Learning En Route...Camper 'Vanning' For dummies
Is there A Camper vanning For Dummies?.... Well Actually ...In a nutshell NO!
There a Camping for dummies, which I guess is the nearest you will get, and I feel Camper vanning is actually a from of 'Glamping" Posh camping right? Ooh maybe a book idea?
We've had our Georgie for 9 Months now, I nearly wrote wonderful, But lets be honest the last 9 months and the word wonderful don't exactly go!, Yes its be wonderful owning Georgie, and The absolute freedom and Adventure she has given us, during the short time we could venture outside into the wilderness. But if I had add up how much time we actually got away to how much time she spent on our driveway, well I think you get the drift.
And actually the first few nights we spent sleeping in Georgie actually was time very well spent. It was definitely a learning curve. So what did we actually learn ?
...............Think Miss Darcy approves of her first night in Georgie
. Firstly Mr P and I are no spring chickens, No we're not drawing our pensions quite yet, but comfort is first and foremost, so our Rock n Roll Bed, where they are very functional, comfort definitely isn't a design criteria. So for us a good Mattress topper was top of our List, one which was easily found on that wonderful site Ebay.
.And second was something I was actually quite adamant we didn't need, But whilst out , even on a little adventure to our local beach , it was fairly apparent that a 'Toilet' was definitely required.
I done a lot of research, and we decided on the one, of course it was, by then on everyone's to buy list, so getting one was a bit like the Toilet roll scenario during the first lockdown, a needle in a haystack. But as we were off on a big adventure by then I was on a mission. and by golly she done it, I actually found one, We went for the Fiamma Toilet, which is perfect for our needs.
. Another big one was the need for a Solar Panel, obviously if your looking at spending most of your time on a campsite, then maybe you could go without. But for us, very early on we decided that Wild Camping was definitely our preference. So Mr P was the researcher for this one. and when he actually looked into it (Thankyou all you YouTubers who post up informative videos) he decided that he could fit himself, and now is one of those youTubers, so here's our link if your thinking about it...Fitting your solar Panel
. Now the next one is an Awning So the question is a Full driveaway awning, more like a tent to add space to the camper van, Or simply an attached awning, which we can simply pull out for extra space, sunshade, light rain cover? Well for us again we decided that as we are wild camping then the attached version is simply all we will need, and be able to use, as you can't really put a full on tent up at the side of a Loch, Lake can you! so we went again for Fiamma awning which received a lot of fabulous reviews, and was easily fitted by Mr P.
As you can now see this Camper van Hobby can easily rack up some serious pound notes. But all these added extras are simply just that. Added things that make our experience a little easier for us. It really doesn't make them necessities, Its all about having the camper experience, so please don't be put off and think I must have all these extras.
This brings me to cooking, now we are definitely foodies, we can't skip meals, we are brekkie, lunch and dinner kinda folks, and maybe a snack or two, yes we have, or should I Say Mr P has a snack box... And unlike when we used to holiday abroad, we don't seem to miss meals out. One it would be very expensive to eat our every night, two when your in the highlands you don't seem to come across many bistros, funny that! And three, well to be honest we kinda like cooking in Georgie. Its all part of the experience I think. A little tip i've learnt, is to prepare before you travel. Now obviously you are trying to space save, so there's not really room for lots of prepared meals, but I generally take two or three pre-prepared meals, like an aubergine curry, or a spag Bol, it just makes life a little easier on the first few nights. We stock up on tins, we bought a fab wooden crate from ikea which we keep our tins in, things like beans, tin tomatoes, lentils,coconut milk etc. so at least if you find your self in the middle of no where, you can make a pasta dish, or veggie chilli. That brings me to spices... these are fab to keep in the van and take up little space, you will find your self getting very creative with your basil & cumin. oooh add a little turmeric and coriander!
my little spice jars are from Ikea
We decided on an Omnia Oven, for us it suits our style of cooking, and I love to bake, so we can still have our muffins, or homemade Granola, believe me its so easy, I showed you how to make it in my NC500 Video take a peep.
For us the last year has been a learning curve,And we can finally say we have what we need to make our adventures comfortable and safe.
I can't wait to have many more Years of adventures in Georgie...ones which we can share with you all. I hope you have been inspired by us, please ask away if you have any questions, Im sure will can help or guide you in the right direction of someone who is in the know
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