I hope I had defined my newly made up words, Rockdocking, Rockdocker and Dingo in earlier threads. Those who have followed some of the discussions of the past, I welcome you to the campfire. Or in our case, the flashlight...
First of all, you will need an atlas that indicates the approximate boundaries of private, BLM (Bureau of Land Management) and National Forest property. I use the DeLorme Atlas & Gazetteer with GPS grids. It is appropriate for Rockdocking, Boondocking and leisure camping at an established campsite. YOU, the citizen are a part owner of the public lands. YOU also have the responsibility to pick up after yourself and treat this land as the natural treasure that it is. Others will eventually come to share this space that you had visited and departed.
Second. A GPS of any vintage is a convenient tool. You can easily locate yourself on the map. Even though the scale is large, you can easily determine if you are within the boundary of public lands. It is also a nice reference to FIND this location a year or five years later. Even to pass the location on to a friend. I record longitude (east to west), latitude (north to south) and elevation. Maybe even some notes as to the date, weather and the kinds of biting insects in your area at that time. A 12 inch ruler to make your longitude and latitude lines helps.
Third. A Compass. It does not have to be expensive. Just work. It must be attached to you when you begin wandering into the woods, the desert or the the canyon next to your campsite. Everyone in your group should have a compass, know which way is north and keep an approximate idea of WHERE the campsite is located from your present position. Watch the sun, your shadow and use those clues to direction. Do not practice by being the next lost hiker needing rescue by the Forest Service!
Fourth. Always carry a bottle of water. A candy bar. A pack of matches in a water proof container. A small flashlight would be nice, but not necessary until you are lost in the darkness of being in nowhere. A whistle, even if you think you have a loud voice. A walking stick, about five feet long, solid, for a "nose whacker" for bear, mountain lion or an animal thinking you would make a tasty meal. (Yes I know that you should know how to retreat when you encounter a larger carnivore than yourself, but sometimes the carnivore does not understand the rules of the trail...)
Should I go on? I would like to cover the preparation into Rockdocking if there is an interest. I would actually find it rewarding. Any suggestions as to what would be of further interest? Any experiences to share in equipment that you would carry on your person for the beginner? GPS experience out there?
Fourth. Always carry a bottle of water. A candy bar. A pack of matches in a water proof container. A small flashlight would be nice, but not necessary until you are lost in the darkness of being in nowhere. A whistle, even if you think you have a loud voice. A walking stick, about five feet long, solid, for a "nose whacker" for bear, mountain lion or an animal thinking you would make a tasty meal.
Wacking a Bear on the nose will piss it off. Shooting it will piss it off unles you have a really big gun (7mm Remington Magnum comes to mind). You will only see a Mountain Lion when they want you to see them.
Yo Ray- ever get your rig into a place and have trouble retreating?--Four wheel drive would be imperative no? I saw alot of interesting looking two tracks when my wife and I last visited the NF near Manistee Mi. but was leary of taking them---jim
Yo Ray- ever get your rig into a place and have trouble retreating?--Four wheel drive would be imperative no? I saw alot of interesting looking two tracks when my wife and I last visited the NF near Manistee Mi. but was leary of taking them---jim
That's when one of these in the back of your 4x4 would come in handy! You could do a litttle reconnaissance mission to scope out that perfect spot. .......made by Honda.
What map are you using for your GPS coordinates? WGS-84? How do you compare your map books with US Geological Survey topos? I used to buy them at a surveyors shop in Marysville. Now I see you can buy them online.
Has anyone have advice on trailer tires?
I used to take a CJ5 way off road in NoCal, and floated it down the Middle Fork of the American River. I bought a relatively short 25 footer AS, hoping to go where no man ever dared to take an AS before. Though surely the AS has a tighter turning radius then a 2500HD 4by burb.
This is where pairing up maybe a good idea, in case you have to de-hitch and turn the rigs around by hand.
The tires have me most concerned.
Also, give us some tips on hand tools, for digging out minerals.
