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February 2021

Drones 101:  Elevate Your Game with Awesome Aerial Camping Images

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Drones 101:  Elevate Your Game with Awesome Aerial Camping Images

Aerial imagery (both still and video) can give your camping snapshots serious dramatic impact by providing a bird’s eye point of view of your subject.  Whether you want to take an image of your small travel trailer from 200 feet up looking straight down on it or capture a coastal view from the air, a small drone can easily provide this capability.  Just remember to check the local rules before you launch to make sure your drone flight is legal and safe.  Although drones are prohibited at all National Parks in the United States, there are still many camping locations where drones are allowed.

I’ve personally built and flown numerous drones over the past five years (from very large to small) and my favorite recommendation thus far for anyone who wants a drone for their small travel trailer adventures is the DJI Mavic Mini (or Mavic Mini 2).  I like this drone the most because it is very small (folds up and fits into a very small travel case), is very quiet (discreet when flying), has very long flight time on a single battery (around 30 minutes), and is extremely stable and easy to fly.  You do need to verify that your smartphone is compatible with the Mavic Mini as it’s necessary to run the flight software used to fly the drone.  Most modern smartphones will be compatible, but it’s easy to check online on various websites or by contacting DJI directly.  As a side note, DJI support has been excellent.  My first Mavic Mini had a malfunction and flew into a mountain and DJI replaced the drone after analyzing the flight data.  I was flying at a very high altitude location in the mountains (around 8,000 feet above sea level) which may have been a factor.

There are a lot of Mavic Mini reviews and videos online, so I won’t give a full review here.  I’ll just say that the Mavic Mini is very easy to fly and uses GPS to provide a very precise flying experience.  The flight software also checks to see if drones are legal and safe to fly at your location and will warn you if there are any issues.  Additionally, if one gets into trouble, the Mavic Mini can come back to you with just a push of the “return to home” failsafe button.  The drone can also auto takeoff and land.  And, features like battery indicator showing remaining flight time and continuous video feed (allowing first person view flying from the phone screen) make for a tremendous flying experience.

The Mavic Mini is a fantastic drone for taking photos and video.  The 2.7K high resolution drone camera is mounted on a three-axis motorized gimbal which keeps the camera stabilized at all times (with the exception of strong winds).  This means that images and video will be super sharp.  And taking still images or video is as simple as tapping on a button on the drone’s flight controller.  Once your drone has landed, the images / video can be instantly viewed and downloaded onto the smartphone and, if desired, uploaded to Instagram (providing mobile data is available).

I recommend getting the Mavic Mini (Original or 2) in the “fly more combo” package which comes with three battery packs.  If price isn’t a factor, the Mavic Mini 2 is the most recent version and has many improvements which include ability to fly in heavier wind and longer range.  But, even the original Mavic Mini (which I own) will be more than capable for taking awesome aerial images and video.

I always make sure to fully charge the batteries and load the Mavic Mini into our Scamp (in a storage compartment over dinette) before we leave on any trip.  When I arrive at the campsite, I always ask neighbors around our trailer if it would be ok if I made a short flight to take some aerial images of our trailer and campsite (assuming flights are allowed at the campground).  I’ve never encountered anyone objecting and I also usually offer to email campground neighbors aerial images of their trailers too after the flight (many fellow campers are really pleased when I do this).  Before I fly, I scout out the area and think about what types of images would be interesting.  I make sure there is very little wind since the Mavic Mini is very light (less than 250 grams and, in turn, exempt from FAA registration).  I often like views of our Scamp from a side down angle and ones looking straight down onto the Scamp from directly above.  I also like views looking across a big meadow at the Scamp if that’s available (or using tall mountains as a backdrop).  Another interesting viewpoint is from out over the ocean / lake looking back at the campground.  There are so many possibilities with aerial photography!  Give it a try and experiment.  Most importantly though, always fly safely and be respectful of the laws, campground rules, neighbors (including animals), and your surroundings.

I try to leave a small footprint when I fly – meaning, I don’t fly too low above anyone or campsites to keep noise from being an issue and I try to make sure the drone isn’t too visible (which is easy since the Mavic Mini is so small and quiet).   I always make sure the area is safe to fly and there are no major or hidden obstacles (like wires) which could be a problem.  Although I monitor my flight time, the Mavic Mini will let you know when it’s time to return to base.  When I’m done for the day, I usually fully recharge my batteries with our Jackery 500 inside the Scamp (this can take some time).

If you are careful and follow the above guidelines, you will no doubt be rewarded with some very dramatic imagery which will be sure to impress!

