Boondocking in Alaska Gone Wrong! Tips We Learned On the Road

Our Scamp trailer camping trip quickly turned into an episode of Boondocking in Alaska Gone Wrong! Join us as we share our most recent free camping tips we learned on the road...the hard way.
RV boondocking adventures don't always have to be perfect, but some of the mistakes we made could have been easily avoided with a little planning and forethought. We decided to make an episode of Playing with Sticks that not only highlighted our boondocking failure, but also summarized what we would have done differently when choosing our rv boondocking locations.
Boondocking Walmart parking lots is not necessarily a bad thing, but if that is not your intended destination it doesn't feel very good to have to spend the night there. These boondocking camping tips will hopefully keep you out of the box store parking lots and into the wild camping your heart longs for!
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If you are new to the channel we take out small camper trailers throughout the state of Alaska sharing the tips and tricks that we have learned from the road. If you are new to the channel you may want to check out our Scamp Vs. Teardrop Videos, our RV Safety and Security Videos, or our Most Popular Videos found in our playlists.
We have a passion for teardrop trailers and fiberglass camper trailers such as Scamp trailers and Casita trailers. For many more of these adventures make sure you check out our playlists and other videos.

[@DaveK84]

Most scamps have a gap at the bottom of the door, we have a screen door that we keep closed even when the door is closed to help keep the bugs out and we usually only have one or two mosquitos in the scamp. We also use one of those usb rechargeable bug zappers in the scamp at night.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Since making this video we discovered the large gap as well. Great suggestion on the rechargeable bug zappers. Someone also suggested keeping the roof exhaust fan on. They said it sucks up the mosquitoes pretty quick. Thanks Dave for the tip. Much appreciated!

[@midwesta-framer649]

Those failed trips I think are successes. So much knowledge gained. And trips you won’t ever forget. Had one earlier this year in our aframe where skeeters seemed to have taken over the inside of the camper. Turned out they had come through my outside shower door (which I had left open... big mistake) and then made their way through my cabinetry and through the vent holes around my microwave. I was up all night killing the little beasts. Lesson learned! They find a way to get in. Those little campers and three mouths spewing CO2, and it’s an undeniable invitation. Check all your outside vents and cargo doors. Don’t leave anything open. Check the spaces around the windows and vent fan too. Even any entrances from the floor. They can squeeze in anywhere.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

It is funny how these are the trips we remember the most :) Your aframe trip experience sounds very similar to ours. That is awesome that you were able to narrow down where they were coming from. I bet that took a while to figure out. Thanks for this advice. We didn't even think of checking inside the cabinets and cargo doors. You have us wondering if they were coming through the propane stove exhaust or possibly where the water line comes in. They really can squeeze in anywhere!

[@0HARE]

Yep, we can sympathize. We’ve had a few epic break-downs while far from home with the travel trailer. AAA, Good Sam, and the kindness of strangers have saved our bacon over the years. It also helps to have spare cash and a credit card with a low balance. Happy Trails

[@billredding2000]

Two items I'd ALWAYS have in my car when I lived in mosquito territory (for me, it was Galveston Island, TX, but it applies all "coastal living" if you will): 1. Flying insect spray to kill them all in an enclosed space if they got into the vehicle, which they sometimes did if you were driving around with any window open (i.e., not buttoned-up & using the AC). 2. Insect repellent spray (for the body/clothes) to protect myself when out of the car. Even a low DEET content spray/lotion would work in Galveston. Elsewhere it may need to be 100% (as we used in Vietnam...along with 2 different malaria pills we had to take every day!). Also, I had that Permethrin spray to treat my outer clothes as it kills mosquitoes on contact when they land on Permethrin-treated fabrics (NOT to be sprayed directly on skin!). It was surprising though how many "locals" didn't carry/use either, and suffered for it, AND risked getting a serious disease (we had West Nile and Dengue Fever in the area) -- I never understood their "wisdom." I remember 2 occasions I stopped to spray locals with MY spray who were out doing doing yard work or jogging and were SWARMED by mosquitoes. What were they thinking going about "unarmed" in hostile territory? ;-) But then these same people would -- the very last minute -- rush to stores to get supplies (even WATER!) just before a hurricane hit...never kept these basic supplies on hand at all times. In the aftermath of Hurricane Ike (2008) I had WAY more supplies than my neighbors...and I has just moved to Galveston from a dry/almost mosquito-free desert area (El Paso, TX). Anyway, definitely do what you can to prevent bites --- it's playing "Mosquito Roulette" as you never know which one is carrying a disease or parasite. Happy Mosquito-Free Travels, -- BR

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Bill for these tips. We are finding like you some things you come up against take multiple tactics. In Alaska we haven't been as guarded as the lower 48 in terms of preventing diseases from mosquitoes because of our location. West Nile has not made its way to Alaska yet. But, the keyword is yet. There have been documented cases in Canada and we seem to be warming up pretty quickly here. But then again I don't know if it has to do with warmth because Puerto Rico, Hawaii, and Guam haven't had reported West Nile Cases either. But, either way our current thought process is to assume it is here, because chances are it will be. Thanks again for sharing and reminding us to take extra precautions.

