Expo...
- Thread starter mongosd2
- Start date
Fivespddisco
Supporting Sponsor
I had a great time. Saw some cool trucks and meet people from all around the world. Props to Tom Collins for being so cool to work with.
Whens the Next one?
Whens the Next one?
Dave Legacy
Adventurer
Saw your 110 in one of the pics... Looks awesome!
Fivespddisco
Supporting Sponsor
I think we are going to be at that one.
I'm still thinking about it...
Pretty sure can a "date" if you think about it...
DividingCreek
Explorer
Frank and Justin-this thread is worthless with out pictures !
TeriAnn
Explorer
I remember the comradeship between campers at the event which means the right price is free and given with a smile.
Considering how big the event was it went off quite well and showed excellent organization. Most of the how-to classes were very good in their organization and execution. Some maybe not so well organized. All the presenters had a wealth of expertise, just different abilities in presenting what they know in the time given.
Lots of camping do-dads and off road bling displayed in booths to entice the eye and generate saliva.
And the vehicles present! I have never seen so many different vehicles all for the purpose of getting people from place to place and supporting their camping efforts. Anything from gigantic behemoths with luxury accommodations to small bikes that maybe have a space for minimalist camping gear. People camped inside their vehicles, people with elaborate base camps and every step in between. Mine was one for four Land Rover Dormobiles present over the weekend.
Personal take homes:
- LEDs do not attract moths, beetles & such like fluorescent lighting does. Time to switch my Dormobile's internal lighting over to LEDs.
- I really need to find a place to store dust masks and a pair of dust goggles and keep a supply on board. A good scarf to be used as an outer dust filter is a good idea as well. Saturday and Sunday afternoon winds kicked up enough dust in the camp area that visibility was limited. I've been meaning to gear up for dust for decades for convoy driving in dusty areas, but I really should get a round tuit.
- I'm more specialized in my mode of travel than I thought I was and really should give greater attention to needs when I find myself outside my specialized travel mode. My normal mode of travel is to drive into the late afternoon, set up camp, overnight, pack back up and continue driving the next day. About once a week I spend the day in one place, but no longer than a day before venturing out again to see what's over the next hill.
My Dormobile is not set up for base camping. My battery goes flat in 24 hours when camping in a hot climate. Normally 75-80% of the food I bring is fresh refrigerated food. 90% of my drinking water is in a tank mounted at frame level and drawn out for use by an electric pump. I rely heavily on my secondary battery and driving every day to keep it charged. Because that is the way I camp & travel. But put me in a situation like the Expo weekend, base camped on hot days Thursday afternoon through Sunday and I'm running the engine for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening to keep my food cold and the water flowing.
The question becomes how much money and effort do I want to spend to expand my truck's ability to keep food cold sitting in a hot desert for days when I can go years without needing to do that. But I don't want my rig to be over specialized for one mode of travel. Solar is really really expensive and the budget does not have a lot of discretionary space. Space for a third battery would be very hard to come by.
Hummmm
AFSOC
Explorer
Your criteria may be able to be addressed with a 1000W Honda Generator. It won't add complexity or failure points to your systems and won't take up perminant space or add perminant weight.
Seems to address your occasional need for base camping. If it doesn't satisfy you, the resale value of these little gennies remain sky high. List it, sell it and test the next solution.
ipgregory
Adventurer
Thats OK then, we didn't camp.... :sombrero: