​I researched extensively last year for a large family tent.  I chose the Tahoe Gear Ozark and we have been really, really happy with it after camping in it for a complete camping season. The large area inside is relaxing, and the zippered wall and curtain that can divide into two back sleeping areas are a luxury - room for everybody to be doing their own thing. We were rained inside for 3 days, there was five of us, and it was quite enjoyable the entire time. We had table and benches set up in the front, two queen size airbeds in the back, and a small refrigerator - with plenty of room for moving all around. The roof is quite tall and the round shape of the tent really stood up in high winds.  Once you have set the tent up a couple times, it assembles very quickly. Tethering the tent will take the most time, but you must if you intend to have this tent in wind.

Read Campsite Pro's complete review for this tent here ...
​http://www.campsitepro.com/camping-gear-reviews.html 

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I purchased the Summit Rocker for a larger family member, but it is so roomy and sturdy that everyone wanted to use it - so I had to go back and buy a second one.  Unfortunately, mine were not on sale at the time - this rocker is on sale for $51.97, a $20 savings.

With the holidays over and the quiet of winter settling in, it is the time when I begin to dream about this new year's camping locations and gear wish list, and begin forming a to-do list. This year, I would like to expand our camping horizons to new and farther locations. I would like to go solar and generate our own power. And I very much want to obtain a rooftop tent. At home, I would like to create a storage area exclusively for our camping gear, that allows me to easily pick and choose which gear goes on which trip. And looming over me ... I have come to realize my vehicle is not sufficient to tow some of the equipment I'd like to take to some of our high mountain locations.



I am raising two young granddaughters, and we have only camped within 150 miles of our home. We live at the base of Pikes Peak at the foot of the Rocky Mountains, so we have spectacular camping within that perimeter. I have always camped at lone mountain campsites, never in an organized campground. But last year we ventured to a camping resort for a change for the girls - we had electricity, wifi, a pool, playground, a general store ... and neighbors. And it was actually pretty great. I will always camp in my beloved mountains, but the campground really spurred my curiosity. This year I am looking at a camping bluegrass festival in northern Colorado and lakeside camping at a warm-water lake in the high desert of southern Colorado. Maybe even a trip into New Mexico to camp on a huge reservoir, possibly renting a houseboat for a few days while we're at it.



I have discovered the joys of electricity when we are doing a "tech" camping trip. We have a refrigerator for the tent (it's a really big tent), an outdoor projector for movie nights, electric portable heater for Spring and Fall, inflatable beds and boats, and sometimes I take the travel trailer which has its own set of electrical needs ... I very much would like to have some of that power for our remote mountain locations. Last camping season I expanded to a deep-cycle battery and inverter. This year - I am aiming for about 400 watts of solar using amorphous (foldable or bendable) solar mats. It will be interesting next New Year's Day to see if I have made it happen.



I so, so want a rooftop tent! I so, so wanted a travel trailer, and last year had the opportunity to make it happen. It is older but it is ours, and it is becoming our rolling cabin. Now I have my eye on rooftop tents - it would be our traveling treehouse! I love the idea of being high off the ground when the girls and I are camping alone. I like the ease of setting it up, and that all the bedding can be left inside when it is folded up and packed to leave. I would want to mount it on racks welded above my little gear trailer, because we sometimes jump in the car to get supplies in town or tow the boat to the shore, and I would hate to have the tent mounted to my vehicle and have to pack it up every time I want to use the car.



My camping gear grew too large to pack it all in my vehicle since I always have many passengers. I purchased a little 4x8 trailer and began towing it loaded with camping gear. But I take different gear for different trips, and it became a huge shuffle to stow or pack gear. I obtained a travel trailer and all the gear has ended up inside, though I have to take out everything I won't need for a particular trip then load it all up again when we return. This year I want to establish a permanent place for my gear, where I can pick and choose which gear is coming along, and everything else remains in a protective, locked place. My thoughts are to obtain 2 or 3 lean-to sheds, line them up side by side, and have padlocks for each door. Heaven! Maximum camping requires maximum storage.



I acquired the most wonderful travel trailer this last camping season. It is so nice to choose for each trip what we would like to camp in - tent or trailer - or both! The trailer has beds for everybody and a kitchen and bath, it is a real departure from the tent camping I have done all my life. And it is 20ft long. Though the trailer has dual axles and anti-sway bars and trailer brakes, it is too much for my SUV on the inclines we must travel in our mountains. I need a vehicle specifically set up for towing. I am not in a position to purchase an expensive vehicle, but I sure need it, so I am going to manifest it. I am going to put it on a Dream Board - I have made one before and it is incredible how things came to be. Maximum camping requires maximum vehicles to tow it all.

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We live to camp. If we are not camping, we are planning and packing for the next trip. If camping season is over, we are researching for next year and dreaming of new camping gear, campgrounds, and campsites yet to be discovered. We are all about creating great campsites. For us, each trip is different - tent or travel trailer or RV, campfire or camp kitchen, fishing poles or horseshoes, star gazing or outdoor theater. Your campsite will directly determine the extent of relaxation and enjoyment you experience on your camping trip. With camping equipment, it's not the quantity but the quality of your camping gear that makes a difference. We like to call it ... maximum camping.