Re: Boating and camping?
I faced this decision a couple of years ago, here is what we came up with for two adults and three kids.
We tow the boat with a 2008 Dodge Caravan and fill the boat with all camping supplies, clothes go in the van as we travel and everything we need for a week fits behind the rear seat. We take three coolers, one for meat, one for bread and soft goods and one for drinks and these go in the van once we are on-site to prevent animal issues. I weighed the boat loaded with all the gear and it was under 1700 pds including fuel, the boat weighs 1300 pds with no gear but fuel and motor.
Tents have come a long way from 20 years ago and even the cheapest tents have advanced features that not long ago you could only find in a mountaineering tent. Our tent sleeps 6 easily and we have interlocking 1/2" foam carpeted flooring so your not sleeping on the ground, our bedding rolls are self inflating memory foam units 2 inches thick...very comfortable and warm and you don't feel the ground at all. As a matter of fact I find I get a better sleep on them than a regular spring matress, after we found this out we bought a memory foam topped matress to get the same comfort at home. We often pull the center bench seat out of the van so we have a sofa in front of the fire for lounging.
We have a propane radiant heater that is hung from the roof of both tents aiming down with a remote hose leading outside to a 40pd tank away from the tent. We are never cold even down to -20C, I sleep in a bedsheet most nights as I like it cool, the top of the tent it completely ventilated under the rain fly so there is plenty of ventilation. The radiant heater keeps everything dry and warm even on low, I turn it on about a half hour before bed so its nice and cosy when the kids crawl in.
Our kitchen tent is completely portable and 12'X12' so we can all hide inside and use the overhead radiant heater if its pouring rain, rain flaps keep it dry. We have the Cabelas folding kitchen stand that holds a Coleman triple burner stove running on the 40 pd tank so everything runs off one tank (we keep one spare). We have canvas chairs that everyone sits on but also a Cabelas aluminum breakfast table that is permanent in the kitchen tent. Everything folds up into easy to carry with handles items.
Inside both tents we have Mountain bike LED lights that are very powerful with a propane Coleman lantern hanging from the stove table for broad spread daylight if you need it. The LED lights stay on low for an entire week of night use when we camp and I charge them when we get home, these are not cheapo lights and each one cost me $180 each but they are awesome and I use them when I bike so they have a dual purpose. On high they are way too bright so we only use them on low, think 40Watt Halogen car light for each one and you would be close to how bright they are.
The whole idea was being able to camp on remote islands with only the boat to get us there, it would take two trips...one for gear and one for people. We looked at motorhomes and pop-ups and decided for less than $2000 we bought all new camping gear and can carry everything with one vehicle. With the money we saved we rent a cottage once in awhile and leave the camping gear at home, we really like the idea of being able to go to different places all the time...and different fishing spots.
We can set the whole thing up in less than an half an hour and tear down in about 45 minutes. The boat cover keeps everything dry under it and with nothing in the van we can unhook the boat lock it to a tree and be mobile in minutes. Everything is in wheeled lockable boxes for easy transport and storage at home in the shed, I erect a 12"X12" tarp attached to the kitchen tent for dry goods and fuel storage for the boat.. a couple of trees are all I need to keep everything dry we don't want inside the tents.
For the cost of fuel and the price of a motorhome they are just not practical and then you have to store it, renting is far less expensive if you don't like tenting and you can go anywhere you want. We brought one of my daughters girlfriends last year and she said she had way more fun camping with us in the tent than in her parents huge motorhome, she said our beds were way more comfy!
If you think of it as an engineered system and fabricate items like a radiant heater hanger for inside the tents with remote hoses and LED lighting there is no reason you can't be as comfortable in a tent as in a motorhome. I grew up with a cottage with my parents and it got tiring after awhile, constant maintenance/cleaning/mowing and the same ole place every weekend got to us...I don't miss it at all. The property taxes cost us $1800 a year alone just for running water! We only stay at campsites that have showers so we aren't missing out on clean clothes and bodies, for island camping we have a portable heated shower that runs on propane...pretty sweet.
I suggest you sit down with a spreadsheet and take a hard look at what it costs with each alternative, me I prefer money in my bank account not tied up in a vehicle that we drive 10 times per year and then have to pay storage in the winter for. We really like the island exploring thing and the kids love it, many of the islands have campsites that are almost never occupied because they are remote, there is almost always a local conservation officer that stops in everyday to check on you so you don't feel isolated, the wife really likes that.
Lots of ways to skin that cat, check them all out before you go and plunk down 15-20K on a motorhome that you can't launch a boat even with a front hitch on the steep launches we frequent...seems the worse the launch the better the fishing...go figure!
Besides I kinda like renting someone else cabin now and then and leave the vacuuming/mowing/tree cutting for them to do, makes me feel like a rich big shot.
