I know that we are all individuals with different likes and dislikes when it comes to camping. Some like the softer side of camping while others like the more primitive approach. I have been known to enjoy both types of camping with the softer side for me being in a friends $400,000 motorhome and the more primitive approach meaning strapping a backpack on and hiking and camping for 7 days on the Appalacian Trail. They both have their place and both have completely different experiences to them.
You really can't knock either until you've tried them.
But I would like to suggest for those of you that always camp on the softer side and never on the primitive side, to give the primitive side a try. I'm not saying you have to leave the pop up at home and strap on a backpack, but how about giving dry camping a try, away from the Yogi Bears and the KOA's and the hook ups.
Learn some new skills. Try leaving the crock pot, the electric frypan and the Mr. Coffee behind and try cooking over an open fire. Leave your DVD's, CD players and Televisions at home and get somewhere away from the crowds so you can hear the wind blowing through the trees, the sound of a fish feeding on top water and the sound of the birds singing.
Leave the tacky lights behind, sleep in a sleeping bag instead of under an electric blanket, use ice chest instead of refrigerators, and try to leave all laptops and cellphones at home.
Sometimes in our attempts to get away from it all we have a tendancy to bring it all with us. Rough it every once in a while, push yourself it's not gonna kill you, it may actually allow you to relax and recharge those internal batteries of yours.
I'm not saying you should never camp with hook ups again or without your comforts, I'm suggesting to those that have never tried a more primitive form of camping to give it a try, you may discover a whole other side of camping you didn't know existed.
Age is not an excuse either, this past summer Martin Litton at the age of 90 who has been paddling the Colorado since 1953 paddled his one man dory "boat" throught the Grand Canyon and lost his boat for the first time. He finished the canyon in a kayak.
You can rough it a little, and you may actually thank me afterwards for suggesting it to you.
CajunCamper
Being a 'primative' camper and moving up to tents was a big deal for me. Then, after several years of tenting, health issues arose and I had a choice: give up camping or change lifestyle. I chose to change my lifestyle - and that's when I bought the pop up camper.
As a kid and teen - it was no big deal to run a string/rope between two trees and throw a tarp or even flimsy plastic over it, throw down some ground cloth and the sleeping bag --
but, while I love my cushy-ness and amenities of the pop up, I have the memories of the earlier camping to giggle at! (Like the time I took a cat camping and he began growling in my sleeping bag -- only to discover we had a skunk nosing around our camp, or the time the cow decided to visit) Things my kids just say 'aw mom' to (disbelief).
We did the mostly primative camping until recently. We had the big family tent, sleeping bags, the whole 9 yards. I enjoy both, have yet to dry camp with the pop up. Will give that a try in the spring I think, when we won't go through a whole bunch of propane trying to keep warm.. been looking at the weather at my mom's for turkey day... COLD!!! They are dropping 30 degrees just for us to go out there.. lol, isn't that special?
I've done plenty of both in my lifetime and enjoyed each immensely. But c'mon, Cajun..give up my "tacky lights?" I just can't do it! :p
Actually, I don't have any lights yet having just bought the pup.
That might be a good topic for consideration...list your lights. Oh well, another time, another place.
I was a scout growing up and did plenty real primitive camping. And in early adulthood, the choice was always a tent in the primitive sites at the state park. Flashlights and cooking over a fire, etc.
Growing up, we had a membership at a campground about 20 mile from home and we were there just about every weekend spring through fall from the time I was nine until my Dad passed away when I was 25. Yep, even after moving out after college, I still packed it up and went camping with my folks.
Of course, our 30 foot trailer was a home away from home and had all of the plush amenities. So I've really enjoyed both.
PUP camping can really be a nice medium between the two. I haven't camped in one since the late 80's. I can't wait until spring for our maiden voyage.
Quote from: CajunCamperSometimes in our attempts to get away from it all we have a tendancy to bring it all with us.
CajunCamper
That exact sentiment is in my signature over at
RV.net.
Like Patty said, as we age, other considerations arise. A disc problem wrecked my balance, ending my canoe-camping and backpacking. So, DW and I moved to boondocking in a pop up. It is as close to our old camping style as we can safely get. All our cookware is from our canoeing chuck box. Our tacky lights are candle lanterns. We have a 5gal. bucket w/lid for a potty and a solar shower. I cook with a pot on a chain over a campfire. We sleep in our sleeping bags.
