Hippy is correct, I'm talking RVs here for folks who don't wrench their own. Your Silverado has a great Allison transmission that's the gold standard, IMHO. There's a hill of difference in labor between an auto or truck and an RV with an engine in it. The Left Coast is very mountainous and it gets old fast to be on an incline pulling your boat/quads/trailer/horses at 45 and be passed by a DuraMax doing 75. And you'll wish you were getting 12 mpg pulling that horse trailer at 45. The current GMC engines are 200,000 mile designs (Sierra, Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon) and the diesels (DuraMax) are 500,000 mile designs. Teardrops will have lower height which will pay off in mileage and many nicer campsites will be an option, where the truck campers (popups and crankups excluded here) will be scraping a few branches or down in the meadow. Of course, it's easier to back up a truck camper so there's a world of options out there. I've sold a ton of GMC trucks and as a Ford man let me say they're hard to beat.

I wouldn't mind being a professional photographer like you. That would be awesome! I often see things I wish I had the camera and knowlege to photograph. So, yeah, trying to be like you as a photographer would be down right nice.

"So it's become a choice between paying someone or not having it done at all." I'm limited physically too (and often mentally - lol!). you might have to find someone and pay them to do some things for you. Ask around with your friends for a young guy (HS or college maybe? at a church?) who needs to make some money. Make a list of priority things that need done and try to squeeze out 30-50.00 for a few hours of work. I hired a few guys to do a some things and got ripped off. That put me off for some time in getting more done. I finally connected with a young man (29) who has done work for my sister over the past 15 yrs. She knows his parents (I've been to their house). Even as a teenager he was huge and strong - and she wanted him to do mostly outside work. A lot of rock moving - her land is very rocky. He still does that for her some Sundays. He comes here on Saturdays for 3-5 hrs. He's done a ton of work around here - putting up shelves (taking some down), fixing cabinets, doors, locks, putting down some flooring, moving things around, caulking windows and doors. He also does 'low and high' things for me like caulking around bottom shelves of cabs, cleaning off high shelves and putting things up there. It keeps me from falling off of a step stool or being stuck on the floor until someone eventually finds me there... He's put up curtain rods, replaced my water pump, laid out and connected hoses for future plantings (that he'll do), cleaned up weeds and 'construction' type litter around here. He's even worked on my car. I'm finding it not as easy recently to lift the hood of my car to check water, put in pwr steering fluid etc. He's done some plumbing and some electrical work too. He's quick to tell me if it's something he can't do rather than say he can and mess it up. He's great on figuring things out (more creative and logical than my old brain these days) and problem solving around here. He's been working most Saturdays since last fall and there's enough work here for him for another year I'm sure. He isn't a speed demon but he is dependable, methodical, careful etc - which is much better. He works a full time job during the week but is saving up to buy some land up north of here by the end of the year. He's happy to have the odd jobs - close to his home, a friendly boss (me) who gives him things (ice cream maker, dishes, scrap metal, old appliances, a vacuum (too heavy for me to even move but they are young and strong and have a 2 story house)). He isn't obligated to be here every single Sat or at a certain time. I always tell him that his family comes first so when a family doings is on Sat he shouldn't be here, he should be with them. Financially I need to limit it to maybe 2 Saturdays a month now. In the summer my electric bill skyrockets and that will take priority for several months. I also need to save up for more flooring. Maybe you can find someone like this that you can trust who would like a few flexible hours to work around another job, school activities or studies.

Ashley has a good point. I know people who go camping for fun (well, they think it's fun) in Quebec winters. They manage with sleeping bags rated to extreme conditions, thermal underwear, heated socks and gloves, etc. As you well know, the key is keeping the extremities (hands, feet and head) well covered and protected. Balaclavas are good. Silk gloves and socks inside wool or sheepskin boots and mittens are great. I think a "mummy" sleeping bag might be optimal in your situation.