[@billredding2000]

​@@PlayingwithSticks "But, either way our current thought process is to assume it is here, because chances are it will be." Well, look at it this way: Eventually, SOMEONE in Alaska is going to be the first person to get it...so avoid being that person. ;-) Oops! I forgot Heartworm...but I guess only dogs get that? ;-) I hope any RVers who travel with pets protect them from mosquitoes also! Happy Travels, -- BR

[@jeffreyparulski2266]

I have a tip for figuring out where the air leaks are. I knew a guy who would seal air gap leaks in houses. He used a fog machine(he used a few large ones, but a halloween cheapo fogger would do for a small camper), filled the inside of the home with fog, and went around the outside to find where fog was escaping - showed exactly where the leaks were, big and small. No camping family is quite complete without a few horror stories :) One of ours includes getting stuck in the sand, high gusting winds, and a serpentine belt... Love your videos!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love this idea Jeffrey. And many places up here rent these machines as well. Such a simple, but probably really effective idea. The sand, winds, and serpentine belt sound pretty bad. When editing this video we accidentally took out the part where we lost our entire exhaust vent cover from high winds. After driving down those dusty roads for miles the Scamp was filled with fine silty dirt. We also had rain the next few days which made us nervous as we had covered the entire roof with plastic sacks and duct tape. But, will we ever forget this trip. Probably not. These tough trips seem to be the ones that stick in our mind the longest.

[@TheFifeLife]

Just catching up on your channel now! Love how you are sharing the good and the crazy mistakes we can all learn from. Also, I bought a Panasonic GH5 camera and have been using/loving it so thanks for your recommendation and thank you again for all your help!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

So glad to hear you are loving it he GH5. Isn't it so nice to not haul around the monopods or gimbles? Such a simple camera that gets the job done everytime. Again glad you are enjoying it. We need to peek in on your channel. It has been a while since we have had time to watch channels outside small camper trailer channels 🙂

[@michaeltichonuk2176]

only part of my Plans i get Perfect is having enough food and water. Yet we, Susie my dog and I, always have a great time! Most of your learning curve we've been through tent camping. Its a good thing to share these...lessons.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Glad we aren't the only ones. We would agree with the food and water as well. If anything we typically pack too much!

[@chiefonelung3416]

Hey it's Chief here again. I meant to add a comment with that last long one that I made. Something that I had not really been experienced with was backing my trailer in difficult backing situations. I was good at backing into campsites without an audience of course. But one time GPS made me take a wrong turn. There was no sign saying that it was a dead end. I traveled about a quarter of a mile through several tight curves where it dead end into a gate. Pretty steep ditches on both sides. Well, I panicked. I had to slowly back the camper back down a steep grade through four tight curves a quarter of a mile. I puckered so tight that I nearly ripped a hole in my upholstery. So I recommend to people practice backing up through some cones or makeshift cones in a big parking lot on a Sunday where there's not much traffic. I have practiced since then and now am pretty good at backing it out of tight situations. I'm sure that if anyone had seen me they would have probably laughed because it took a long time and many tries of pulling forward again and trying to get back into the correct direction.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We couldn't agree more with this comment. We had been towing the little trailer for a few years and felt very comfortable backing in and out of campsites. However there were a couple times where we hit dead end roads with the Scamp and had no room to turn around. We also were in tough terrain so unhitching the Scamp was last on the list for options. We backed through the drive in reverse and man was it difficult. There is something about backing long distances that can be quite deceiving. I think a big part of it is that you lose patience. For us I think we could still use a few Sundays in a parking lot to feel like pros. As for pulling in and out of a campsite for us the best advice was the swoop. If anyone isn't familiar with this Long Long Honeymon has a video on it.

[@Tatonka322]

THE MOSQUITO'S are coming in the vent behind the refrigerator. We used 1/2 in foam and duct taped it shut. The other place is the gap at the bottom of the door. Put a towel over it at night. Do those things and your Scamp should remain mosquito free through the night! We have a 1979 13' Scamp. We love ours as well!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you for this! We located the bottom of the door pretty quickly as a main thoroughfare for those little mosquitoes. But, we didn't even think about the refrigerator. Again thank you! These Scamps are quite amazing little trailers.

[@mtss0917]

Just returned from a two-week land/sea tour of Alaska. Magnificant. I will certainly bring my teardrop there to do some camping one day. Safe travels.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

I bet you had an amazing trip. A two week combo of land and sea sound like a great way to visit Alaska. When you bring your teardrop up definitely let us know. We would love to go out on an adventure with you!

[@gerardtrigo380]

Congratulations! It looks like you will need a bigger trailer and tow vehicle. :D You two are such good parents. To locate areas where the camper is not sealed, Borrow a smoke machine put inside the camper make sure everything is closed up except the door, turn on the timer to start the smoke machine and exit the camper. Than as the smoke machine runs, look for areas where smoke is coming out. Mark and seal them. You may have to replace some door or window seals or adjust them so that they actually seal. Good luck.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love the idea of the smoke machine. Very affordable and easy to rent one up here. Thanks Gerard!

