AggieOE
Trying to escape the city
Now as far as lessons learned go, there were MANY!
What we did right:
1) Taking a full 14-days to really let our minds forget about work for a while.
2) Roof top tent to sleep off the ground and keep dirt out (also a negative on this one too)
3) Leaving room in the budget to grab a hotel, a bungalow, or AirBnB
4) Getting out and looking at whatever looked interesting, even if it meant making many U-turns
5) Building a hot-water shower set-up
6) Mixing in a hiking day every so often instead of just driving
7) New suspension, airbags, brakes, and tires in the OEM tire size (fuel consumption)
I'm sure there's more but it's always easier to think of what could have been better than what went right.
What we would do different:
1) First thing is putting the RTT on a trailer. Daily set-up and tear down just to drive a mile to a trailhead was annoying and probably looked stupid.
2) Clothing organization. We each had our own bag and brought a small one for overnight stays but even that needed broken down further, especially since our different size coats and sweaters were all over the place. Building drawers and cabinets to easily store and organize clothes would have been a HUGE game changer.
3) Continuing on the trailer theme, an easier to set-up kitchen would have been key. Next trip must have a slide-out kitchen on the trailer for easier use and less dirt in the back of the truck.
4) Weather forecasting. Planning this out months in advance meant utilizing daily weather averages. Average daily temps in California were supposed to be 20-deg warmer across the board. The winter storm greatly affected our plans.I guess in reality, it is what is. At least we DID prep for cold temps with many extra blankets and clothing options.
5) Shower tent. We used a flimsy cheap pop up tent due to its easy set-up and small storage. However, it was miserable in the wind and required one of us to hold it in place while the other showered. Next trip will probably utilize that swing open shower setup from the roof.
I think the biggest lesson learned and applicable one to apply forward is adding a trailer to our set-up putting the RTT on top as well as including kitchen.
What we did right:
1) Taking a full 14-days to really let our minds forget about work for a while.
2) Roof top tent to sleep off the ground and keep dirt out (also a negative on this one too)
3) Leaving room in the budget to grab a hotel, a bungalow, or AirBnB
4) Getting out and looking at whatever looked interesting, even if it meant making many U-turns
5) Building a hot-water shower set-up
6) Mixing in a hiking day every so often instead of just driving
7) New suspension, airbags, brakes, and tires in the OEM tire size (fuel consumption)
I'm sure there's more but it's always easier to think of what could have been better than what went right.
What we would do different:
1) First thing is putting the RTT on a trailer. Daily set-up and tear down just to drive a mile to a trailhead was annoying and probably looked stupid.
2) Clothing organization. We each had our own bag and brought a small one for overnight stays but even that needed broken down further, especially since our different size coats and sweaters were all over the place. Building drawers and cabinets to easily store and organize clothes would have been a HUGE game changer.
3) Continuing on the trailer theme, an easier to set-up kitchen would have been key. Next trip must have a slide-out kitchen on the trailer for easier use and less dirt in the back of the truck.
4) Weather forecasting. Planning this out months in advance meant utilizing daily weather averages. Average daily temps in California were supposed to be 20-deg warmer across the board. The winter storm greatly affected our plans.I guess in reality, it is what is. At least we DID prep for cold temps with many extra blankets and clothing options.
5) Shower tent. We used a flimsy cheap pop up tent due to its easy set-up and small storage. However, it was miserable in the wind and required one of us to hold it in place while the other showered. Next trip will probably utilize that swing open shower setup from the roof.
I think the biggest lesson learned and applicable one to apply forward is adding a trailer to our set-up putting the RTT on top as well as including kitchen.