Our Portable Village
We’ve done it again. As the vacation season gears up, and we’ve considered the variations on a theme, we’ve added to our collection of tents.
The day started out innocently (read into that “leading the innocents to the slaughter”) with a visit to Latulippe. I’ve made the rounds of the camping supply stores in the area, and we head back there every time. The prices are reasonable, the variety is breath-taking (for camping nerds) and the staff is friendly and knowledgeable; hats off to Yolaine, this time around.
Try to picture a store large enough to have four separate tent areas. Try to imagine tents big enough to park the vehicle with you, or small enough to leave mounted on the bicycle (an exaggeration, but barely). Different fabrics, different door combinations, poles made from different grades of aluminum (who knew?). Staff that can tell you how this model compares to the one you bought several years ago. I can’t remember, so they fill in for me…
It requires a certain rationality; I am not about to scale Everest which one customer has done. I’m going to pitch our portable village in view of the ocean and then inhale salt fumes until I am cured for another year.
The final choice is an Eureka El Capitaine 2, which will pair with the Eureka El Capitaine 4 we purchased last year. The small green Eureka will serve as visitors quarters.
An older Eureka Crescent, which has done its time, has had the useful hardware snipped off and stored away. The horrible North 49 bought on sale and then exposed to direct sunlight for more than five minutes has been shredded. Literally. Just handling the fly was sufficient force to create a rag bag. Even the dog wasn’t interested in such a poor quality toy. Gone to the great green garbage machine. Our stock of three tents should see us through until the next buying spree. We’re poorer but happier. Vacation, here we come. Not just yet, but soon.
