Camping with Eddie Griswold
Camping was a part of my life growing up, I have so many fond memories of sleeping in the pop-up camper or roughing it in the tent next to the lake. So, it only made sense that when I had kids that camping was going to be a summer past-time…and believe me it has.
Now prior to kids my husband and I loved to do more backcountry camping that required us to pack in and pack out, so that light 2 person tent we snuggled in on cold nights was a must. Now enter kids and that first camping experience with a toddler and a dog in that tiny little tent was not for us. We quickly realized that our camping life needed to change slightly, and with my husband’s growing fear of bear attacks (?) we decided we needed a camper. So, we set out to find an older camper that we could pay cash for and enjoy for years to come (haha).
When I was pregnant with our second, we found this great deal of a camper that we could gut and remodel to our liking…um with a baby on the way that was easier said than done. We got our 1984 Nomad camper gutted and then she sat on our yard, killing our grass for over a year. When we decided to sell her I even talked a buyer out of buying her because he had the same intentions of remodeling her with a new baby on the way…no way that was going to happen. But she went to a great home and when she was finally remodeled the pictures the couple sent us were amazing. We used the money we sold that camper for to buy a smaller, older, but already remodeled camper. Enter Rin Tin Tin, our 1969 Aristocrat low rider. She was a looker for sure, but she was small and could be pulled by our SUV and we didn’t have to worry about fixing her up…or so we thought.
Our first time out with her was great! We spent Labor Day weekend with friends and had a blast, our son (then 5) only asked once why are camper was so much uglier and smaller than everyone else’s :) After that first trip out, she was put on the side of our house until the next season. Rin Tin Tin did not fare well over the winter months and when we opened her up for our Memorial Day weekend trip, we were welcomed by a major leak and mold all over the back end and bed of the camper. So that camping trip was spent in our friend’s camper, while we contemplated what to do with our camper. Well, we decided to fix her up and my husband and I spent most of the summer arguing and getting frustrated with each other over the amount of time and work that went into fixing up Rin Tin Tin, but we did it and while she didn’t look quite as good as she had before (not saying much), she stayed dry and even though we always looked like Eddie Griswold or the Clampits pulling up to any camping spot it was the perfect camper for our little family of 4, that was until last summer.
Our son (now 8) was tired of sharing a bed in the camper with his sister, and I was tired of not having a toilet for those late night I gotta go scenarios. So, we decided it was time to let Rin Tin Tin go and upgrade (just a little). The hunt was on and it didn’t take us too long to find the next best camper, this time a little bigger and a little newer. Enter in Snow White, complete with bunk beds, a bathroom, and a heater and air conditioner. This time no fear of turning on the stove and blowing up the camper either :). Well with a bigger camper comes more responsibility and last summer was our summer of learning. Learning that if you don’t have full propane tanks, you won’t have heat, if you don’t put in the water plugs you won’t have water, and yes, if there’s not water someone can still use the toilet, but cleaning it when it won’t flush is pretty gross. And then you have to winterize it…who knew. It’s a good thing we have such great friends and seasoned campers who were able to help us on the journey of owning a “real adult” camper, and as we embark on our second season of camping with Snow White, fingers crossed we winterized her correctly and won’t have any remodels that need to be done.
All in all though, I wouldn’t change these past 9 years of camping for anything. We’ve had great experiences and loads of fun, even with our janky Rin Tin Tin, and as we continue to camp, it will only get better!