Camping in hot weather

We just traveled from Minnesota to New England and back during the hot weather. The Fan-tastic was indeed fantastic at cooling the trailer in the evening. This was our first long-distance trip with our little "B&B" and we got stares and questions every where we went - it's a great way to meet people! We loved "Da UP" (upper peninsula of Michigan). We're going to be camping more than we ever have before - this trailer is so much easier than tent camping.

 

The stares and questions never stop,you have to be a people person to own a Camp Inn.Steve

 

True very True

 

I think it's funny all the looks and comments you get with people passing by your campsite. You learn to recognize the "can I come in and look" expression and I just wave them on in. So far the most common question I get while towing is "does it pop up?"

 

Yep that is the most common question we have had.

 

Along the same line one of the best comments I got was from a gas station clerk who asked where do you put the air in to make it grow.

 

Now, that's a doozie!

 

Babble: A very sharp clerk and a great call Kelly! Few remember hearing "a doozie", let alone knowing how to spell it or where it came from. You brought back memories of my grandparents 50 years ago. Thanks.

For those too young to understand, you might want to Google it.

Hilditch

 

The people who gave us the "show & tell" before we bought told us a story of someone that has a CI that bought a sign that says "Open" & "Closed" on it. When he pulls in, the first thing he does is set out that sign that says "Closed", then proceeds to set up. Once he's finished and has his beer or cup of coffee and sits down, then he turns the sign to "Open" and proceeds to allow viewers. I don't know if it's electric or manual - Bill loves the idea and I know he's going to be on the hunt for one. But the problem is, he'd let them see anything they want before we ever set up! And yes, I agree, you really need to be a people person to own one of these little babes!

 

Voice of Experience: When we want to "get away from it all", we DON'T take the teardrop!

Case in point: As much as we like to show it, getting caught in a state park parking lot for 3 hours when we really needed to get going was a bit difficult. No sooner would one person start to leave when another one would show up...very common occurence, although most times it doesn't last 3 hours...

 

Betsey,
I can see why you wouldn't take the CI - it's your business - but for us, it's our joy and hobby. But even then, depending on what's going on we still hit a hotel now and then. Some think we're crazy but we like hotels too!

 

Don't get me wrong...even though it's our business it is our first choice when traveling. We were avid campers long before Craig built our first one & continue to be since starting the business. Absolutely love that little camper. Heck, I've used it more than Craig! Really enjoy sharing it with others & therein lies the challenge of finding a balance, especially when you are a people person. Kind of like having to close the amusement park but knowing there are people who still want to go on the rides. As they become more of a known entity, this gets easier as more people have seen or heard about them. If we didn't love it, we wouldn't use it so much!

 

Betsey,
You mention as people begin to see these little trailers the novelty may wear off. We have noticed several people who have said "Oh yeah, I have seen these." Then they take a closer look and realize they have never seen one of these. As you know, the Camp-Inn is not your ordinary TD.
Steve

 

Steve,

I think you misunderstood me...I didn't mean that as more people become familiar with them the novelty wears off...the novelty never wears off but people are better informed than they were 10 years ago. There is so much more out there in the media about teardrops & literally several thousand of them on the road, which has really only happened in the past decade. When we started, there were only a handful of commercially built teardrops & none of them were produced on a "large scale," like Little Guy. It's amazing how many teardrop companies have popped up in the past 5+ years. So, now, it's not uncommon for people to know what they are because they've seen pictures, tv programs, one passing by, seen them at shows, on an RV lot, or as a promotional, etc. Instead of the amazement of what it is, the amazement comes from seeing how ours is different (if they haven't already seen one).

 

Hello Bob an Becky,

After we pick up or own baby TD this October, first place we are going to camp is "Da-Up" near the city of Manistique. Do you have any recommendations?

Jim and Sue

 

We stayed at Indian River State Campground last year on our way to and from Imlay MI. We really enjoyed the campground and the area.
http://www.michigandnr.com/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=420&type=SPRK

 

Thanks guys.

Jim has been checking the area and it looks like there are lots of wonderful places to camp. Terribly excited to visit the Great Lakes area. Jim has never been there and the closest I got was an overnight train transfer in in Chicago.

Maybe we can see our first moose! Woo-Hoo!

Though I understand they can be extremely hostile in the fall. Hope they're over it by mid October.

Jim and Sue