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I'm a true bum, working less and living longer.
A 25 foot AS is the longest trailer I would recommend for the off asphalt travel into the mountains or foothills. Experience in having to back out of a tight "retreat" is just a foot here, another foot gained there, and keep working it around till you have done your 180 degree turn around. It does not happen too often, but the day will come you will have to improvise a turn around. It is not easy when you throw in some trees or sage brush. This is the reason why I would go up to a 25 foot AS myself. Not the turn around space needed, not the weight, not the clearance of the plumbing... it is the crossing of dry washes where you will drag the rear bumper skids. It can be circumvented by bringing some sturdy boards to gain some clearance. With some close calls for clearing, you will recognize when trouble is coming! Other brands of trailers can have twice the clearance, so a much longer trailer can clear these obstacles easier.
Tires. The 23 foot AS has a poor tire arrangement. The tires are 14 inch and the heaviest tire you can find in that size is a Load Range C. All AS trailers, I feel ALL Airstreams should have a minimum of a 15 inch wheel with the Load Range D... MINIMUM. I have had center tread rock punctures in two of my Goodyears, one blowout on a dirt road, one air bubble on the side wall on the fourth. I have replaced the four running tires with a set of Tow Masters Trailer (ST215/75R/14- Load Range C) from Les Schwab in Salt Lake City, Utah at a cost of $283.00, which have held out for off asphalt traveling. We never overload our trailer or tow vehicle. The Load Range C is the problem. The tire dealers will immediately say, "overloading caused the problem". In my 42 years of driving on all kinds of terrain and always keeping a large safety factor for weight, I cannot recall ever having so many tire failures... ever. Make your own conclusions, but someone is not telling the truth. On roads with gravel I do not mind having a bit less air pressure now, than I would have on the highway... My Goodrich All Terrain, Load Range D tires on my Toyota Tundra have NEVER failed or created a problem (Costco).
The US Geological Survey quadrangles are too small of a scale for my needs, unless I needed the scale for finding hiking paths in the area or finding small jeep trails. I use the large scale DeLorme Atlas maps. Some roads are not even on these maps that should... so even they missed some roads and National Forest campsites. I would say they are 80% accurate and the USGS maps are 99%+. The majority of camping spots I find are strictly visual from the road. Some times I have to pull over and we will walk the "road" to see if we need to trim some dead wood out of the way and have clearance for the axle/plumbing fixtures.
Mineral & Rock Collecting:
Gold Placers: A shovel, five gallon plastic bucket, a metal/plastic pan (black plastic is better) about the size of a 15 inch hub cap (does not have to be a store bought pan), a strong back and water. Short pants, sandals, hat and I will sometimes sit in a lawn chair in the stream while panning my concentrate for any signs of gold, heavy minerals like garnets, sapphire, magnetite, etc. It does help if gold has been found in the area, as well! Save yourself a lot of work. Metal detect for nuggets the size of rice and larger. Panning is the hardest work I have encountered for the return!
Agate & Petrified Wood: We each carry a five gallon plastic bucket to pick up weathered out nodules or chunks that have weathered out.
Minerals: A carpenter's apron works fine for picking up specimens from the tailing piles from old mining operations. Specimens can be wrapped in a paper towel, inserted into a paper sack and labeled.
Specimens can be sorted onto "beer flats" that hold four six packs with about one inch sides. Very nice for transporting small mineral specimens in the vehicle also while traveling.
My last trip to New Mexico I found a 15 gram iron/nickel meteorite. My first, ever to find myself. This was while hunting agate nodules on mesa tops. You always have to be prepared for the unexpected. Collecting or traveling off road...
I discovered on my April 2008 camping trip to the Gila National Forest in New Mexico some handy information.
