18th Century Reenactors love their Basecamp.

[basecamper]

We are reenactors (18th C. - Revolutionary War and French & Indian War events). When we go to an event for the weekend, we need to take a large canvas tent/fly (18th C., of course), with lots of poles and stakes, our period-appropriate clothing/shoes, the 18th C. reproduction household items (such as candleboxes, pipeboxes, tape looms, etc.) that my husband makes to sell, my tape loom and weaving supplies, muzzle-loading rifles, etc. We are able to haul all this stuff, set it up at the reenacting site, then go to a campground with electricity/showers and live in comfort for the weekend. After a hot day of reenacting, nothing is better than returning to the air-conditioned Basecamp! Our cat travels with us, and happily stays in the Basecamp (listening to the radio) while we are out in the heat all day. We don't try to cook in the Basecamp, and we don't try to wash dishes in the Basecamp. In the evenings (after a nice shower), we just hang out, watch DVD's, order delivery pizza, and sleep in comfort. (We use two memory foam toppers on top of the bed. These are rolled up inside huge towels, tied with grosgrain ribbon on each end, and serve as bolsters on the couches during the day...very comfortable to have against the cabinets on each side.) We only use the tent if we are in a campground that has grass or pine needles. If we are parked on pavement or gravel, we use a rain-permeable mat and leave our rubber shoes outside before we step in. Unless we are loading or unloading cargo, we leave the Basecamp steps in the up position. We use a set of strong, plastic, folding "steps" (rated at 300 lbs.), that set right outside the doors, to go in and out of the Basecamp. We have never had any problem with leaving the Basecamp steps in the up position and walking across them. (My husband is 6'6" and weighs 250 lbs.) The Basecamp meets our needs perfectly. That is not to say that we have not had a few issues that had to be solved, but (all in all) we have been very happy with the Basecamp. I think that keeping everything to a bare minimum and being very organized is the key to living in such a small space. We also run a dehumidifier all the time, as we have found that two people simply breathing in that small a space creates a lot of humidity. I think that the owners' manual for the Basecamp is quite useless. We still don't have a clue as to what we need to do in terms of maintenance....what products and how often to keep the Basecamp like new. I'm one of those people who likes an owners' manual that spells everything out in detail.

[Lily&Me]

Mmmmmmmmm----re-enactments are fascinating! Pulling your Basecamp to go to at night gives you the best of both worlds, but I suspect you do get accused of "cheating".

[basecamper]

Those of us who stay "off event" are kidded by those who stay "on site" but it is good-natured kidding. At events, we are required to stay "in character" until the end of the event each day...usually around 5:00 P.M.....when the public leaves. You should see how fast the reenactors (even those who stay on site) come out of their layers and layers of 18th Century clothing when the event closes for the day! (Those who reenact the British side have layers of wool, no less!) With temperatures in the nineties and high humidity, it really is pretty miserable at times. But we love the hobby so much that we put up with the discomfort. On those hot days, I just think about how comfortable I'm going to be when I return to the Basecamp at the end of the day! Ah, how I love that Basecamp!