Girl Camper

I am wrapping up the coverage on my big trip to the Arizona desert to camp in January. It was on my “to do” list for so long and I enjoyed every minute of it. Unlike some bucket list items, this dispersed camping is not a “one and done” thing. I know I will make it part of my winter for a long time to come. Craggy Wash BLM spot near Lake Havasu, Arizona I had the opportunit...

I can honestly say that I like every kind of camping. Resort RV Parks, State and National Parks, backyard camping and now I can add, dispersed camping to that list. On today’s show I am sharing my first experience camping on BLM land with no amenities at all, including roads! Last January I headed to […] The post Episode 204: Girl Camper Boondocks! appeared first on Girl Camper .

It was my pleasure to head out into the Arizona desert in January to road test the Lance 650 truck camper. I have been fascinated with the idea of truck camping since I was a kid and my grandfather put a cap on his truck, two cots with a cooler between them in the bed and took off for Colorado. The whole idea of traveling around with your home on your back really appeals to a nester like me. A lit...

I have just returned from a visit with the good folks at Lance Manufacturing Company in Lancaster, California. I went out there to road test the Lance 650 truck camper. More on that in the coming weeks but, hint, hint… great way to enjoy road life and not tow. My full review of the 650 is coming out in the next two weeks. Lance started in California in 1965. They began as a manufacturer of t...

We’re on sabbatical this week and highlighting some of the top rated podcast episodes with a quick review. You can check out the full episode from this highly rated show right here!! This weeks show is a quick refresher on reducing the possibility of RV theft. While I am on sabbatical from the podcast I will be out in the Southwest checking out the happenings at Quartzsite while road testing...

Today we are celebrating our 200th podcast episode and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate that than to welcome Girl Boss, Joyce Shulman to the show. Joyce is an attorney, the founder of multiple businesses including Macaroni Kid and 99 Walks, a recent Ted Talk alumna and a constant advocate for women. I came to know Joyce through our mutual friends at Go RVing. Joyce gave RVing a try...

Each year I get lots of products sent to me to test and I also buy lots of things that I see and want to test out. This is a list of some of my favorite products from last year. First let’s start with a few simple things from Camco that make great stocking stuffers. A great stocking stuffer! Camco’s hitch ball cover will keep your hitch from rusting and maybe, just maybe, mitigate the...

The whole RV world (okay, not everyone!) heads to Arizona each winter and it always looks like so much fun. I have always wanted to go and this year I am making that happen. I couldn’t go it alone though. I needed my friend Kelly Beasley from Camp Addict to help me. Kelly and her business partner, Marshall Wendler, co-founded Camp Addict, which is a great resource for gear reviews, RV use ti...

I had so much fun preparing our R Pod 196 Charity Raffle trailer for touring. We took it from factory to fabulous in just one short week. I felt a little like the Shoe makers kid passing the finished trailer to Ginny McKinney for road tripping. It was beautiful while my Max trailer sat in the driveway with all kinds of unfinished projects. The whole summer went by and I never did get around to doi...

Each year I dread the task of closing up the RV. I never want the season to end and I hate that I can’t driveway camp in it when it’s all closed up. All my comfort items are removed and I have to just live without it all until spring. Because we have so many followers who are brand new to RVing and own their very first RV’s I thought I would walk you through my process of tucking...

I am thrilled to share that Girl Camper has just launched a bucket load of exciting new features to our site! We have just released a special edition podcast episode with all the details. Every new feature is thrilling to us and a dream come true but, our most exciting news is the creation of our Girl Camper Chapters. We love that so many of our Girl Camper enthusiasts are willing to create their...

Have you thought about what you would do if the life you planned with your spouse didn’t materialize? Lorri Weisen, our Girl Camper Health and Wellness Expert, is my guest today. Lorri lost her husband of 23 years and with him all the plans they had made for their future. RVing was not something that was on the table for her and her beloved husband, affectionally known as Klink. When Lorri g...

When I hit the road, whether I am towing my trailer or road tripping in my truck and staying in hotels, there are certain things that I must take with me. Some are for safety purposes, some in the event of an emergency and some for comfort. Here’s my “Must Have Road Trip Essentials” list. Safety  * Tire pressure tester and tire inflator.  Always check tires when they are cold.  *...

