REVIEWS I DESTINATIONS I ROAD TEST
No-buCKS
RVing Five friends rediscover that campfire hot dogs, a large jar of peanut butter, and a rented RV sure beat staying in the city BY NIck GREEN PHOTOGRAPHY: BRANDAN GILLOGLY AND LAUREN CIABATTARI
A cheap escape from the workweek is very possible, as I learned, if you dry-camp under the stars with just the basics.
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T
he economy is a little different than it was a few years ago, when everyone seemed to be doing well. Many of us are now working three times harder, and we find ourselves pinching pennies wherever possible. With all this economic worries, there’s no better relief than a trip outdoors, where the BlackBerry doesn’t have service and you can’t hear (or see) the city for miles.
Early morning coffee never tastes better than it does in the most remote places.
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REVIEWS I DESTINATIONS I ROAD TEST
The OC RV Fleetwood towed my Jeep on a double-axle trailer without a problem and still got fine mileage, 14.6 to be exact.
Costs for even simple trips, though, add up quickly, especially when friends are involved. But a cheap escape from the workweek is very possible, as I learned, if you dry-camp under the stars with just the basics. Actually, it wasn’t as bad as it seemed. It wasn’t the Ritz, but there were plenty of good times, as four of my friends pitched in to rent an RV and head out to one of California’s most pristine desert landscapes. Together we anted up $1,000 for the weekend ($200 per person), and no one was going to eat steak for dinner. What might have seemed like hopelessness actually was easily achievable after I located an RV rental facility with the right accommodations for the group. By sheer luck, I did a quick search online for an RV rental facility and came up with OC RV in Anaheim, California. They had the perfect RV for us, an ’09 Fleetwood Pulse 24D, which slept five adults and even our dog Ally. At $229 a night (plus $69 prep fee, and we opted to spend the $89 cleanup/dump fee) my friends and I could forgo sleeping in flimsy tents and spend our nights inside this warm and comfortable Pulse, which had a large slide-out that increased the interior space 33 percent. The rental RV’s interior had all the amenities we could ask for, including shower, refrigerator, and TV. The trip cost us $72 in fuel, and we covered 298 miles of road. Another big reason that our group decided to go with the Pulse was that it had a 3.0L diesel engine. The little diesel built by Mercedes was amazingly quiet on the road and got excellent fuel mileage. One of the biggest areas where we had to watch our spending was food. If you don’t pay attention in the grocery store you can spend several hundred dollars. So my friends and I ate well before going shopping for the weekend. That way, there were no last-minute temptations. Shopping on an empty stomach can mean spending more money than you planned. My girlfriend is a thrifty shopper. She brought along a fist full of coupons and planned a menu around ordinary
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For breakfast we had cereal, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were lunch, and campfire-roasted hotdogs were dinner.
camping fare. No steaks, no pork chops, nothing other than the basics. For breakfast we had cereal, eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Campfire-roasted hotdogs for dinner. Not to mention all the fixings for s’mores and some trail mix. She spent a total of $98 on food for the weekend for five people. Our final destination was Calico, in the high desert of California. We were there to explore the old silver and soap mines, drive on some extreme off-road trails, and sit around the campfire and enjoy the fresh air and stars. One of the benefits of Calico’s remote location is that it’s on Bureau of Land Management land and we had acres of potential camping spots to choose from, all free of charge. After locating the perfect spot with a fire ring already set up, I set the parking brake and pushed the button to operate the slide out. Once the slide-out was fully extended it was time to set up camp. My friends took the Jeep off the trailer, set up our chairs, stacked some firewood, and made the beds. Finally, all of us were in the great outdoors with no cell phone service and no noise except the crackling of the campfire. Our brief stay was filled with adventure. We drove fourwheel-drives on miles of trails, discovered a little bit about the mining history of Calico, and saw the remnants of old mine cart tracks, vent shafts, and some awesome open caverns the size of football fields, although most of these shouldn’t be explored because of the dangers of collapse. Like clockwork, in the late evenings the group headed back to camp and lit a fire in the pit. After dinner the temperatures in the early spring dropped to the low 30s, so the RV generator was used quite a bit to heat up the Pulse. After spending hours around the campfire, most of us retreated into the RV to warm up, read books, or watch TV. The standard batteries in the RV kept the heater running all night without having to run the generator at all, and there was more than enough sleeping room because no one seemed to complain.
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no-bucks RVing A Little About OC RV There are plenty of reputable RV rental facilities across the U.S. and Canada, and a simple Internet search will help you find what you need. However, if you are in the Southern California area, RV Magazine recommends a visit to OC RV. They specialize in luxury Class A and Class C motorhomes, travel trailers, toy haulers, enclosed trailers, and utility trailers. All the company’s rentals are low-mileage units, some are loaded with options, and all are backed by excellent customer service. OC RV vehicles are meticulously maintained, serviced, and detailed after each use. The rentals include 24-hour emergency roadside assistance throughout the U.S. and Canada. For more information contact them directly at www.ocrv.com or by calling toll-free (888) 674-6278. Tell them RV Magazine sent you! A little four-wheel-drive rockcrawling just after sunrise. Our brief stay was filled with adventure. We drove four-wheeldrives on miles of trails, discovered a little bit about the mining history of Calico, and saw the remnants of old mine cart tracks, vent shafts, and some awesome open caverns.
One last campfire to celebrate our weekend on the cheap. No cell phones or worries about finances here.
One the downside, a larger freshwater tank might have been better for five adults, especially with the shower. But the Fleetwood Pulse made for a comfortable trip. The OC RV Fleetwood towed my Jeep on a double-axle trailer without a problem and still got fine mileage, 14.6 mpg to be exact. The grand total for two nights and three days was $837. So we each spent $167.40 on the weekend. I actually spent $32.60 less than I had budgeted. The trip was a total success, no snags at all. The RV ran perfectly and had no mechanical problems. The guys at OC RV were very professional, making sure when we returned that everything had met our expectations. I would do this trip again in a minute because it was so affordable and relaxing not to have to worry about emails, cell phones, or even my tight finances. Ed. note: This is Nick Green’s personal account of how to go RVing cheaply. Boondocking is great fun, but be sure to check with your local land management agencies for the rules and regulations of the area before you go. Spring 2010 |
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