One of the goals on my plate for the next couple of years is to get my Sport Pilot license. I love soaring, but let's face it - it's not at all useful for even recreational travel. I'm getting tired of having to drive to aviation events that are a fairly trivial flight away, but a dreary long drive.
I'm also an avid camper, and the idea of air-camping has a really big appeal for me. Yes, I know that, for a lot of people, "roughing it" means room-service is late, but I personally really enjoy backpacking and 4x4 off-road camping. I'm wondering at the realities of air-camping in this vein, and I'd love to hear your input. I've done a bit of web-searching on the subject and have been quite disappointed in the results: I've found either how-to articles about what to carry (I already own and know how to use all the gear, for my other camping activities, and it's already light-weight backpacking stuff) or descriptions of "camping" at airshows or airports that surely have a motel within walking distance. Why bother? I don't object to camping on an airstrip in the middle of nowhere, but "camping" on an airport really doesn't have any appeal. When I go camping, I'm trying to get away from people and "civilization", frankly.
Have any of you done any "back country" air-camping? Does it more or less require STOL or amphibious capability in the real world, or are there "enough" opportunities with "middle of nowhere" airstrips and fire-roads to keep a camper with something LSA (performs like a Cub) happy? Any regional realities (I'm on the west coast)?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.
I'm also an avid camper, and the idea of air-camping has a really big appeal for me. Yes, I know that, for a lot of people, "roughing it" means room-service is late, but I personally really enjoy backpacking and 4x4 off-road camping. I'm wondering at the realities of air-camping in this vein, and I'd love to hear your input. I've done a bit of web-searching on the subject and have been quite disappointed in the results: I've found either how-to articles about what to carry (I already own and know how to use all the gear, for my other camping activities, and it's already light-weight backpacking stuff) or descriptions of "camping" at airshows or airports that surely have a motel within walking distance. Why bother? I don't object to camping on an airstrip in the middle of nowhere, but "camping" on an airport really doesn't have any appeal. When I go camping, I'm trying to get away from people and "civilization", frankly.
Have any of you done any "back country" air-camping? Does it more or less require STOL or amphibious capability in the real world, or are there "enough" opportunities with "middle of nowhere" airstrips and fire-roads to keep a camper with something LSA (performs like a Cub) happy? Any regional realities (I'm on the west coast)?
Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and experiences.