[@marcgomez5627]

Autozone. Spray foam take everything out of your trailer and wait until light outside close doors and cover windows. Spray any other lights

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Marc. You are the first person to mention spray foam. Love these creative solutions.

[@leannejergensen7940]

I love your stories. Your lucky May waits till midnight to turn into a pumpkin. For me it's 9 pm. My husband would be jealous...lol

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Haha. That gave me a good laugh LeAnne.

[@kylehiggins3216]

My first Alaska camping experience was at Fred Myers... crazy, dive bombing seagulls at 6 am... crazy, drunk marines having a shoot out at 7 am... at least I got to wash up and brush my teeth in the bathroom! oh... and shop... FM has everything you need and more!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Sounds like you had the real AK camping experience. Gets a bit wild up here at times, but it is all part of the beauty of this place. Love your optimism about your FM stay!

[@ReneaDooserider]

Love following you guys with your scamp in matrix having a scamp is my dream camper. And congratulations on the new baby.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Renea. We are hoping you get to make that dream a reality soon. You would probably be surprised how affordable you can find used Scamps around the country if you are patient.

[@AADVENT]

Toyota advertised, "Lets go places" for a reason. LOL.

[@hagenrule]

Hey man, been awhile! Glad to see you and the fam still doing good, great video as always!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

It has been a while. Good to see you on here. Thanks for the positive comment. We are still out here enjoying everyday. I think our season will be slowing down soon as May is nearing her due date. Might be some boys only camping trips in the near future :)

[@hagenrule]

Amazing, I will make sure to stay tuned :) Congratulations on the upcoming birth, you guys are doing awesome!

[@RandisAdventures]

💜 Mosquitoes. Oh... mosquitoes. I RV camp in MN so I know! When they get in your camper they are even more miserable. We have a DeWalt portable vacuum to suck them up. It works like a charm! 💜

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Sounds like Minnesota has them pretty bad based on some of the comments we have had on here. Love the Dewalt vacuum idea. We are huge Dewalt fans, so looks like we will be looking into that.

[@bevtrue6937]

Great idea.

[@grandmasmurf2915]

Im in MN too. Live in the city but go up north once a yr. The mosquitos were extra bad this yr compared to last

[@RandisAdventures]

joanne pavlik Hi ya neighbor! 😊

[@mfsolutions]

Oh how many trips did it take me to figure these things out! I don't own a Scamp but did stay at a cottage once with a torn screen that was not obvious supplying an endless parade of mosquitos. I found out later that most mosquitoes feed 2X before breeding and after their first meal is when they make the loud buzzing noise. We confirmed this by the blood spatters everywhere in the morning...from swatting the noisy monsters!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Your experience sounds very similar to ours. That 2X feeding tidbit is new to us. Very interesting fact.

[@dougfam4477]

Our little camper has a fantastic fan that does a great job of keeping mosquitoes sucked up against the screen. Does your camper have an exhaust fan?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That is a great idea about the fan. We didn't even realize a fan would be strong enough to suck up some of the bugs. Our fan is pretty weak, but we have watched KZbin videos of replacement fans that would be perfect for this. Drew accidentally left out the worst part of the trip. We hit a windy section of road and it actually ripped the vent off the Scamp. We didn't even realize it happened until we arrived at our first destination. The Scamp was covered in dust and we had to cover the top with plastic sacks and duct tape. Oh the fun adventures we have :)

[@icarlsw34]

I currently have the same problem with mosquitoes in my 77 boler trailer. I temporarily fixed it by erecting mosquito netting around the bed. And plugging up holes around the door when I go to bed. I think i just noticed it this year because of the rain in Alberta we got this year coupled with increased mosquitoes.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great idea on the temporary fix. We are very accustomed to mosquitoes nets when traveling oversees, but never thought of using it for the trailer. Great idea! Love Alberta by the way. What an amazing place you live! Combine that with a Boler and you are living the good life.

[@akbychoice]

Hang a piece of old cloth doused in bug dope at the corners or your camp to help keep bugs at bay. Don’t forget to look at the vent over your stove, it may or may not have a screen. I’m surprised you were able to stay at FM, the one in Fairbanks has signs prohibiting it.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great tip on both the bug bag perimeter protection and the stove screen. That is really interesting about the Fred Meyer in Fairbanks. I guess we haven't even looked around to see if there are signs in Anchorage or the Valley. As for Soldotna it is pretty well advertised all over the internet. When we pulled in there were at least 10 other rvs already tucked in for the night. What also surprised us was that we came back through around 11am in the morning and there were still a majority of the RVs still parked there, meaning they probably were staying multiple nights.

[@markownbey5084]

We had an infestation in Alaska where we finally figured out they were coming in the vents. We have now covered them with fine mesh screen.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the suggestion of the fine mesh. What vents did you cover? The vent to the heater and then the vent over the stove?

