Hello!

Chrisp · Oct 11, 2017

After lurking in the background for a few weeks on here, picking up bits of advice, today we took the plunge and put a deposit on a new preregistered Cali Ocean. Will pick it up on the 24th, so have a bit of time to clear out the garage before it arrives. I say "it" as it is nameless so far.

We might be mad, having never tested one out, despite previous intentions to hire one and see how it went, but I'm confident we will find lots of uses for it.

Hotel California · Oct 11, 2017

Welcome , you won't regret your choice ....we are all mad on here..!

parrot2 · Oct 11, 2017

welcome I'm not mad just different

Ocean Spirit · Oct 11, 2017

Chrisp said:
We might be mad, having never tested one out, despite previous intentions to hire one and see how it went, but I'm confident we will find lots of uses for it.

Welcome, I don't think hiring one is totally necessary (though it is something we did).
But it proved what I already knew.
I mean if you have camped before? Slept on the back seat of a car as a teenager (or beyond)? felt the cold before the sun comes up? Made do in places without having been totally prepared before hand?
Been trapped in unexpectedly poor weather? wished for more space?

If all the above is nothing new (however irregular) in your life then I'd suggest you have a fair idea of the challenges you may face. Everything else will be pure gratification...warm summer days and nights, indoor or outdoor slouching around the van, moving on if/when you feel like it, shutting the world out, letting the world in, changing scenery, meeting like minded people, experimenting and being spontaneous, mixing practicality with freedom.

On the other hand if you are devoted to hotels and king size beds...then maybe hiring would be a good test.
Enjoy your new lifestyle :thumb

Jabberwocky · Oct 11, 2017

We like bonkers!!

sapto · Oct 11, 2017

Welcome Chrisp!
@2020 freedom great write up! Covered some good points/own memories car-camping adventures!

Chrisp · Oct 12, 2017

@2020 freedom we had 5 weeks under canvas this summer in France with a toddler. It was great when staying in one place for 2 weeks in up to 38 degree heat. But when we arrived in the Pyrennees in the evening, in the dark, in torrential rain, and with the promise of 3 degrees before dawn, it was not so much fun. Even with a pop up tent carried for single night stays, it was far from ideal. Packing up took about 2 hours each time we wanted to move, and setting up another 2. Driving home after 5 weeks we thought of another option, and it wasn't hotels!