Okay, this is to discuss your solo fantasy camping lineup with your new Scout. What gear would you have? Where are you going?
There are similar threads about discussing options, bed size, camp mode, and specs, but none for just rhapsodizing about what a trip looks like. For me personally, I spend a lot of time on YouTube watching Korean solo woman campers and I basically want this life. It’s somewhere between real camping and fancy camping. They go to campsites, but they have these neat little portable sinks and sometimes multiple stoves and heat sources and lights and have even taken the time and energy to consider interior design for their tent, picking out nice little accent pillows and faux flower arrangements and whatnot. Like just for an overnight. I don’t know if I would want plastic flowers in my car when I’m going to be in an environment full of actual life, but I guess it’s the thought that counts. Who doesn’t want to live a beautiful life?
I watch these videos and think back to my own campings days where we had tepid camper’s meals from Eastern Mountain Sports or prepared hobo stew over the campfire. The latter was really a Girl Scout thing where our leader had all of the girls remember to bring a can of something from home to throw into the dutch oven and, when combined with a base of baked beans, did in fact make a pretty tasty stew. I don’t remember if there was a meat component. The equivalent in these videos is budae chigae, or Korean army base stew, a subsistence dish of ramen noodles and rations made out of pure necessity in the years following the Korean war. It’s a survival food, a delicious meld of traditional Korean ingredients like kimchi with Western ones like hot dogs and baked beans. It made me think of that hobo stew. I’ve made budae chigae at home. I want to make this over a campfire like the women in these videos do. Everything tastes better when it’s made over a campfire.
I’ve also thought about stuff like sleeping. I have MS and air conditioning is kind of a must, so sleeping in the car with the seats folded down is probably the way to go for me. Some folks build platforms. Some folks get external heaters or AC units to put in the windows and run those independently of the ones in their cars, which doesn’t sound like it’s something that is going to be necessary with a Scout. I think all I need to worry about is “what kind of sleeping bag and rated for what kind of temperatures?” I run hot, so I’m not terribly worried about being cold.
For cooking, I love love love love love the [idea of the] electric induction stove that Rivian made to work with its vehicles. I think that is so friggin cool. It’s a great way to cook. I will always most prefer to cook with an open flame, but some stuff is just made so much easier with induction heat. It’s so fast! I have an induction heat water kettle and it’s the best thing that I ever bought. The spare might go with me on trips.
I’ve kind of soured on propane because I have known one story too many that started/ended with “the propane tank exploded” for my comfort level. I like wood-burning stoves, too. Those are neat and can come in size tiny.
As for shelter, I’m split on that. I like the tents that dock with the back of your vehicle and I like the 270 degree awning type. Don’t know which would ultimately be my preference without trying both?
As for destinations, I’d want to start with the Cape, I think. Definitely a coastal destination.
Then again, that is a place where women’s bodies turn up decades later, so maybe not.
A couple of links
There are similar threads about discussing options, bed size, camp mode, and specs, but none for just rhapsodizing about what a trip looks like. For me personally, I spend a lot of time on YouTube watching Korean solo woman campers and I basically want this life. It’s somewhere between real camping and fancy camping. They go to campsites, but they have these neat little portable sinks and sometimes multiple stoves and heat sources and lights and have even taken the time and energy to consider interior design for their tent, picking out nice little accent pillows and faux flower arrangements and whatnot. Like just for an overnight. I don’t know if I would want plastic flowers in my car when I’m going to be in an environment full of actual life, but I guess it’s the thought that counts. Who doesn’t want to live a beautiful life?
I watch these videos and think back to my own campings days where we had tepid camper’s meals from Eastern Mountain Sports or prepared hobo stew over the campfire. The latter was really a Girl Scout thing where our leader had all of the girls remember to bring a can of something from home to throw into the dutch oven and, when combined with a base of baked beans, did in fact make a pretty tasty stew. I don’t remember if there was a meat component. The equivalent in these videos is budae chigae, or Korean army base stew, a subsistence dish of ramen noodles and rations made out of pure necessity in the years following the Korean war. It’s a survival food, a delicious meld of traditional Korean ingredients like kimchi with Western ones like hot dogs and baked beans. It made me think of that hobo stew. I’ve made budae chigae at home. I want to make this over a campfire like the women in these videos do. Everything tastes better when it’s made over a campfire.
I’ve also thought about stuff like sleeping. I have MS and air conditioning is kind of a must, so sleeping in the car with the seats folded down is probably the way to go for me. Some folks build platforms. Some folks get external heaters or AC units to put in the windows and run those independently of the ones in their cars, which doesn’t sound like it’s something that is going to be necessary with a Scout. I think all I need to worry about is “what kind of sleeping bag and rated for what kind of temperatures?” I run hot, so I’m not terribly worried about being cold.
For cooking, I love love love love love the [idea of the] electric induction stove that Rivian made to work with its vehicles. I think that is so friggin cool. It’s a great way to cook. I will always most prefer to cook with an open flame, but some stuff is just made so much easier with induction heat. It’s so fast! I have an induction heat water kettle and it’s the best thing that I ever bought. The spare might go with me on trips.
I’ve kind of soured on propane because I have known one story too many that started/ended with “the propane tank exploded” for my comfort level. I like wood-burning stoves, too. Those are neat and can come in size tiny.As for shelter, I’m split on that. I like the tents that dock with the back of your vehicle and I like the 270 degree awning type. Don’t know which would ultimately be my preference without trying both?
As for destinations, I’d want to start with the Cape, I think. Definitely a coastal destination.
Then again, that is a place where women’s bodies turn up decades later, so maybe not.A couple of links
- Kirin Camp (She’s the most serious-ish camper) - youtube.com/@kirincamp?si=NqKFOJp1r0O0QlMI
- BongBong Camping (The cutest) - youtube.com/@bongbongcamping?si=vMRzmdITWhv7SSAJ
- Ssoberry (I watch her the least) - youtube.com/@ssoberrycamping?si=58AA5utXwZpC38Cq
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) and I'd love to go back to the west coast of Newfoundland. Would be fun to go up to the Yukon though.
The Nuwave's have an adjustable input power setting, so they seem designed for camping where you might have to use a smaller battery for power.