OUTDOOR SUPPLEMENT — MAY, 1971 Ae es "By REG. M. DAGG- mS " Bees, ‘Western Regional Newspapers -Should writing about ‘an en- joyable. summer trip be. done immediately afterward - when ©. events are-fresh in the mind, bre RS “~-yecollections sharp, tastes: still _ pungent -or is it better to hold off ' x -- awhile, wait until things have : settled into perspective, until memory. blends individual episodes into. a pattern of Pe pleasure, until time has c aa developed the ability to savour oe the whole? In the past, in pages of several Western Regional Newspapers, I have jumped right into the recounting of pleasures and ~experiences immediately after oo ee opeturn from. air-trips. to South goes America. and. Asia. It seemed facets, these ‘countries to me exuded.a ‘‘newness’’ which telling of what I saw, and did, and felt: about them. ~Maybe it’ was the speed of : : travel. Both continents were eo reached in a matter of hours via quick transition from Western . Canada ° to. the -pampas .: of . Argentina and. the teeming - sidewalks of Hong Kong. seemed ~ to offset the existence of a past. o my wife and myself across the “pole io Amsterdam last July? Payitle Mators Lid, re ' Air. Ts feed tas BAT YTD: ii! TRALL, WO. East Trl Motgrs Liter. . ORAS RE, Foner Aad 1208 VANCOUVER. TC Clarke SHnpine Ltd. i ; Mira, Chishatin WIVsdh donnaton AMoter Co. kt. Mr ON. Jonretan tc AO WN NORTH VANCOUVE &, Ae AAinivigie Motors itd. , Me Gis Rapdde Ho 345t VIC ROR TAY EG, Malahat Mittoos ble AA Pe riag BG BASS WITT Lake Poregn dar Genie bre WE Or Oru 407 724A Adherts ; GRUMBELLE RR, abts Dylecen Pro penn | te Mr 8. Paliesen assavdd ELM TON, ALTA Devanian Motors , ee OO UL LALE Lares na te AL PA : . Witiaraw hervige Garage Ltd Aa MWe yO? S1Al LE THARIOGE, ALTA. : : yl BANOO A Yet Bue 8. Dobay STEELY] toy gore dat Ahab By GEORGE DOIT More and more vacationists are taking their holidays on wheels. This does not mean that mom and dad buy themselves a pair of roller skates and spend their vacation playing roller hockey with the kids, far from it. Today the mobile home,. the trailer camper, the pickup truck, mini-camper, in fact any type of recreational vehicle has jumped to the top of the popularity polls with the outdoors set. It is estimated that close to two million recreational vehicles (R.V.s) will be sold this year-in America. This will include the pickup truck. type, which. can serve a double: purpose, as a runabout truck or passenger car, then by mounting a camper shell, a mobile camp. Choosing a camper. for your vacation needs falls into the sarne category as house hunting. In. fact, many retired couples now live in large trailer units on trailer camps. This article however, is dealing with the vacation or weekend campers who want to get into the outdoors, and still: have some ‘of the amenities of home. And. talking . of . homes, remember your camper unit is a second home and when you are shopping for one make: a list of your basic requirements. _ First. thing to decide is. how How many persons are in your. family, how-many are children, and do you expect to have many © guests? This all revolves around © | bed space. | The ‘“‘sleeps four” or “sleeps Six’ rating depends on. the in- terpretation: of the size. of the. persons..Four midgets certainly won't take up the space that four adult football players will: ‘Standard double width for a. _, camper bed is 48 inches and often. Similarly after getting wet, dry ‘re-apply. your. is 54 inches, depending where it is located: Lengths — “can vary from six to seven: feet, and » this can depend on whether there using ‘the. beds room inside, and more space in the’ camper unit, | “Many : ‘campers. have the converted dinette as the second ~ mounted - between two. lounges. Try the conversion yourself table top and fit it into place. version job, eof -the. people : ~~ And if you are planning to buy: : a pickup get the wide-side type ~ ~ that has the wheel well inside the. pickup bed, thus giving you more . _ bed. Some’ have pull-out seats or. -sections that make up the base of — ~ the bed. Others use the table top. before buying the unit. It may. be: beyond the capabilities of your. wife or yourself to lift the heavy. ‘Before buying a unit be sure to try converting the beds‘yourself. This will reveal if it is easy or takes too long to do the con Next. thing to look for is the floor plan and how the kitchen (galley) fits into it. Be sure to check. the storage space regarding food, utensils, etc. Size of the refrigerator depends on the size of your family. On the majority of trips it is better to buy your food fresh from the nearest store or roadside market, but if you are heading out to the wilderness you want to have cooler space for such things as milk, eggs, butter and vegetables. When looking over. the camper unit forget about the fancy nick- nacks and. decorations and concentrate on the basics. Do you need the