[@Tatonka322]

@@PlayingwithSticks Seal all of the vents!

[@rebeccahardin1459]

I'm glad you guys made it ok congratulations on your new baby. Great video, thank you for sharing.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Rebecca. We are super excited, God willing, to be having another boy in the family. Glad you enjoyed the video. It was actually a pretty fun one for us to make.

[@TheGratitudeAttitude]

First of all, May looks beautiful and East is so adorable. Again, congrats on the new baby. My daughters each have two boys and the boys are becoming very close as brothers. Thank you for sharing these super helpful and very important camping tips ... I was thinking of getting an easy but strong (against the wind) pop up tent. We just returned from Verona Beach State Park here in NY and we had quite a gusty storm one of the days. We frantically took off the cover to our easy up canopy and waited it out in our T@G. The easy up legs stayed put, but had we not been there ... I think it would have been airborne! I know you've mentioned your pop up tent before ... Has it made it through any gusty storms? Ps. Those mosquito bites are so awful. This spring, the black flies were merciless --- they're such "carnivores!!!" I hope East is recovered 😊. All the best, ~ Maria

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Maria for the sweet compliments. Our tent looks like it would probably struggle with the wind. We never get the chance to put our tent to the test, because we are always surrounded by mountains that block the wind. @CosmoWeems channel he has links to a pop-up tent that gets put through all sorts of wind tests. on the negative he says it appears to be pretty heavy and costs quite a lot. but, the test they put it through looks like it could hold up through anything. Thanks as usual for the super sweet compliments. We are hoping our boys get along and get to play together in the same way your grandchildren do. What a blessing!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Oh, and yes East has recovered very well from the mosquito bites. It is odd, some days these mosquitoes really get his skin reacting, and then other days nothing. Luckily, the mosquitoes that are tough on him only seem to come around once or twice a summer.

[@TheGratitudeAttitude]

@@PlayingwithSticks Yes, thank you for the reminder of our "champion teardropper" lol ~ Cosmo Weems! ;o) seriously! I refreshed my memory of Cosmo's clam shells... especially that "Sky" one... wow... amazing piece of engineering! Enjoy the summer and making memories camping as a family! It's Joy x 1000 ~ Maria

[@georgemullett5153]

Great vid. Anyone who has camped has learned through experience. Thanks for shareing...

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks George. Glad you enjoyed it! Boy, are we learning everyday! It is super fun making the small mistakes and then coming back home to find new solutions. Most of our solutions have came straight from the comments on here. Which is why we love doing this!

[@katsdekuhnSF]

Dude man...it happens. You kept making the best decision you could based on the information and resources you had at hand. There's zero shame in that. As for research/planning, there are two truths: 1) More is always better and 2) No matter how much you do, there's always going to exist the possibility that the reality you encounter doesn't match the plan. Thanks for sharing, better luck next time and, the fact is, if you got out of it with the fam intact, you did just fine.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the encouraging words. Much appreciated. We definitely agree we that you really can't over prepare. You can over pack, but not really over research.

[@CosmoWeems]

Thank You for your videos. Can your car handle the load you are hauling? The suspension appears to be overloaded on the rear wheels. Meaning the car body is sitting too low on the wheels.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You know Cosmo we use to feel very confident about the load we were hauling. When we first took out the Scamp it felt too much for the car. But then after redistributing the weight we really couldn't tell the difference between the Scamp and our little 4X8 teardrop. However, just yesterday even when towing the teardrop we have noticed our rear end clearance is lower. We are wondering over time if the weight has impacted something. Again you don't notice much of a dip in power or gas mileage, but like you said we kind of noticed the rear end issue to. We just put on a new tongue jack which made us feel like it was the added tongue weight, but now you have us wondering. We will have to take a closer look tomorrow. Thank you Cosmo for pointing this out. We really appreciate it!

[@motobator1895]

$60 air shocks kit from amazon will fix that.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you Jay!

[@wb7370]

Coolest kid I ever saw.. bless yer whole family

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you! Blessing to you and your family as well.

[@davidtiner4094]

Lots of good information in this video and well done. Thank you.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks David. Glad you enjoyed the content. Some of our favorite videos are just learning from the mistakes of others!

[@donzimmer4616]

Adventure doesn’t always go as planned. Keep your head up!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Don!

[@mah6183]

As much as we don’t like doing it, I guess we should be grateful that Meijers and etc. are there as a port in a storm. ... Unrelated: you’re towing with a Matrix, right? Ours is an 07 rated at 1500 lbs towing capacity. Yours? How is is with the Scamp vs. the tear? Thanks.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We agree, having these designated stores to spend the night to weather the storms is such a blessing. We tow with an 06 Matrix rated at 1500, which appears to be the same as yours. With the teardrop if we put the weight to the back of the teardrop meaning nearest the galley you really can't even tell the teardrop is behind you. Last year with the Scamp we had a bit of trouble towing it. But this year is a whole different story. We realized when we filled the Scamp water tank over 1/4 full it really impacted gas mileage and towing power. This year we took the same amount of water with us, but distributed it in jugs around the Scamp. We will make a video about this this winter, but we were towing over the pass at 50+ miles per hour at only 3,000 rpms. Pretty impressive for a Toyota Matrix.

