Outland Adventures

  RV Winter Survival Without Hookups: How Wildebeest Stays Warm & Functional ❄️🚌 Winter RV living looks a lot different when you don’t have hookups—and even more so when your rig is a 1990 Ford E350 EMS‑converted shuttle bus . Welcome to life with Wildebeest , our off‑grid , no‑nonsense, former mobile command unit that refuses to hibernate just because the temperatures drop. This isn’t a glossy, luxury‑RV winter guide . This is the real‑life, boots‑on‑the‑ground version—what works, what doesn’t, and how we stay warm, mobile, and functional without shore power , water hookups , or holding tanks . Grab a hot drink ☕ and let’s dig in. Know Your Rig Before Winter Hits 🧭 Wildebeest has quirks—and winter doesn’t forgive ignorance. Our setup at a glance: 🚑 1990 Ford E350 Shuttle Bus (former county EMS command unit) ❌ No water hookups ❌ No black or grey tanks 🔥 Propane stove(s) ⚡ Limited electrical capacity 🚐 Built to move, not sit forever Because we don’t rely on tanks or hoo...

  ❄️ Cold-Weather Camping: Cozy Tips & Gear We Love There’s something magical about cold-weather camping — the crunch of frost under your boots, the smell of woodsmoke drifting through crisp air, and the way coffee somehow tastes better when you can see your breath. We’ve camped through snow flurries, icy rain, and those sneaky “it’s 60° at noon but 25° by sundown” kind of nights. So trust us when we say: being cozy is an art form. Here’s how we stay toasty, cheerful, and (mostly) frostbite-free when temps drop: 1. Layer Like a Pro Forget fashion — think survival-chic. Merino wool base layers , flannel shirts , and a puffy jacket are our holy trinity. Amanda swears by fleece-lined leggings , while Chris has an ongoing love affair with thermal shirts that make him look like a mountain hermit. 2. Hot Drinks, Always Cocoa, coffee, cider — if it’s warm and steamy, we’re drinking it. Our secret weapon? A heavy-duty thermos that keeps drinks hot long enough to survive an...

  🌦️ The Challenges of Camping in Every Season We’re Amanda & Chris, full-time travelers in Wildebeest, our 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion. As much as we love camping in every season, we’ve learned that each one brings its own quirks and challenges. Life on the road isn’t always picture-perfect — sometimes it’s muddy boots, sweaty nights, or frozen hoses. But those challenges? They’re part of the adventure. 🌸 Spring: Mud & Allergies Spring is beautiful, but it can also mean muddy campsites, unpredictable rain, and pollen covering everything (including our camp chairs). We’ve learned to always have tarps, good shoes, and allergy meds at the ready. ☀️ Summer: Heat & Crowds Summer is prime camping season, but it can be hot — really hot. Shade and fans become essential, and sometimes you have to get creative to beat the heat. Campgrounds are also busiest this time of year, which means more noise and less privacy. 🍂 Fall: Shorter Days & Chillier Nights ...

  🌿 The Joys of Camping in Every Season We’re Amanda & Chris, traveling full-time in Wildebeest , our 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion . One of the biggest surprises we’ve found on the road is just how different — and magical — camping feels in every season. The landscapes, the routines, even the way we connect with fellow campers all shift with the weather. Instead of chasing only “perfect” weather, we’ve learned to embrace the joys each season brings. 🌸 Spring: Fresh Starts The world feels like it’s waking up again — blooming flowers , longer days, and that perfect “not too hot, not too cold” air. Campgrounds start buzzing as travelers return, but it’s often still quiet enough to feel peaceful. Nothing beats that first campfire of the year with a chill in the air and a hoodie pulled tight. ☀️ Summer: Classic Camping Vibes Summer is what most people picture when they think of camping. Long days, swimming holes , cookouts , and kids riding bikes until the sun set...