Many of the National Forest information centers have water available at no charge. Just stop in and ask. The water we topped off at Silver City, New Mexico was warm from the tap, but non the less, OK. But the water from the Glenwood National Forest Service office on the east edge of town, just south of the highway leaving town offered ice cold spring water. Excellent tasting to add. Maps are available for $9 of the Gila National Forest and Wilderness roads. Inquire on road conditions, as the road from Glenwood to the Ghost Town mining area Mogollon was still drifted in with snow and washed out from last Fall. We had to go to the NW to Reserve, NM for access to the area (Route 435 (paved) turns into Forest Road 141 (gravel). If you keep going east on FR141 and want to avoid the thick forest camping spots, the open areas are further ahead (about 25 miles from Reserve). Rough wild country, nice roads for any size trailer. Lots of pull outs in the woods and easy access open areas near Snow Lake on the National Forest and Wilderness boundary... for you hikers.
Along the creek flowing into Snow Lake from the north, you can find small pea to penny sized Apache Tears (obsidian) in the gravel. Hundreds of large Carp in the north end of the lake flopping around in the warm muddy parts!
I always pack a tire repair kit and a 12 volt compressor. It saved me about an 8 hour round trip to the nearest tire repair shop when I flattened both tires on my single axle trailer and also the spare. I have since upgraded the tires, but still carry a fresh kit.
Sam
I decided it was time to give rockdocking a try. Can't say I was very good at it. Seems like I couldn't get the hang of it! Everyone told me it was a snap and if I hung in there with the right crowd I'd get it. I jumped at the opportunity but I was like the worst kid on the basketball team. All I could to throw were "air" balls. Not to leave you dangling, I had to quit it and quick.
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2002 Toyota Tundra Not that Bob Thompson, the other Bob Thompson!
Making the change from tent camping to trailer camping is a giant leap in comfort, but an astronomical leap into survival instinct for off road travel.
Water: An addition to past comments about filling the fresh water and hot water tanks. Before filling the fresh water tank, connect to the "city water" connection and bleed the hot and cold water lines. This also fills the hot water tank at the same time. Just have a water pan to run the water through the system to force out the majority of air bubbles from the water lines and toss the fresh water onto the grass outside each time. I estimate this would save yourself several gallons of water from the total fresh water tank capacity and fill the hot water tank (6 or more gallons). You will be carrying the maximum possible fresh water, but the weight will be noticed by the tow vehicle. That is why you should fill the fresh water system as close to the off road destination AND not be carrying grey or black water from earlier use.
Wash Board Road Travel: Other than dodging holes in the road, wash board roads are an experience we Rockdockers would like to avoid at all costs. Try to find a "sweet" spot in the wash board road and keep your speed under 10 miles per hour. Some times too slow is rougher than a speed increase to a compromise. Try it. You will get good at it. Not all wash board (road with "waves" on usually an uphill grade on gravel and dirt roads) are the same. You just take it easy, stay calm and refrain from cursing... too much. The most common problem the Airstream will endure are the backing out of wood screws on door hinges, faucets may need to be tightened, air bubble might cause water pump to engage- so keep it off while traveling at all times and anything within trailer not placed well will... move. A LOT.
Believe it or not the center of the bed can handle a water melon or keep tomatoes travel fine in the shower floor, using a sleeping bag as a cushion. The insulation will keep fruit cool and safe using the bed, under pillows or the shower floor as "moving storage". We have had NO fruit escapes... thank goodness.
Rockdocking Cabinet Solution: The hinges in Air Streams are very nice, solid and match those in well built homes. They are also POOR for off the asphalt road travel. The hinges WILL become loose or just vibrate off the cabinet permitting the cabinet doors to wander within the living space. Trust me. If you are not tightening your cabinet hardware after each trip, you are setting yourself up for some interesting "opening the Airstream door" SHOCK.