[@chiefonelung3416]

Gosh! All that especially the mosquitoes can make for a miserable evening. I have an over Active allergy to mosquito bites. They put me almost into a frantic state. I despise spray chemicals. But when it comes to Mosquito infestations I would dip myself into kerosene if that's what it took. I have come up with a pretty good more natural repellent. I use natural cedar oil and lemongrass oil that you can order online. I use a teaspoon of each per pint of water. It does not remain suspended in the water so you must shake and spray and shake and spray. Plus it smells really wonderful. I don't like staying in Walmart parking lots or truck stop areas either. But sometimes that is the only solution. In the eastern part of the u.s. where I live in Tennessee we do not have numerous boondocking sites as in the west and Alaska. One other thing to really be sure to check if you can find information is to check out the road conditions. On two occasions over the last few years I have become stuck really bad. One time waited two days before anyone came by to offer help. Of course I was in an area with no cell phone service. That is when a winch with a cable to hook to a tree or something to pull yourself out would have been really handy. Oh well we all live and learn. Thanks for your videos and have a wonderful rest of your summer in Alaska. I will stay home here and enjoy the heat and humidity of the Southern u s. And as much as I hate them I'll have to endure the mosquitoes too. I will add, that the natural spray that I make with cedar oil and lemongrass oil does not last as long as Deep Woods Off or chemical sprays. But I'm happy to spray more often when necessary and at least smell good.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you for sharing your natural method. We have tried lavender with no success. We are excited to try cedar and lemon grass. Sounds like an intoxicating aroma on top of the benefits of mosquito protection. Getting stuck for 2 days sounds wild. I bet that was really trying on your patience. Glad to hear it worked out for you in the end. Great suggestion on the winch as well. We have said if we ever end up getting an off-road teardrop that we would pair that setup with a good winch. Good luck with those southern mosquitoes. Sounds like they will find us no matter where we go in the US! Safe travels and thanks as usual for the positive words.

[@bobpope2990]

I've been boon dockings in Alaska since day one, nearly 60yrs now. I've survived floods, forest fires, earth quakes, mosquitoes, bears etc. I think the thing that bug's me the most are the large numbers of unprepared knotheads that don't have a clue. I live in Soldotna,and I remember seeing that camp trailer here at Fred Meyer's. That place along with Trust Worthy Hardware are a circus in June and July

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Sorry Bob to add to the circus. Our intention is to not be "unprepared knotheads" We do try our best to respect the areas of the locals, unfortunately in this situation we could have been a bit more prepared. I bet you have some amazing stories of your 60 years of boondocking up here.

[@bobpope2990]

But although there are big crowds.,, Soldotna Trustworthy Hardware is the Very Best Place to get your Fishing Gear,or just about anything you need for doing just about anything,, especially fishing..

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the tip. Love be receiving tips, especially when it involves fishing.

[@NumberDZ]

Hi do you use any type of microphone on your camera?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Yes we primarily use a Rode video mic. If we are in loud locations we use a cheap audiotechno lapel mic

[@NumberDZ]

@@PlayingwithSticks The audio is very clear could you please share the model of both microphones I would like to buy them

[@wkndwarrior8935]

For those mosquitoes use skin so soft sold by Avon give it a try /it's better than the spray stuff

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great idea. Growing up our family uses Skin so Soft for keeping the bugs off the horses. Never even thought about using it for humans. Which is pretty funny, beings it is designed for humans :)

[@ourscamplife5210]

I don't think its a Scamp thing ours is sealed up very nice. Might be the age of the scamp? or maybe a lack of upkeep? If that one has a working exhaust fan, try turning it on it may help get the mosquitos out! LOL I use the same line in one of our upcoming videos about the whole 2 season thing. MN is the same way.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That is why we love your channel! It is great to have real life expert advice on all things Scamp Life. That is great to hear about the more modern Scamps being well sealed. And like you said this one is definitely not well taken care of. We love the idea of using the exhaust fan, we have had 2 people mention that so far. The model we use does not have an exhaust fan, but if we ever do find a fiberglass trailer we will make sure to add one. We could definitely see how you have the 2 seasons as well. Gets quite cold in Minnesota which limits the construction season down to a small portion of the year. Hope all is going well down there for your family. As usual, we are looking forward to your next video!

[@UncleBuckle50]

A Matrix tows a trailor....inconceivable!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. 😂 Hoping you are a Princess Bride fan.

[@mikemead2315]

😂 Yea 20-20! Ahhhh......although excellent advice, complacency says it ain’t gonna happen. Fred Meyer tricks and techniques are probably more useable for me 🤣

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We like to consider ourselves good "Boyscouts." But, after this trip e realized we definitely can improve in our planning process. We haven't looked up the box store parking policies yet. That is next on the list :0

[@GamerplayerWT]

How about a mosquito net over the sleeping area in the scamp?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That's a great suggestion. And if anything it's a great temporary fix until we can slowly plug up all the holes.