  🚐 Top 10 Myths About Full-Time RV Life (and the Truth) We’re Amanda & Chris, traveling full-time in Wildebeest , our 1990 Ford E350 shuttle bus conversion . After a couple of years on the road, we’ve heard (and lived through) just about every assumption people make about full-time RV life. Some are hilarious, some are frustrating, and some have a little truth to them — but most are myths. Here are the top 10 misconceptions we hear the most (and the reality behind them): 1. Myth: RV Life is Just One Big Vacation Truth: It’s still life. We work, we clean, we budget, we stress. Yes, the scenery is better — but laundry still piles up. 2. Myth: You Need a Huge, Fancy RV to Go Full-Time Truth: Nope! Wildebeest is a 1990 shuttle bus conversion with quirks galore. It works for us because we made it ours — not because it’s shiny or new. Our previous rig? A 1991 Chevy G20... If it works for you it's the right RV. 3. Myth: Full-Time RVers Are Always on the Move Truth: We s...

  💀 The Nightmare Campground: A Cautionary (and Slightly Funny) Tale Hey y’all — Amanda & Chris here from Outland Adventures , coming at you with something a little different today. We just shared our dream campground , and now it’s time to explore the dark side — the kind of campground that makes you rethink everything. The one where you wake up and immediately start Googling where to go next. We’ve stayed at a few of these in our time. You know the type… 🐭 Filthy Bathrooms (If They're Even Open) Let’s start with the classic red flag: bathrooms that haven’t seen a mop since the Bush administration. Think: Muddy footprints, mystery puddles One flickering lightbulb A half-used roll of toilet paper dangling sadly from the wall Bonus points if they advertise “clean facilities” and then you walk in and immediately nope back out. 📶 Wi-Fi? You Mean... Lie-Fi? They said free Wi-Fi . What they meant was "You might get one bar if you stand near the dump...

  🌟 Dream Campground Checklist: Our Perfect Spot on the Road Hey friends! Amanda & Chris here from Outland Adventures , dreaming a little today about the ultimate campground — the one that checks every box and makes life on the road feel like pure magic. We’ve stayed at a lot of places, from rustic dirt lots to sprawling resorts, and we’ve learned exactly what makes a campground feel like home. So here’s our dream list — the things that turn a stay from “fine” into “never want to leave.” ⚡ Lightning-Fast Wi-Fi Let’s be real — good Wi-Fi is life . Whether we’re uploading videos, doing quick research, or streaming our favorite shows after a long day, a stable and speedy connection changes everything. No more fighting for a single bar or sitting in the parking lot trying to catch a signal. Our dream spot has blazing-fast internet that keeps us connected, no matter where we are in the campground. 🚿 Large, Clean, and Hot Showers A great shower is non-negotiable. Imagin...

  🏡 Small Town America: The Heartbeat of Our Journey Hey friends — it’s Amanda & Chris from Outland Adventures , coming at you from another one-stoplight town with the best biscuits we’ve ever had and a dollar store that sells both fishing poles and  dresses. Life on the road is full of surprises, but some of the best ones come from the places no one’s writing travel guides about — the small towns with rusty signs, handmade milkshakes, and big personalities in tiny zip codes. Let’s talk about why we love exploring Small Town America. 🌽 1. The Characters You Meet Every town has that guy — the one who knows everyone, runs the local feed store, and once met Elvis. You’ll meet the mayor at the gas station, your new best friend in line for ice cream, and the campground host who used to tour with a rock band. People in small towns don’t hide behind screens or rush past you. They look you in the eye and say things like, “Y’all ain’t from around here, are ya?” And it...

  🌅 The Unexpected Joys of RV Life (That Make It All Worth It) Hey again, friends — it’s Amanda & Chris from Outland Adventures , here to share the other side of the story. We’ve talked about the hard stuff — the breakdowns, the bad showers, the weird campground neighbors (and not the good kind). But today? We’re talking about the little joys . The unexpected magic . The quiet wins that happen when you choose a life on wheels, even when it’s dusty, inconvenient, or just plain weird. This is why we keep going. 🏕️ Waking Up Somewhere New — and Quiet There’s a moment, just after sunrise, when the campground is still. No lawnmowers. No traffic. No notifications. Just birds, breeze, and the low hum of coffee on the stove. Some days, we wake up next to a cornfield. Some days, it’s a lake. Sometimes, it’s a Walmart parking lot — but even that can feel like freedom if you’ve got the right playlist. 🌎 You Become Part of So Many Stories We’ve shared meals with retire...