Cajun, we're out there with you on this one. (Of course, believe it or not, there are those that consider pop up camping to be "roughing it") :sombraro:
Keep the faith,
Wright
I suppose, like water, we settle in at our own level. Those with small young'uns have to make considerations, as do some with limited physical abilities, and maybe if that were not the case, they'd do some things differently. And that's about my story. The rig I have now supports my number one addiction of flyfishing and it gets me back into some places where I like to stay and the little basic Starcraft is like a Hilton compared to a tent, especially when the weather gets a little nasty. Not to say I still don't use the tent, as one of our favorite things to do is an overnight canoe camping trip (when the weather is just right!).
Now, I've had about enough "back packing" for this life time; and that come from my military days where I was assigned to a rifle company and we carried all our possesions on our backs! Oh, I'll still use a back pack to get back to some off the beaten path river or remote lake to flyfish for a day trip (and that had not better be too far!). While in Alaska this past summer we hiked back into a remote lake which was about 4 1/2 miles from the end of the road, just carried my waders, some drinking water and some lunch; but that had to be about one of the toughest hikes I've made since I can't remember when! Next year, if we return to the same place, I'm going by float plane with a canoe tied onto the plane's float structure. Glad to have seen the sights on that hike, but once was enough!
I wanted in the worst way to motor northwest, towing the little PU and maybe even heading up to Alaska, but with the price of gas, opted to fly instead. Had even considered trading the little Starcraft in on one of those little hardsided T@Bs for such a trip. But, alas, so much for that idea. So. it's back to the orginal idea, keeping within a certain range with what I have now.
Fly
Why would you want to run out of water in the middle of dishes, or have the furnace fail at 2:00 AM when it's 34F outside? :banghead: Why would you want to step into mud instead of concrete? :mad: Wash in the outdoors or a shower tent with limited hot water vs. a nice hot shower in the bathhouse? No convenience store for forgotten sundries, no laundry facilities to clean and dry those muddy clothes.
Personally I've cooked in a dutch oven and a crock pot. The dutch oven is at least 10x as much work for a somewhat similar concept.
Also consider that most primitive campgrounds are on government land. Why would you look to the nanny state for your recreation instead of those who do it best- private industry.
Just for comparison I'll contrast a trip earlier this month with one two Novembers ago. Same county but very different in every other way.
Last week- Very nice RV park with a big group of friends and "The Super Site". Good times with good friends, potluck included meals cooked over electric griddles, camper ovens, microwaves, and possibly some other fuel sources. We enjoyed the ample illumination of electric lights as we sat in the campsite hot tub. When it was time to get out we wrapped in hot towels fresh from the on-site dryer. The campground offered a playground, game room, store, restaurant, and rentals for bikes and boats. They very helpfully used the PA system to announce various activities. Safety of the gated park seemed very good, with a guard at the entrance and sufficient lighting to preclude need for flashlights or lanterns.
Contrast that to the privation my son and I experienced two years ago. We camped on undeveloped land down a dirt road. At night there was not a single light visible from our campsite, save thousands of stars and the occasional aircraft high overhead. The silence was almost deafening, punctuated only by far-off coyote cries and other animal noises. Exploring the old indian trail through the area we found hidden grottos along a stream. Later we took a drive and saw no other vehicles- though we did slow to allow a flock of wild turkeys to cross the road (just a week before Thanksgiving). There were no other kids for Jason to play with, and no adults for me to converse with. After dark we sat outside wrapped in a blanket with our backs to the trailer- I kept alert to the risk of a cougar seeing my two year old as a snack. With frost on the leaves in the morning, the trailer furnace kept us warm. We bathed using the outside shower in the afternoon sun, no need for a privacy enclosure. It was all very primitive with only the trailer walls, hot and cold running water, forced air furnace, fridge, porta potti, and indoor kitchen separating us from the life of a caveman. On edit- I forgot we had our LED Christmas lights strung up.
I think the contrast is clear. Which is why I enjoy both.
JimQ, what a brilliant post. Looks like you found the best of both worlds.
JimQPublic,
That's exactly what I'm talking about. I have to admit I wasn't sure where you were going at first, but just like you we enjoy the softer side as well as the primitive site of camping. I have to admit we don't go as soft as you described but to each his or her own. I do feel that though many of us enjoy both, there are still plenty of folks out there that have never tried the primitive side. I would encourage them to give it a try.
CajunCamper
I remember my Dad dropping off my friends and I to go camping with a promise to pick us up at a given time. I remember paddling up stream 5 miles to set up camp and have the heavens open up for 4 days. We knew better than to paddle back because we would just have to sit under the bridge until Dad came to pick us and our canoe up. I camp to spend time with the family and our first few years we made a list and checked it twice. Gather all the gear and headed off to sweat through the night in the summer, freeze through the night in the fall and get wet when it rained.