[@1163562]

What type of gas milage do you get pulling the scamp?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You know we don't know off the top of our head. However, we recorded the fill ups and miles this summer. Our plan is to do some calculations and make a video about it. It should be coming soon, not our next video, but we think it will be the one after that.

[@latanneriecuirdistinctif8980]

no see hem bug so tyny you need change your window screen for no see hem net...

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you. We appreciate the advice.

[@qnslanman]

What month did you go to Alaska? Thx

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Oh sorry, I didn’t explain that very well. We are from Alaska so we are there year-round. Our favorite time of traveling Alaska is definitely August in September. That is what we consider early fall in Alaska. By October there’s good travel but it’s almost winter.

[@qnslanman]

@@PlayingwithSticks thank you, for response. Would you know, when(month), the mosquitoes are the worst. Thx

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Mosquitoes seem to follow no rules. One season there there early, the next season they’re there late. But in general they tend to die down in August.

[@qnslanman]

@@PlayingwithSticks thank you, someday, but not today, we will be visiting your great State.

[@bevtrue6937]

Put screening over the door that closes with magnets, so the bugs can't get in easily.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Great suggestion Bev. We have been meant ng to do that. Sometimes we just need that gentle nudge. Thanks for the nudge.

[@bevtrue6937]

Also bug zapper lights for indoors.

[@bevtrue6937]

@@lifequest7453 oh bummer. I was referring to the thing that looks a tennis racket, except is plastic and metal. Don't know what it is called. As you swing it around, it zaps them. Supposed to work according to "Trent and Allie" and "Nomadic Movement". (In Costa Rica now) oh, also LOLOHO (LONG LONG HONEYMOON). Good luck.

[@sherrcon]

gads, how do Alaskans sleep when there is sunlight most of the day and the time is different between night and day?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

It can be tough for a lot of people. There have been quite a few studies on this. Research suggest that folks in northern climates tend to sleep less in the summer and more in the winter. Maybe the winter extra sleep is to make up for the summer fun!

[@bevtrue6937]

Black out curtains!!??

[@skyblue-lb9kr]

Did you check he Fiberglass RV website about those sneaky mosquitoes?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We did not. It was on our list to start searching the websites and forums this week. But, honestly we got enough great tips on here we think we will give them a crack first.

[@mikemead2315]

Mosquitoes: yeah.... holes, on your cloths, sucked in every time the door opens, born inside the camper,.....but some can get through glass - No other explanation possible ;-)

[@PlayingwithSticks]

So many possibilities. Like you said one of the areas we did notice the mosquitoes was through the gaps in the glass. I will have to take the trailer out by myself some time next to standing water. With a family in the Scamp I wasn't patient enough to really have the chance to figure out where they were coming from. What surprised us, was that the biggest obvious gaps to the outside had no mosquitoes coming in.

[@mikemead2315]

Playing with Sticks, another possibility is there are no gaps. Mosquitoes “go to ground” with the slightest disturbance only to start crawling and then flying much later. A few sneak in each time people open the door, waiting to suck the sanity out of us in multiple strategic waves of blood thirsty self indulging feeding. Yeah...like a politician. Infuriating getting up to hunt yet another irritating blood sucking politician...err...mosquito ;/)

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That is a great thought. Maybe what seems to be multiplying mosquitoes are just the ones we let in gaining confidence to finally fly.

[@MrGottaGo]

So I missed the part where you got a Scamp. Did you need more space?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

You didn't miss anything. We made friends with the Scamp owner through Outdoorsy.com. We take out the Scamp once a year on really long trips across the state. I believe we have 4 other Scamp videos on this channel from last season. But, speaking of space...when this next boy is born we are going to be in need of an upgrade. Our thoughts is potentially an off-road teardrop with a rooftop tent. Unfortunately our current teardrop was not built to handle the weight of a rooftop tent. At the same time we love fiberglass trailers too. It will be a hard decision moving forward. If I had it my way there would always be a sleek teardrop sitting in my garage waiting for it's next adventure!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@D Z We just upgraded last fall, well I don't know if it is an upgrade by quality standards. But, by towing standards we now have a Jeep that has a 5,000lb towing capacity as well. We like to fix up and flip small camper trailers and we continued to miss out on many great deals due to our towing restrictions. Maybe 2 days after we purchased the Jeep, we found our dream 10ft vintage trailer. With the Matrix it would have been a little questionable towing it home. But, with the Jeep we had peace of mind that we weren't maxing out our vehicle. A 3 season trailer sounds like a great way to go. We also agree about traveling in your backyard. We used to spend 93 days every year overseas, I think we did this for like 15 straight years. But, now Alaska with a little Hawaii mid-winter is all we really need or desire.

