SD 2010 trip...

Hey Tod, why exactly was it that you didn't like the pop-up? Your photos from that trip you took with it inspired me to look at doing something like that down the road? With the pop-up, it seems you were able to take along a lot more of your toys. Trip.
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With the pop-up, we didn't gain a real advantage over camping for a ton of reasons. I hated the pop-up shuffle when the thng is stuffed with gear and everything needs to be moved around to different places to travel vs. camp. You forget something or need something it was a royal pain in the ass to pop up to get at it. If you were going somewhere for a week popping up once and then leaving it would be less of a problem, but for freelancing or traveling and staying a place for a night it sucked. I hated the process of popping up, maybe this isn't a real problem, but I hated it. I'd rather put up a tent in a 30 mph wind than deal with popping up - pulling all the shit out and putting it back. We just stay in hotels when travelling and camp when we get somewhere.

The facilities in ours were not set up for not being at a hook up (although sold that way). There wasn't enough water capacity to really use the sink like a sink, so you might as well be camping. We carried extra water to top off the tank and still had to be really careful. Stove was nice, but we have 3 or 4 camp stoves that work just as well. Cooking area was not great. A table with a tent was just as good. Furnace was nice, but a mr buddy in the tent really takes the edge off. A pop-up is considered the same as a tent in bear country, and in bad bear areas so you have to manage your food away from the camper and store it in a vehicles.

At some point we will get a small hardside camper, but I don't want to deal with that right now. If I needed more capacity, I'd just drag the utility trailer or boat. We are planning an Alaska summer trip maybe 2012 or 2013, I don't know what we will do for that.
 
Very cool Tod, thanks for sharing your trip. No Gus this trip, eh? Preschool?
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No Gus, Jen and the Grandparents held down the fort, which was beyond great. Gus is getting big, our trip to the SW this winter will be a test for sure with him in the backpack. He is too small to keep up, but too big to carry. No way we could do it with the punishing miles you have to put on in the grasslands, but Desert Quail may be OK?!?! - we will see.

Gus got pissed at me 2-3 days into the trip and wouldn't talk to me, since he didn't understand why he couldn't go. It was nice to see him happy when I got home for sure.
 
Well done, T. Glad you two had such an exciting time. Great shots of the South Dakota prairie.
Al
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Thanks Al, I have to work hard to carry my weight with you around here :).

How do your quail numbers seem? I'm headed to AZ (at least) in December and haven't started planning that trip yet!

T
 
Thanks for the info Tod. Those are points I hadn't considered. I've thought about a small used hardside (if it can be found at the right price for me) in the 23' to 25' foot range. I think that size gives you room inside for storage of stuff and size makes it easier to pull and get into various campground spots. Set up should be fairly quick and easy in that size range. Leaning more towards the 23' due to maneuverability in either light off road or more rustic campgrounds. I like the way you set up off road on those BLM lands near the pond. Based on your experience, what size were you looking at? Trip.
 
Thanks for the info Tod. Those are points I hadn't considered. I've thought about a small used hardside (if it can be found at the right price for me) in the 23' to 25' foot range. I think that size gives you room inside for storage of stuff and size makes it easier to pull and get into various campground spots. Set up should be fairly quick and easy in that size range. Leaning more towards the 23' due to maneuverability in either light off road or more rustic campgrounds. I like the way you set up off road on those BLM lands near the pond. Based on your experience, what size were you looking at? Trip.
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Trip. we have looked at small hard side campers in the 20' range. There is some neat stuff out there but the better it is the more spendy (I hate how cheap they are constructed in general - lots of foam, thin alum, and thin wood). I'd want great ground clearance and as short as absolutely possible, since we had a hard time fitting the pop-up we had into a site even with a lot of leveling. I woudln't want something micro, but something as small as possible to be able to put in as many places as possible, but my goal is to get out there a bit to take it all in - nothing better than scouting from camp with a beer in hand relaxing at the end of day. I do love seeing some of the places way off the hard road that people get full size motorized RV's into, though - huge balls some of the places I've seen.