We decided that if we wanted to camp we needed to have all our gear together, be off the ground in case of rain and have some control over the temp. I have an AC unit but don't use it often.
I like the pop up because it is as close to a tent as I can get and still have a wife and kids that are happy to go with me. We can head up the mountain for a night or weekend or across the country for a couple months.
Quote from: MomboTNI like the pop up because it is as close to a tent as I can get.
That's what I said. I ain't parking on concrete and pluggin' up.
Since I was an early teen in scouts, I've been a backpacker. Its been a love of mine for over 20 years. My DD now goes backpacking with me and has even got a couple of her friends to try it also. Shes been a tent camper since she was 4. My DW on the other hand, tried a tent once and in no uncertain words told me NEVER AGAIN. After several years of being home alone while DD and I went camping, she said she would try a pup. She is now hooked!!
If it takes a comfy camper to get my family together and enjoy the outdoors like I do, thats what we'll do.
The camping we have done so far with our pup always included W/E hookups. But we tent camped for a few years and rarely had hookups, so it shouldn't be any more difficult than tent camping. We don't have a battery, by the way, and I don't plan on getting one.
However, my uncle owns several acres of land (that used to be my grandmother's), quite off the beaten path, along a creek. I'm hoping next year that we can pull our pup back in there for a long weekend. We considered it this year, but the drought caused the creek to dry up. That's like camping with no fire! He keeps the road into the area in pretty good condition, so if it was dry, our minivan could get back in there with no problem, I think. If not, my Dad has his trusty tractor!
With the use of coolers and battery-powered lanterns, it is not difficult at all to camp that way. But really cold or really hot weather makes it less enjoyable! I don't mind dry camping, I actually enjoy it, but I check weather forecasts much more closely when I can't turn on the a/c or a heater.
Quote from: CajunCamperJimQPublic,
That's exactly what I'm talking about. I have to admit I wasn't sure where you were going at first, ...
I was aiming for some dry humor but then got sidetracked. I guess my point was that whenever we trailer camp we aren't roughing it. Though we may have to conserve water and energy when dry camping, we still have hot and cold running water, furnace, electric lights (and tacky lights), propane stove, warm dry beds, etc.
My wife has an interesting take on it all. She really doesn't like campgrounds. She likes hiking and the beach, but not really trailer park living. She also likes clean restrooms and hot showers. We have been to very few RV parks that meet her standard for restroom facilities. I think she actually prefers USFS campgrounds with vault toilets because they tend to be much tidier. That's where my job as water boy comes in- the shower tent with 6 gallons of hot water is much cleaner than most RV showers. Any dirt is "family dirt" so it's better than "stranger dirt".
Quote from: JimQPublicI think she actually prefers USFS campgrounds with vault toilets because they tend to be much tidier. That's where my job as water boy comes in- the shower tent with 6 gallons of hot water is much cleaner than most RV showers. Any dirt is "family dirt" so it's better than "stranger dirt".
I think I married your wife's sister.
We still tent camp with the scouts, that when I truely appreciate our little PUP, even though I think its too small for my family, it so much better that being on an air mattress in cold weather.
But we take in stride that we are camping, we are outdoors, we are away from all the electronic, media and other BS that the world throws at us...
So I think, no matter what you camp in or how you camp, Nature is best when you really take time to absorb it in....
Damn, my feathers are ruffled!!! Only because we haven't been able to get out and dry camp back in the woods like we really like for the past couple years.
I REALLY miss being back in the woods, hearing nothing but nature, elk in rut behind the camper in the fall. Millions of stars in the (blackened) night sky, northern lights if you are lucky enough...don't get any of that camping in the state parks around here. I miss hearing the Loons call early in the morning or at laughing dusk. The waterfall or fast river flowing next to camp. Or even the bear passing thru looking for stuff they aren't going to find. Thanks for reminding us of what we are missing!
Those who haven't been there will never understand the closeness to nature and life you feel when out off the beaten path.
Next to the last trip out this fall we had a site with elec only. We were unaware they had shut the water off and we would not be able to fill our tank. We made do with an igloo water cooler for our water, which we refilled from a cousins home as needed. DGD thought it was terrible to not have running water but we made it fine. We heated water on the stove or in the MW so I can't say we had it too rough. The idea is we still had a good time for 4 days even though we had no running water.
We too have done the roughing it and wouldn't mind dry camping in the right weather and without DGD. I'm not sure she could do without her movies at night but otherwise she would do fine just being outside all day.