Camping poll

[TrixieB]

My dc are begging me to take them camping, and that got me to thinking...

 

What sleeping accomodations does your family usually choose when you go camping?

 

Please choose the accomodations that the majority of the family usually uses.

 

Wait for the poll...

Edited July 17, 2010 by TrixieB

[ChristusG]

We're in FL...I think that tent camping with no A/C would kill me. Gotta love the A/C in our pop up.

[Daisy]

We go tent camping but only in the early spring and late fall (basically March-early May, and Sept-mid Oct.). No way would we go now. It's 105 degrees outside.

[Impish]

Wolf has been taking kids camping since we've been married. Last year was the first time for Tazzie, while Princess and I stayed home. (I was amazed at how quiet she is on her own! Since her and Tazzie are so close in age, I'd never had that kind of alone time with her before!) This year, we're all going. I'm worried, because I've not been camping since RSD hit, but we're getting a good air mattress, doing everything we can to ensure that I'm ok and can handle it. I really don't want to ruin the trip!

 

For us, its tents. Camping, once we've finally gotten all the gear, is a cheap vacation. Buying air mattresses, additional sleeping bags, a new cooler all in one season puts the price up. We could probably spend a wknd in a hotel for what it ends up costing us :tongue_smilie:Well, maybe not, since a decent hotel is around $100/night...and then the kids like to eat...

[flobee76]

We go tent camping and have gone every year since we've been married (even w/ babies or being preggo). We all love it. We go in Spring, Summer, and fall. We've never tried winter tent camping...

[Lolosoli]

We came with our fifth wheel camper. Our first trip actually is this Monday!

[KS_]

I chose other because 1) I don't camp and 2) when dh and the kids camp, it's none of those options. They're actually camping today/tonight and when given the option of taking a tent or sleeping in the back of dh's truck, they chose the truck. It does have a shell on it, but that's it. They took a blow up mattress and their sleeping bags.

 

Does not sound like fun in any form to me, which is why I'm at home :D

[hornblower]

Dh & I've camped every year we've been together - & that's well over 20 years now. Kids have come with us since birth. We've camped in summer, in winter (in snow!), & in lots of rain (it is BC after all).

 

We always tent.

[Desert Rat]

We tent camp but haven't been in awhile because I hate camping. It's just way to much work for me. The boys have a blast though! At some point we'd love to get an RV. I'd go every single weekend if we had one.

[swimmermom3]

Dh & I've camped every year we've been together - & that's well over 20 years now. Kids have come with us since birth. We've camped in summer, in winter (in snow!), & in lots of rain (it is BC after all).

 

We always tent.

 

This is our family too except that we aren't quite as hardy as hornblower and took several years off when the kids were infants and toddlers. Prechildren, dh and I purchased good hiking gear as our limited student budgets allowed. We still have our original 1/2 length Therma Rests, sleeping bags, A-frame hiking tent, gortex (tan) jackets, and Kelty pack. Our oldest son used the tent for scouting and just recently after 25 years, the zipper gave out. We're up to three good tents (6-man dome, 3m hiking, and 2m hiking) since we always go out with extra children of various genders. Pit toilets and water pumps all the way and it is an absolute blast.:D

[RoughCollie]

We went tent camping when the boys were ages 3-8. After that, we switched to a rustic cabin (electricity, bear screens on the windows) because we started camping at a place that had a lot of bears.

 

This is the third summer we haven't gone camping. Now that we live in a rural area with a stream, woodlands, fields, farms, and a fire pit, I feel like we are camping all the time (with electricity and indoor plumbing).

 

My idea of camping now, is to spend a week in a hotel in NYC, Boston, or Toronto.

[HRAAB]

We have always camped since we first met - several times a summer. We even took our children when they were babies. I have to admit it's not quite as easy at 50 as it was in the early 20's. Last summer we broke down and bought some of the inflatable mattress thingies - Therma... something or another. Sure helped with the old bones. Anyway, just tents for us.

[sparrow]

We tent camp, but we're only able to go in the winter/spring due to the fact that we own a campground! That means we have to travel south to camp.

 

After years of camping, prior to kids and prior to having the campground, we have finally hit a comfort zone with tent camping. We now have a good tent that comfortably fits two twin and one queen air mattress with room to spare. I now won't camp at sites without an electrical outlet. Mama needs her coffee NOW, not when the fire gets going again! We also have a portable heater in our tent. That keeps us warm and cozy if the temperature gets chilly. I also don't do vault toilets/no showers any more. Since finding my comfort zone, camping has been fun and I'm not crabby :001_smile:.

