Amen, my stress level was cut by about 80 percent after I finnaly bit the bullet. Keeping the tractors inside has cut down on the maintenance and being able to work on things without getting pumbled by mosquitoes is so nice. I have electric heat now and I love it. Just hit the breaker and it is a constant even heat. Had a few stressful moments when it was 20 degrees and I could get my propane heater to light.
What are your basic needs at hunting camp - Plumbing? Electricity? Heat/Air? Internet?
- Thread starter 35-acre
- Start date
GMan5465
5 year old buck +
Started out in a distant relatives farm house for deer camp. Then moved to a truck camper after the house was no longer available. That was a little tight so started staying in a double wide and a half. Now with the new land have a taj mahal of a hunting shack. Wife says its a tear me down, no way! A hot shower is my favorite amenity. Takes the edge off a little bit. Cell connection is up there as well, so much information online.
GMan5465
5 year old buck +
Prior to this hunting shack I'm using now, I had a bucket that I filled with warm water, an 12v RV pump, a hand held start/stop shower nozzle, a rubber maid bin, and a shower curtain. It worked, just needed to plan accordingly. I mentioned it to my neighbor and he bought that same 12v RV pump for his hunting shack. A month later he pondered why he bought a 12v pump when he has electricity in his cabin. As you get older, you have alot of those types of conversations!! Regardless, it was a hot shower.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I had to have water so badly I trenched 1800’ of line in one weekend. Let me tell you, wrestling 500’ rolls of pex, in February, in the rain, is enough to never ever buy property without water. But all is well now.
35-acre
5 year old buck +
Holy crap! So what supply are you hooked up to with all of that pex? I can't imagine trying to do that at my place - with all the rocks and roots there is no way.
My hose runs on the ground (in a creek bed) all the way from a natural spring on my property. The spring has a small spring house on top of it to keep the leaves and larger critters out of it. I leave my spicket open a little all year long. It fills a 50 gallon barrel at my camp that I then use for showers and dishes (I bring in 3 gallons of drinking water when I go). I have an overflow hose on the barrel too, that drains back into the creek right next to camp.
I do have to prep it for winter. This may not sound like a good idea but this has been working this way for 70 years (yeah - it's not pex).
I drain the barrel to avoid it from splitting when it freezes.
I lay the spicket on the ground instead of going into my barrel. Then I turn the water flow up a little and then I cover it with some wood. This prevents it from freezing the spicket and thus prevents the line from splitting. The running water and the fact that it's warmer than freezing (maybe) it won't freeze when it's covered. In the spring, I just put the spicket back back into the barrel.
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
Yeah so fortunately in my area rock isn’t a huge issue. The trencher attachment on the skid steer will just eat through any roots like butter so that wasn’t really an issue either. I had the county extend their water line down the public road and they put a meter at my gate and then I was responsible from the gate back to the cabin which is 1800 feet. I was nervous about pressure at that distance but I was able to consult with some of my suppliers and they all said for what I’m trying to do it wouldn’t be an issue. The cabin did not have a shower so we reconfigure the bathroom and added a shower and since we didn’t have permanent power (generator) we had to get creative with the hot water heater. I bought a gas fired on demand hot water heater which is awesome. My biggest issue is getting out of the shower in the am when it’s 28 degrees! I’m a freak about scent and shower before every hunt so I couldnt live without water and a shower.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
What soap do you shower with?
Howboutthemdawgs
5 year old buck +
I use some non scented dermatology stuff. I bought all the hunting marketed stuff before but I just found this stuff and use it for my hair and body. But I am religious about showering.
gonzalezeb
5 year old buck +
My wife will have a completely different answer than I...
For me...protection from the elements is probably the top priority (roof, heat, something to keep me cool during the summer). Next would be food...means to keep and cook. I am a gadget guy...so a means to keep my devices charged. Initially I survived off propane and a small generator and was quite content.
But my wife and daughter said I was missing other basic necessities. First they didn't like cat litter and a 5 gallon bucket. Second, my wife also emphasized having a showering solution is a must (two teenage boys and I working throughout the summer coming home stinky and not being able to shower seemed to bother her more than us). Third, she said having a sink for the kids to wash their hands and brush their teeth was a necessity as well. Finally having some sort of means to wash clothes. (I bought a dryer later cause line dried clothes bothers my skin fiercely)
I ended up bringing power to the place (it is expensive, but I figure it would be cheaper initially over solar). Once I had electricity, I bought an incinerating toilet. From there I turned my trailer into a water buffalo and can haul 325 gallons of water to the place. I also made a shower caddy and purchased a portable sink (pic included - when the wife and kids are with me I do install a privacy fence around the shower, but if it is just me...my closest neighbor is well out of line of sight).
Though this still isn't perfect...we are convinced it is sufficient for the zombie apocalypse (or COVID {insert variant here}).
Links for the toilet/sink/washer/dryer
Incinerating Toilet: https://incinolet.com
Sink: https://portablesink.com (the sink can be totally made for about a 1/3 of the price, but I went ahead and bought it to save some time)
Washer: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ALBMIEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Dryer: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F3C7RJQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Picture of shower caddy/trailer with water tank
For me...protection from the elements is probably the top priority (roof, heat, something to keep me cool during the summer). Next would be food...means to keep and cook. I am a gadget guy...so a means to keep my devices charged. Initially I survived off propane and a small generator and was quite content.
