Originally Posted by T_Inman
My goodness. Nice work and you’re living HIGH CLASS.

I am usually hunkered underneath a tarp or in the front seat of the pickup when at ‘camp’ and shoving handfuls of trail mix in my mouth for ‘meals’ 3 times a day.

Color me impressed and a bit envious.
Besides having a nice place to sleep, eat, and play dominoes the inside setup for the tent is really pretty cool in its own right. My Grandad’s best friend was a hardware and appliance store owner for 60 years. They built the gas line setup for the lights and stove. He also sourced us an old gas range with live pilots so the burners don’t have to be lit with a match and it doesn’t need electricity for the igniters like a modern gas stove. Grandad always makes it a point to emphasize that “she’s the last of her kind boys and you have to be gentle with her or we’ll never be able to replace her”.

One year in the 70’s they tried electric lights and a generator. The noise and hassle of refueling and starting the generator caused an instant switch back to gas lights.

My master tinkerer, fabricator, mechanic, Mr Fixit uncle built the bunks back in the 80’s. They’re color coded for easy assembly and each has a piece of plywood cut to fit.

The kitchen “cabinets” are built to screw together and have a full set of pots, pans, utensils, and dishes sufficient for 12 guys to eat two meals before you have to wash them. That way the dishes don’t have to be done between breakfast and supper.

A few years ago we modified the rear vestibule to house a shower. We have to haul a little more water but a hot shower every third day sure beats one at the end of the 9 days trip.

It really is a neat setup and we’re all pretty proud of it and all the parts and the way they’ve evolved over the decades. We’ve had many visitors come by for a peek inside or to share a cup of coffee or a meal. From curious locals or nearby camps to game wardens who were impressed with our camp.