Thought it might be fun and interesting to hear and see what we camped in prior to our PUP's, of course if you have moved beyond PUP's what are you in now?
This was my last transition prior to the PU - I actually made up a bed in the back of the Rendezvous and used the tent for everything else - in a way it was kind of like a primative PU - it was nice having it attached to my vehicle.
Spent the last three years in a pop up truck camper but was just too crowded when the grandkids went camping with us so we bought a P/U which the DW keeps telling me we should have bought in the first place. Before the TC we slept in a tent for thrity years. Them ole bones can't stand that cold hard ground anymore.
we camped in a 4 room tent till we had a monsoon like weekend almost float us away!
We started out with a small 8 x 10 cabin tent from Wal Mart about 14 years ago. After the first year, we decided on getting a PUP, and found a 1982 Coleman Sequoia, for 1500 bucks. We loved that thing for three years, and sold it when money got a little tight. Right after selling it, we took part of the money, and bought another tent, a 12 x 18 Wenzel, which we still have, and have used a lot. Mid summer of 2005, we bought a new 04.5 Viking PUP on closeout, and currently use it. Truth be known, I wish we'd never sold the Coleman, we'd probably still be using it today.
We only bought our pop-up last year and before that it was a $30 tent from Wal-Mart. Tents are nice but I wouln't go back after havng the pop-up.
The last thing that I camped in before our PU was our Passport 45' Sailboat. :sombraro: 14 years and just under 100,000 miles.
We camped in this huge three room tent. In the middle room we had this large round rug with a folding picnic table on it. It was our "dining room" in bad weather. The kids slept on one side and we on the other. The we had a large screen tent with sides thta rolled down that gave us privacy and protection from the wind and rain. All tied together with an awning between the both of them.
We started in a pup tent, :tent: and moved to a larger tent as the family grew (and one became available cheap).
We moved to a huge tent (this thing was a monster when we got it, two rooms, and 10x20 feet). Today, there are larger tents available, but this was in 1995.
Then in 2000, we bought the pop-up, largely in support of our cross-country trip (over 10,000 miles) in 2001.
She's earned her keep, but we still use her hard. Next month, she's off to PA for 13 days as wedding headquarters. ;)
Austin
I bought my first tent at age 18 and swore I would never "get off the ground". When I hit the ripe young age of 42 I realized that my back didn't want me to get off the ground. :yikes: Ive always had a variety of dome type tents and still have several in the garage "just in case". But it's sooooo much better on the spine sleeping on memory foam with the heat/AC.......:morning:
We camped in a sturdy, reliable old Eureka canvas space 10 tent. It has a removeable screen add on for the "porch" (it's not on in this picture). This was a luxury tent back in it's day. there is also a roof vent.
We camped in that tent for over 20 years, the threads were still white when we bought it gently used back in the 70s. This tent is still alive but rarely used because it weighs a TON ! We passed it on to our son when we got the Aliner. They don't make tents like this anymore.
(http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/1723/fc002014vu1.jpg) (//%22http://imageshack.us%22)
We started in a 3 man (is that sexist?) cabin tent. We bought our pup in 2004. DD didn't like it, she complained that wasn't real camping. Last summer, we sold the pup and bought a 28' travel trailer. With this new camper, we're in a much better position to dry camp and keep DW happy. Now, DD is pushing for a Class A. Go figure.
I grew up camping in a pup. Soon after we got married (18 years ago), we purchased a Wenzel 4 man dome tent. One extremely rainy trip to Acadia NP with a 10 month old child convinced us that as soon as we could afford it, we would purchase an inexpensive pup. That same summer, my brother offered me his very used early 80's Starcraft Starlight for $500. The rest is history.
We're now on our third pup. Can't see ever going back to a tent. We actually still have that old tent, by the way.
Quote from: My3buicksThought it might be fun and interesting to hear and see what we camped in prior to our PUP's, of course if you have moved beyond PUP's what are you in now?
A motel. I'd like to forget the days of tents in the Army, Air Force, and Boy Scouts.