[creekland]

It's tent camping all the way for us. We don't actually consider anything else camping... We use the Thermarest Pads as they are much better than traditional air mattresses.

 

BUT, when we retire, we plan to sell the property and invest in a Class B (van type RV) to be on the road 24/7. I still don't know if we'll call it camping though.

 

Till then... this Anniversary we'll be camping in Vermont. Last year it was Wellesley Island, NY. The year before it was a state park here in PA near the Grand Canyon of PA. You get the idea. Other times we go with the boys. I suspect we've camped in most of the states - esp at National Parks. They absolutely love it. I love that cooking and cleaning are male traits when we're outdoors (for our family anyway)!

[lailasmum]

We tent camp and have done a fair bit since our daughter was born. Our son first went camping when he was about 4 months old. I would say I have fallen out of love with it at the moment so we are not going this year and I may look at getting a trailer tent or a camper van in the future to make it more convenient. Think I have fallen out of love with it because i am getting less patient as I age and all the setting up is annoying me plus I notice the cold and sometimes uncomfortable nights more.

[Corraleno]

I used to tent camp, but living in the Southwest, it's tough to do in the summer with 90 degree days, and in spring/fall the nights get really cold. DH & DS recently tent camped at Chaco Canyon for the Spring Enquinox, and the night-time temperature was in single digits! They froze their butts off and didn't really enjoy the trip. I'd always wanted to own a vintage Airstream, so now we have a fantastic 1959/60 Airstream Safari in original condition (except for a low-profile AC unit on the roof :tongue_smilie:). It's small & lightweight enough that we can pull it with the Pilot, yet it sleeps four in 2 twins, a bunk, and a fold-down dinette up front. It's like a Tardis — people can't believe how much bigger it feels inside than it looks from the outside. I love it, love it, love it, and fully expect to pass it on to my DS (and then probably to his kids as well). :001_wub:

 

Jackie

Edited July 17, 2010 by Corraleno

[runmiarun]

I voted for tent camping, since that's what Dh and the boys do in the backyard. He keeps talking about taking them camping but somehow or another it always turns into "let's all go and stay at an inexpensive motel". Ok, I do have something to do with that change of plans. My back can't handle sleeping on the ground (therma-thingy or not) so camping for me means a hotel without a free hot breakfast bar. DH is making plans to take the boys over to Jekyll Island Campground in the fall once all the tourists leave.

[TrixieB]

Ok, you all are surprising me with tent camping being the majority answer.

 

We tent camp, and I thought that was what most people do. That's what my local friends do, what I grew up doing...

 

But when we visited family out-of-state recently, they told me that they all do trailer camping, and that's what everyone there does. I got the "you must be CRAZY, I could NEVER do THAT" response when I said we tent camped.

 

So I thought I'd see if I was in fact the crazy one, but so far it looks like I have some tent-camping company. :)

[sparrow]

Ok, you all are surprising me with tent camping being the majority answer.

 

We tent camp, and I thought that was what most people do. That's what my local friends do, what I grew up doing...

 

But when we visited family out-of-state recently, they told me that they all do trailer camping, and that's what everyone there does. I got the "you must be CRAZY, I could NEVER do THAT" response when I said we tent camped.

 

So I thought I'd see if I was in fact the crazy one, but so far it looks like I have some tent-camping company. :)

 

At our campground we've been BLOWN AWAY by the number of young families that trailer camp. We've always tented and our friends have always tented, so being in the business really opened our eyes to how many people have trailers or at least a pop-up.

[Rosie_0801]

It's only camping if it is in a tent. Otherwise it is going away for the weekend, or week, or whatever.

 

There is a right and proper way to use language, people!

 

:tongue_smilie:

Rosie

[Parrothead]

We tent camp.

[momof3sofar]

Tent campers here too. I just spent a week camping with a friend in her trailer and well, let's just say, I was spoiled!!!!! I think with my MS though we will have to invest in a pop-up next year. Tent camping in anything over 70 degrees is not good for me!!! (that leaves very few days to actually go camping)

 

We love to go camping.

[Audrey]

My dc are begging me to take them camping, and that got me to thinking...

 

What sleeping accomodations does your family usually choose when you go camping?

 

Please choose the accomodations that the majority of the family usually uses.

 

Wait for the poll...