Click to Buy Original Mavic Mini – Fly More Combo with 3 Batteries

Click to Buy Mavic Mini 2  Fly More Combo with 3 Batteries

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

10 Frequently Asked Scamp Questions at the Campground

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10 Frequently Asked Scamp Questions at the Campground

When we purchased our 2020 Scamp 13’ we were sure we made a great decision and looked forward to frequent adventures at interesting campgrounds (see previous article “Why we Bought an RV and Purchased a Small Travel Trailer”).  Once our Scamp was all set up, we thought we would just go quietly about our way and enjoy the many planned trips we had scheduled.  With our Scamp being so small, one might think it would be hardly noticed in the great outdoors.  However, the one thing we never realized, which we quickly found out, is that these cool looking fiberglass egg trailers are a magnet for lots of questions during campground stay overs!  And, many of these questions tend to repeat themselves.  I discuss some of these frequently asked questions below.

  1. What type of trailer is that?
  2. Does it have a bathroom?
  3. Does the Scamp have a shower?
  4. Where do you sleep and how big is the bed?
  5. Does it have a kitchen?
  6. Is it comfortable?
  7. Is it difficult to tow?
  8. What type of vehicle can tow it?
  9. Where can you buy one?
  10. How much does it cost?

People are usually pretty amazed so many things fit into such a small trailer.  And, sometimes, people want to take a look inside (even during the Pandemic).  We usually open up the shades so they can stare into the many large windows that surround the Scamp and look inside.  However, on one trip, just before driving away from the campground, we did let a woman into the Scamp for a brief look since she wouldn’t leave us alone until she could take a quick peek inside.  The Scamp never fails to impress!

(1) Probably the most asked question, people sizing up the Scamp want to know is what type of trailer it is.  One of the nice things about the stock tire cover is that it lists the name of the trailer as well as the phone number for Scamp.  So, in the past, when people would ask what type of trailer we had, we would simply tell them a Scamp and refer them to the back of the trailer for more details.  Recently, however, we replaced the stock Scamp tire cover with our own Scampgrounds designed tire cover, so we might have a bit more explaining to do in the future when asked this most popular campground question!

(2 & 3) When we explain to people that our Scamp has both a bathroom and a shower in a “wet bath”, we usually have to show them so they can really believe it.  Fortunately, when the Scamp’s front door is open, the bathroom compartment can be seen from the outside (as long as the bathroom door is also open).  Sometimes questions about how the toilet and shower work follow.

(4) People usually approach us during the day, which means that the bed is always hidden (converted into the dinette).  So, when people look through the windows of the Scamp and see the dinette made up, they wonder where we sleep and how big the bed is.  We then explain to them that the kitchen table folds down and forms the base for the bed which is completely flat and covered by the seat and backrest cushions.  Sometimes, a demonstration of how the table folds down helps clarify the answer to this question as well.

(5) The kitchen question is easily answered by removing the stove cover to expose the dual burner stove, followed by a quick demonstration of opening and closing the refrigerator.  These things and the kitchen sink can also be easily seen either by looking through a window or opening the front door.  Some people also ask about what type of food we bring on trips, where we store it, and what we like to cook.  We show them how we pack the small refrigerator with our fruits and vegetables (and other foods that need refrigeration) and how we store boxes of food in the back of our SUV since we don’t have a lot of food storage space inside the Scamp.  Canned salmon, canned soups, tortillas, wraps, bagels, granola, pancake mix/maple syrup, and pastas (with bottled pesto sauce) are some of our camping food staples.

(6) We always tell people that the Scamp 13’ is very comfortable for us (just 2 people), but its comfort would vary depending on how many people and animals are in the Scamp as well as an individual’s lifestyle preferences.  For example, if there are more than 2 people or a large dog, the Scamp could very easily be too small a trailer to enjoy.  Additionally, if someone needs their own space and doesn’t do well in tight quarters, then the environment might be stressful for them.  However, for a couple that can coordinate well together, the Scamp becomes a highly efficient environment!

(7 & 8) One of the greatest things about the Scamp is that it is very easy to tow and can be towed by almost any SUV and many cars.  Since it weighs less than 2,000 lbs. (weights vary) and is so short (13’), it is very easy to maneuver and fits in the smallest of travel trailer campsites.  And, finding a tow vehicle for such a small and light travel trailer is easy.  See my previous article:  “How Easy is Towing a Small Travel Trailer for the First Time?”.

