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(ARA) - "Roughing it" is the phrase that probably comes to mind first whenever someone mentions the term remote camping. You may even imagine camping as relying on just an open flame to prepare a hot meal, treating your few remaining batteries as if they were a precious commodity, and hoping there's the faintest hint of a breeze to cool you down on the hottest of summer days or the warmth of the sun to thaw you on the coldest.
Fortunately, when you leave the campground behind in search of your favorite remote destination, your trip doesn't have to look like an episode of "Survivor." Recent innovations in the world of power generation are now allowing you the chance to enjoy the best of all worlds -- the ability to unplug from the campground and enjoy some of the country's most beautiful sites without losing the convenience of everyday electronic devices. "Many remote camping guides flat out tell you to leave the Mr. Coffee at home," says Karen Zellner, manager of RV Marketing at Onan, a power generation equipment company. "But with the introduction of products like Camp Power by Onan, remote campers can not only pack that coffee maker, they can also bring along a microwave oven, a DVD player and even take refuge from a brutally hot afternoon by turning on an air conditioner."
Camp Power is the first installed generator designed specifically for the smaller, towable RVs so popular with many of today's campers. Compact enough to install under a bench or inside a cabinet and extremely quiet, these generators will dramatically change towable RV camping in the future.
"So often that scenic vista or hidden oasis isn't close to the campground. And families are often hesitant to disconnect their RV and really explore so their camping experience is limited to the area nearest the electrical hook-up," said Zellner. "The recent advancements in generator technology now allow the camper towing an RV to enjoy the same experience and freedoms as the operator of a larger coach motor home with installed power."
"The great appeal of RVs is taking the comforts of home with you," said Ken Sommer, of the Recreation Vehicle Industry Association (RVIA). "RVs are great for campgrounds, but it's a real treat to get out to a remote location and explore the public lands that are available."
Hunting and Fishing
Outdoor sports enthusiasts are another group that can benefit from having a quiet mobile power supply in their towable RVs. In most cases that favorite fishing hole or lucky hunting ground is nowhere near an electrical hookup. So the outdoorsmen without power are forced to either travel some distance from the campground to their destination or disconnect their RV and be left without a way to power the features that lead them to purchase the unit in the first place.
"RVs can serve as a base camp for both hunting and fishing and provides tremendous versatility," said the RVIA's Sommer. "If you're at a fishing spot and not catching anything, you can just pack up and try elsewhere."
In addition to making the whole experience easier, there are some practical implications of having power when hunting and fishing. "For starters, you can clean and cook your own fish in the kitchen," Sommer added.
With continued development and diminishing access to private land, RVs will prove even more essential to hunters who are being forced to travel well off the beaten path in search of elusive game. And although they are removed from civilization, by bringing along power, spoilage can no longer be given as their excuse for returning empty handed. In fact, many hunters now bring freezers with them so they can quickly preserve any meat they've bagged and keep it safe for future consumption.
Camping with Kids
Remote camping isn't just for hearty outdoor enthusiasts either. Many families seek the thrill and serenity of camping in dispersed locales. Whenever remote camping with children, having adequate power is important -- especially if the kids have never camped before. Smaller children can become easily frightened and the added lighting a generator allows you to operate can help alleviate most fears.
While darkness isn't usually an issue with older kids, boredom can be. Many adolescents aren't quite ready to simply enjoy the simple beauty of nature. Experts say allowing them to power up a PlayStation for a quick game or letting them watch a movie in the camper before bed might just make the trip more pleasurable for everyone in the family.
In addition to making the camping experience more comfortable, Zellner says having power while remote camping is a safe move. "Taking along extra safety features like campsite lighting and communications systems can provide early warning of severe weather and reduce some of the stresses associated with being so removed from civilization," she said.
Playing It Safe
It's important to keep safety in mind when using a generator at a remote site. To prevent the risk of fire, only generators with a USDA Forest Service approved spark arrester muffler are allowed on federal land. And always be sure to consult park authorities before using your generator as some local regulations may apply.
RVing is a great way to pursue your passions whether it's hunting, fishing, kayaking, astronomy, antiquing or any family activity. But without power, the freedom, flexibility and control of going where you want to go when you want to go is often lost.
To learn more about unplugging and playing in the nearly 200 million acres the U.S. Forest Service manages, click on www.fs.fed.us. Two other great sites that can help you plan a memorable experience with your towable RV are www.recreation.gov and www.funroads.com.
Courtesy of ARA Content
About the author:
Courtesy of ARA Content
Don't Worry, Go Traveling What card should you never leave home without? It's not the one you think.
It's the new Triple-A card-Attitude, Awareness and Attention tips, offered by authors Sheila Swan & Peter Laufer in their new book Safety & Security for Women Who Travel. Wherever you go, whatever you do, whoever you're with, no matter how far you stray from home, carry this card to remind you to stay alert in your surroundings. Trust your intuition and instincts.
Swan and Laufer, world travelers, help lay to rest fears as well as provide guidance for women to travel confidently anywhere in the world. Safety & Security for Women Who Travel offers specific and tested tactics and techniques to help women travel safely and securely.
This book covers the basics and so much more. Find practical information on what to do:
Before you leave: pack a destination-specific medicine cabinet
En route: remember the buddy system, find a companion on the plane or at the train station
Driving: lock your doors when you get in the car as well as when you get out of the car
Lodging: conceal your gender by registering at hotels with your last name and first initial only
Also find details about more complicated issues, such as:
Money and scams: guard your PIN carefully as phone card thieves use binoculars
Dealing with officials: do not carry things that can be interpreted as illegal or threatening
When a threat is real: noise is effective; practice screaming before you leave home
In all aspects of travel there is an element of risk which can be reduced with attention, attitude and awareness. Safety & Security for Women Who Travel contains memorable anecdotes as well as tips and wisdom. It will empower the most timid and most seasoned woman traveler.
