Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Camplites in Iceland?

Þingvellir  -  South Iceland
At work today I met a guy (named Magnus) from Iceland. Thinking about beautiful, rugged, Iceland has me thinking how cool it would be to have a little Camplite trailer there to tour around and really experience the scenic wonder of the place.  I wonder how many people there have rv's? I really don't know but I imagine tent camping is popular there. Next time I talk with Magnus, I'll ask!

Since I became interested in small trailers I've noticed a shift in how I perceive other places. I've always been interested in travel shows on TV. Now when I watch one, I find myself day-dreaming how great it would be to have my little trailer there to explore the place! I don't just want to go to all those far-away places -- I want to take the trailer! I realize it is highly unlikely that I'll ever tour Africa or South East Asia with my Camplite but I can imagine it. No doubt about it, having a rv affects how you see travel. The world has countless beautiful interesting places to visit. It would be great to experience many of them having my little trailer as expedition headquarters!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

trailer pricing...


Go RVing!
This posting started out as a comment I made on  Livin' Lite's Facebook page. I thought I could plagiarize myself, expand on the content a bit, and post it here. I had noticed that lots of the visitors to Livin' Lite's Facebook page ask about new trailer pricing and get very frustrated when that info isn't forthcoming. The lack of pricing info no doubt is applicable to other rv brands too. Manufacturers are typically reluctant to publish their suggested pricing.

Rather than seek out a list of manufacturer's suggested retail prices you can find actual asking prices online by searching listings of trailers for sale. They are usually ones that dealers have posted to sites like rvt.com. You may have noticed that some online dealer ads for rv's will note manufacturer's suggested retail prices (MSRP) and then offer the rv for less or indicate "make me an offer". Based on those ads, it definitely appears that most rv's sell for less than their published MSRP. More often than not it appears that MSRP's, where provided, are just a marketing ploy to make buyers think they are getting a good deal.

Friday, August 10, 2012

classy camping coffee...

When we ordered our aluminum Camplite camper we went on the search for aluminum products to outfit the trailer. One of my first Google searches was for an aluminum coffee maker. It seemed obvious to me that an aluminum trailer needs an aluminium coffee maker. Of course it does. In my work week I drink a lot of coffee - too much I know. For weekend camping trips I knew I'd be needing caffeine fixes if I am to keep the withdrawal headaches and associated evil crankiness at bay. I soon learned from my Googling that most Italian families have small stove-top espresso or cappuccino makers at home for their daily use. Typically they are made from cast aluminum or stainless steel. Aluminum + cappuccino... Now that's the ticket!

Ready to begin 
I ended up ordering a Bialetti "Mukka Express Vitro" from an online chef's store based in Toronto called Consiglio's Kitchenware & Gift. They had the best price I could find + free shipping! The service was excellent with my order shipped within a couple of hours of ordering it.

Consiglio's sell many brands of Italian coffee makers including Bialetti, who is a major manufacturer of such equipment. The stove-top units aren't made to compete with big expensive commercial espresso makers that need a skilled Batista to operate. Instead they are designed to allow us ordinary folks to make a decent cup of a real coffee product at home (or at a campground). It is my understanding that the average Italian home has equipment along this line and never a Mr.Coffee.

Wednesday, August 8, 2012

the ferry to Nova Scotia...

Confederation Bridge links PEI to New Brunswick.
Confederation Bridge
We live on beautiful Prince Edward Island. It is Canada's smallest and greenest province and is a great place to live & work. Although we enjoy it here, like most Islanders, we occasionally like to get our feet onto the mainland. To get off the island by car we have two choices. We can take the really big bridge or take the scenic ferry. This past weekend we chose the ferry as our destination was close to the ferry's Nova Scotia terminal.We hitched up the trailer, loaded up the fridge with food & refreshments, strapped the kayaks to the Jeep, did a safety check, climbed in, and headed out.