Compact Car Camping

Minimalist camping is how we roll. Not because we enjoy tormenting ourselves by going without, but because we honestly couldn't afford to see the world any other way. Sure, as teachers we have summers "off". But we also have meager salaries in comparison to other professionals. Most of our teaching friends take on extra work in the summer in order to make ends meet. So not only are we not bringing in earnings when we are away, but we are spending money on our traveling expenses. Here is how we make it work:

1. Compact Hybrid Car- We drive a basic Prius C with no bells and whistles. There is a seat for everyone (including our dog) and a hatch for our gear. On our most recent trip, 3 weeks exploring the East Coast, we averaged 47 miles per gallon covering 4,400 miles. It is a small car and packing up feels like solving a riddle. Nerds love riddles!

2. Minimal Gear- We have a small 4 person tent which allows for cheaper campsites. Everyone is allowed to bring one standard sized Jansport backpack, a compact sleeping bag and inflatable pillow. We slowly acquired our compact sleeping bags from Amazon. Our littlest Nerd is still young enough to use one of those little $10 character sleeping bags from Target. The inflatable pillows we use resemble mini-pool rafts and cost about as much. We are still seeking affordable self inflating sleeping pads. How do we cope with sleeping on the ground? We wear ourselves out to the point that we are grateful for any place to drop.

3. Groceries- We leave room for our small cooler and one bag of dry goods. As we pull in to each destination we hit the grocery store and only buy what we can consume at our current campsite. We usually stay at each site 2-4 nights. Our meals become a bit creative by day 4, but we try to use up whatever we have before it goes bad. A time saving tip is to snag a few prepared items from the salad bar such as egg salad, glazed tofu, and cut veggies. We only buy one initial gallon jug of water and fill it up with the potable water pumps provided by campgrounds. Groceries and gear go hand in hand, but more cooking doesn't mean more gear. This year we downsized our cooking pot (because we forgot it at home) and splurged for a $20 sauce pan sized pot where the lid doubles as a frying pan. We also forgot our French press coffee maker and really didn't mind using instant coffee. Three cooking items we can't live without are our tea kettle, single burner propane stove, and our pie iron.

The bottom line is to think small. Do we miss luxuries like pillow-top mattresses and fluffy bath towels when we are away? Absolutely. But these feelings don't compare to how much we miss our time voyaging together when our regular lives are in full swing.