{"id":166871,"date":"2025-02-17T06:03:27","date_gmt":"2025-02-17T13:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.featheredphotography.com\/blog\/?p=166871"},"modified":"2025-02-17T13:19:46","modified_gmt":"2025-02-17T20:19:46","slug":"camping-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/camping-again\/","title":{"rendered":"Camping Again"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For the last several years followers of Feathered Photography may have wondered why it&#8217;s been so long since I&#8217;ve been camping. I used to go on regular camping trips to out-of-the-way places in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming and a wide variety of areas in Utah for purposes of bird and wildlife photography. And just as importantly, for soul rejuvenation.<\/p>\n<p>There are two reasons why I haven&#8217;t done it in a while.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Three major back surgeries in the last 4 1\/2 years. Enough said about that.<\/li>\n<li>My camping trailer wasn&#8217;t really designed for the remote areas I strongly prefer. The trailer is too long, too heavy and too low to the ground for such back country shenanigans. I&#8217;ve bent all the stabilizing jacks I care to bend. The trailer is larger than I prefer because there was nearly always two of us on those trips and we needed(?) the extra space. But now there will usually be only me.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>So, as you may have already guessed, I now have a new camping trailer.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"166873\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/camping-again\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1100,686\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-S901U&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1739663027&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0012755102040816&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"gro pro g15fbs camping trailer\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer-1024x639.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-166873 size-full\" title=\"gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1100\" height=\"686\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer.jpg 1100w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer-300x187.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer-1024x639.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer-768x479.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer-150x94.jpg 150w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer-500x311.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1100px) 100vw, 1100px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>Geo Pro G15FBS Camping Trailer<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Three days ago I traded my old trailer in on this one, a new 2024 Rockwood Geo Pro G15FBS.<\/p>\n<p>My new trailer is more than 6&#8242; shorter, 6&#8243; narrower and about 700 lbs. lighter than my old one. It also has a lift kit and larger, off-road tires so it&#8217;s significantly higher off the ground. It has a single axle instead of double axles, which has advantages in weight savings and maneuverability in tight areas.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"166912\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/camping-again\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"944,900\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;1.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;SM-S901U&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1739719701&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;5.4&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;20&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0043859649122807&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"trailer rooftop solar panels\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels.jpg\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-166912 size-full\" title=\"trailer-rooftop-solar-panels\" src=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"944\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels.jpg 944w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels-300x286.jpg 300w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels-768x732.jpg 768w, https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/trailer-rooftop-solar-panels-150x143.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 944px) 100vw, 944px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Two 200-watt roof-top solar panels, along with the generator(s) I always carry in the back of my pickup, will reliably keep my trailer batteries charged on those long trips.<\/p>\n<p>There will undoubtedly be some tradeoffs. I&#8217;ve already adapted to less interior space (doing so was easy) but this trailer doesn&#8217;t have a traditional kitchenette (table with benches) so I&#8217;ll have to get used to a smaller table that attaches to the sofa (or I may build a slightly larger table). Having only a single axle with two tires instead of a double axle with four tires makes potential flats or blowouts more of a pucker factor, so high-quality tires (which I have) are essential.<\/p>\n<p>Most everything else with this new trailer is an upgrade for my purposes rather than a downgrade so I&#8217;m really looking forward to getting out there again. There are no guarantees my bad back will cooperate, but I decided to roll the dice and hope for the best.<\/p>\n<p>If all goes well, beginning this spring and summer readers of Feathered Photography should see more variety in the birds and wildlife I photograph and post.<\/p>\n<p>Ron<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Notes: <\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em>If you have the interest, here&#8217;s a link to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/search?q=rockwood+15bs&amp;sca_esv=54fcc75b4f72cd60&amp;sxsrf=AHTn8zrWXtDHDoasbsMzu_fvzOXqqZUP8g%3A1739497894690&amp;source=hp&amp;ei=pqGuZ4TCKNOhkPIPvYW1gQk&amp;iflsig=ACkRmUkAAAAAZ66vti1xf_Ym03D-mfIzVsyh6zANkrXZ&amp;ved=0ahUKEwiEreXQhsKLAxXTEEQIHb1CLZAQ4dUDCBk&amp;uact=5&amp;oq=rockwood+15bs&amp;gs_lp=Egdnd3Mtd2l6Ig1yb2Nrd29vZCAxNWJzMgUQIRigATIFECEYoAEyBRAhGKABMgUQIRigAUjWvgJQAFjD4gFwAngAkAEAmAGlAaABlguqAQM1Lji4AQPIAQD4AQGYAg-gAuMLwgIEECMYJ8ICChAAGIAEGEMYigXCAgoQLhiABBhDGIoFwgIaEC4YgAQYsQMYgwEY1AIYxwEYigUYjgUYrwHCAggQABiABBixA8ICCxAuGIAEGNEDGMcBwgIOEC4YgAQYsQMYgwEYigXCAgsQABiABBiRAhiKBcICCxAuGIAEGJECGIoFwgIREC4YgAQYkQIY0QMYxwEYigXCAg0QABiABBixAxhDGIoFwgIOEC4YgAQYsQMY0QMYxwHCAhEQLhiABBiRAhjHARiKBRivAcICEBAuGIAEGEMYxwEYigUYrwHCAgUQABiABMICDhAuGIAEGMcBGI4FGK8BwgIGEAAYFhgemAMAkgcENS4xMKAHoo0B&amp;sclient=gws-wiz#fpstate=ive&amp;vld=cid:58d324df,vid:cgw6EvlQO8k,st:0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><span style=\"color: #3366ff; text-decoration: underline;\">video review of the Geo Pro G15FBS Camping Trailer<\/span><\/span><\/a>. The trailer reviewed is exactly the same as my new one, including the slideout.<\/em><\/li>\n<li><em>It goes without saying that many of my future camping trips will be to my home state of Montana. I have a new incentive for that because my younger sister Sheila and her husband Randy have recently moved from New Mexico to Helena, MT., which isn&#8217;t too far north of Montana&#8217;s Centennial Valley where I often camp. Who knows, maybe my ex-wife Diane (we&#8217;re still very good friends) will accompany me on one of those MT. camping trips. Diane is Randy&#8217;s younger sister so it would be sort of a twisted, double family reunion. \ud83d\ude42<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A big jump for me. (2 photos)<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/2025\/02\/17\/camping-again\/\"><span>Continue reading<\/span><i class=\"crycon-right-dir\"><\/i><\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":166873,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,334],"tags":[7752,7750,7751,311],"class_list":["post-166871","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bird-photography-methods","category-birds","tag-2024-rockwood-geo-pro-g15fbs-specs","tag-new-camping-trailer","tag-trailer-solar-panels","tag-utah-2"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/gro-pro-g15fbs-camping-trailer.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p1zzJh-Hpt","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166871","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=166871"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166871\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166953,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166871\/revisions\/166953"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/166873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=166871"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=166871"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/featheredphotography.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=166871"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}