New member here with questions

[silverz51]

Hi fellow campers,

First of all I should say that I am not really a camper (yet). I've only spent a night in a tent a half dozen times. However, I've been thinking about taking up camping for recreation as well as for economical alternative lodging while traveling.

I enjoy the outdoors and have done a good bit of traipsing through the woods in WNC, and the North GA mountains. I am thinking of using my pickup truck as a camper but only using a tent that sets up in the truck bed. My ultimate goal is to take a long road trip and see some parts of the USA that I've never been to before. I thought I would plan a route that would take me from GA to the Grand Canyon and perhaps a bit further west.

I would like to take my time and drive no more than 400 or so miles per day and camp out along the way. I would appreciate advise or input about my plan. Advise on the equipment, route and any other applicable subject would be appreciated. One of the things that I am interested in is to make sure I have adequate and safe food and water. I'm a bit of a picky eater and don't want to eat fast food or processed food. I like to eat fresh veggies, rice , beans, and other stuff like that. I realize this might pose some challenges, so I would appreciate advise on that.

I'm sure there are a myriad more questions and things that I don't even know enough to ask about so feel free to bring them to my attention.

Thanks very much.

[RIRider]

Re: New member here with questions....

Hi silverz51, I'm afraid I can't help you with your travel itinerary but do wish you luck with that. It may be more prudent to post that in the general info section of the forum. Maybe there will be more eyes on it there. As far as food and water is concerned, I believe that is pretty much a non issue. There is a tremendous amount of recipes for camp cooking, and if you are travelling every day, or close to it, it should be pretty easy to stop at a market and pick up fresh supplies as needed.

[silverz51]

Re: New member here with questions....

Thanks for the reply. I will post it in the general info section. I appreciate your help.

[surmisez]

Re: New member here with questions....

Hi silverz51! Sounds like you're going to need a cook stove of some sort. I'm partial to the Coleman Duel Fuel stoves. You can use Coleman fuel or unleaded gasoline in them. Coleman fuel is pretty economical and easy enough for you to tote in your truck. And should you run out and not be near a store that sells it, you can use unleaded gasoline.

I cook most anything when I'm camping. I actually like my Coleman stove better than my electric range at home. :D

Your journey sounds like it's going to be a great one!

[renodesertfox]

Re: New member here with questions....

silverz, where you had originally post your question is okay? You will get responses. Have the same question posted in two separate forums will confuse everyone and you'll have to be checking both sub-forums and not get many answers. So I deleted your thread in the general chat forum.

[silverz51]

Re: New member here with questions....

Thank you for clearing out the confusion. I wondered if posting it to 2 forums might cause confusion... Anyway, I will look forward to the input I get!

Thanks

[tplife]

Re: New member here with questions....

Hi silverz51! Sounds like you're going to need a cook stove of some sort. I'm partial to the Coleman Duel Fuel stoves. You can use Coleman fuel or unleaded gasoline in them. Coleman fuel is pretty economical and easy enough for you to tote in your truck. And should you run out and not be near a store that sells it, you can use unleaded gasoline.

I cook most anything when I'm camping. I actually like my Coleman stove better than my electric range at home. :D

Your journey sounds like it's going to be a great one!

The advantage of a Dual-Fuel appliance is in an emergency, as the money you can save burning unleaded must be measured against the problems premature wear to the generator and valve assembly. Colelman's advice:
"Although it's the most economical fuel to use, you'll extend the life of your appliance by using purer Coleman™ Fuel most of the time." At around $30 for a new generator and valve assembly, there is a drawback to using detergent-and additive laden unleaded gasoline that clogs and leaves deposits a lot faster than Coleman Fuel, not to mention the smell and issues of higher volatility (fumes, pressure differences in closed containers upon warming, etc.).

[silverz51]

Re: New member here with questions....

Hi silverz51! Sounds like you're going to need a cook stove of some sort. I'm partial to the Coleman Duel Fuel stoves. You can use Coleman fuel or unleaded gasoline in them. Coleman fuel is pretty economical and easy enough for you to tote in your truck. And should you run out and not be near a store that sells it, you can use unleaded gasoline.

I cook most anything when I'm camping. I actually like my Coleman stove better than my electric range at home. :D

Your journey sounds like it's going to be a great one!

Actually I do have a portable grill that burns propane from bottles. I also think that my wife has a camping stove stashed away some where. I think preparing food from cans or stuff like rice would be simple enough. I wonder how to keep and transport fresh veggies and fruits though.. I wonder how long I can keep stuff cold. My experience with coolers and ice is not too encouraging. Ice melts and stuff does not stay cold for very long....

[flyfishexpert]

Re: New member here with questions....

Welcome to the forum!

How many people will be traveling with you? Are you planning on traveling to a new place every day, or will you be staying in one spot for a while? If you will be traveling to a new spot each day, or will be camped in one spot but driving around each day to see the sights, I would suggest going a different rout than the truck bed tent. If your budget allows, I would suggest an inexpensive shell for your bed. Running a tent in the bed means setup/takedown every time you are on the move. A shell allows you the ability to keep everything setup in the back while you travel.

If you are driving a small pickup, you can build an inexpensive sleeping platform in the bed. The platform would allow you to have a sleeping area above the wheel wells and provides storage space underneath.

X2 on the coleman stoves! Even the non-dual fuel stoves will run on unleaded gas, although as tplife pointed out ther are drawbacks. The older ones can be picked up off of craigslist.org for less than $20! I purchased our 2-burner for $5 that way.



As far as food storage goes, get yourself a 5-day cooler (at a minimum) and use blocks of ice to keep things cool. Blocks melt slower than cubes due to the reduced total surface area.

