Mobile Internet While Roaming in our U-haul Camper

For a while, I have been thinking of getting a mobile hotspot device with service for internet when traveling/camping. My problem is that I do not need such a service all the time or even every month for that matter. So I needed to be able to do some sort of prepaid option that wouldn't cost a fortune and that I wouldn't need to pay for every month.

So let me take a step back and explain what I normally do for internet. I do have a cell phone with Verizon network that has data and tethering ability. And I can and have used it a lot when needed. I also try to find WiFi locations that I can use. So I will try to find a coffee shop or fast food place with WiFi and eat a meal while I use their service. I know this probably looks awful to some folks to see a dad hunched over his laptop while eating with his family, but in reality I'm looking for fun things to do with them or taking care of some business while I'm there so that I can be fully present with them later when we're being active.

Not all campgrounds have great WiFi. Many don't have it at all or you have to drive to the office/camp store to use it. Which for me means, driving up there after the kids are asleep and sitting in the car at 10pm to map out the next day's adventures, pay bills or handle other business. And to be honest, we're not full-timers and we aren't streaming netflix every day. We do carry portable dvd player for the kids to watch movies on.

I only want to pay for a month that I'm traveling. I also don't want to have to buy a new sim card every time I travel because the old one was cut off and I can't reactivate it when I need to. And if I'm going to get a service, it might as well be on the other big network provider opposite of what I have through my phone. That way I might have better coverage and 2 options. All of this went into me deciding to give FreedomPop a try. They happened to be doing a deal this summer where I could get the device and sim card for $9.99 and it came with 1 month of 2GB data + some other services. So I bit the bullet and gave it a try for our week-long trip this summer. I new that Verizon service where I was going to be wasn't the best; I hoped that AT&T was better. FreedomPop uses AT&T's network (I think they may have another option for other carriers too but AT&T was fine for me).

FreedomPop advertises a free plan, but lets be honest, nothing is really free. The one thing I quickly figured out was that there's a lot of things you need to tweak to downgrade after the first free month to the free plan. First you have to drop the 2GB plan they gave you and that will put you down to a 200MB/month plan. In the process of doing that, they will charge you $15 and put a credit on your Top-Up balance that's basically kicks in when you go over or get close to going over your data limit (if you ever cancel and close your account they can refund this; it's more of a security deposit). There is a way to turn off Top-Up but it requires adding another service, turning off Top-Up and then dropping that service. Which ended up costing me $.70 (that's right less than a dollar) since I did it 2 days before end of billing cycle. There's also services that you have to cancel so you won't get billed after the first trial period. For a lot more information, I recommend checking out this page which has a lot of good detailed info on how to get down to the free plan. So its a bit complicated and takes some time to do it, but you can do it.

My trial included 2GB of data which I estimated to be plenty for the week and it was. I think I used 1GB that week and it worked great. Note that I was not streaming audio or videos. I was simply using it to connect my laptop for chatting/messaging/emailing and web surfing. I plan to upgrade to the 2GB plan anytime I'll be traveling and then downgrade to the free plan after we're back. This should keep my sim active and allow me what I was originally looking for in a pay as you go service. Note that the free plan includes only 200MB of data (you could get multiple SIMs and go through the process for each if you really want to be frugal). FreedomPop also has a referral program where you can get 5MB per friend who signs up for up to 50MB more per month.

As for the device, what I received was a Netgear Aircard 770S (aka AT&T Unite). The device has a touchscreen for simple config, but you will want to access the web interface via your browser if you want more configuration control over the device. The device has built-in antenna that seems to work fairly well. I strongly recommend you see my full video review here and my web configuration interface walk-through here.

If you want to try to get better reception to the mobile network (not WiFi) via an external antenna, there are several options. There are 2 external TS9 antenna connectors. I bought a Wilson magnet mount antenna and a TS9 to SMA pigtail since the antenna has a SMA connector on it. I will try this out in the future when we're in low signal areas.

I was happy with the service and devices for what I needed. Now I have an option on a separate network from my phone that I can use for those times we are traveling. I'll do a follow up next year after we have some time to use it more and let you know how it's going.

If you are interested in trying out FreedomPop, please sign up via this link as it will help me get the bonus data (you will have an opportunity to get your own link to share with friends/family once you sign up): http://fpop.co/lAxr

Coleman 1-Burner Butane Stove Review

I've been using a Coleman 2-burner propane stove for years while car camping and camping with the U-haul camper. One of the burners on it went out after ~15 yrs of use. I may try to repair it, but in the mean time I was looking for a single burner stove that was quick an easy to use.

I like to cook outdoors, especially in the fall. (I always try to cook bacon outside on the back deck so I don't have to clean up the grease splatter in the kitchen.) I have a grill but not one with a side burner. So I went looking and researching for one that I could use at home, at the park, or while camping. I stumbled on the Coleman 1-Burner Butane Stove. You'll want to shop around as I've seen the price vary from $16-35.

This stove runs off butane instead of propane like many other camp stoves. The canisters are a bit smaller and should last at least an hour on full flame/heat. The nice thing about this stove is how easy it is to hook up the fuel. I've used a lot of different stoves over the years and most of them use a threaded design. This can be trouble for older children you're trying to teach how to use one and help out, older adults, and folks with dexterity issues (like rheumatoid arthritis or hand injuries for example). With this stove you don't have to thread/twist the canister on. Just drop it in the slot and push down on a lever that locks it into place and pressurizes the system. Then just turn the knob past max till it clicks and the igniter sparks into the gas. It's that easy and you're cooking!

