Van Test Run

Last night, we camped in the van for the first time! We camped in our backyard. (We live on 1.5 acres.) It was fantastic! 

Leaning on the back is our deluxe double camp chair we got as a wedding present 10 years ago. Plenty of drink holders, a little table, and pockets for books, sketch pads, etc. 

Backyard camping advantages:  

- it took us about 5 minutes to set up camp, once the van was loaded. Being at home made it easy for us to get things that we had forgotten (e.g, the headlamp, the camp chair), but it was still a mini-vacation and a break from routine.

- it was free, except for the few cents in gas to drive the back of the property

- we didn't have to find someone to look after the chickens and the cats

- no neighbouring campsites

The disadvantages: 

- we don't have a lake or pool, and it was hot! Although we were in a shaded area, we couldn't wait until the sun went down. We have been considering a natural swimming pool for a while. Now it seems like a definite plan. 

We read, sketched, talked, listened to music (love the electricity in the van!), and dozed in the hammock. Once the sun went down, we built a fire and roasted bannock dogs for dinner. We shape the bannock into a thin roll and spiral it around the hotdog, but you can also wrap the whole hot dog. Love bannock while camping! I always make it in a ziploc bag beforehand and store it in the cooler, ready for hot dogs, breakfast, or just a snack. (You can wash and reuse ziploc bags many, many time, especially if they are the sturdier freezer variety). No fuss, no muss, just mix it all in the bag and you are ready to roll. Forgot to make the Jiffy Pop. Don't you love the tinfoil dome? So seventies.

We even had a campfire sing-along. Good thing the neighbours aren't close! 

We didn't try the toilet yet. I want to understand how it works better before we actually put human waste into it. It seems to flush just fine, but where does it go, and how do we empty it?

Things to remember for future camping:

- the van gets really hot in the sun, although the roof fan does a good job of sucking out the hot air (too bad this method doesn't work on people). Always camp in shade!

- have to figure out the water situation. Right now it seems like when we fill the water, it drains out of a hose onto the ground. We looked at it, but couldn't figure it out yet. It seems like there is one way to hook up the water so it is just coming from a hose attached to the van, and one way to fill up the tank, but the tank seems to just drain, and does not seem to be connected to any of the 3 (?!?) taps.

The plumbing aspect of the camper van is totally new to us. There is a bit of a learning curve. Any experienced campers with tips?