A few simple questions about your camping needs

[Dee4j]

what I want is a really buff shirtless guy to set up everything to my likeness, cook, do dishes, and make me drinks.. :p

[AZsix]

what I want is a really buff shirtless guy to set up everything to my likeness, cook, do dishes, and make me drinks.. :p

Hey, my wife has one of those. If I ever catch the guy there's going to be trouble!  

[jaytee2274]

what I want is a really buff shirtless guy to set up everything to my likeness, cook, do dishes, and make me drinks.. :p

ohhh - me too, me too!!!

How about any of those guys from the Olympic swimming team!!?
GO USA!!! :U

[PattieAM]

What do I love about Camping?  Being away from home - in a peaceful, relaxing environment, doing what I want to, when I want to.   (My kids are grown).

My 'must haves' include:  Electric drip coffeemaker (bought a Mr. Coffee with water filter), my Breadmachine (love to wake up to the aroma/taste of fresh bread with my coffee).

I've scads of stoves/grills, lanterns, etc., from my tent camping days - but, the PUP has a nice 3 burner range/oven, good counter space, so I do cook inside (easier than toting stuff in/out with my bum leg), I don't take the stoves/grills/lanters (I do have one under the seat of the dinette for 'emergencies').  One of the reasons I purchased the PUP was to avoid packing/unpacking as it was too much for me with my RA.

What do I wish I had....some kind of Wi-Fi so I could be online in the camper and keep up with my online stuff and my games.  But, all options seem to cost money or upgraded cell phone, etc., so I will make do until some magic cost effective solution comes about.

I bought a resale campground membership, which I really enjoy and most times have full hookup (don't have to tow Big Blue).  I will generally choose a wooded site away from the amenities, but enjoy using the pools, lakes.  The campgrounds in this membership are pet friendly and some have 'bark parks' - fenced off-leash exercise area and I find this to be a great perk for my fur-kids.

I love the beauty of State Parks, but no longer enjoy the price, or in some states, the pet fee - per pet, per day plus tax.  Not having full hookup is also a mild deterrant.  And, having to pay out of pocket for camping fees can hit my wallet harder than my monthly/quarterly/semi-annual/annual dues on my membership.

[MJohn]

Well there are several things I'd like to have right now but don't.
1) some way to generate enough solar power to run my a/c
in the pop up especially while trying to pack or unpack in TX. :yikes:

2) an add a room, obvious reasons. BUT I did notice you would have to be careful to get a sight big enough to set it up not easy to do.

3)Wish we had added the optional electric crank at  time of purchase.

Okay what I like best about camping......
1)Being outdoors! Especially in CO!
2) I dunno I just like camping and exploring, hiking, I just like it! :tent:  


What I least like.......
1) Peo :tent: ple who don't know how to relax on trips and drive everyone else nuts!
I.E. People who keep others up making to much noise, talking, whatever late into the night!
OR people who fuss so much on  trip they make everyone else NUTS!

Camping can be challanging especailly when you really hot and trying to set up or down a pop up. But I'd rather have a bit of a hard time setting up camp in the middle of the mountains than be at home doing the same old things! :-()

[MJohn]

What do I want?  Well, I'd love to get PopUp gizmos, but can't affort them right now, and I'm hesitant to get them because of the additional set-up required.  I like to keep it simple.  I'd also like a nice, big mat for outside of the camper door, but I'm not sure what to buy.

What do I have that I regret?  The stupid plastic egg carrier from Wally world.  It's a good idea to pack the eggs in hard plastic..they don't crack and then you also avoid the cardboard egg carton discentigrating in your wet cooler, BUT the darn thing doesn't latch!  Which equals lots of eggs falling out and breaking :/

What do I enjoy most about camping?  The simplicity of only worrying about what to eat next!  I like a leisurely time off just chatting and hanging out:)