(9 & 10) When people ask about how to order a Scamp and its cost, we refer them to Scamp’s website.  We tell them that they can order a Scamp on the phone through the factory directly (since there are no Scamp dealerships) and that the cost varies depending on the desired options.  We purchased our 2020 Scamp 13’ with bathroom (almost fully loaded) for less than $20K which included delivery (Minnesota to San Diego).  Please see my previous article:  “Ordering Our 2020 Scamp:  Choosing a Model, Picking Options, and the Price”.

Now that we’ve been on a number of trips, including one all the way up the coast from San Diego to Coos Bay, Oregon, we have fielded these top 10 questions many times and feel comfortable educating those interested in the Scamp.  We’ve learned that having such a fun and cool trailer isn’t only about enjoying the adventures, but it’s also about public relations!  So, if you decide to get a small travel trailer, just be warned that not only will you have many really fun times; you will also be getting the responsibility of being a brand ambassador for your trailer!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

No AC, No Problem!

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No AC, No Problem!

If you are a California camper and/or can be flexible with your travel plans like us, then you might chose to forgo the installation of an air conditioner unit on your small travel trailer.  When ordering our 2020 Scamp 13’ small travel trailer, we strongly considered adding the rooftop AC option.  We thought it would be great to be able to cool the trailer if we ever stayed in hot weather.  And we didn’t like the idea of going to a location reserved months in advance and being surprised by an unexpected heat wave.  Ultimately, though, we ended up not ordering AC because our goal was to store the new Scamp in our home garage and the factory rooftop AC would eliminate that option.

We decided to travel with our new Scamp 13’ without AC for a year and then make a determination if AC was really necessary.  I did some research and found a couple of possible options if we did think we needed AC that could be added on later (e.g. slim rooftop model, small back window removable AC).  Since California has varied geography, including ocean, mountains, and deserts, trip planning to avoid uncomfortably hot weather would focus on these regions based on the seasons.  First, we tried to avoid travel during any type of heat wave since this condition can affect any location.  For summer and warmer conditions, we avoided valley and desert areas since they can be devilishly hot.  This meant planning summer trips along the coast and in the mountains, which are typically cool areas year round.  In the late fall, winter and early spring, the deserts make for great trip locations – often offering warm sunny days and cool nights.

Our first Scamp trip was to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in late February 2020.  The weather overall at this desert location was perfect – sunny warm days (low 80’s) and cool nights (50’s).  It was a little warm on our first day however, reaching into the mid 80’s, but our powerful rooftop Maxx Fan was enough to keep the air moving and comfortable.  In June, we travelled from San Diego up the coast and onto Lake Tahoe.  We made stops in Santa Barbara, Paso Robles, and Oakland before spending several days at D.L. Bliss State Park in Lake Tahoe.  Once again, the weather was great on most of the stops, with the exception of our overnight stay in Paso Robles (an inland location that we needed to pass through on our way to Oakland).  We arrived at the Harvest Host location (an olive oil farm) in the late afternoon and it was still 95 degrees outside!  Fortunately, we were able to make camp in the shade behind the barn.  We opened all the windows and ran our Maxx Fan.  It was fairly windy outside and, with all the air blowing around, the temperature was tolerable but not comfortable in the Scamp.  Fortunately, the temperature dropped quickly (into the 60’s at night) as soon as the sun set.  Our other Scamp trips in 2020 (Observatory Camp @ Palomar Mountain, Mammoth Lakes, Coos Bay Oregon, Joshua Tree National Park) were also very comfortable experiences, none requiring AC (some were very cold at night, but the Scamp furnace is fantastic and kept things cozy).  So after a year of travel in our Scamp (7 trips, 23 locations, and 33 nights), we could have enjoyed using AC only a couple of days.  Given these experiences, we have decided for now to hold off on installing an aftermarket AC solution.

Although we really didn’t need AC much in the past year, we were still a bit tempted to have a low profile unit installed just in case.  However, after doing some more research we decided the benefit of AC just wasn’t there for us in the way we travel when also considering the disadvantages of having AC installed.  First, a rooftop AC costs a bit of money.  The one that would likely work for us is a Coleman Mach 8 Plus low profile unit which runs about $900 including tax and hundreds of dollars more to install.  And, having an AC likely will mean additional costs down the line for maintenance and eventual replacement.  Additionally, a hole needs to be cut into the roof which can possibly introduce leaks if the AC is not installed correctly.  Side note:  we ordered our Scamp 13’ “AC Ready” (at no extra cost) so all the wiring is there and the roof is supported in case an AC is added later.  There’s also the issue of additional weight (close to a hundred pounds) and drag an AC adds to the trailer which can potentially reduce trailer handling quality and fuel mileage.  Noise can be another complaint people have concerning running an air conditioning unit right above their heads in a small travel trailer.  And, possibly the biggest elephant in the room for us regarding a rooftop AC (beyond not fitting in our garage), is that it cannot be run when dry camping without a generator!

