On the Road Again...

Tsa Kwa Luten Campground, Quadra Island, BC

So... after the short ferry ride from Campbell River "nous sommes arrive" on  Quadra. Louis Vuitton (aka Lewis) -the zippy mini Aussie pup, two tons of gear and hopeful aspirations intact,  we set up camp at Tsa Kwa Luten campground, adjacent to the lovely First Nations lodge and just around the corner from historic Cape Mudge village. With rain clouds looming, we launched the first erection (so to speak) of our Coleman six-man tent. Merv was fast on the task and managed to wrangle the beast into submission in about 15 minutes or so. Tons of room inside for the fold out cots and two folding camp chairs, which were pressed into service for ceremonial video watching later that evening. The new sleeping bags offered coziness galore and Lewis soon found himself snuggled in and snoring happily to the tune of BJ Thomas' classic "Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head."

Next morning the skies had cleared somewhat and we headed off  for our ritual hike at Rebecca Spit Provincial Park followed by a tasty lunch and refreshments at the Heriot Bay Inn (HBI.) Colourful locals provided great eavesdropping fodder, as always, and historical photos, charts and posters advertising upcoming musical festivities made for charming décor. A quick shop at the local grocery and we headed "home" to our trusty Coleman tent.

So why are we OFT'ing?

So before we get into describing out first tenting experience for almost ten-years, it might be useful to explain WHY. When we sold the Class-B, which was great except when we putting serious wads of cash into keeping it on the road, we went through a period of mourning that maybe we were done with camping forever.

The Big Lebowski being 'attended' to...

We couldn't really justify 'investing' in another RV, and besides, I don't have the patience and inclination to fix things--it's not my bag; I don't like it--I have a great respect and admiration for those that do.

Other options were considered, which didn't requite a degree in automotive engineering such as a hard-sided tent trailer--but that meant having to store it somewhere and still having to deal with the 'systems' in the unit, such as hot water, heating, refrigeration, axles, wheels, and so on.

Obviously any vehicle used for car camping can fail, but if it is in regular use as a daily family/commuter vehicle and serviced accordingly, the chances of breakdown are that much smaller.

Even with a tent trailer, there is still stuff to go wrong--not to mention the set-up, tear-down and towing. I spend a lot of time on the road and it never ceases to amaze how many towed 'things' are lying crippled by the road side with a failed wheel bearing or flat tire usually accompanied by a forlorn family staring at it hoping for a miracle, or at least for the tow-truck to arrive. Soon. Please.

The other part of this dilemma is to some extent ethical--can I really justify 'recreating' in a vehicle that consumes two to three times as much natural resources as a relativity fuel efficient car/truck? I don't pretend to be an environmentalist, but the irony of heading off to enjoy 'nature' in a twenty-year old V8-powered RV is inescapable. I clearly still drive a vehicle regardless, so much more commentary from me is bordering on hypocritical, so I will leave it at at that.

So that brings us back full-circle to Old Farts Tenting--we really missed not camping this summer--my job takes me all over Vancouver Island and I really started to feel we were missing something when I visited campsites during my work.

The upshot is that I see this as a bit of an experiment to see if two old farts and their zippy dog, Louis Vuitton, can get as much fun and satisfaction out of (almost) back-to-the basics camping as with a fully-equipped Class B RV.

New Gear for OFT'ing...

Yes, so off we ventured for trip #1 of the OFT experience...


With Subaru Forester packed to the gills with the"bare necessities" we headed to Quadra Island--one of BC's northern Gulf Islands. Quadra has held a place in our hearts for many years with or without "The Big Lebowski" --our term of endearment for our ill-fated Class B.


Good gear seems to be the secret to OFT'ing as our various maladies (sore backs, bones and bums) deter us from hitting the ground with a meagre sleeping bag and a smile as in days of old. We have invested in a 6 man 10'x12' tent that you can stand up in. It even came with a cool LED light. We also splashed out on 2 folding camp cots which flip out in no time flat with no assembly required. The latest addition to the arsenal were two lovely sleeping bags from MEC. Very reasonably priced and the scrunch up nicely into their stuff bags. So, it's all systems go...

Back to the basics...kind of...

Well, it had to happen...we decided to sell our Class B motorhome last summer as we experienced the final straw--on a last trip of the year trip planned for Thanksgiving on Quadra Island, British Columbia, the windshield wipers gave up the ghost in the middle of a torrential downpour. Fortunately we were near enough to a Canadian Tire store that we managed to limp in to get the wipers fixed, but as lovely and helpful as the CT staff were and usually are, the novelty of sitting in the waiting area with a box of take-out fast food, our skitty mini Australian Shepherd, Louis Vuitton, and watching really bad daytime TV wore off quite quickly--needless to say the trip did not materialize and we went home, quietly cursing.