  🛞 RV Life Isn’t Always Glamorous: The Hard Truth from the Road Hey y’all — it’s Amanda & Chris from Outland Adventures . We love the RV lifestyle. We really do. The freedom. The weird towns. The starry skies. The cornbread from strangers. But here’s the truth no Instagram filter can fix: RV life is also hard. And weird. And sometimes really gross. So today, instead of showing you another peaceful campsite or slow morning coffee, we’re talking about the parts of full-time travel that don’t make the highlight reel — because being real is part of the adventure too. 😩 1. Things Break. Constantly. Wildebeest is a tough old gal — a 1990 E350 shuttle bus that’s seen a lot of action. But still, something’s always rattling, cracking, leaking, or randomly falling off the wall. Just in the past few months: We've had noises for no reason. Our door was flapping in the wind at 50MPH. A propane regulator hissed at us like an angry raccoon. Our “new” fan quit mid-hea...

  🚿 Campground Amenities Are Cool, But a Good Shower Is Everything Hey travelers, wanderers, and folks who’ve ever tried to wash their hair with half a jug of bottled water — it’s Amanda & Chris from Outland Adventures , and today we’re talking about something vital, underrated, and way too often disappointing: Campground amenities. Sure, we love a well-stocked camp store and a walking trail with surprise bunnies. We appreciate a friendly staff and picnic tables that don’t wobble. Wi-Fi that works ? Absolute gold. But let’s be honest. If we had to rank campground perks from “cool” to “life-changing,” there’s one that always rises to the top: 🚿 A clean, hot, high-pressure shower. 🧼 The Holy Grail of Campground Living When you live full-time in an RV — especially a converted 1990 shuttle bus like Wildebeest — showering becomes an adventure in itself. We’ve got our own off-grid hacks, sure. We do have a portable solar shower. And sometimes we sponge-bath it like pion...

  🌤️ Lazy Days at Camp: Why Doing Nothing is Sometimes Everything Hey friends — it’s Amanda & Chris from Outland Adventures , coming to you live from the most important part of the full-time RV lifestyle: the lazy day . You know the one. The sun’s warm but not too hot. The birds are doing their thing. Your to-do list is “maybe later.” Your biggest decision is whether to make coffee now or wait 15 more minutes just because you can. Yep — we’re talking about the gloriously slow , refreshingly quiet , do-nothing-all-day-and-feel-good-about-it kind of campground day. 🪑 What a Lazy Day Looks Like for Us We’re not sightseeing. We’re not working. We’re not filming, cleaning, organizing, fixing, uploading, dumping, driving, planning, or packing. We’re just… being . Here’s how a lazy day at camp usually unfolds in the Wildebeest: ☕ Coffee outside , in chairs that squeak slightly, facing whatever view we’ve got — trees, fields, fellow campers walking their chonky golden re...

  🔥 Campfire Chef Life: Our Favorite Outdoor Cooking Tips & Recipes Hey friends, and welcome back to Outland Adventures ! If you’ve ever caught the scent of bacon at a campground and immediately turned into a cartoon character floating through the air — you get it. There’s just something about cooking outdoors that hits different. Whether it’s propane stoves, cast iron over the fire, or the magic of foil-wrapped anything, meals made outside always seem to taste better — maybe it’s the fresh air, or maybe it’s just because Chris is the cook and Amanda insists on snacks while she supervises. So today, we’re sharing how we make outdoor cooking easy, delicious, and doable — plus a couple of favorite go-to recipes that even work on the road. 🍳 Outdoor Cooking, Outland Adventures Style We keep things simple, flexible, and packable . Our current setup includes: 1 propane stove  A portable cast iron grill grate A 17 inch Blackstone (yes, it’s heavy — yes, it’s ...