The gear we take when we hit the road.

Our Tiny Home

We’re on our second camper and it’s the best. We started in a smaller travel trailer with no slides. It was a perfect start, and it would have continued to serve us well for years to come. But when we saw this Grand Design Transcend 28MKS, it had everything on our wish list. From no slides, to one slide makes a world of difference. There is so much more room and space for everyone!

The original mattress it came with was pretty awful, but we have 4″ memory foam mattress toppers so it’s quite comfortable now. The bathroom is pretty small, especially compared to our old Aspen Trail. One good thing the old camper had going was the HUGE bathroom – but unfortunately all the storage space was in there as well – let me tell you, putting snacks away in the bathroom cabinets is not ideal.

This new camper has a couch for the dogs (if Toby decides to share) as well as theater seats for the people (or Toby) so there is plenty of seating for all of us. The old one just had the couch and Toby would not share. It also has a built in drawer for dog food bowls. We love it and could easily live in it full time. Someday!

The Tow Vehicle

We are also on our second tow vehicle.  At the time of our purchase of the camper, we had a 2004 GMC Envoy XUV which we used all of last camping season. It struggled to tow the camper and started to nickle-and-dime us on repairs.  Last spring we purchased “the monster,” a 2016 RAM 2500 Heavy Duty.  It has the 6.4 Liter Hemi engine which could tow an aircraft carrier should the need ever arise.  It has the crew cab which allows us to have the truck bed for storage and also plenty of room for the Weirdos and the dogs.  Jamey regularly gets into the drivers seat of the truck and exclaims: “I LOVE THIS TRUCK!”

Our Bikes

Since cycling is our biggest hobby, especially while camping, it is important to know what we ride.  We each have two bikes, used for riding on different surfaces.  Sam has a road bike and a hybrid, a combination mountain bike and road bike.  Jamey rides a road bike and a mountain bike.  Sam’s road bike is a Trek Lexia and her hybrid is a 2018 Giant Roam 3.  Jamey’s road bike is a Trek Series 1.1 and his mountain bike is a Fuji Nevada 29.  The road bikes are used for riding on roads or paved trails and the hybrid/mountain bikes are used for riding on dirt or gravel trails or snow and ice.

Outdoor stuff

We started our RV adventures with a tiny gas grill, but last year Sam gave Jamey the Coleman Road Trip Grill he had been dreaming of for his birthday. He loves that grill!

When lounging outside, we have a couple of zero gravity chairs, so we basically have outdoor recliners. Sam also made a middle of winter impulse buy of hammock with a stand and she loves it a ton!

The dogs share an outdoor elevated bed so they don’t have to lay on the cold/wet ground like animals, although Buddy is really the only one who uses it, because Toby loves his couch so darn much, it’s nearly impossible to get him outside. To help the old guy get into the camper and truck, we bought him a ramp so we don’t have to lift him or help him up the stairs. He gets in and out with ease, after a little coaxing to use the ramp, and it’s easier on his old man hips.

The dogs also have flashing LED collars so they’re (at least their necks) are visible at night. Safety first!