u/Low-Block-2470

The storms started picking up again up in north FL just in time for my trip to Jennings State Park this weekend. I ordered a 10x10' rainfly to string up in front of the tent and we all have our rainjackets including the dog. It's just a single night but I've been looking forward to this trip and want to make it work.

At what point should we bail out of the hike due to rain? What advice could you give to make it work?

What would be a good beginner baby trail for someone who's never backpacked before? I'm just looking for a step above car camping. Preferably a trail still near civilization and cell reception! I want to get into backpacking when it cools down but I'm nervous about figuring out where to start. I'd be with another person and my dog 😁

It'd be really nice if I could set it up so an auto website like KBB could send an email alert whenever a car I'm looking for is newly lsted with my area. I'm looking at Elements and they're a little older/harder to come by especially in good condition.

When it comes down to either spending $5-6k on a 2004 or $10k on a 2010 is there any real improvement between the years that makes it worth it to spend extra on a later Element or are you just paying for a newer car?

I have a 2017 Kia Soul nearing 100k miles that will be paid off next week (yay!) but shortly after financing it many years ago I quickly realized what I truly wanted out of a boxy car was an Element.

KBB gives me a trade-in value of $4-5k. Private party is much higher but I need a car to drive, I can't sell it unfortunately.

I want to go down in years which an Element would accomplish anyway, for the cheaper insurance and less electronics that can break. Could I achieve this in a trade-in if I'm okay with an old Element at around 130-200k miles? Thanks for your advice!