Gadgets, Gizmos & Gear  (Part 2)

RV camping = fun, fun, fun! So let’s eliminate those few irritating tasks that keep us from fully enjoying the moment. My husband Garth and I have picked up a lot of tips and suggestions from other campers over the years and we’re happy to share them with you. Please note, I’m not associated with, nor compensated by, the companies who make these products. Here you go…

COFFEE! Gotta have good coffee when you’re camping. When we have electrical hookups, use our single-cup Keurig® and reusable Perfect Pod EZ-Cup® with filters—much cheaper than k-cups, ecological, easy disposal of grounds, and I can mix my own half regular/half decaf pod with my favorite ground coffee. The problem arose when we were dry camping without electricity. We tried a percolator, a French press, drip/filter coffee, instant coffee, even cowboy coffee. Grrrr!Then a friend told us about the MyJo® and the heavens opened and birds began to sing. Eureka! It’s a must-have if you’re dry camping. MyJo®s are inexpensive ($25), durable and make delicious coffee. Put your favorite ground coffee in the MyJo® refillable filter cup (or use a k-cup), fill the reservoir with boiling water, place on top of your coffee cup and press down on the pump lid. Yes, one cup at a time—but hey, you’re camping! Then go sit in your camp chair, place both hands around that steaming cup of fresh brew, and thank the folks who invented the MyJo®. It’s also the perfect gift for your camping friends.

RV SUPERBAGS—a game changer! Our first little motorhome had a queen corner bed which was lovely until you had to change the sheets and remake the bed. Try making a bed that you’re kneeling on at the same time! There’s no physical way to do that easily or without bumping your head on the overhead cabinets or slamming your knuckles into the walls. I was not a happy camper. Then we ran into Kitty and Steve while camping at Convict Lake who have since become our good friends—mainly because they’re nice people, but also because they introduced us to RV Superbags. Go check them out right now at https://www.rvsuperbag.com. Oh my gosh what a wonderful product—and clever beyond words. Custom made in the US, these sleeping bags are well made, generously sized, include removeable, comfy sheets that Velcro into the bag, and have a thick side for winter and a thinner side for summer. Brilliant! When it’s too hot even for the summer side, we just sleep under the sheets. We paid a little more for the 300 thread count sheets per Kitty and Steve’s suggestion and we’re glad we did. Amazingly comfortable. We bought an extra set so when we come home from camping we easily change the sheets in our two bags and we’re ready for the next trip. You get to pick your sleeping bag fabric (Garth’s and mine are different), size of bag (ours are singles, 42”x80”) and threat count for the sheets. You can also buy a matching stuff sack if you want. RV Superbags aren’t cheap but, in my estimation, they’ve been well worth the money for utter comfort and we’ve totally eliminated the bed-making frustration. We’d never go back!

ROCKY! That’s what we call our sweet, portable gas firepit. “Time for Rocky!” we say first thing on a cold morning. Nothing better than a push-button morning fire with our cup of coffee, under the trees, listening to the world wake up. We love Rocky in the evening when we have a glass of wine and some nosh, or after dinner as the stars come out. It puts out a lot of heat but the base doesn’t get hot, so we can put it right on our big camping mat or use it on our deck at home. It instantly turns on or off (get the one with auto-ignition: Outland Firebowl 870, about $155). While camping during fire season, we were allowed to use Rocky when other campers couldn’t build campfires. Its 10’ hose attaches to a standard 15/20lb propane tank a it uses amazingly little fuel for a many fires. I don’t advise cooking marshmallows over the lava rocks in Rocky because a spilled marshmallow =  a big, burnt mess. Sometimes we miss the days of wood campfires but we don’t miss the smoke that always seems to follow me no matter where (or how many times) I moved my chair. And we’re okay, at this point in our lives, with not having all our clothes smell like smoke for days after a fire.

We’ve come a long way from backpacking, through car camping and now our rustic, woodsy RV camping. But we still enjoy being out in Nature, and we appreciate things like MyJo®, Rocky, and RV Superbags that make the experience simply more fun. So we share our discoveries of gadgets and gizmos. Hopefully they’ll make RV camping for you and your family even more enjoyable.  Happy camping. We’ll see you in camp!