For recipes, check out the cooking section here on the forum and check out my blog/website, www.theoverlandgourmet.com, for ideas. It is very easy to eat a healthy and tasty meal while traveling.

[silverz51]

Re: New member here with questions....

I will most likely travel solo. I intended to drive from camping site to camping site spending the night and traveling again next day. I might hike or walk about the various places where I stop and take pictures. I might take my mountain bike for alternative transportation. I need to plan my route and itinerary with suitable camp sites in mind.

Once I arrive to the Grand Canyon park, I figure I'd set up camp and leave it while I explore the Canyon, take excursions, etc. I don't know what I am likely to find out when I get there. But my hope is to find a suitable place to park my truck and set it up as my campsite for the time I plan to spend there. I hope to find some sort of shuttle or train that would take me from the campground to the Canyon itself...

I have a F150 with extended cab which is nice because it has room inside as well as a 6'5" bed. Even adding the cost of gas, tent, and a few other items, it comes out much less expensive than traveling in my car and staying in motels/hotels. Also, if I camp out, I get to prep my own meals which is great :D and avoid having to eat fast food and junk :p

I'm researching coolers as my priority is to keep fresh food fresh. I don't mind water at ambient temperature and I drink hot coffee anyway. So keeping a bunch of cold drinks is not of interest to me. However, keeping the cooler and contents cool for a long time is important.

I'll take all advise into consideration and amend my plans if advisable. I'd appreciate people sharing their experience about my plan (GA to Grand Canyon) and offer any tips or advise. This will be my first epic camping trip

[renodesertfox]

Re: New member here with questions....

If you do stay in Grand Canyon NP campground, a reservation is required.There are other options available should you not be able to get a reservation and go any way. One should see why they call it Grand! The south rim campground is less than 1 mile from the rim. Between Oct 31st - April 1st it's open but only on a first come first served basis. Late Dec 09 we camped there two nights. Snowed the entire time, white-out conditions...couldn't see nothin. My luck continues to this day....right place wrong time of year! But that is when I like to camp! hehe.

They have a great shuttle system. Gotta make reservations or outside the park in the National Forest it's free campin but very primitive. No garbage pickup there, gotta pack out what you pack in.

[silverz51]

Re: New member here with questions....

If you do stay in Grand Canyon NP campground, a reservation is required.There are other options available should you not be able to get a reservation and go any way. One should see why they call it Grand! The south rim campground is less than 1 mile from the rim. Between Oct 31st - April 1st it's open but only on a first come first served basis. Late Dec 09 we camped there two nights. Snowed the entire time, white-out conditions...couldn't see nothin. My luck continues to this day....right place wrong time of year! But that is when I like to camp! hehe.

They have a great shuttle system. Gotta make reservations or outside the park in the National Forest it's free campin but very primitive. No garbage pickup there, gotta pack out what you pack in.

I don't think Id mind the primitive camping as long as I was well prepared.. I would be nice to have access to water and restrooms though.. I don't think I want to go during snow conditions. That would be too risky for me and my 2WD truck. Is it possible to go there between April 1 and Oct 31? I was actually thinking to go in late summer or fall....

[GlitterHiker]

Re: New member here with questions....

I clicked to go to Page 2 and I got a "Forbidden" message !, so I don't know if anyone else commented similarly:

If you're planning to do some walking around and site-seeing, as well as making camp everyday, and cooking outdoors -- my suggestion is that 400 miles a day is way too much. Maybe plan on doing much less driving, say 200-250 miles max in a day.

[silverz51]

Re: New member here with questions....

I clicked to go to Page 2 and I got a "Forbidden" message !, so I don't know if anyone else commented similarly:

If you're planning to do some walking around and site-seeing, as well as making camp everyday, and cooking outdoors -- my suggestion is that 400 miles a day is way too much. Maybe plan on doing much less driving, say 200-250 miles max in a day.

Hmmm good point. However, I was thinking of a 10 day trip...

[renodesertfox]

Re: New member here with questions....

The south rim is opened all year. Nice in the fall when kids are back in school, but when ever you go it'll be crowded. Still need to make reservations early as you can for camping in the park. The NPS has huge parking lots but fines are steep if you go and camp in the park, but not in the campground.

South Rim: Camping

Mather Campground offers year-round tent and RV camping(no hookups). The sites can accommodate up to 2 cars and 6 people. Cost is about $15-20 per night, more for the larger sites. Reservations can be made up to 5 months in advance and I strongly recommend that for April through November. From December thru March Mather Campground is on the first come first served basis. Group sites are also available.
Reservations: 800-265-2267; Outside U.S.: 301-722-1257
http://www.reservations.nps.gov

Desert View Campground is located at Desert View, 25 miles east of Grand Canyon Village at the end of Desert View Drive. The campground is open from mid-May(15) through mid-October(15). Sites are only available on a first come first served basis. Each site accommodates up to 2 cars and 6 people. Cost is $10 per night. This is where we stay when we camp here. Its far enough away from the main village that reminds us of driving in a mini Las Vegas or other huge city, you gotta watch out for the other guy before you can watch the scenery.

Trailer Village
Trailer Village is an RV campground with hookups located next to Mather Campground. It accommodates RVs up to 50' in length. The Campground is open all year every year. Reservations are handled by Xantera and I highly recommend reservations(sometime the wait for a space can be as long as two years.
Reservations: Advance: 888-297-2757, Same day:928-638-2631
http://grandcanyonlodges.com

Good luck, already you're getting the best advice available from all the other campateers! Glad you decided to pitch your tent with us awhile before you go campin!