[@guidok3762]

Glad that you are Ok, sorry for all the musquitos, looks like Sweden!! 😀✌️🇳🇱❤️🇺🇸

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you. When thinking of mosquitoes we tend to think about Russia, Alaska, and Canada. But with Scandinavia being at similar latitude I bet they have all the same issues as us. I have been to Denmark, Sweden, and Norway once but I think I lucked out to have a low mosquito year the summer I traveled. Hope you are having a great summer Guido!

[@guidok3762]

Hi Drew, May & East. Having a great vacation in Switzerland at this moment, and will be heading to Italy and France with the teardrop Trailer soon. Enjoy the summer over there as long as you all can! All the best.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@@guidok3762 Wow, what an adventure. Have you seen any other teardrop trailers on the road? We aren't familiar with the EU teardrop community.

[@guidok3762]

Hi Drew, we only saw one in Sweden and one on the highway in Germany. When we are travelling every where we stop they want to see the teardrop Trailer. Even on campsites we have a lot of attention. Teardrop trailers are rare in Europe. Best regards, Guido

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We had a feeling there might not be a lot of teardrops in your neck of the woods. Thanks for sharing. Love that your teardrop is a good conversation starter for you. They are just so unique and inspiring.

[@rudyo8409]

I guess there's only one way to learn. The story of my life. Good video'' I understand.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Good to see someone relates to us on this. We say we love learning from our mistakes as long as it doesn't become common practice for us :)

[@mrwascallyt9865]

a smart person learns from their mistakes , a wise person learns from others . aaand doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is not smart or wise . experience , she can be a harsh teacher , but she's the best . 61 and still enjoying this ride called life , still learning . thanks for sharing . best to you and yours .

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks for the words of wisdom. Love these bits of knowledge. Especially from folks who have the life experience and continue to pursue new experiences.

[@terrip9099]

doesnt Alaska sell repellant? or Avon skin so soft? wondering !

[@PlayingwithSticks]

We think bug repellent probably keeps a lot of folks in business up here. Just kidding, but they do sell a lot of it. With a 2 year old child and a pregnant wife we are trying to go a little more natural to be on the safe side. As for skin so soft, We love that stuff! Our family uses it to keep the bugs off the horses. Never even thought about using it for humans, which is funny because obviously that is who it was designed for.

[@seantupper7340]

I've always wondered where that road went.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Looks like we have another Alaskan on here! Love running into locals on KZbin. Hope you are having a good summer Sean.

[@seantupper7340]

@@PlayingwithSticks So far so good. Last weekend we went camping at the King's Mountain SRS. It's a nice little campground and the hosts were pretty cool. It's nice, after a long winter and the whole hunker down, to be able to get out and go camping again.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@@seantupper7340 We have passed by King's Mountain quite a few times. We will have to check it out this summer. Thanks for sharing.

[@papabits5721]

If you know one thing about the north , never go during bug season!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

So true. Unfortunately almost all summer here is bug season.

[@lyfandeth]

Buy a cheap smoke machine or a smoke bomb. Set it off in the Scamp, and where the smoke comes out? That's the 'squito entry.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Love it. Thanks Lyfan! So much more simple than playing the game of trying to find each individual mosquitoes entrance point into the camper.

[@carolmadge4012]

Great video, how is your son doing?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thank you. And thanks for asking about the little guy. His bites healed up quick. He reacts a bit stronger to mosquitoes than most kids. Unfortunately we have had this same scenario happen this summer multiple times ( on our deck, in the back yard, at a parade, down at grandma's house). It has been a pretty wild mosquito year both in Alaska and in the Midwest for our family.

[@sherrcon]

you know, you should contact some reality show to start producing your travels boondocking before some else does...people would view it...and who knows, you might not have to work the rest of your life but doing what you guys love to do...they have reality shows on house building, cooking, firearms, off the grid, tree house, Alaska living, drinkin booze etc..etc..just saying...I enjoy watching

[@PlayingwithSticks]

haha, love it! What a sweet comment. To be honest we actually do not really like being in front of the camera. Our family loves the boondocking adventures, I love the filming and editing, but the talking in front of the camera part, not so much. If we had other friends who did this same thing we would gladly dip behind the camera lens and film them :) Maybe we just needed to work on our camera skills so we can pitch the idea that "we" can film the adventures of someone else :)

[@sherrcon]

@@PlayingwithSticks/dude, they will teach you...like "life below zero", those people had no experience in acting or whatever...it's one of those learn as you go...I bet you those people get say $10g's - $20 g's per episode...now, doesn't that entice you?...besides, you'll be doing it for wifie and baby...I know, I know, easier said than done...but just saying...nothing to lose but your privacy lol

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@@sherrcon Love that last line, nothing to lose but your privacy. I guess we have already lost part of it with KZbin right? Thanks for the gentle nudge.

[@maykouhansen6713]

Sounds like a pretty bad night! Did you spoil your wife and son with something Awesome afterwards ?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Yes we did. A trip to the lower 48 to escape the bugs and the cold. What did we get. More mosquitoes and rain than Alaska :) Funny weather lately.

