The price of fuel is something you just can't do much about. It is going to cost you x amount of dollars to get from point A to point B every time. Other than buying a Prius, there is not much you can do to change that. Food is easy, bring your own. Simple and quick meals are best for life on the road. Don't over complicate this and you will be just fine. Besides, I'm out here to fish not to eat a gourmet meal 3 times a day! A place to sleep and call home for a few days is where I have bounced back and forth between all of the options but I think I have it figured out.....for now.
2000 Capri Ranchero
Now I have spent many a night in a tent. I'm sure that is where most of our thoughts would go when
discussing cheap options for lodging. It's not the heat in the summer or the cold in the winter that turned me away from tent camping. It was the set up and break down of camp, a place where I may only be for a few hours anyways. Breaking down camp at 4am in the dark is something that I am no fan of. From there I went to hammock camping. This worked very well. I can break down or set up a hammock in just a few minutes. They are fairly comfortable and easy to pack. I doubt I will ever fully give up the hammock but at times it can be tricky to find a place to hang one. For a short period of time, I started staying in motel rooms. The down side of this is the obvious of the expense but also the feeling that your kayak and fishing gear could all be nowhere to be found when you wake up in the morning! Motel parking lots are like a WalMart shopping center for thieves!
What's a fishing blog post without a fish pic!
After spending way to much of my hard earned funds on motel rooms for a few trips, I started pondering on other options. I do own a 32' travel trailer and that was a thought but the fuel cost to haul that thing alone outweighed the cost of a cheap motel room for a couple of nights. This is when I started considering a truck camper. After looking at pricing of new units, I quickly discovered that was not an option. They build some nice ones and they are very proud of them! I decided that I really didn't need all of the bells and whistles but just a place to rest my head at night. Weeks of searching for just what I was looking for made me realize that people just do not sell these things after they buy them! It was no easy task but after nearly giving up, I ran across a Craigslist add for a Capri camper for an 8' bed. Perfect! Exactly what I needed. Purchased it on the cheap too at a price of $800.
The great thing about the truck camper is that there is zero setting up or breaking down camp. I can be gone in a flash. It provides me with a comfortable and secure place to sleep anywhere I find myself after a day on the water. The Capri Ranchero that I purchased only weighs 600lbs and is barely wider than the bed of my truck. Most times while driving down the highway I hardly know its even there. It does effect my fuel mileage ever so slightly but the trade off is well worth it! I hope one day to upgrade to one of the larger Capris with a bathroom and kitchen. Maybe all of those creature comforts wouldn't be so bad.....
Included below is a link to the Capri Camper web page so that you can go check out their new models. I will also be posting a short review of my camper with more pics of the interior in the near future!
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