I'm a 65-years-young married and retired architectural designer. My hubby and I camped a lot with the kids as they grew up, but now the hubby isn't interested in camping. So I recently purchased a home-built "woody" teardrop from its original owner (not the builder) for my own use, and took my first solo outing last week in preparation for other camping trips with friends. It was just a trial run close to home so I could see what works well and what I'd like to change, and to figure out how to do all the setup and takedown by myself. The so-called "Quick & Easy" canopy was a special challenge but I conquered it, ha! So I'm just in lust right now


In 1961, when I was 12 years old, my brother and I helped our dad build a camper that our family of 5 used for 6 weeks as we camped across the country, moving from Dublin, Ohio to Santa Barbara, CA, so our mom could escape the cold winters. While we were building the camper, we learned how to white-water canoe and got in shape for hiking. We decided not to travel more than 200 miles a day, to hit as many national parks and monuments as possible, and to find as many good white-water spots as we could. It was the adventure of a lifetime! That camper was a thing of pure genius and we attracted a crowd every time we pulled into a campground. (It certainly helped that my dad had a degree in mechanical engineering from MIT.


I've been lurking here for quite some time and my head is spinning with all the amazing ideas and the gracious advice you are all so generous in sharing. I look forward to learning a lot and, hopefully - someday, sharing a little. Cheers!

Amy