Best camping Hack and/or Fad

[Piddlers]

I find it very interesting looking through very old posts on this forum and others regarding mods, home made solutions, creativity, etc.

Just wondering what some of the best or most memorable things have been for many of the seasoned RVers. What has worked and what have you seen come & go?

For example; PVC sign holders, Bucket lights, flower pot lights, toilet paper tube fire starters, and so on.

Thanks!

[Veebyes]

I still use a kerosene/tiki lantern fuel lantern. No noise, enough light, does not attract bugs like the super bright lanterns do.

[ZINGERLITE]

mdcamping wrote:
Both my white fuel Coleman stove and Ashflash lantern.

I'm still using them. 😉

Mike

My grandpa just gave me his old stove and lantern. Its finally like "camping" again. the hum of the lantern and the food has a slight taste of white gas. ahhh the memories!

[IAMICHABOD]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
One we don't see much any more is the old washer drum used as a fire ring.

Thank goodness the bucket lights and rope lights laying everywhere are fading out along with the palm trees.

I see quite a few,but I camp a lot at the beach campgrounds on our California Coast.

Like this one at Thornhill Broome. It is a smaller wash tub about 17 inches across and 18 inches deep,fits nicely in my large rear compartment.
No power at these campgrounds so you won't see any of those lights and palm trees :B

[mdcamping]

Both my white fuel Coleman stove and Ashflash lantern.

I'm still using them. 😉

Mike

[mordecai81]

I remember when the primary camp chair option was the aluminum tube with nylon webbing style. Now there are a crazy number of chairs to choose from.

[beemerphile1]

Piddlers wrote:
...upside down hanging flower pot lights. At one time we would see them in the campground frequently and now we never see them....

That is because the decorative pots commonly used are no longer available.

[shepfly]

You might be able to use 4 airbags, one at each corner with center pivot to control your bed platform. You can make your own airbags from old fire hose with a section of inner tube in side with flat clamps on the ends, you can cement in valve stems to run hoses to a simple manual manifold to control inflation. Just scounge up the materials. I know these airbags work well as I've used them to build compound bows inside a hotbox type oven. Dave

[Veebyes]

An air compressor has more uses than inflating tires. Two of the best are moving dust & dirt around anywhere it collects & it also makes for a great tool providing air to stubborn fires.

[Piddlers]

D.E.Bishop wrote:
One we don't see much any more is the old washer drum used as a fire ring. I have never seen a campfire in a can in use, saw them in CWs is all.

Thank goodness the bucket lights and rope lights laying everywhere are fading out along with the palm trees.

We visit a local State Park on a lake and we see several of the fisherman using washer drums to carry their fish. Had forgot about people using them for fire pits.

[pnichols]

RayJayco wrote:

pnichols wrote:
I have a wonderment question: Where is the mod for an RV bed that is conveniently adjustable in tip angle from head to foot and/or left side to right side???

My DW has a bad back and the exact tip-angles of the plane that the mattress rests on is ultra important to her for reduced pain when sleeping. I've spent countless hours using blocks under all of the front and/or rear tires trying to get the RV to just the right amount of "off-level" when setting up at campsites such that her bed is just right.

In other words, boy or boy would I sure like a platform frame to lay her bed mattress on that was easily adjustable via a remote contol so as to get it's at-rest tippage just right AFTER I had gotten the RV's floor about level using the usual blocks under the wheels approach during regular camp setup.

Perhaps you could have some dense foam cut on an angle that would suit her. Ask at an upholstery shop

Thanks for the suggestion, but .... the angles of the bed have to be set to be just right independent of how the levelness of the motorhome turns out each time camp is set up. This would take an adjustment of the bed that is probably a bit different for each campsite - especially for dirt/gravel drycamping sites.

Of course design-wise it can be done with a flat baseboard under the mattress with remotely controlled electrically operated lifting screws at each corner of the flat baseboard ... but I'm looking for something that I can afford that's either ready to go, or doesn't require dozens of redesign and installation hours of my time to implement. 🙂

The above approach sure would be nice as a mounting surface for RV propane refrigerators too ... so one didn't have to be concerned with parking for several hours on slanted surfaces while hiking, shopping, sight seeing, etc..

[D_E_Bishop]

One we don't see much any more is the old washer drum used as a fire ring. I have never seen a campfire in a can in use, saw them in CWs is all.

Thank goodness the bucket lights and rope lights laying everywhere are fading out along with the palm trees.

[RayJayco]

pnichols wrote:
I have a wonderment question: Where is the mod for an RV bed that is conveniently adjustable in tip angle from head to foot and/or left side to right side???

My DW has a bad back and the exact tip-angles of the plane that the mattress rests on is ultra important to her for reduced pain when sleeping. I've spent countless hours using blocks under all of the front and/or rear tires trying to get the RV to just the right amount of "off-level" when setting up at campsites such that her bed is just right.

In other words, boy or boy would I sure like a platform frame to lay her bed mattress on that was easily adjustable via a remote contol so as to get it's at-rest tippage just right AFTER I had gotten the RV's floor about level using the usual blocks under the wheels approach during regular camp setup.

Perhaps you could have some dense foam cut on an angle that would suit her. Ask at an upholstery shop

[pnichols]

I have a wonderment question: Where is the mod for an RV bed that is conveniently adjustable in tip angle from head to foot and/or left side to right side???

My DW has a bad back and the exact tip-angles of the plane that the mattress rests on is ultra important to her for reduced pain when sleeping. I've spent countless hours using blocks under all of the front and/or rear tires trying to get the RV to just the right amount of "off-level" when setting up at campsites such that her bed is just right.

In other words, boy or boy would I sure like a platform frame to lay her bed mattress on that was easily adjustable via a remote contol so as to get it's at-rest tippage just right AFTER I had gotten the RV's floor about level using the usual blocks under the wheels approach during regular camp setup.

[Piddlers]

Thanks everyone, now we're on the right track!

Agree about the party lights. While we do see them occasionally, now most seem to have an LED light strip. A couple years ago having a strand of rope lights laying on the ground were "in" and now I'm not seeing that.

Definitely has been a swing in trailer size for sure. They keep getting bigger and bigger with more gadgets.

Regarding the stove - we actually saw one very similar at Goodwill and it took us a bit to really figure out what it was. Very nifty though and really cool looking. Too bad the concept didn't work.