Ever since I began camping in my own camper van, I’ve found that my learning opportunities have multiplied. Sure, as a tenter, I stuffed a wet tent in my vehicle trunk to dry out at home. There were a few nights when I was a bit anxious the tent might collapse in a strong storm. Then there were the wild imaginings that wild animals were circling because I had forgotten a lip balm in my pocket and did not want to get out in the dark to put it in the vehicle.
With the switch to driving and sleeping in my own accommodations, I learn a lot from how I interact with my camper van. Life lessons, really, is what I keep experiencing.
In this and future blogs, I share some experiences I have had, followed by the valuable life lessons I have learned, thanks to my camper van.
Out witted by storage drawers
This happened a lot when I first started out and occasionally shows up now and then when not paying attention. My camper van has 5 or 6 pull out drawers of various sizes on the outside. Great idea for tucking away items I don’t really want inside like the power cord, pre-cut kindling and propane for camping stove.
Initially, I thought the only way I needed to secure each drawer was by pushing in a little center knob so it was flat with the handle. Imagine my surprise when glancing out my side windows travelling down Highway 2 North, that all drawers were now wide open. A helpful someone suggested I try locking the center knob to fold fast. That did the trick for the most part. Now and then, a single drawer would be open when I made my first stop.
Someone wiser suggested I use my body too. Push against each side of the drawer to hear the click, signaling the drawer is now secured to the van wall.
Lessons learned: Pay attention to the details. Sometimes the answer is “click, click, push, lock, check.” Walk around to check every drawer – even those I don’t think I opened.