The last point above (ACs require hookup electricity or a generator) turned out to be a big deal breaker for us in considering adding a low profile AC unit for occasional use.  Most of our trips involve a high percentage of non-hookup locations (e.g. State/National/Regional parks and Boondockers Welcome locations).  In turn, we would need to haul around a generator and fuel to use the AC at most of the places we visit.   Scamp recommends the Honda EU2200i which runs around a thousand dollars and weighs almost 50 pounds.  It is recommended never to haul around a generator in your car because the gasoline fumes (even from an empty tank) can overwhelm you.  For those, like us, without a pickup truck, a tongue box is often used at the front of the trailer to house the propane tanks and the generator.  These are often custom built and can be expensive.  There’s also the issue of how to safely haul gasoline without a pickup truck.  Lastly, exhaust fumes (carbon monoxide) from a running generator are deadly and the generator itself can be a potential fire hazard.  Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can cause sudden illness and death.  So, it’s recommended that a generator be downwind of the trailer so the exhaust fumes don’t blow into the trailer and some say to keep it at least 10 feet away from any windows on your travel trailer.  Side note:  a friend of ours got so fed up with dealing with generator issues and hauling fuel that he got rid of it and told us that if the weather ever got hot he would just go to a campground with hookups to run his AC.

Now that we’ve had a year of experiences, and considering the type of travel we like to do (mostly non hookup locations), we are very happy we ordered our Scamp 13’ without an AC unit.  We would have ordered AC had the garage height not been an issue.  It just turns out that this height restriction worked in our favor.  We are still glad we ordered our Scamp 13’ “AC Ready” though, because if our goals change and we decide we would like to take different types of trips, we might possibly add an AC unit in the future.  For example, if we were planning a cross country trip then having an AC would probably be a must.  Or, if we frequently crossed certain “hot zones” like California’s Central Valley on our way to mountain lakes, then the AC also would be very good to have.  So, for many, AC still is very desirable or an absolute must.  But, for people like us, having no AC is no problem!

Update July 2022:  we’ve still found that strategically planning trips has eliminated the need for AC over 95% of the time.  However, when heading to mountain lakes in the summer months, we have either needed to make stops a bit out of our way or drive non-stop to cross the hot parts of California (e.g. Central Valley or Mojave Desert) to beat the heat.  These heat avoidance workarounds have meant taking less efficient longer routes or very long rides straight to our destination.  So, we’ve recently added a temporary window mounted mini AC solution!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly. 

Take a Page from Star Trek and Log Your Travels!

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Take a Page from Star Trek and Log Your Travels!

One of the best ideas we had when we first started travelling with our 2020 Scamp 13’ small travel trailer was to keep a log book of our travels.  We purchased a small brown leather bound journal with blank lined pages so we could document each of our trips in as much detail possible.  On the first page of our log book we wrote the Year and Name / Model number of our small travel trailer and stapled the business card of the Scamp salesperson who helped us with our purchase.  We keep the log book in our Scamp 13’ so we can make daily entries during our trips.  This log not only serves as a way to remember our past trips but also to provide helpful information for future trips.  Note:  Star Trek captains use spoken log entries to document notable events which happen during their adventures; we still use written logs.

Here are some of the things we like to document on each trip:

  1. Dates of trip
  2. Location of each destination (with park name)
  3. Weather
  4. Daily price of campsite
  5. Ease of campsite access (e.g. bridge access, unpaved road, narrow site, etc.)
  6. Services offered (e.g. electric, water, sewer, cable, wifi….)
  7. Solar capability (e.g. sunny / shady)
  8. Cellular phone signal quality (and good locations for stronger signals)
  9. Number of HD TV stations we were able to access
  10. Locations of nearby gas stations / stores / restaurants, etc. we utilized
  11. Locations / Prices of Dump Stations we used
  12. Visitor center information (e.g. what’s available there, like supplies, t-shirts, etc.)
  13. Daily levels of our fresh, grey, and black tanks (and voltage levels when dry camping)
  14. Our top picks of the best campsite #s for future trips
  15. Fun things we did daily, including trail hike names
  16. Meals we prepared
  17. Friendliness of the camp hosts / park staff
  18. Any campground annoyances (e.g. loud campsite, campsites too close together, bugs, …..)
  19. Trip highlights (e.g. starry nights, hiking trails….)
  20. Any issues we had with our Scamp / accessories and the fixes we used
  21. Drive time between locations
  22. New friends’ names and contact information
  23. Tips for future trips (e.g. things we wished we had packed).