About the Author
Sheila Swan Laufer has been traveling the world for fun and business since the 1960's. From camping in Latin America to luxury resorts in the Old World, from long-distance buses across the American South to first-class airliner seats five miles high, from quaint pensions on the Iberian Peninsula to five-star hotels in Oceana, she has experienced the extremes travel offers-taking notes all along the way.
Peter Laufer is an award-winning journalist whose career has taken him to many of the world's most dangerous destinations. While researching his book Nightmare Abroad, he traveled around the world, stopping in twenty-one countries, interviewing Americans locked up in foreign prisons. Another of his books, Iron Curtain Rising, recounts his journey through Eastern Europe during the revolutions of 19893990.
Safety & Security for Women Who Travel
Edited by Sheila Swan and Peter Laufer
$12.95, 150 pages
ISBN: 1-885211-29-5
Publication Date: November 1998
About the author:
Press Release
Survey Finds Many Americans Avoiding International Air Travel, Asian Retailers Due to Fear of SARSFor immediate release: Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Boston, MA A new study by the Harvard School of Public Health Project on the Public and Biological Security finds that 17 percent of Americans who have traveled outside of the United States in the past year have avoided international air travel recently due to reports about severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). (See Figure 1)
Even though there have been few cases of SARS in the U.S., concerns about this disease have begun to have an impact on the American public, said Robert J. Blendon, professor of Health Policy and Political Analysis at the Harvard School of Public Health.
Sixteen percent of the public reported avoiding people they thought may have recently traveled to Asia. In addition, 14 percent of Americans said they were avoiding Asian restaurants and/or stores. Other actions taken by the public in response to reports of SARS were using a disinfectant at home or at work (21%), avoiding public events (10%), carrying something to clean objects that may have been in contact with someone who had SARS (9%) and consulting a web site for information about how to protect themselves from SARS (9%). Despite the widely televised images of people in Asia wearing face masks, very few Americans said they bought a face mask (3%) or talked to a doctor about health issues related to SARS (5%). (See Figure 1)
Eighty-three percent of Americans said that SARS is a disease that requires quarantine in order to keep it from spreading, and 41 percent knew that people were being quarantined for SARS in the U.S. at the time of the survey. Fully 94 percent of the public reported that they would agree to be isolated for two or three weeks in a health care facility if they had SARS. A similar percentage (92%) would agree to be quarantined for up to 10 days in their home if they were exposed to someone who had SARS but did not know if they themselves had the disease. Only 13 percent of Americans thought that President Bushs recent executive order adding SARS to the list of diseases for which people can be quarantined was a threat to their personal rights and freedoms. (See Figure 2)
If the number of cases in the U.S. grows, the public appears to be willing to cooperate with public health officials in order to keep the disease from spreading, said Blendon.
One in four Americans thought it was likely (5% very, 20% somewhat) that they or someone in their immediate family would contract SARS in the next 12 months. Americans were more likely to believe that they would contract SARS than to believe they would contract anthrax (3% very, 9% somewhat) or smallpox (3% very, 9% somewhat). In addition, 32 percent of the public reported being concerned about contracting SARS.
The majority of Americans (92%) knew that SARS is contagious and 82 percent believed that it spread easily (46% very, 35% somewhat). The majority of the public thought that it was possible to get SARS from being in close contact with someone who has SARS (91%), being on the same airplane with someone who has SARS (78%), eating food that has been prepared by someone who was infected with or exposed to SARS (73%), shaking hands with someone with an active case of the disease (71%), touching objects or surfaces that have been in contact with someone who has SARS (66%), and blood transfusions (62%). (See Figure 3)
If SARS spreads more widely in the US, public concern is likely to escalate due to a number of factors. Eighty-four percent of the public know that there is no vaccine for SARS and one-half (51%) know there is no effective treatment. In addition, a substantial number of Americans believe that SARS is more deadly than it actually is. Four in ten Americans said that one-quarter or more of people with SARS die from the disease. The death rate is between six and 10%. Moreover, the majority believe, and the CDC reports, the disease spreads easily through multiple routes of transmission.
Complete survey and graphs are available here:
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/blendon/SARStopline.doc (survey)
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/press/releases/blendon/SARS.ppt (graphs)
For more information about SARS, go to www.cdc.gov
This study was designed and analyzed by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health. The project director is Robert J. Blendon of the Harvard School of Public Health. The research team also includes Catherine M. DesRoches, John M. Benson, Kathleen Weldon and Liz Mackie of the Harvard School of Public Health and Melissa J. Herrmann of ICR/International Communications Research. Fieldwork was conducted via telephone by ICR/International Communications Research of Media (PA) between April 11 15, 2003. The survey was conducted with a nationally representative sample of 1,003 adults age 18 and over. The margin of error for this survey is +/- 3 percentage points.
Possible sources of nonsampling error include nonresponse bias, as well as question wording and ordering effects. Nonresponse in telephone surveys produces some known biases in survey-derived estimates because participation tends to vary for different subgroups of the population. To compensate for these known biases, sample data are weighted to the most recent Census data available from the Current Population Survey for gender, age, race, education, as well as number of adults and number of telephone lines in the household. Other techniques, including random-digit dialing, replicate subsamples, callbacks staggered over times of day and days of the week, and systematic respondent selection within households, are used to ensure that the sample is representative.
About the author:
Press Release
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