All right, readers...time to show yourselves!
As my last post stated, UH and I have set a date for our permanent move to our homestead. That date is May 1st. By no later than May 1st, we be setting up our temporary tent home. And that's where you all come in, my cherished readers. I am an experienced camper and backpacker, but I have never attempted anything like this. I have camped only for short periods of time. I have been on much longer backpacking trips, but backpacking is a whole different animal.
How do I make a comfortable home for a family of four out of tarps and tents? We need to be able to keep the rain out, stay warm at night and cool during the day, and keep our sleeping and eating spaces as pest-free as possible. I have already made a few plans. We'll be living in a large tent that can divide into separate rooms, so that UH and I can have a bedroom, and UB will have another. There will be a screened room for a kitchen space, set to the side of the main tents, and a tarp strung above it all to provide a shaded common area. We will sleep on real mattresses, have rugs on our "floors", and use real dishes to eat. We have a nice propane camp stove, and we're about to buy a Royal Berkey water filter*. We'll bring books and toys, we'll use real furniture and our own pillows and blankets. If we're going to make a home out of tents for a few months, I want it to be as comfortable and home-like as possible.
This is where you come in, readers. Spam with your best tips, tricks, and suggestions for making our long term camping idea a comfortable reality. Leave comments your best ideas, link me to resources - please help us figure out how best to take on this challenge.
*From time to time I will be talking about products that we have used or are planning to use. Unless otherwise stated, I am not given any type of compensation for these links and reviews. I purchase the products with my own money, and give honest reviews based on my own personal experience. Of course, ymmv.
Hi, UW (>.< I'm not sure I know your actual name, nor if you've ever posted it, so should I just call you UW for now?)
ReplyDeleteI have very little camping experience of my own, but a couple ideas w/r/t local-ish resources.
1) There is a wonderful place in Northern Herkimer County (about an hour drive from the town near your site) called Shawangunk Nature Preserve. The folks who run it are a retired UU minister and his wife, and they offer near-weekly workshops on all sorts of things. Here's last year's schedule, to give you an idea: http://shawangunknaturepreserve.com/calendar_events.htm They built all of their own shelters, including their house, separate houses for the children, outbuildings, etc. and are set up with DIY solar power and grow a lot of their own food (vegetables only). They store their food in a root cellar and wash their clothes using water from the nearby creek. It's a wonderful place to visit for a workshop or a hike, but if you're looking to learn more about living "off the grid", as they say, these are definitely some local folks to know.
2) The Mohawk Valley Quaker Meeting has its fair share of folks who are knowledgeable about the same sorts of things. One of the members lives up the road in a strawbale-insulated house she had built, and uses a lot of those techniques--root cellar, icebox refrigeration, solar panels, etc. She hasn't been at Meeting for a while, but is usually happy to talk about her house and even show you around if you get to meet her. But many folks at Mohawk Valley Friends Meeting are into living off/close to off the grid, and have the knowledge or resources I think you're looking for. I know you just joined a Catholic Church, and so will probably be looking for one here, but it'd be worth it to come one week to meet folks. They're Friendly (haha) people. Oh, and they also have "community potlucks" at fairly regular intervals where anyone is welcome, so I can let you know when one of those is coming up.
If I think of anything else local-ish, I'll let you know, or if you have specific local questions, you can email me-- coldinaugust at gmail dot com
Peace and best wishes on your 2013 goals,
Ami
Thank you so much, Ami! I'm looking through the link right now, and I'll keep the Quaker meeting in mind. Though I am not technically a Friend, I have attended meeting on and off for years, and will likely continue to do so after we move. I didn't know the Friends up that way were so...earthy. I'm looking forward to meeting them! As for my name, I keep it (and face shots of my family) off my blog for a reason. So UW works just fine!
ReplyDeleteOK, UW! You're welcome! Yes, they are indeed very earthy! Some overlap with neopagan beliefs as well...full moon bonfires & potlucks are usually on solstice/equinox/cross-quarter holidays. Cool folks.
DeleteLet me know if I can help with other local stuff.
Oh, and BTW, I think you know this, but just in case--it can still pretty cold/even snow on May 1st, and around that time of year the past few years, we've had wacky weather like tornadoes. Not serious ones, but more than ever (than have been recorded, anyway), so you might want to make some kind of plan for weather emergencies.
Thanks for the tip. I know it'll be pretty cold. I'm an experienced winter camped, and have even winter camped with UB when he was a toddler. It'll be a bit more of a challenge with a younger baby, but we'll manage. I had no idea about tornadoes, though - we'll keep that in mind and make a plan, just in case.
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