-way room for the cooler in our Aliner, but it´s just as convenient to leave it in the truck, where we have easy access.
Another cabinet holds a small wastebasket, a largish whisk broom and dust pan, and a small step stool. Other than linens, and a cross-rod we use for a lantern, these are the only items we leave in the camper when towing or storing it.
We also travel with an exterior mat for under the camper door; a collapsible love seat and cushions; a butane cooker; and water, which we bring from home in small jugs.
In addition, we bring a big bag of pillows which make seating and sleeping homelike in the camper. If it´s cold, we carry an extra wool camping blanket. These travel in our truck; combined, they weigh more than you´d think.
Photo showing a black nylon privacy tent used
to obscure a camping toilet.
After an experience last summer when a campsite´s bathrooms were unusable for 18 hours, we now carry a portable toilet, and a toilet tent. We use pine kitty litter in the loo — which makes our ´outhouse´ smell like the deep woods! The loo stays in our Element when not needed, but we´re very happy to have it when it is. Pro Tip (courtesy Mr. Noile): Do not block the view from the Aliner with the loo tent!
Amusingly, it takes longer to set up the toilet tent than it does to set up the Aliner!
Related:
Camping 2: Why We Bought an Aliner/Weight Considerations
Camping 3: Aliner Scout Tips