 

 

We have a cute little vintage pop-up camper. It still has the original 1970's cushion covers. :D It sleeps 4 in the pop-outs (we are only 3), and has a little sink and fridge, and a dinette. We take along a composting toilet that has a small tent enclosure for privacy.

[K&Rs Mom]

I'm somewhat surprised at the overwhelming percentage of tent campers on here - when we go to a campground it sometimes seems like we're the only ones with a tent! I wonder if this is more common among homeschoolers, like you'd find more no-TV families on a homeschool board than in the general population.

[JustGin]

My dc are begging me to take them camping, and that got me to thinking...

 

What sleeping accomodations does your family usually choose when you go camping?

 

Please choose the accomodations that the majority of the family usually uses.

 

Wait for the poll...

 

We tent and love it. We've have camped twice in a borrowed pop-up and twice in a regular trailer, and we discovered that what we don't like about trailers is the set up hassle, the lack of privacy for dh and I when he comes along, or the way we all feel it every time someone moves at night. For us, the tent is best. :)

[jenL]

I grew up camping, first in tents, and then in a pop-up. Dh grew up in hotels. I've dragged him tent camping prior to kids, and he's not a fan. I've been mentioning a pop-up lately to put the idea in his head. The boys really want to camp, and I miss it immensely. I think a pop-up would be a nice compromise.

[tex-mex]

Oooh! I love tent camping! :)

 

HINT:

If you do camp in a tent and sleep on an air mattress, be sure to place a "pad" on top. You will be chilled half-way thru the night as your body temp drops and the air mattress doesn't insulate it.

[EKS]

Camper van with pop top.

[Colleen in NS]

We've always tent camped. A couple of years ago, we went for a week to Cape Breton, and a week to the Annapolis Valley. On a few of those nights, it rained very heavily, and our tent got flooded. There was also a lightning storm one night, and it's a good thing we had friends living nearby, because we stayed with them. This is the thing I HATE about tenting, and I don't know what to do about it!!! We have this huge tent that sleeps 13 people, because it was on super duper sale. Should we put a tarp over it somehow? It seems like it would be too big for the site or something (we stay in campgrounds). How do you tenters do it for, say, a planned week, as opposed to spontaneously deciding on a Friday that this upcoming sunny weekend would be a great time to go?

 

That said, I found an inexpensive camp cabin (I never knew these things existed) on Prince Edward Island, and we are spending a hopefully flood-proof week there in August. I couldn't take the tenting anymore (unless I figure out a rain solution).

[TrixieB]

HINT:

If you do camp in a tent and sleep on an air mattress, be sure to place a "pad" on top. You will be chilled half-way thru the night as your body temp drops and the air mattress doesn't insulate it.

Oh, so THAT is why I got cold last summer! It was the first time I took an air mattress (my back had been bothering me, and the mattress definitely helped). I didn't put an insulating pad on top, but I will try that when we go camping later this summer.

[Heather in OK]

Something other than.....

 

A hotel. With a/c and no bugs. :tongue_smilie:

[MeanestMomInMidwest]

We go tent camping and have gone every year since we've been married (even w/ babies or being preggo). We all love it. We go in Spring, Summer, and fall. We've never tried winter tent camping...

Us too! Although I will confess here that I only pretend to love it... I don't exactly loath it (because dh does all the work and I usually get a few hours each day to myself), but when I say I love it, I'm really just lying to keep my family happy. I would prefer a cabin.

[FaithManor]

We used to have an Apache pop-up which is a hard-side. I loved that camper and it stayed nice and warm/dry. But, the mechanism for putting it up and down broke and since apaches haven't been in production for about two decades, we weren't able to get parts. We tried to find another one to purchase for parts but were unsuccessful. So, it's back to tent camping for us.

 

I'd love to get another pop-up because they towed very well and didn't impact our gas mileage as much as the larger trailers. But, we are trying to get out of debt so that isn't in the plan right now.

 

Faith

[laurad1125]

I voted tent but think it's important to mention the queen sized air mattress dh and I share. The boys have a double.

[creekland]

How do you tenters do it for, say, a planned week, as opposed to spontaneously deciding on a Friday that this upcoming sunny weekend would be a great time to go?

 

 

The longest we've tent camped has been three weeks and a couple of those days there were hard rains and wind storms, but our tent held up just fine. We do put extra waterproofing on all the seams each year and when the wind was really hard we had to tie to trees and the picnic table as opposed to tent stakes (as we were on the beach at the time - sand stakes didn't cut it!).

