While I couldn’t exactly call us true minimalists, Angela and I are both quite allergic to unnecessary clutter. Put another way, we love to purge stuff and organize our environment. Why? I have no idea, but our shared obsession with the eradication of accoutrements is critical to running our life and business from a truck camper. Office? We don’t need no stinking office!
For those of you thinking, “Yeah, but doesn’t he travel around with a stereo system and records in his camper?” the answer is, “Yeah, I do. But those things aren’t clutter, they’re awesome.” We may be somewhat spartan, but that doesn’t mean we forgo the things we use and enjoy. It’s the junk that we don’t regularly use or enjoy that gets purged. That’s the trick.
Our natural instinct against excessive effects is never more pronounced than when we’re camping side-by-side with fellow RVers. When we pull into a campsite, we park, open the back door, move the cat from the truck to the camper, and put the rear jacks down. If there are hookups available, we’ll use them, but that’s it for set-up.
No outdoor rugs. No lights hanging from our awning (we don’t have an awning). No tablecloth on the picnic table. No grill. Our campsite remains as we found it; bare. Not a single sign or pink flamingo to be found. We have two camping chairs, but they only come out when we’re hanging out with friends.
Some of this attributable to the fact that we (a) work Monday through Friday, and (b) don’t typically sit outside our camper when it’s just us chickens. We much prefer getting out for a hike, taking pictures, and exploring what’s available in a given area.
This week’s Question of the Week is, “How do you set up your campsite when truck camping?”
Are you minimalists like us, or is there a presentation at your campsite? Maybe a sign with your name and home town? Perhaps a tent room or bamboo torches? Our campsite is stark naked. What’s yours?
This QOTW is now closed. Check out the responses in, “How Truck Campers Set Up Camp“.