Bought 2 egg carriers and still can't find them a year later...lol
Oh about the bunk end covers.
We were hesitant about purchasing them. Mostly becasue of the expense. We did purchase the pop up gizmo's one's and are well fairly happy. I'll tell you why. First of all the materials they use are the best quality unlike many space blankets you may purchase. The only s.b. I found of similar quality would have cost within $20 of what it cost me to buy the gizmo's which are custom made to fit your pop up. Now I do have 2 king size bunkends to be fair. But also installing them is much simplier than trying to make a homemade one fit. Also we did buy the wind and sun type. We had some pretty nasty storms more than once on the last trip and I confess the bunkends faired very well, didn't expect them to either! Last but not least we used these in NM, CO, And TX.
When it is 90+ espeically if it's humid I'm sorry if your not in the shade it's just miserable! A/C and pop up gizmo's aside! So in NM and CO they were great! But in TX we made sure we arrived just as the sun was decending otherwise it would've been miserable! And I always try to park under shade when it's hot.
I would purchase them again they do help!

[K_and_I]

what I want is a really buff shirtless guy to set up everything to my likeness, cook, do dishes, and make me drinks.. :p
------------------------------------------------------
"Why live in fiction, when reality is all around you".........Kara 2008

Does anyone besides me see the irony in this?  

[sacrawf]

What piece of equipment do you see on the market that you would like to add to your "camping equipment to buy list" and why would you like to have this particular piece of equipment.

Camping/Fishing equipment want list includes a combo fishfinder/GPS for the boat.

What piece of equipment do you own that you just had to have and you are now sorry that you bought it, or if your not sorry you bought it, perhaps you just never use it. Don't forget to tell us why you bought it, and why you don't use it.

Coleman portable shower building bought on sale.  It is a pain to set up, wobbly, poorly made, and the shower curtains don't go all the way to the ground so it would be of little use for a porta-potty enclosure.  It sets on a shelf in the garage.

What is it about camping that you enjoy the most, and what is it about camping that you enjoy the least.


What I enjoy the most is being active in and outdoor setting...geocaching, hiking, fishing, bicycling, pitching horseshoes, throwing frisbees, boating, swimming, birding, visiting local historical sites, museums, and garden centers .

What I enjoy the least about camping is loud, inconsiderate campers who play their electronics loudly outside on their picnic tables, litter the campground, allow their kids to run around all night, light up their campsites like a little Las Vegas, and what isn't strung up with rope lights is covered with blue plastic tarps.

I'll start: Right now I'm on a mission to downsize equipment when possible, while at the same time removing a lot of un-neccesarry items from my pop up. We enjoy kayaking and want to add to our camping experience by taking a few overnighters in our kayaks, so there is a lot of backpacking gear out there that is perfect for stowing away in our kayaks while paddling to our campsite.

Just because you are prepared, doesn't mean you have to use something you have brought. We are taking a somewhat different approach in always being prepared with supplies for all possible activities so we can just hitch and go.  I want to be prepared for geocaching, have all fishing equipment, have woodburning supplies to work on some artwork under the awning, have the XM2Go to listen to the Illini football game while out on the boat, and have the TV/DVD player for a rainy or snowy night. Hiking staffs, daypacks, compass, frisbees are always stowed in the storage area.  Field guides (wildflower, musroom, fish, trees, birds of the Eastern US, butterflies & moths, insects, reptiles, and weather) are always stored with our camping journal in one inside cabinet to identify interesting things we find throughout the day.  Having a crock pot means less time cooking and more time out being active.  Maybe when my joints age and a rocking chair becomes more attractive than a hiking trail, I might find enjoyment  tending a dutch oven.  For now, I want to be active, and if gadgets or conveniences allow me more time to be out doing things and less time preparing meals, they are welcome in my camper.

The piece of equipment I never use would be the little toaster that you set on top of your stove and prop the bread up on to make toast. Never used it, don't even know if it works. I guess we would rather bake bisquits in our oven than have toast.

We have one of those little toasters from our tent camping days.  It is so small and lightweight that it still resides in the camper, but is rarely used.  I find that I can toast bread faster on the RvQUE grill, and it doesn't heat up the camper the way that little toaster device does.  It really works well on a portable 1-burner propane stove, though.

[Gracy]

:sombraro: What a fun topic

[kjrjr]

I would like a screen room that zips to my bag awning. I noticed the teeth are already on the canopy. It would be nice to extend the pup's living space.