Bezabor: We spent the day prepping for an overdue vacation. We will be travelling in our home-made 'RV', really just an older window van that we've converted into a primitive camper. We don't have a microwave or satellite TV or refrigerator, or even a shower. But we DO have a futon mattress, a porta-pottie, a cooler, a one-burner stove, a storage cabinet with fold-out table, and a few toys--- we have a set of folding bicycles that fit under the futon mattress platform and we have our two sea kayaks on the roof rack. We also have a laptop computer with DVD player for movies and a TV tuner to pick up local stations via a 'rabbit-ears' antenna. So from our point of view we're livin' large. It sure beats living in a tent. We can't afford a true RV and don't really want one--- too big, too complex, too expensive. We like to cruise back roads and forest roads where most RV's would just be too big--- this one is just right for the two of us. We've been doing this type of camping for years. Years ago I had a '69 Chevy van that we used for weekending but all we had in it was a foam mattress and cooler. My high school buddy and I used to go hunting and canoeing and scuba diving (not at the same time!) using his '72 Dodge van as our "RV". He had installed two cots bunk-bed style along the wall and that was about it. Over the years I've known several people who have used bare vans or pickups with 'toppers' as their campers and I'm somewhat surprised it isn't more popular. I suppose the issue is kids.... the space is OK for two but too crowded for more than that.

We have another two days of preparation. If we wanted, we could probably push and be ready to go tomorrow but since it's Labor Day weekend, the campgrounds are probably jammed and the roads will be extra- busy Monday so why rush it? Wow... what a thought---- no reason to rush.