Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

We recently added these wonder twins to our mobile lifestyle and they’ve already made a huge difference! As our mobile business has grown over the past couple of years, we have found ourselves needing just a bit more power – especially during those cloudy and rainy days when we often hunker down and get some focused writing and video production work done. We’ve had Renogy’s 100W Monocrystaline Solar Suitcase for many years and loved it, but we were always curious if the smaller and lighter weight (yet more efficient!) 100W Eclipse version would make enough of a difference.  In addition to upgrading our panel, we added the Phoenix 300 Power Station to our bag of tricks to give us a boost of portable power that charges in a wide variety of ways. Over the past month while traveling across the US, we’ve used the heck out of this combination of new components and have found them to be the perfect pairing to boost our small 200W solar power system – allowing our mobile life and busi...

Off-the-grid, dry camping, boondocking, or just going camping -- whatever you call it -- getting out there away from crowds and feeling like you have Mother Nature all to yourself can be incredibly rewarding! The places we’ve seen, the people we’ve met, the adventures we’ve shared, keep us on the road in a search for what else is out there.  It's true, we are 100% nature nerds with a travel addiction. Since 2012, we've boondocked in hundreds of places all over the country.  At some places we stay a night or two, and a few times we've stayed up to 2 weeks.  As a matter of fact, during the COVID lockdown in March-April 2020, we decided that the middle of the Jefferson National Forest in Virginia was about the safest place we could be...and we had it completely to ourselves.   Our Favorite Gear We've met quite a few "newbies" on the road lately, and some of our good friends have recently jumped into the RV/van life (part-time at least). Many have asked about our ...

While our friends in the southeast enjoy the purple crocuses and flavorful ramps popping up in their newly verdant yards, we travelers in the Midwest have to take whatever signs of spring come our way.  The melting of snow, the arrival of blue birds and other migratory friends are a start for those patient enough to wait it out.   After spending many weeks in northern Michigan, helping Hutch’s octogenarian parents recover from a minor surgery and a fall resulting in a pelvic fracture, we found that they were strong enough to carry on without our assistance.  Getting older isn’t for the faint hearted and our folks continue to be an inspiration.  But, the road called!  Last week, we dusted the remaining snow from Hamlet’s roof, cleared the driveway of 3 inches of solid ice…and rolled on out.  Five days traveling through Michigan and a whole bunch of “I” states, landed us in South Dakota.  Here the farmland of the great plains finally yields to the r...

FAR OUT FUSION BURGERS We've always been partial to fun burger toppings, but this fusion of flavors truly blew our minds.  "That sauce is FAR OUT!" Hutch exclaimed the first time he tasted it.  Most of this work can be done ahead of time, but as you can see in the video, it's super easy to do even while camping. The burger mixture can wait overnight as long as it is refrigerated. The sauce keeps well for about 4 days in the fridge (if it lasts that long!) and is remarkably good in salads, slaw, sandwiches, over eggs, anything grilled, and does double time as a dip.  Trust us, you'll suddenly find a reason to put this sauce on everything!  Note:  This recipe was provided to us by Hutch's mom, but we have altered it to our personal tastes and dietary needs, as listed below. Check out  more delicious recipes  and subscribe to our  FREE Almost Monthly Newsletter  to get a new recipe (and lots more RV camping tips, hacks, and resources) in your in...