Owner Spotlight

Kathleen large

From

San Francisco Bay Area

Year and Make of your Happier Camper?

2020 Happier Camper HC1

What’s your tow vehicle?

2013 Volkswagen Tiguan

Why did you buy a Happier Camper?

Best impulse buy EVER! Here I was one Sunday evening in April 2020, pandemic panic upon me, so I did what any sensible person would do: poured a glass of wine. Then I began to read articles on small campers. I emailed Sales that night, had a virtual tour on Monday, and by Tuesday I was at my bank wiring a deposit. I did not ask for advice, apart from my daughter’s pick of the interior color scheme!

Tell us about your camper!

Since I ordered ours during a pandemic, it was sight unseen! One Mammoth White HC1 was almost in production so I jumped on that one. As a single mama and dog owner, safety is top priority, so I went with both air conditioning and heat (remembering how it can freeze at night in the mountains even in the fairest of summers). A few creature comforts go a long way: the road shower, sink (although didn’t go with the fridge - a cooler works just fine), the gooseneck lamps and dry flush toilet.

What are your favorite HC features?

I love that the HC is so small that it fits in our driveway. I regularly teach my 6th grade remote classes from the camper, since my daughter is doing her own classes inside and reports that my teacher-voice is very loud! We use the camper as a guest room and sound-proof space for recording videos and having private conversations. Camping in friends’ driveways has allowed us to be social but have our own space. The porthole window allows moonlight to enter the camper in a beautiful pattern. The back hatch was wonderful in 100 degree heat and makes for easy access to organize the modular cubes. The toilet is the unsung hero. We love how we can stop at a gas station and not have to use a gas station toilet!

Best camping trip you’ve taken with your Happier Camper?

I love what I call my one-night-stands. I adore the California coast, so return regularly to an eco-friendly RV site in Pescadero. The best advice I got from a friend with a pop-up is to pack for the next trip upon your return so you can easily do weekenders. Stock the camper with clothes, towels, toiletries, a full set of kitchen supplies - like olive oil, spices, can opener - and you can literally grab and go, packing a fresh cooler if you don’t want to buy food. The KOA in Pescadero feels like a second home, or the bar in Cheers where everyone knows your name. I love that I can go solo but not feel alone.

What’s your next planned camping trip?

Going next Saturday for a one-nighter to my Pescadero home away from home. Already packed, just gotta grab the dog and guinea pig! Looking forward to seeing the campground hosts, who live onsite in an Airstream.

What camping destination is on your bucket list?

We have the lifted package, so I would love to get off-road somwhere, maybe Baja, Mexico when the world opens up again.

Any advice for new owners?

Go for it! If you are solo, bring or borrow a big dog for safety and you will be fine! Don’t be too proud to ask for help. Folks will offer and you will gain renewed faith in humanity. People have literally jumped out of their cars to assist me (once, I had an epic hitching fail), veteran owners messaged me via Facebook in the middle of the night when I couldn’t figure out how to unhitch, a garbage man stopped the truck to help me fix a loose screw. Don’t be too rushed to stop and talk with folks. Like the young man pumping my gas in Oregon (yes, there they pump for you!), in the rain, after the fires, who told me his father had recently died and he was concerned about his mother and did I think she could handle a camper like this on her own. Or a young McDonald’s worker just ending his shift in the Central Valley of California who guided me out of a tight spot in the drive-through (bad idea, by the way), who, when I insisted that he take a fifty dollar bill after he refused multiple times, confided in me that he had no cash until his next paycheck and a family to support. Or the young woman who approached me in a KOA and helped me to see myself as she saw me, as pretty darn badass. One final piece of advice: it is much easier to bring your daughter’s guinea pig along in a travel cage than arrange for someone to feed it. Oh, and always bring an extra bottle of wine or a six pack, or tuck a fifty in your wallet, because people will help you and you will want to say thank you.