A long time ago, Dale and I were regular campers. It wasn’t something I grew up doing (my mother thought a hotel without room service was roughing it) but I was really excited to go camping with Dale. We had a small trailer and he taught me everything I needed to know about camping. Over time, our lifestyle changed, we started Civil War reenacting, and eventually we sold our camper. We’ve talked a lot for the past few years about getting back into it so when Hannah said the plans for her bachelorette weekend were to have everyone go camping we decided to go all in and . . . rent a camper van and see if this is something that would work for us!

The van I found was in NH so we drove up to pick her up on Thursday, camped that night on the north shore of MA, and then camped for the weekend in Plymouth with Hannah and her friends.

This van is a converted Chevrolet Express and I’ll say right up front that it’s small for 2 people. And, while there’s good storage for a lot, there’s no storage for things like clothes and extra food. Also, Dale couldn’t stand completely upright and that right there is a deal breaker in terms of what we’re considering for a purchase.

Those drawbacks aside, it worked out perfectly for the weekend. The bed is very comfortable and the solar panels gave us enough power for lights and other onboard amenities, like running water and charging capabilities for our devices.

We were mostly off the grid as there was very little cell phone service and no WiFi. Once I got used to not being able to check my phone for email and Instagram it was very nice to just be unplugged from all of that. And, while I had forgotten how much work camping is, and how much of camping is rummaging around looking for stuff, I really enjoyed myself. We learned a lot about what will and won’t work for us and, while I don’t think we’re quite ready to make a big purchase just yet, I will say that I’m fairly certain camping will be back in our life in the next year or two.

I mean, how do you resist something like that?

As for the bachelorette, Hannah’s friends went all out for her, decorating the campsite and planning special activities like tie-dye t-shirts for everyone. I didn’t take pictures of any of that but I did snag these two of my girlie that her friends took.

She’s very fortunate to have friends who get her and want to make her feel special and celebrated. And, as you can see, I think it’s safe to say she had the time of her life.