T
 
I agree, they really do seem flimsy in construction and like they wouldn't last if you pull them off the lot. I have an old 1977 31' airstream that I was going to rebuild just for deer camp, and so I compare construction to that and there is no comparison. I am going to get rid of it. However, newer airsteams do not have the clearance and are $$$$$$$$$$ that I can't justify. 1 in college and 1 close to there. Anyway, good points. Thanks, Trip.
 
I agree, they really do seem flimsy in construction and like they wouldn't last if you pull them off the lot. I have an old 1977 31' airstream that I was going to rebuild just for deer camp, and so I compare construction to that and there is no comparison. I am going to get rid of it. However, newer airsteams do not have the clearance and are $$$$$$$$$$ that I can't justify. 1 in college and 1 close to there. Anyway, good points. Thanks, Trip.
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A refit of an older airstream would be ideal, but I have no idea how practical that is. The new ones are purty, but spendy for sure!
 
By the way, if you have them, I would love to see more pictures of your camp set ups and where you were able to get into by freelancing, what the view is like when you look out of your tent/pop-up and the difficult roads or trails you went down to get there. That would help in figuring out what it takes to get into those kind of places. I haven't really been out west since I was a kid and any pics of that helps. Trip.
 
By the way, if you have them, I would love to see more pictures of your camp set ups and where you were able to get into by freelancing, what the view is like when you look out of your tent/pop-up and the difficult roads or trails you went down to get there. That would help in figuring out what it takes to get into those kind of places. I haven't really been out west since I was a kid and any pics of that helps. Trip.
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I'll set down and pull some out, that kinda stuff is hard to see though.
 
Ya Tod this year Hank is going to SD. We have a great group. John Rabias and my Uncle Bert are going. I'm excited about my uncle going he hunted with my Dad for years so having him there is going to be special. Then Mary, Hank and John's son Nick are flying out and meeting us on Weds to hunt for 5 days. It is going to be a blast having my family out there hunting ducks and pheasants. Good fun. Talk to you soon. Hank
 
Thanks Todd fore taking the time to post the pics. I for one really appreciate you taking us along on your journeys. Looks like a great place to hunt and just get away.

Gary March
 
Gus and I made prairie chicken/pheasant sausage today. Who would be stupid enough to try to make sausage with a 3 year old - me I guess. I don't make much sausage, but it is great for shot up parts and I had plenty of those. Clean pheasant/chicken breasts are too good to grind though.

Frozen cubed up meat (white is pork fat, you can't see the pheasant, and the dark is chicken) being professionally ground...

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I have never filled casings alone, so I was trying to think how Gus could help. I ended up with him turning the grinder on and off (green thing in his hand is a switch) - it actually worked great with me loading and managing the casings. I need a real stuffer though.

Trigger man at the ready...

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Proud sausage maker, you can guess what we had for lunch...

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Pheasant and chicken stock. I love making stock - turning carcasses into nectar....

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Ya Tod this year Hank is going to SD. We have a great group. John Rabias and my Uncle Bert are going. I'm excited about my uncle going he hunted with my Dad for years so having him there is going to be special. Then Mary, Hank and John's son Nick are flying out and meeting us on Weds to hunt for 5 days. It is going to be a blast having my family out there hunting ducks and pheasants. Good fun. Talk to you soon. Hank
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That is great Hank, you are a lucky man.
 
Thanks Todd fore taking the time to post the pics. I for one really appreciate you taking us along on your journeys. Looks like a great place to hunt and just get away.

Gary March
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Thanks Gary, I can't express how much I enjoyed your Chukar hunt earlier this year.

Best,

T
 
Ya Tod this year Hank is going to SD. We have a great group. John Rabias and my Uncle Bert are going. I'm excited about my uncle going he hunted with my Dad for years so having him there is going to be special. Then Mary, Hank and John's son Nick are flying out and meeting us on Weds to hunt for 5 days. It is going to be a blast having my family out there hunting ducks and pheasants. Good fun. Talk to you soon. Hank
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That is great Hank, you are a lucky man.
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Your right I'm a VERY LUCKY man to think where we were at 10 years ago. I enjoy everyday like it is my last and it looks like you are doing the same. Glad to see Gus getting in on the work. I'll talk to you soon with a report from SD. Hank
 
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