But my wife and daughter said I was missing other basic necessities. First they didn't like cat litter and a 5 gallon bucket. Second, my wife also emphasized having a showering solution is a must (two teenage boys and I working throughout the summer coming home stinky and not being able to shower seemed to bother her more than us). Third, she said having a sink for the kids to wash their hands and brush their teeth was a necessity as well. Finally having some sort of means to wash clothes. (I bought a dryer later cause line dried clothes bothers my skin fiercely)
I ended up bringing power to the place (it is expensive, but I figure it would be cheaper initially over solar). Once I had electricity, I bought an incinerating toilet. From there I turned my trailer into a water buffalo and can haul 325 gallons of water to the place. I also made a shower caddy and purchased a portable sink (pic included - when the wife and kids are with me I do install a privacy fence around the shower, but if it is just me...my closest neighbor is well out of line of sight).
Though this still isn't perfect...we are convinced it is sufficient for the zombie apocalypse (or COVID {insert variant here}).
Links for the toilet/sink/washer/dryer
Incinerating Toilet: https://incinolet.com
Sink: https://portablesink.com (the sink can be totally made for about a 1/3 of the price, but I went ahead and bought it to save some time)
Washer: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B01ALBMIEI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Dryer: https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F3C7RJQ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Picture of shower caddy/trailer with water tank
gonzalezeb
5 year old buck +
One more thing...Internet is decent, but I was looking for a better solution...I tried Solis (https://soliswifi.co/) but unfortunately coverage at my place sucks...but a friend of mine whose place I hunt at as well as great coverage there...so it wasn't a total waste.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
As for internet, for those of you out in the middle of no where, and need it, Starlink is a great option. It has some upfront costs, and isn’t the cheapest, but when you really don’t have other options, and you need it, it’s a great option.
4wanderingeyes
5 year old buck +
When I was in my 20's and 30's I use to tent with a sunflower heater in 0 degrees, then hunt all day, then come back and ate warm soup cooked on the sunflower heater and a sandwhich, no shower for 10 days. Now I am in my 50's, and I like it all. Internet, only so I can work and not lose money, otherwise I could be without internet. Hell, my main enclosed deer stand, is about75 yards from my house, I have thought about running power out to it, dry electric heat with no moisture to fog windows. But that would be a project for another time.
weekender21
5 year old buck +
I’m still tent camping for now. I do use a small propane heater for a half hour or so in the mornings when it’s below freezing. If I had to add one amenity it would be a warm shower.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
spartan huntr
Yearling... With promise
My big thing is always the thing i don't have. Ha! It used to be a barn... check. then it was a bigger tractor... check...then a Ranger... check. Ha!
Right now i have electric, propane and wood heat. No running water. And cell service is bad!
So, I guess i could say it would be nice to have water. No doubt. I can take a whore bath from 5 gallon jugs and a plastic bucket. But when it comes to cleaning up after a harvest....knives, gloves, sled or even my equipment after a tough day of work out in the woods, running water would be nice. I don't do a lot of 3+ night stays so a hot shower isn't hugely important.
The big conundrum I have. No running water means.... an outhouse. That keeps the girls away. I wonder if they would spend more time there if i had running water? And then i wonder.... do i want them too? Ha!
It isn't a money issue. I can afford to put a well/septic in. It is an ROI question. Is it worth $20k+ for a place that i only stay 10-15 nights a year. To be frank.... most of my hunts are single nights or what i will describe as a 1.5 er..... drive up very late Friday night to hunt all day Sat and half day Sunday. With 4 kids ages 10-18 even getting away for 1.5 ers are difficult.
Now... as I type.... the thing i need/want most.... more time! Do they have that at Bass Pro Shops or TSC?
Right now i have electric, propane and wood heat. No running water. And cell service is bad!
So, I guess i could say it would be nice to have water. No doubt. I can take a whore bath from 5 gallon jugs and a plastic bucket. But when it comes to cleaning up after a harvest....knives, gloves, sled or even my equipment after a tough day of work out in the woods, running water would be nice. I don't do a lot of 3+ night stays so a hot shower isn't hugely important.
The big conundrum I have. No running water means.... an outhouse. That keeps the girls away. I wonder if they would spend more time there if i had running water? And then i wonder.... do i want them too? Ha!
It isn't a money issue. I can afford to put a well/septic in. It is an ROI question. Is it worth $20k+ for a place that i only stay 10-15 nights a year. To be frank.... most of my hunts are single nights or what i will describe as a 1.5 er..... drive up very late Friday night to hunt all day Sat and half day Sunday. With 4 kids ages 10-18 even getting away for 1.5 ers are difficult.
Now... as I type.... the thing i need/want most.... more time! Do they have that at Bass Pro Shops or TSC?
Someday isle
5 year old buck +
Probably not answering the exact question. We don’t camp at our property but when we purchased it back in 2016 it was important for my wife to know that my phone still worked in case I ever had an emergency While I was out there by myself. I can’t always send a picture from our property but I can always call or send a text message. There are a few areas where the weather channel app won’t load but it’s comforting for her to know I can reach someone if I need to.
35-acre
5 year old buck +
Yeah, same here. I am alone anytime that I'm at my property. So I leave a note on my table where i'm hunting (I call it "where to find my body"). And I have to check in each evening and after each morning hunt. My cell booster helps me to do that without driving 3 miles to get reception.