The Girl Campers are taking to the water! We have booked the Arizona Rafting Adventures company to host the Girl Campers for a bucket list Grand Canyon river rafting trip that will take us the full length of the canyon. Out trip will take place the week of July 30-August 6, 2021. That is over 18 months away but Arizona Rafting Adventures books out that far in advance. We applied for a spot in thei...

  Have you ever been told not to park your RV on the grass when storing it for winter? Have you wondered what calamity would befall it if you disregarded this advice? Have you wondered if that advice was the Gospel truth or an old wives tale? Well, on today’s podcast I am answering Frequently Asked Questions sent in by the Girl Campers. Which comes first, choosing your camper or tow veh...

  I am just back from the big Open House in Elkhart, Indiana where the RV manufacturers were displaying their new products and updated older ones. There are some new RV’s out there for the lightweight set and some older ones that deserve a second look. My criteria for this list was that they unit weigh less than 3K pounds and that the user be able to stand up in it. I am often asked, “W...

We just kicked off the second annual Girl Camper Charity RV Raffle benefiting HoldYou Foundation. Forest River has partnered with Girl Camper by offering us their 2020 r pod 196 for our raffle. We’ve take it from factory to fabulous and our West Virginia Girl Camper Contributing Editor, Ginny McKinney is taking it on the road and giving us a full report on all its attributes. Full details on the r...

Are you part of the crowd that goes to RV Shows and comes away thinking that the designers of these units are enamored with brown and grey? Do you wonder if Elkhart, Indiana is actually the set of a 1950’s TV show and it’s all in black and white? Well, I’m here to tell you that the times they are a changing, even if it is slowly. I have just returned from the annual Manufacturers Open House in Elk...

On this week’s show Girl Camper Food Editor, Kate Dunbar takes us through her RV pantry. As someone whose spice cabinet consists of salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika I was excited to learn what an actual foodie keeps in her pantry and what she’s using it for. Kate is the founder of The Campground Gourmet and the author of The Campground Gourmet: Simple, Delicious Recipes for Dining in...

On this weeks show Kate Dunbar walks us through her 4 ingredient Dutch Oven bread. You will feel like a Parisian baker when you pull this from the pot. I’ve been making it twice a week now since she shared it with me. There’s no need to knead this bread and it can be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for a few days. I love that because you can bring it to the campground ready to go. I did mi...

On this week’s show, friend of the podcast, Kate Dunbar is sharing her campground Apple and Pear Crisp recipe. What a great way to take advantage of summers bounty. Kate is a food blogger who founded The Campground Gourmet, a former restaurant owner and author of The Campground Gourmet; Simple. Delicious Meals for Dining in the Outdoors. She literally wrote the book on simple, delicious camp...

Kate Dunbar is in the house today and she is sharing her Girl Camper Chicken Fajita recipe. Food seems to taste better at the campground and Kate, founder of The Campground Gourmet, is the author of The Campground Gourmet; Simple, Delicious Recipes for Dining Outdoors.   She is a recipe developer, food photographer, former restaurant owner and a happy resident of the Lone Star state.    ...

Fun with Ford! I recently had the opportunity to test drive the Ford Expedition for a week. I have been considering switching from my F150 truck to an SUV so  I put the question out there to Girl Campers – do you prefer an SUV to a truck and, if so, why? There were those who would only drive a truck and others that only want an SUV. Here are some of the pros and cons from our Girl Camper Pol...

My guest today is Marlene Caraballo. She’s a wife of 30 years, mom to three almost grown sons, an avid blogger at Cheers 2 Chapter 2 and a long time RVer who is now looking Chapter Two straight in the eye and, guess what, it’s looking good for this almost empty nester. I invited Marlene on the show today to talk about her annual RV vacation to Myrtle Beach and how what started out as a cheap...

On this week’s show I interview friends, travel companions and business partners Kelly Beasley and Marshall Wendler. Their paths crossing turned into a grand blessing for the RV world. Kelly is full of chutzpah and courage and made her dream of full time RVing a reality. Once in that world she met a “technical nerd” named Marshall Wendler. Marshall possessed all the qualities us...