A Tour of the Rudis Resort
A few months ago, I hitched up a Braxton Creek 17BH Bunkhouse to my Jeep for my landscape photography adventures. It has been a blast taking this thing out with my three boys, but recently I took her on her maiden voyage to The Flint Hills of Kansas to a small town called Council Grove. It was an awesome experience living in the landscape and photographing it free from hotels.
After Covid-19 came on the scene, I was less enthused about traveling around for landscape photography. While I am young and relatively healthy, I did not want to be out and about and run the risk of exposing my family to things I may have caught on an airplane, hotel, or anywhere else for that matter. However, I still wanted to be out in the landscape.
After much discussion with my wife, we concluded that a camper of some sort might be a good option to get us out of the house every other weekend or so and get me back out in the landscape. In this video, I will share some of those thoughts with you and give you a tour of the Rudis Resort.
What advice would you have for a first-time camper? I am all ears from those with experience 🙂
For Blake, it's all about the art and process synergy. He dives deep into complex topics and makes them easy to understand through his outside-the-box thinking so that you can use these tricks in your workflow today!
Very nice set up! No doubt you will get all of your investment out of it. Have you ever thought about a bush airplane, with your aviation background it seems a natural? One other of the subject question did you miss the Chiefs Raider game? Hmm lol sorry I’m an old Oakland Raider fan, kind of a man without a team now. Keep up the outstanding content I learned a ton on your 30 PS program.
Congrats on the camper. We went with a slide in pop-up model by Four Wheel Campers, first on an 4×4 F-150, then on a F-250. Because of the limited space inside, we drug a small civilian version of a M116 jeep trailer behind us, but I liked it best when we went without anything increasing our footprint. We’ve been all over New Mexico, northern AZ, the redwood forests of northern California, Oregon coast and interior, numerous National Parks, Monuments and Forests in Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho and Nevada, and most of the big Canadian Rockies National Parks. We downsized to a Ford Ranger this year for fuel economy, and are considering renting small teardrop trailers for when we can get away again… the prices are great with none of the headaches of ownership and maintenance. Happy trails!
This is EXACTLY what I did also….
Hi Blake
Loved the tour of your new camper. For your first RV, you chose wisely. Although you made no reference to your wife. On the other end of the scale we pull a 30’ Airstream, which except for accelerating pulls easier than my utility trailer. Ironically you have the same amenities as us, but to a smaller scale. Your advantage is the feeling of camping, being part of nature & being able to use almost any size campsite. Enjoy & thanks for the tour.
Bob
My wife helped with all the decisions as usual ?
I’ve found a Sprinter converted to an RV is the ticket for me.
I would suggest a solar panel for the times a hook up site is not available. Fridge, stove & shower then work but shower time is shorter…
Wise choice! This opens new horizons for your photography. And talk about the boys! Eager to see the whole family on the road.
Congratulations to you and your family. There’s a learning curve and you will have bumps along the way, however your analytical framework for problem solving will serve you well. I owned 34-36 foot sailboats for close on 40 years where the head was not much bigger than the one on your Braxton, plenty of room for what you need to do. Respect propane, it’s a potential bomb. Close the tap at the source after using your burner, or at the very least switch off the solenoid. Over time when you camp without electric hookups, you will want alternative power sources, a dedicated deep cycle 12 volt battery and solar panels. I suggest also a 12-volt battery booster as a cheap insurance policy. There’s a whole new world out there with lithium batteries, and they can be small enough to fit in your glove box, and hold enough power to jump start your Rubicon or provide alternate power to charge your laptop and camera batteries. I’ve been researching them on YouTube and decided on one that seems to perform better than the brand that seems to be everyone’s darling. It’s been another lesson in good looks and high budget branding don’t always give you the better product. I’m buying the 2000 amp model — https://www.audew.com/Audew-2000A-Peak-20000mAh-Car-Jump-Starter-for-All-Gas-Engines-or-Up-To-8_5L-Diesel-Engines-with-LCD-Power-Display-p-100058.html?rmmds=search Look into roadside insurance that might help cut your costs when the inevitable happens and don’t overload — ever. Very excited for you in this next step at personal freedom. For a starter camper I think you have made a good choice. btw, you and Matt K knocked it out of the park yesterday. Great seminar. Ted
What was the brand of camper that you bought? My wife and I are considering either a camper that we can pull with a small SUV, or a sprinter van. And as you mentioned, the sprinter vans are nice, but fairly expensive.
P.S. Loved the webinar with you and Matt – would love to see the two of you do more of these 🙂
I started out with a 32’ motorhome towing a Jeep Wrangler. I than upgraded to a 40’ motorhome towing a Grand Cherokee. I RVed for 15 years and enjoyed every minute of it.
I understand not living out of a hotel room eating in restaurant all the time.
I have one suggestion for you is to use Camping World for a lot of your Rv supplies. They are located all over the US. I also joined the Good Sam club. You can receive discounts at RV Parks and also at Camping World.
RVing is a life style that you and your family will enjoy. Your kids will remember the trips for the rest of their lives.
It sure makes photography trips a lot easier and more enjoyable.
Check out the Facebook group for your model. Also, look at the RV TIPS group on Facebook. We have a 40 foot RV and love traveling in it. Your kiddos will love it too.
Very nice! When you bring the family I suggest you get a 12 x 12 easy to put up screen house to give you an extra room. (folds up into a small flat box)
Then a small portable camp grill and folding plastic table. Brings the cooking outside, kids can play when raining and you can sit out and enjoy the breeze.