Making notes in your travel log for each trip can be extremely helpful in so many ways.  First, if you ever decide you want to revisit a spot, you will be your own guide to the best campsites at each location.  We make it a point to walk through each campground with our travel journal in hand and note our favorite spots just in case we ever want to return.  For example, we stayed in the Mammoth Lakes area in the High Sierra this past summer at some fantastic public campgrounds and noted all the great campsite #s we thought we would enjoy parking our Scamp in for future summer trips!    Additional details, like pricing, ease of campsite access, and any campground annoyances are also great to remember.

Another very helpful bit of information your travel log can provide concerns hookups and campground facilities.  Specifically, many State campgrounds list no hookups but often have water spigots scattered throughout the campground as well as a centralized dump station.  Knowing this can make a big difference in making a campground decision.  For example, we can usually generate all the power we need for our Scamp 13’ with the solar panel briefcase we bring on trips.  So, if we know we can get all the water we need at campground water spigots, and dump whenever we want at a centralized dump station (or a dump station close by), then what would otherwise be seen as a very limited stay over with no hookups could actually be an inviting location for a longer stay.  For example, we had a wonderful stay at Van Damme State Park in Mendocino County, California (about a 3 hour drive north of San Francisco) where there are no hookups, but water spigots are placed throughout the campground and a $10 Dump station is located at the entrance of the park.  So, all our utility needs were still taken care of quite well.  We also made note in our travel log that there is a gas station very close to the entrance of Van Damme State Park (as these are few and far between in this area).

Connectivity is another good thing to note in the travel log.  Information on cellular phone strength (for both voice and data) as well as WiFi availability at the campground or close by can be very helpful.  We like to be connected just in case there is an emergency or urgent news from family or friends.  And, it’s nice to check email and news when staying for more than a day or two.  In the case of Van Damme State Park, there was no good cellular phone connectivity at the park, but we found a good signal just up the road near the entrance of a private RV park (which we used every morning).  If you have an HD antenna and TV inside your small travel trailer, it’s also helpful to know if there are many watchable channels.  If not, you might consider downloading some movies / shows onto your phone and playing them on your TV (see How To Watch Movies in the Wild).  This is all great information to have for future trips.

We’ve found keeping a daily log of our tank status (fresh, grey, and black) as well as our voltage to be useful.  This will likely only be possible if you have onboard tank monitors and a voltage meter.  Knowing this information allows us to understand how long we can go between resupply / dumping and plan out our trips so we stay at hookup / dump locations when appropriate.  For example, after a year of recording these readings, we now know our average limits (for 2 people) are about 1 – 2 days to deplete our Fresh tank (with 2 short showers per day),  2-3 days until our Grey tank is full, and about a week before our Black tank is full.  As long as we have sun every few days, our electricity can pretty much last indefinitely if we use our solar panel briefcase.   Since many public campsites have water spigots, our Grey tank tends to be the most limiting factor on most trips — we usually can go 2 – 3 days before needing to dump the Grey tank.  In turn, our trips often plan for stays on the third night at a location with full hookups or a nearby dump.

There is also a lot of other useful information that can be gained from the list above and applied to future trips.  Some other significant items to note in the travel log are your meals (e.g. what you prepared and what worked well) to help meal planning for future trips, trip highlights (ideas for future trips), any type of trailer issues (to help plan and prevent these going forward), and tips for future trips (to make future trips even better!).  If logging your travels is starting to sound too time-consuming, we essentially do most of it while eating breakfast each day as an afterthought, so don’t sweat it and make it a breakfast ritual.  In the end, travel logging provides not only a good record to remember one’s adventures but also a tremendous resource for future travels!  So, we recommend you take a page from the Star Trek Captain’s Log, and log your travels!

Disclaimer:  You will get the same great Amazon price by clicking on the links here compared to buying directly on Amazon, but by buying here you will also be supporting the continuation of this website as we get a small commission from each sale.  These are products and procedures we use for our own Scamp that we selected and developed from our own research and experiences.  However, we do not endorse any specific product and cannot guarantee that the products we use are exemplary and the procedures we use are complete, accurate, detail the correct recommended procedures, or apply to your model small travel trailer.  It’s always best to double check with your manufacturer or operation manuals to ensure you are doing everything correctly.