Here's what we started camping in with my parents in the late '70s. They bought the Viking pop up back in 1982 brand new ( I was 12 years old then) and we have had it since.
(http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e43/cmarques1/old%20camping%20pictures/camp3.jpg)
We camped in a three room tent (also had a screen room). It was HUGE! We actually still have it and my husband using it for hunting trips and the kiddos use it when they have friends over and want to stay outside. It served us WELL!
Here is my fiance by our tent, we still use it a few times a year...... This is one of 3 tents...The most roomy one...... I am currently looking into building a roof mount tent for my Range Rover in the hopes of an expedition from Canada to Mexico!!
(http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c353/Funrover/THE%20DAY/IMG_7384.jpg)
As far back as I can remember, our family vacations were spent at state & county parks, in an old timey, real canvas wall tent. There were other places, too, we camped at, like state forests and some private tracts of land that bordered a lake or stream. My Dad made them great adventures, of places to see and things to do. This was the late 30's and the early 40's and the days of WWII ... I'm sure most of you will remember back then(?) ~ Anyway, that's what parents do to their young'uns thinking when their growing up, all this camping and such, it just makes it's mark!
Then I went off to the military in the early 50's. They found out I was such a technical genius and so full of raw talent, that after boot camp I was assigned to a rifle company, known in those days as an "upfront grunt"; and I toted most of what I owned on my back! Needless to say, after that "tour of duty", back packing for recreation simply was not on my list of "things to-do"! But, I did so much love to canoe downriver on overnight camping/fishing trips, where the canoe carries all the load!
After I got married, DW said she would NEVER sleep in a tent with all "those bugs and stuff", so ended up with a 28' Airstream. Again, not DW's cup of tea (her idea of camping out is the proverbial Holiday Inn with no indoor pool). DD was hit with the same stick, so I got rid of that half of a house I was towing down the road and got back to canoes and tents. Oh, there was a smaller, single axle Shasta hardside, but that thing was horrible to tow down the road! After getting rid of all the hardsiders and glad to be back with the canoe and the tent, there was talk of a popup camper. Had seen a few and one got my eye that had a canoe on it's roof while we were topping off our tanks on a trip into a national forest.
Then one day, at a national forest C/G, next to a river in a tent, where it had been doing one of those all day, all night and now into the next day, cold, damp drizzling rains, there pulls into the site next to us a popup camper. This guy backs in, parks and unhitches; and popups that thing up in short order and about 30 minutes later yells at me & my fly fishing buddy to come on over and have a hot cup of coffee! You know we did and that popup was warm and snug and and the coffee was delicious! Hated to leave that dry place and return to our rain soaked tent! Anyway, very shortly after that I had my first popup camper!
Fly
A big dome tent. Haven't used it since 1996.
i had been a tent camper for close to thirty years, roughing it in the heat, cold, rain, bugs, etc. looking down my nose at those 'softies' in campers......until the STORM hit, the first night of a 5 day trip with my 14 yr old son, and lasted for 4 days. now we were looking at the 'softies' with envy as thier furnaces turned on to keep them warm and dry. Everything was soaked clothes, food, sleeping bags, what a mess. After that we drove trip directly to a local RV show and the rest is history.
Actually you guys are not going to believe this one, but we sold our 30' 5th wheel with slide outs and bought a pop up to replace it.
My wife thinks I'm losing it!!
We wanted something light to take up the mountian jeep trails. Also will be used as base camp for elk season, base camp for 4 wheeling the old mining roads.
We bought the Jayco Baja with the cargo area on the front of the trailer. Taking it up for the first trip on Monday!!
We started out in a pup tent, moved up to a 8 x 10 cabin tent(outside poles), after our daughter was born we bought a used 1978 Viking Little gazer pup, kept that for 18 yrs, just sold it and bought a new 05 Fleetwood Tuscon
I have been in tents all my life. Got the pop up more for my wife and mother - I still travel and camp minimalist when alone.
We started in a little two-person tent (before kids). We then graduated to a nice two-room tent with a screened in room. Now we're using a Viking Legend 2465. We still have the other tents for the occasional tent camping trip (boy scouts, etc.).