Tent Camping Setup

Now that my van's been sold some people have been wondering what we are going to do for camping. Don't worry we have that covered.

We have a small economy car, a Nissan Versa Note. One of the first things I did after buying it was to put good solid Thule roof racks. They are expensive but the quality is worth it. Roof racks are darn useful on a small car where storage space is limited.

The 105 watt solar panel from off the van was mounted to a wood rack that fits right over the roof racks. There's still room for things like folding chairs to be tied next to it. That panel charges a 12 volt deep discharge battery. From that battery we run our 12 volt refrigerator, and all our electronics.

Last fall we purchased a really good L. L. Bean tent at their half price sale. It has standing head room and the floor measures 9.5 X 9.5 feet. It also has an attached screened in area that has plenty of room for a couple chairs and a table. There's a huge difference between a cheap tent and a good one. If you are going to camp for longer than a weekend a good tent makes all the difference.

Our most recent camping addition is a double height, self-inflating, queen sized bed. It's super comfortable.

We have a good propane camp stove, compact lanterns, cookware, water jugs, and all the little bits and bobs needed for comfortable camping.

Everything fits in the little car and there' still plenty of room for the dog. We have everything we need to be comfortable. Now some people thing it's a step backwards to go from a dedicated RV type vehicle. That's one way to look at it. However, even when we still had the van we'd sometimes use a tent instead. We just really love tents. My lovely wife thinks it's romantic and who am I to argue with that?

-Sixbears