[@fitforlife5142]

You are like my husband, always push the schedule forward... got to beat the traffic then.... then I get cranky

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Men! Haha. I don't know why we do it. Sometimes I calculate the odds in my head and when they don't come out in my favor I still tend to push forward. I would like to say each year I become a slight bit wiser in my wife's eyes. Baby steps.

[@fitforlife5142]

Most importantly, congrats to your family expecting a precious addition

[@PlayingwithSticks]

@@fitforlife5142 Thank you Christine! We really appreciate your sweet comment.

[@GraceFilledHomestead]

Ps) my husband used to live in Alaska!!

[@PlayingwithSticks]

How cool is that! Tell my fellow Alaskan hello.

[@TF856]

Why do you call your trailer a teardrop? It doesn't look anything like the teardrop. Walmart is not camping. It is overnight parking only and should not look like you are camping at all.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Hi Kerry. When talking about the teardrop we are referring to the trailer we use in the majority of our videos not the scamp in this video. We can see how that can be confusing if you haven't watched the other videos. There was, however, one time in the video where We said teardrop and meant Scamp. That is where we put the word Scamp on the middle of the screen for the correction. Thanks for the tip on the Walmart parking lot. Like we mentioned in the video we had never researched staying in any of these types of parking lots. Sounds pretty straightforward. Treat it like overnight parking and keep your stuff inside instead of treating it like a campground. Thanks Kerry for the clarification.

[@davidf9630]

Our first mistake was putting eggs in the teardrop for the ride to our campsite... oops better to have them travel in the pickup

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Now that is a good one. I bet that was a pretty wild ride for those eggs :)

[@davidf9630]

Now we hard boil them before we leave home, and enjoy them with oatmeal for breakfast

[@janevalentine6391]

How could you let your baby get bitten that many times? Don't you put bug stick on him?

[@PlayingwithSticks]

That literally happend in a matter of 10 minutes or less. This isn't our first rodeo. We are from Alaska, the home of the Mosquito.

[@jotishwarsingh8141]

If u gona write that much stuff at the end. Make sure you give enough time for a person to able to read before flipping to the next.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Sorry about that. Thanks for the feedback it will help us in future videos.

[@maryanniaeck6031]

That is not a teardrop camper

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Nope it is not. It is a 13 foot Scamp Trailer.

[@chasein7019]

Much too much about nothing

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Yep, that is our style. Just sharing our travels. Nothing fancy here.

[@geezerdombroadcast]

(Video) is a visual medium. The first rule of great video making is #1 (let the pictures tell the story). Videos with too much "bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla bla" don't go over well. 99% of video content on KZbin is horrible in that regard. Most of the idiots on You tube are losers dreaming of easy cash that will never come. They love to be on camera, and hear themselves talk. They suck! Unless you're a professional comedian, David Attenborough, or a recognized expert on the subject matter, no one wants to hear your elongated story. Keep it short, primarily visual, and sweet. #2 "no offense to you personally, but like most of us, you're not movie star material. Most of us are just average looking, not George Clooney, or some super hot model. I have a face that could knock a buzzard off a shit wagon, so I stay off camera except when absolutely necessary. Nobody wants to look at your ugly face, or look at your dirty T-shirt, or listen to your tribulations. Alaska is beautiful wild, and worthy of a video. By not knowing the rules of good video production you managed to screw it up. Get some training, and hire a hot model to go on camera. Nice family. Have fun. Don't let the bears get you, and get a script, a story board, a plan, and get a million subscribers.

[@PlayingwithSticks]

I really appreciate this comment Peter. I mean that truly. Thank you for taking the time to break this down for us.

[@drivin69]

through your exhaust vent buddy...the stove exhaust vent.??even the water heater door i would bet does not have screen...

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Jason. That is what we are starting to think. The exhausts were not places we looked. Another place we didn't look was behind the cabinets and the additional storage below the seats. This section has the water lines that lead outside of the trailer. Thanks again Jason for the help. We are determined to figure this one out.

[@drivin69]

the cabinets i would not think as a viable option mosquitoes fly and there is no way there is moister up there its all fiberglass definitely does not leak the shelfs are all riveted in there is absolutely no way for bugs to get into that camper except through holes...... when your parked the fly right in through there...put a metal 200 or 100 micron screen across all that and make sure theres no gaps... i use coil burning mosquito burning incense from raid i think and a bomb you spray the area you are camping and it keeps the bugs away..even in a screened tent the same thing happens ...best of luck..

[@PlayingwithSticks]

Thanks Jason!

[@TheFifeLife]

Just catching up on your channel now! Love how you are sharing the good and the crazy mistakes we can all learn from. Also, I bought a Panasonic GH5 camera and have been using/loving it so thanks for your recommendation and thank you again for all your help!

[@josuejasper8740]

I know I'm kind of off topic but does anybody know of a good website to watch new series online ?

[@caysonpierce2515]

@Josue Jasper Ehh I watch on flixportal. You can find it on google=) -cayson

[@josuejasper8740]

@Cayson Pierce thank you, signed up and it seems like a nice service =) I appreciate it !!

[@caysonpierce2515]

@Josue Jasper you are welcome xD