oven? Is there enough work space? Have you: enough room. to move. around? By sacrificing storage or the oven you can-make more space for moving around. These decisions will depend on the individual’s needs. When it comes to storage space you should plan ahead’ on -just how much you «really — need. ‘Experienced vacationists will tell. you: to “‘‘travel light” A ‘change of clothing plus wet and “cold: weather outfits,.and. don’t forget your swim suit, will get you by, on short trips. It is easier to have drip-dry and wash and wear. outfits with you than to cart along suitcases full of extra clothing. A quick trip t to a _ your washing problems. ~ Next thing to think over is the bathroom. Do you really need it? Shower rooms take up space and need: a water heater plus extra plumbing. .Most. of the campgrounds and provincial park campsites have these facilities and: unless: your’. trip is. to be a long. one, where there .are no facilities, you can’ dispense with a shower. room. You.will probably want.a wash basin, apart f from the sink, and ae - toilet... ~. There- are numerous portable * units on the market and they may- fit. your. needs. better ‘than an’ One dispose. of ‘garbage, “wastes and : effluent. in the’ proper. disposal : -The _ camp’ ‘superintendent. or ranger will tell’ . areas or. tanks. you where they are located. storage and: bed_ space, and. in- terior layout..It shouldn’t- be too: “Hatter if 1S" All camper units vary in size,” winding trails and the low top will get you under low boughs overhanging the road where a high top camper would have the roof sheered off. These units vary in size, usually 24, 36 or 48 inches in height, or higher. When fastening the units to the pickup truck be sure they are sealed against dust and moisture. Foam rubber or rubber insulation can be pur- chased at the hardware store and sealed in place with an all- purpose glue. Sealing depends a lot on whether you have’ to remove the truck tailgate, of just swing it down when you use. the camper cover. None of the compact units will give you full headroom but this doesn’t matter if you are only using it for sleeping. Many of these units can be purchased as a cover and a handyman can add. his own bunks. Thick plywood, fitted into the unit, plus a mattress of foam rubber, usually purchased at outdoor or hardware stores, will make a fine springy bed. A trailer foldable tent, or justa plain square tent with plenty of netted window space is a. good combination to have. with the compact recreation vehicle. The _ tent can serve aS a mess hail or. sleeping quarters for extra Y guests. One last word on campers. No make sure that the springs and wheels and® tires. are strong ‘enough to. take the load you ex- pect to carry. And don’t forget tl the roof. I’ve ~ seen trailers with a large boat, an outboard motor and a motore ycle all loaded on the roof. Some roofs - are just not made for such heavy OA good test is to take a walk on. | .the: roof: before buying. Better .-.° still let the salesman do: it.-If he’ "falls through and breaks a leg it camper | of. course. a compact, pickup ~~ truck. type, . or’, mobile: home, “won't stop: you from taking your” - vacation. .in another. type. of a - regional protection officer on the Kootenay region. at Cranbrook, ~ Joseph P P. A. Gibault, “formerly a difficult to find one that will fit” -your. individual requirements and your pocketbook. : Size of the trailer will depend has taken over the newly-created =~ position. of co-ordinator. of: guiding services. for. the _ Provincial Fish. and Wildlife on the distance you are travelling ° and location of your vacation. A_ large, all-comfort trailer is ideal © if you are.on a 5,000 mile’ tour. ‘Butitis justa handicap if you are mountains. In this Northwest area of America, where the wilderness is only a few miles outside of any _ city or town, the compact pickup. type of recreational vehicle is ideal, ‘Tt'can get you up those narrow, going up a narrow: road into the ee Branch... Recreation’. and Con-. servation Minister W.K. Kiernan made the announcement, ‘Mr. Gibault is responsible for — ‘co-ordination of guiding services - throughout B. C.. -and will: work - with regional supervisors, field _ Staff of: the Fish and Wildlife Branch, and guides associations. ° Gibault joined. the MINIER FUN? * You can shop for tie best deals i iown with cash in advance from the Royal Bank. Our personal loans are easy to gat, easy to pay back fully lifr-instured so little. Come in anytime. We like to help. ROYAL BANK | the helpful bank and rect officer until 1962, Born: in Saskatchewan, ° Mr.” B.C, Provincial Police force in 1935. He joined the Fish and Wildlife Branch in 1953 and was stationed al Williams Lake as conservation : ( Dg 4 to own. a0 : Big Surprisos!, 12 New Modols in TRAILERS, MOTOR HOMES and CAMPERS, Como look them over, | Great anadian, Ca ATDEALERS ACROSS CANADA “Explorers |