It’s All About the Amenities

We began camping in a tent. We packed a Coleman stove, a gas lantern, charcoal, matches, an ice chest and ice. Daily, we bought more ice.

Then we moved up to a Coleman tent trailer. Everything was the same except we could plug in to 120 volt electric and use lights and a small forced air furnace.

A few years later we decided we needed more space and more insulation. We bought a 26 ft Komfort 5th wheel. We now had everything we needed—at least for a while. We had 30 amp electric, air conditioning, forced air heat, propane stove and oven AND A TOILET AND SINK!

Enjoying all those amenities, over the years we bought longer RVs with slides and then 50 amp electric with 2 air conditioners. We really enjoy all these comforts of home. For six years, the 5th wheel was our home—we lived in it full time.

We now have a 28-ft Airstream with 50 amp service, USB ports, 2 air conditioners, a propane stove and electric convection oven. We don't live in it full time. We still enjoy all the comforts of home, even without slides.

But recently we learned there are certain amenities we really don't want to live without. Since we like to stay cool in summer, we can run both A/Cs at once. Or we can use one A/C and the oven. We might even be able to use all 3 at once but I haven't tried. The only place I sometimes expect to have only 30 amp service is in some state park campgrounds.

So when the full hook-up site we had reserved in Bayfield only had 30 amp electric service, I was dismayed (to say the least). I didn't realize there were sites there that didn't have both 30 and 50 amp on every electric pedestal.

We did survive, of course. But I knew we could only run one A/C at a time and I doubted I could bake and air condition at the same time. It was a pain to keep thinking—do we have the power to use this?—every time we turned on something.

This hasn't been our only lack of amenities, unfortunately. Our Dometic refrigerator isn't cooling well, so we are supplementing it with an ice chest and daily trips to buy ice.

And we have added one more amenity to our (almost) must have list. Good cell service or good WiFi. When we were still working, going out in the trailer was a way to disconnect and not be available to anyone else for a few days. Today we don't have to get away. And we enjoy the internet to keep up our finances, read blogs, research anything and everything, recipes, contact with family, making reservations.

I know, I know, we are spoiled. But in our old age we really want all the comforts of home, wherever we are.

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