Solution. Remove the doors and hinges to the sink and closet. You will note that the door to the shower is secured with a strip hinge. Use it as an example of the door swing direction desired and the placement of the replacement hinge spine placement. I have NEVER had a problem with the strip hinge. I have not had any trouble with the overhead curved, spring loaded hinges or the pantry hinges. The hinges that use the "house hinge" can be replaced with CONTINUOUS HINGES/ STRIP HINGES. They can be bought at any hardware store in 36 inch or 48 inch lengths, and can be cut down to fit. Using the shower door strip hinge as an example of mounting, or follow the directions from a competent salesman in the hardware department. These come with mounting screws, provided. Measure what you need, cut slightly short. Mount the hinge onto the door first, letting the spine of the hinge stick out. Mark the top and bottom hole with a felt tip or pencil, drill with a small bit to prevent splitting the "plastic looking fake wood cabinetry". (It takes two people. One to curse and the other to hold.) Do the same mounting procedure with the cabinet side. Test the swinging door slowly... close and note that the door will close and latch, as before. If there is a bind in the hinge, you do not have the spine outside the cabinet/door space. Mark another spot to drill and start over... you still have a dozen or more screws to secure the door. When satisfied, you use the same small drill bit to put a hole, centered on each hole provided on the hinge. You need to be a little hands on doing this. My wife and I did the closet and sink hinges within an hour, profuse forehead sweating at first, but they work PERFECTLY. The house hinges keep the doors some swinging open when not latched, so with this change you need to close the door and hear the latching mechanism click.
I hope this description gives you the idea. I do not know why the factory does not secure the doors on the "house hinge" cabinets, other than the house hinge restrain the door from swinging out on its own. Our strip hinge adaptation has been 100% secure and if any beveled flat head screw becomes a problem... yet to happen... use a slightly longer screw when possible.
While traveling, short sections of rope are used to secure the doors through the cabinet handles. Even the slide out drawers on the 23 footer can be secured by knotting the bottom hinge, run the rope through the second and top drawer hinge and tie the other end onto the magazine retainers. Even the swinging door below the bed can be secured with a sliding latch bar and a rubber band to hold the latch from vibrating out.
I am sorry to make some Rockdocking "upgrades" a bit... wordy. But then you can always read the classified ads in the local paper for relaxation.
The 2006 and other Safari Airstreams have the curved cabinet that the sink is fitted. We LOVE this design. No pointy edges. But there is a very weak spot in the sink cabinet while off road... or probably even asphalt travel (concrete travel to those of you in the civilized parts of the world).
The curved cabinet has, our 23 footer is the example, near the entry door into the Airstream, below the two hinged tinted swinging glass doors and open area. We use it to stick two pairs of sandels, tennis shoes... The cutout continues to the side of the Airstream wall. There is NO SUPPORT at this end and if you look at the side and the top of the cabinet joining, there should be NO SPACE. If there is space, you need to do a bit of "correction".
First. Tighten the long screws that attach the side to the cabinet. I had to use slightly larger screws, but if they are too LONG you will run the screw into the surface of the counter. By pushing up from the opening by one helper, tighten the screws and the space will close. The side and counter are now firmly attached. NOW, part two.
Second: When the side and counter top are tight and snug, observe that the side of the open space has no support. I used a one inch square steel spacer to sit onto the floor surface and cut a copper water pipe to fit snug, supporting this end of the side wall. Occasionally on a rough road you might have to tap the "support" back into place, but this has solved a serious problem of the sink cabinet coming apart.
IF, you have the old MOEN FAUCETT with internal water filter... There is a new model, smaller, nicer and has a cannister that fits below the counter into a bracket. Works fine and no matter the water quality on the road, it will always taste fine with this new model. Use the old faucett as a sledge hammer, as it has to be the most oversized faucett installed in a trailer... ever. The replacement is much smaller and the wife loves the style and the filtering capacity. Again, you need to be a bit hands on type of repairman or find someone who is mechanically inclined to assist... it is WORTH IT.
OK. We have been on the road for six weeks, or should I say off the road, and every problem has a sometimes simple solution. WHAT IS YOURS??? Every little bit of new adaptations can help someone else that has not looked into the problem... yet. There are more Rockdocking Dingos out there that have solved some additional problems with a screwdrive and some wood screws. What about the vent covers! You can spot a true Rockdocker with an easy solution for the all weather protected added covers... and that is another story.
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