Best San Carlos campo for a van

[rationalnational]

bump

[ShreddinEd]

[rationalnational]

Thanks Ed,

The bump was to re awake the thread....

I leave in 2-3 weeks. Work is busy but the light is near. The more info the better and I appreciate everyones input. KT has given me lists of advice and combined with the photo's here I have the campo pre-set to the best of my current abilities. I went with the Coolaroo but with some adaptations. We'll see how it works out.

Keep the info coming. I''ll put the kettle on down there for anyone who needs a mug

[brettbuchanan]

RationalNational -

How much beer is too much beer? That's like asking how much tequila is too much tequila? There's never enough. Like my friend Guy Barker taught me - if you run out of water, there's always tequila... Live in abundance. His logic was so simple. And I felt so stupid when Guy revealed the depths of his San Carlos wisdom to me. We should all aspire to such greatness.

Your humble servant,

Brett

P.S. Bring one these along. I picked her up in El Rosario for a hundred pesos. I had to marry her though - she mumbled something about commitment I think...

[pshaw]

All the suggestions I saw above are great, but I didn't see anything about rodents. This is not a joke. They nest inside your engine compartment and eat the wiring. I was there only a week and had no problem, but the guy next to me had been there a month and had caught nearly a hundred rats and mice. He said on a previous trip he had trouble getting his truck to start when he went to leave because some of the engine wiring had been shorted out by the critters. He used both baited traps and a large tub filled with water, a taught string over the top of it with bait on the string, and a little ramp that led the rats up to the string (I am not kidding). Every morning there were several drowned rats in the tub. They would crawl out on the string, fall in, and drown. Poison is a bad idea because it can kill the predators who eat the rats.

You definitely want to block the wind. I had Sportsmobile (Ford E350 EB, 4x4 diesel) like the one shown in one of the pictures above. When the wind was up and I wasn't sailing or bike riding, I spent most of my time inside the van. It is very dusty outside and can get very cold at night. I just put down a very large tarp, drove over it, and pulled the upwind side up to block the wind under the truck. You want to put cushioning beneath any ropes or bungees you use to hold it in place, otherwise the constant flapping will wear away the paint on your vehicle. Also, I had to place boards against the bottom outside of the tarp edge because the wind was too strong for the tarp alone.

There is a lot of stuff that people have brought in and left: sand sacks, rocks, boards, etc. Personally, I would not sweat assembling a big installation to take down there. Just go and make the best of it. Take lots of water, tarps, bungees, stacks, and soft rope as well as rags to cushion the ropes. Don't count on getting water from Kevin. Be sure to bring a mountain bike. There is nothing much to do there otherwise when the wind stops. Also a computer with a wireless connection. You can access the internet at Kevin's camp as part of your daily camping fee.

Lastly, refrigeration is a problem, obviously. Take as much stuff to eat and drink as you can that does not need to be refrigerated. An old time San Carlos camper once told me that before going he collects a bunch of empty half gallon milk cartons, fills them with water he has boiled (to get all the air out of it) and then freezes them. He packs an ice chest full of them and seals the chest with duct tape. He uses a few at a time to keep stuff cool in another chest and drinks the water as it melts. He still has ice after a month.

[victor]

a good source for ideas on coping with wind and blowing sand can be found on the burning man forums.

[rationalnational]

pshaw,

thanks for the advice on da rats. heard plenty about the bastards. we'll see how i deal with them. thanks for everything everyone. keep it coming. photo's are the most helpful

[Epenrose]

The famous PJ has the story of all.

3 weeks at PSC.

Purchased fancy REI solar refrigerator. 24 cases of Tecate and limes.

Days refrigerator worked - 0

Cases of hot Tecate drank - 24

& he forgot his pillow, had to tie a knot in a fleece jacket.

Respect...

[rationalnational]

ed,

I like how your frame interacts with the pop top or whatever it's called. Was that top tough enough in the breeze or would you drop it down each evening ?

What length are the screws you speak of ? timberlocks I think are nine inch.

How does that side bracing hold up ?

Is cooking next to the Eastern side difficult ? Any heat issues ?

Does that tarp slap ?

Can you just put carpet down on the ground ?

Thank you for everything everyone

almost there

man o man epen.... thats a lot of beer for 1 individual

[flynbri]

The best vehicle for the job is a VW campervan or a Sportsmobile. The Vanagon tend to be a little top heavy and light for huricane winds though. Just kidding my van is still upright in the driveway.