Airstream Basecamp: Camping at Swamp Dog Farms
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Airstream basecamp adventures at swamp dog farms on the edisto river
Oh, hey there.
It's been a minute, but 2020 was erm, quite a year. Still is, in fact, am I right? Who knew it was going to have thirteen months!
Anyway, I'm redirecting from green living and zero waste topics for a bit on here. Mostly because between the disposable masks, the plethora of bottles of hand sanitizer, and the packaging that comes from ordering online, I feel like we've taken a big step backward.
That's for another day, but also, amidst the gloom of 2020, we found a ray of sunshine: we reconnected with nature in a pretty major way (never had so many bug bites in my life), learned to (reluctantly) embrace the joys of slow living, and are now the proud owners of an Airstream Basecamp!
What's an Airstream Basecamp?
An Airstream Basecamp is basically a lifesized Polly Pocket for outdoorsy millennials. The Basecamp is the smallest Airstream camper, built for adventure and not taking up the entire driveway. Yes, it's small. Yes, it has a bathroom.
Why did y'all get a Basecamp?
Well, 2020 was nothing if not the year of outdoor living... outdoor dining… outdoor socializing. Who knew “driveway hangs” would be so en vogue? Anyway, we've always been outdoorsy people (remember that stay in the Edisto River Treehouses?), and Logan (now my husband!) has always wanted one. Our schedules are flexible, and we can currently work remotely, as I'm now working for Grit & Grace Studio as a content creator while COVID is in play.
We had to scrap our original honeymoon plans to Hawaii in favor of something a little safer, given the pandemic, so we rented a Casita for nine days and took a road trip across Tennessee, which is when we officially caught the camper bug.
Where did you take your Basecamp for your first trip?
Swamp Dog Farms! Our dear friends have an incredible property on the Edisto River with 10 stunning acres, pastures, waterfront, and 43 farm animals (we counted).
We parked the camper in an unused horse pasture filled with gorgeous grass and views of the woods. In retrospect, boondocking was a bold choice for our first camper adventure, but it turned out fine because it was at our friends’ place.
We wanted to do something closer to home in case anything went awry. We also had never taken the dogs in a camper before, so if they were terrible, we wanted to be within an hour of home. I have the world's wildest and naughtiest 8-year-old Australian shepherd, who I love to death, and while he's normally an angel in the woods and a devil in suburbia, it was a toss-up on which personality would join us in the camper.
Did you have power and water hookups?
Nope! But we had access to a bathroom in the farmhouse's addition, and we used the battery for electricity and the propane for heat. We hooked out Christmas lights up to a battery pack.
How are you towing your Airstream Basecamp?
The Basecamp weighs 2,500 lbs empty and up to 3,500 lbs max loaded, and Logan's Toyota Tacoma can tow 6,800.
What was the best part?
Hands down, the best part was waking up surrounded by turkeys. They landed on the roof (and solar panels) like a ton of bricks - they’re like the T-rexes of the bird world, y'all - and kept running around the camper gobbling at top volume until we opened the door to say good morning. They were enamored of our Christmas lights... and far less so of my dog. They also sat on the propane tank watching us make our coffee like it was a Starbucks drive-through, and they were waiting to place an order. "Venti Caramel Latte for Brenda? Brenda?"
It was also just amazing to get away from it all and have an adventure. With COVID, life is just a little more complicated and uphill, and that really takes its toll on you, whether you're conscious of it or not. The smell of the bonfire, laughing with friends, watching the animals’ antics, waking up to that green, green grass, and the sounds of the owls by the river were just what we needed.
What was the worst part?
Fortunately, I wasn't around for the worst part. Logan picked up the camper without realizing it had a 2 3/8 inch ball, and we had a 2 inch, and it damn well could have rolled off the bridge on the way home.
Did you have any hiccups?
The camper's water tank was full when we bought it, and it was for sure on the funky side, whatever was in there. Fortunately, we had brought plenty of water since there was no hookup at the farm.
Where are you taking the Airstream Basecamp next?
Next up is Devil's Fork State Park! If you've never been to Lake Jocassee, it is a remarkably beautiful part of the world. The water is crystal clear, the forest is gorgeous, waterfalls abound, and the hiking is fabulous.
*Links above are affiliate links, meaning if you like it and buy it, I get a tiny monetary high five for spreading the good word about fun products at no cost to you.
What were the MVPs of your Airstream Adventure at Swamp Dog Farms?
Hands down, the propane tank heat. We would have humansicles without it. The battery pack kept our Christmas lights going for a full 24 hours, which we know the turkeys for sure appreciated, and our French press for steaming, hot coffee.
What did this trip teach you? Were there any things you needed that you didn't bring?
It taught us that turkeys are always 100% down to party. Who knew. Also, your party lights better not be made of glass when they come a knockin’.
We are bumbling and flailing our way through this like 30-something-year-old muppets, make no mistake. We absolutely needed door and floor mats. Between ourselves and the dogs, we tracked a bunch of sand into the Basecamp. We also expected my dog to sleep under the bed, since that's his go-to at home, but since the furnace was pumping in that way, it was way too hot, and he stubbornly insisted on sleeping in bed with us. We also really wanted suction hooks to keep our party lights attached to the camper, air horns to scare off the turkeys (just kidding), slippers with sturdy rubber soles (like these Sketchers ones I left at home on accident) for letting the dogs out in the pasture in the middle of the night, and a mattress pad.
On an ending note, a special thank you to our dear friends at Swamp Dog Farms for treating us to a lush green pasture to park in and for carving out such an incredible homestead. Their place is an incredible sanctuary, filled with farm animals and wild animals alike on the banks of the Edisto River, and we can’t wait to come back as the weather warms up!
