Author: Addie Kim

Author: Addie Kim

by Addie KimUncategorized0

California Coastal Camping

Whether you are a California resident or seek out the coast for your vacation from another state, there is no denying the magic of coastal camping.  Southern California offers many different campgrounds that give you salt air to breathe in, sand to dig your toes in, and waves to listen to or float ashore in. 

Some of our favorite coastal campgrounds are local spots, like San Elijo Campground in Cardiff by the Sea and Carlsbad State Beach Campground.  But with our sister vintage trailer business – The Holidays – at San Clemente State Beach, this campground has won its way into our hearts for many reasons. This campground is situated above the coastline, so you get panoramic ocean views and the Campground has the coolest Historic Cottage Visitor Center. The town of San Clemente is fun to explore as well, with tons of great eateries and Spanish Colonial architecture.  

Other favorites are El Capitan near Santa Barbara and Crystal Cove near Laguna. Honestly the list could probably go on and on. What we love about California Coastal Camping, whichever campground we end up at, is the ability to wake up and enjoy beach life – typically with just a short walk.  It’s also nice to be able to take essentials and come back to the campground as needed for a meal or a nap (oh, those afternoon naps after surfing or swimming – so good!). 

If you are planning a coastal camping trip, here are some tips to help you make the most of your experience: 

  1. Plan ahead so you can book your campsite. Reservecalifornia.com is the place to go. But sites often get booked six months in advance. So set an alert on your phone or calendar. 
  2. A service that we often use is Campnab. Campnab let’s you set alerts for campgrounds you are interested in but are full for the dates you want to book. If a spot opens up, you get a text message and can go to reservecalifornia (or whatever reservation system is tied to campground you listed) and see if you can “nab” the campsite. There is a service fee to use this site (monthly or annually), but it’s well worth it if you are an avid camper.
  3. Consider the best times of year to plan your trip. We are so fortunate in Southern California that good weather is plentiful. But it does get chilly at night around November into March, and sometimes even later. May and June often have May gray and June gloom (as the locals say) and ocean temperatures tend to be cooler. Which just means you need to plan to bring wet suits and plan for activities that make sense without the sun (hiking, searching for sea shells, playing frisbee on the beach, cozying up with a good book). 
  4. Take lots of photos and make fun memory books of your trip in addition to posting to your favorite social platforms.  (Check out sites like Chatbooks, Shutterfly). We are also big on editing our photos for the perfect preservation of your experience. So many apps to choose from but among our preferred are Lightroom, VSCO, and Enlight. 
by Addie KimBeach Camping, Camping, Camping Tools0

Our Favorite S’Mores Alternative

The big debate on our camping trips… S’mores or Wolf’em sticks?! 

Since we can’t ever decide, it’s usually s’mores for dessert snd Wolf’em sticks for breakfast. But really, you could eat Wolf’em sticks with any meal and you could really get creative with them!

Haven’t ever heard of a Wolf’em stick? 

It’s basically a roasting stick with a wooden dowel on the end.  You wrap biscuit dough around the end and cook it over the open fire! When you pop the dough off the stick after it’s been cooked over the fire (by rotating the stick as you cook on low heat), there is a perfect little pocket to put whatever filling you desire! Nutella, whipped cream, butter and jam, eggs and cheese are just a few of our favorite fillings. 

To make these delicious biscuits, you could use any thick round stick you find outside or you can click HERE to see the ones we use and love! 

Grab some Wolf’em sticks before your next camping trip, beach BBQ, or night by your backyard fire pit. Sweet or savory?? Which would you like to try??  Drop us a comment and let us know! 

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by Addie KimBeach Camping, Vintage Trailers0

We’re Bringing Vintage Back!

What is the first thing you think of when it comes to camping? Pulling up at dusk just in time to fumble through the nearly impossible tent set up before it’s pitch black outside. Using your best inflating skills for your sleeping mats to ease the pain of the hard ground below your sleeping bag. Lying awake at 2am cursing yourself for forgetting your ear plugs (Do people really like the sounds of crickets to help them sleep?).

Wait, wasn’t this nature trip supposed to be relaxing?

Maybe you’ve never done the traditional camping excursion because you are already tired just thinking about it. We get it. We’ve had some pretty ridiculous camping experiences ourselves. But we’ve also had some amazing experiences. And despite all the not-so-sunshiny scenarios painted above, there is lots of awesomeness in tent camping. I mean, S’mores by the campfire or a cold alcoholic beverage (for the adults of course) will usually take the edge off of any early set-up chaos and the serenity brought by being outdoors is sure to feed your soul.

There were more horrors in 2020 than any of us want to recount but one silver lining is that people really reconnected with outdoor adventuring. What’s also impressive with the more widespread affinity for camping and glamping is that camping can now be done in soooo many ways. You no longer have to suffer that painful tent set up and hauling coolers and bags of food and flashlights and all the things (Truthbomb – we still love to camp this way occasionally even though its a lot of work).

Among the rage for camping experiences are the many done-for-you glamping style accommodations – like (drum roll pleeeze) vintage trailers. How freaking cool is it to be able to show up somewhere for your “get-out-of-the-house-and-enjoy-the-outdoors” vacation and roll up to a funky vintage trailer that has been beautifully renovated on the inside with some insta-worthy beauty on the outside and stocked full of basic amenities to make your stay easy-breezy-beautiful?

Now, we may be biased. I mean, this is our business. But part of why we made it our business is because of the personal experiences we’ve had camping this way.

In the world today we are busy. Most of the people we know are hustling, and juggling, and doing somersaults and backflips throughout daily life – in their jobs, in their family lives, all of it! What better way to unwind than going back in time with some vintage camping feels, some sand and salt between your toes, and some siestas under the sun?

Leisure is the lifeblood to longevity. We all need it. You’ll likely enjoy your people more too while you’re doing it (well, at least after you’ve survived the car packing and the road trip to get to your destination ;-)!

The Holidays Delivered is all about bringing you that throwback outdoor experience with some modern day amenities to allow you to truly recharge your soul batteries while you disconnect from your usual daily life!

To learn more about the different styles and history behind our vintage trailer fleet, go to Our Trailers (current and coming available).