There's other things I like about this little stove too. Check out my video review to see how easy it is to operate and what else I like about it! Whether you're using this for camping, boating, back yard BBQ, or as an emergency cooking source when your power goes out, it's a great versatile addition to your gear.

Click here to view the video on YouTube.

Click here to see my follow-up video to answer some questions.

Amazon source for fuel for these if you can't find it local.

LaCrosse Grange 18-inch Boots Review (Video)

Santa brought me a new pair of mud boots for Christmas. With the wet weather and flooding we've been having lately it was a great addition to my gear. I ended up with LaCrosse Grange 18-inch boots. These boots are great for having to deal with high water around the house, fishing, farming, and even camping. While I don't recommend hiking in them, they are a great resource to keep stashed in your truck or in your RV. Nothing is worse than getting your nice pair of shoes caked in mud. So I find these a great investment.

The boots fit true to size. If you're a half-size, go up to the next full size. My 11's fit perfectly. They are tapered around the ankle which allows them to grip. It may require some push to get them on, but when you're walking in a creek or muddy muck, it's nice to know they won't slip off easily. Their nice and high and have the ability to cinch up at the tops. They have a bit of a heel to them. The tread on the bottom grips decently and doesn't seem to hold mud (at least not for me yet). These are not insulated, so if you're going to be in the cold you may want to look for another boot or wear thick socks. All in all they're a good mud boot and I'm happy with my purchase.

See my video review below to see them in action.

Coleman Beach Shade Review Follow-up (Video)

Previously, I did a review of setting up the Coleman Beach Shade that we got for our trips to the beach to replace the umbrellas. Well we took it to Hilton Head Island, SC for a beach trip last weekend. Here's a follow up video below of how it held up even through a big thunderstorm. More details below the video.

3 Highlights from using it at the beach:

1. This tent will stand up to at least ~15-25 mph winds.
2. You need to buy a few more stakes to really help secure it on a windy day.
3. It will take 2 people to put up or take down during wind.

So first, I didn't have many problems putting it up. Again the mesh where the poles go through proved to require more effort to not catch on the mesh. They really should make them like normal sleeves. The mesh pole sleeves are my biggest complaint about this tent. The tent comes with 6 stakes but I'd feel more comfortable with 8. I will be adding at least 2 more to my kit. The front mat/door has stake points under it when down as a mat that would likely have limited some of the wind going under it. So do grab a few extra stakes.
Guy lines. These are really important to get them right as they are one of the keys to keeping the tent down and helping it maintain it's shape during windy conditions. DO NOT USE stakes on the guy lines! Unless you are going to use heavy dute dog tie outs (which is an option) they'll flex and pull right out of the ground. One of the great things about the Coleman is that they also give you sand bags (in addition to the stakes). Here is the one key to using sand bags that will keep your tent there while everyone else's is blowing down the beach. Fill them and BURY THEM! That's right, a sand bag on top of the sand will just slide and slow down a tent that's moving. it will not keep a tent from moving. Fill the bags and dig a 1-2 foot hole to bury them in. Pack the sand down on top of them and your tent won't go anywhere. Seriously, our tent was the only thing left on the beach after the major thunderstorm hit. Due to the lightning, we had to leave the beach with the kids and seek shelter. I would've been happy to ride it out inside the tent. I strongly believe we'd have been fine.
I checked the weather charts and the winds were a good 15-25 mph. During the afternoon while we were there. While the tent stayed put the entire day without any issues, packing it took some effort. It was really windy when we left so it took two of us to pack it down. I pulled the sand bags and the poles out and my brother-in-law sat on the tent to hold it down. then I pulled out the stakes one at a time and folded the tent (with my brother-in-law moving to stay on top of it the whole time till I got to the point to roll it up).
All around I'm glad we had it and it worked well even with me wishing it didn't have netted pole sleeves and wanting to add more stakes. I wouldn't put it up for a short beach trip; too much effort to me. But for a full day on the beach it definitely works. It's more sturdy than an umbrella and a heck of a lot lighter than carrying a tailgate tent.

Coleman Beach Shade Review (Video)

After our trip to the beach last fall, we decided to ditch the beach umbrella and move to more of a shelter/shade. We looked around and read lots of reviews. We found a good deal at Amazon on the Coleman Beach Shade. So that became one of our Christmas gifts to ourselves. I've been waiting on winter to end and a few days of sun to set it up in the yard and make sure it's all there and that I know how to do it. (I'm a big advocate of putting up a new tent/canopy at home prior to using it on a trip.) Here's a video below of my review and setup of it. More details below the video.

It went up pretty easy. I would say it took me about 10 mins to put it up by myself. It's fairly simple with only 3 poles: 2 black ones that go front to back in a parallel manner, and 1 longer grey one that crosses perpendicular to the black poles. The grey pole took a bit more care to thread through the mesh netting. It didn't slide through like most tents do. When I took it down I had to concentrate on unthreading the grey cross pole carefully too. It's really not that bad though and the first time you do it you will see where the trouble spots that it's likely to get caught are at. I expect to put it up faster in the future now that I know where those are. Due to that, it might be easier to have 2 people to get the grey pole in place and the ends locked into their grommets.

The design seems fairly good. The ends of the poles are tapered a bit to easily fit in the grommets. The grommets seem secure in the webbing at the base. It provides a decent amount of shade considering how small it packs down. Also, you can zip it up totally to make a changing room if you need one (though it might get hot without leaving the doors/windows cracked some for ventilation).

I think it will serve us well. I will follow up with further review after our next beach trip. We might even find other uses for it at other outdoor events.