Owner Spotlight
The Conway Family;
Colin & Molly plus 3 kids and a golden-cocker retriever
From
Omaha, Nebraska
Year and Make of your Happier Camper?
“Emerald” is a Mill Valley Green, 2021 HC1
What’s your tow vehicle?
Honda Odyssey
Why did you buy a Happier Camper?
We were tent campers until we had our third child who was born with a lot of medical needs. We wanted to be able to keep camping with our kids even though we now needed electricity and climate control, so we started researching campers we could pull with our minivan. We borrowed our parents 27-foot RV, but didn’t find it to be the experience we wanted- it was cumbersome, and felt like a tiny apartment, disconnected from nature. When we stumbled upon the HC1, we were blown away by the back hatch, windows, and adaptability. We thought of it as a super fancy hard-shell tent. When covid cancelled our plans for a big 10 year anniversary trip, we decided to pivot those funds to invest in our family and order an HC1.
Tell us about your camper
We are so spoiled by the off-grid solar power, propane heat, and air conditioning when needed (which is all summer here in the humid Midwest)! With a kiddo who depends on electricity every day, this little gem has allowed us to meet his needs while allowing our whole family to experience adventures again. Speaking of a little gem, we named her Emerald. Well, actually my mom did- after the Emerald Isle (we're Irish)- and it stuck when the kids took to the nickname "Emmy."
What are your favorite HC features?
The kids love the bunk bed, and even sleeping in "the bunny hole" which is what they call the space under the queen bed! We love that it feels way more spacious on the inside than it looks from the outside. I think that's due to all the huge windows and lack of dividing walls. People are always so surprised that we can sleep our family of 5 in it, but honestly there's room for more. There are so many ways to arrange the cubes and components, we don't see ourselves ever "growing out" of this camper. If anything, we'll just attach a tent to the back for stinky teenagers some day. Other favorite features are:
The ability to pack so much gear.
The lack of tanks. No waiting in line for a dump station!
Easy to clean.
When you consider that we didn't have to buy a new tow vehicle, it was much more budget friendly.
The propane furnace is extremely efficient and effective.
The approachability. It's such a great camper for non-RV people. Easy to tow, easy to learn, easy on the eyes!
The connection to nature and to each other. We don't go camping to sit inside and watch TV. We go to make memories with our kids and to be immersed in nature. Having a tiny camper leaves no room for excuses.
Things we wish we had:
The Fiamma crank-out awning.
The off-grid air conditioner they offer now.
A big beefy bike rack we could attach on the tongue. Our bikes are too heavy to put on the back hitch of the camper. We just put them inside for now.
Best camping trip you’ve taken with your Happier Camper?
We haven’t even had her for a full year yet, but so far our favorite trip was for Molly's birthday weekend in late October. We went to Indian Cave State Park in NE. It rained for 3 days and it was cold. We brought our Clam shelter, rain boots, and had an absolute blast! Bad weather = great memories. Another absolutely amazing HC1 trip was actually before we got Emmy. We rented an HC1 through Outdoorsy from a wonderful owner in Denver. We drove up to Poudre Canyon just west of Fort Collins, CO and found a sweet spot by the Cache la Poudre River. The simplicity of a tiny campground with no amenities or cell service, just our little family and a little bit of shelter, was transformative. We had already ordered our own camper, and this trip was total confirmation that we were doing something profound for our family. We also got to meet our brand new niece on that trip!
What’s your next planned camping trip?
We have a few local spots secured for spring camping, but once school lets out for Molly and the kids, we are excited to be co-hosting the first Heartland HC meetup in north-central Nebraska! We'll start out at a more traditional campground selected for its lack of light pollution (want to show the kids the Milky Way)! Then, we will be boondocking on a bison ranch right off the Niobrara, which is designated as a National Wild and Scenic River with excellent canoeing, kayaking, and the occasional horse tank float.
What camping destination is on your bucket list?
Banff
Any advice for new owners?
When you’re ordering your custom camper, it can be overwhelming. Join the Facebook groups for advice, but here’s ours:
Things that are built-in to the camper (solar, inverter, heat, a/c, bunk beds) should be done right away.
Anything that is Adaptiv or mechanical, like a lifted package, can be added later if you're unsure. The recent partnership with Camping World will make adding stuff later so much easier!
We are super glad we did not order the kitchenette or built in fridges. We were on the fence but decided against them to make more sleeping space. We like to cook outside anyway, and love the Dometic CFX cooler we got. Molly is the co-inventor of the "cube sink hack" along with Aida, and this is very nice to have, super easy to DIY, and WAY cheaper than the HC sink.
And while you wait for your camper to be made:
Try not to buy too much "stuff." You want to try camping minimally a few times before deciding what extras you really need. (Molly went overboard ordering chairs from Woods Canada... but she swears we really need 6 different seats around the campfire.)
While you wait for production, have patience and understand that you will not get as many updates as you crave. Beauty and quality take time. The Facebook groups are there for you to pass the time.
If you have the opportunity to skip the wait and buy a used rig that meets your needs and desires, do it! HC owners take great pride in their campers, and you are very likely to get a better-than-new rig if you can get your hands on a used one!
Finally, I hope you like popularity, because the Happier Camper is a conversation starter!