32 replies to this topic

[Ted]

Welcome Danny. My condolences about your wife. I hope any advice we can offer here helps in your adjustment to a truck camper.

[Desert Rancher]

A very important tip when using a Foodsaver type machine---
Place a rolled up paper towel inside the bag, between the food and the seal strip. Otherwise, moisture gets sucked out across the seal area. This will ruin the machine and prevent a good seal. The paper towel absorbs the moisture before it reaches the sealing strip.

Make sense?? Those who have vacuum packed food know what I'm talking about.

I have sealed hundreds of pounds of Tuna successfully. But that sealing strip must be absolutely dry for the heat to seal it.

~DR

[Smokecreek1]

My primary reason for getting a camper -- after decades of camping in a tent and canopy and cooking on the tailgate of my truck -- was to be able to cook inside.
I camp in the winter and other times when it's cold/windy, and I got tired of it taking forever for a wind-blown Coleman stove to boil water, etc.
I almost never cook outside now unless I'm using my little Weber table-top gas grill.

My views and reasons for both getting a FWC and cooking inside agree with MarkBC; to many years of freezing in the wind while trying to keep a fire going or laying under the camper shell with the dog, some wood and my gear while "enjoying" a beer! I decided to get a FWC on a windy, cold fall day at Westport Landing State Beach. I sitting by my pathetic fire with my dog "Babe" in a rainstorm and already had moved my truck several times trying to block the wind from knocking my tent down again, all while trying to drink a cold beer and wondering about my sanity in my efforts of enjoying mother nature on my vacation, when a camper pulled into the cg (I was the only one there); stopped and the driver got out, looked at me, then let his dog out to pee, climbed into the back of his camper, and soon came back out with a cup of coffee, sat on a picnic table, drank it, got back in his rig and drove away! That was it, when I got back to Suzieville, my course was set, and soon, all those wilderness experiences were replaced with trying to figure out how the frig worked, and how to keep my ice trays filled so I could enjoy my vodka/cranberry drinks. Another quick example, right after getting my FWC, went up to the lake and two friends stopped by to see my new rig and have a beer or two. The wind kept forcing us to change positions around the truck; after several changes, I, being a smart fellow, suddenly realized hey, let's get out of the wind and get in the new camper! 3 guys, and 2 dogs (mind liked the wind and stayed out side) & were soon enjoying a wind free beer-and "oh" let me turn on my heater-and a new world was opened to us- and I've never looked back-I deserve my new comfort!

Smoke