 

Our tent has a rain fly on top and pure ventilation under it. Without that I imagine it could get rather steamy. With it (and LED lights) we can enjoy cards, reading, or other games when it's inclimate weather. In a way, it's nice to hear the elements outside...

 

One other thing... when picking a campsite where it's known to rain, be sure to pick a spot that's uphill or on higher ground. When we were camping in southern Louisiana some folks didn't think about that and their tents were swamped. Ours was dry. There wasn't much difference in the ground level, but it was enough.

[SilverMoon]

We use a tent. Hub and I share an air bed, but the kids just throw sleeping bags on the floor of the tent. In fairness, I really don't have to do much of the work anymore. Our Boy Scout, Girl Scout and Cub Scout can get the big family tent up in no time flat. ;)

 

Our tent is pretty good sized, with screens on the top and a separate "fly" that covers it. That gives it plenty circulation and keeps it dry inside. I don't know the exact size of it off the top of my head. All 7 of us fit in it with enough extra room for a few more sleeping bags.

[AngieW in Texas]

I go camping with my 14yo and 12yo. My dh camped all the time as a kid and has no desire to ever camp again. My 17yo just doesn't like it. She would prefer to go through her entire life without ever stepping foot outside. For her, outside is that nasty place between where you are and where you want to go.

 

So I'm the one who takes the girls camping. I never got to camp as a kid. My parent never camped in their lives so far as I know. My first camping experience was with my dh.

 

We did camp altogether as a family several times. That's how we were able to do some of the vacations that we did. We'd camp 2 nights and then get a hotel room for the 3rd night so we could all get clean. We camped all over Colorado for two weeks that way one summer. We camped at Sand Dunes National Park, Garden of the Gods, Woodland Park, and National Dinosaur Monument. We were going to camp at Rocky Mountain National Park, but that campground was full, so we ended up in a hotel two nights in a row there.

 

I take the girls tent camping every year because they want to go. I have two queen-sized air mattresses. I get one and they get the other.

 

I always get a site that has water.

[mom2denj]

We LOVE our pop-up!!!!! In Florida we NEED A/C. We did the tent thing for 10 years, but I am too old for the heat!!!!!

[Wheres Toto]

We just returned to tent camping this year after years of a permanent RV site. We use thick pieces of foam that are easy to roll up to transport and provide nice cushioning. We've done four trips so far this year. Two of them we had torrential rain and thunderstorms but our tent stayed dry without any problems. The heat was worse IMO - the summer has been brutal.

 

We've discussed getting a pop-up but we often tow an 18 foot boat. We haven't figured out how to tow both without having to bring two cars, which seems a little ridiculous.

 

We're thinking of looking into one of the campers that goes over the bed and cab of a pick-up truck since we should be able to tow the boat behind one of those if its not too long. Unfortunately we currently don't own a pick-up truck so that would be an additional expense.

[mom2denj]

Dictionary.com definition of camping:

 

1. a place where an army or other group of persons or an individual is lodged in a tent or tents or other temporary means of shelter.

 

2. any temporary structure, as a tent or cabin, used on an outing or vacation.

 

We tented for about 10 years and now we have a pop-up and yes I still call it camping. You are still in a tent just with a hard cover.:)

 

It's only camping if it is in a tent. Otherwise it is going away for the weekend, or week, or whatever.

 

There is a right and proper way to use language, people!

 

:tongue_smilie:

Rosie

[swimmermom3]

We've always tent camped. A couple of years ago, we went for a week to Cape Breton, and a week to the Annapolis Valley. On a few of those nights, it rained very heavily, and our tent got flooded. There was also a lightning storm one night, and it's a good thing we had friends living nearby, because we stayed with them. This is the thing I HATE about tenting, and I don't know what to do about it!!! We have this huge tent that sleeps 13 people, because it was on super duper sale. Should we put a tarp over it somehow? It seems like it would be too big for the site or something (we stay in campgrounds). How do you tenters do it for, say, a planned week, as opposed to spontaneously deciding on a Friday that this upcoming sunny weekend would be a great time to go?

 

That said, I found an inexpensive camp cabin (I never knew these things existed) on Prince Edward Island, and we are spending a hopefully flood-proof week there in August. I couldn't take the tenting anymore (unless I figure out a rain solution).

 

I live where it rains rather frequently.:D Our answer from the early days has always been good equipment. I know that two out three of my tents can withstand a torrential downpour and some strong winds. The new 2-man Kelty is a replacement tent and has yet to prove its worth. Good footprints for tents, Thermarests, a system for handling wet or damp items, and teaching your kid tent etiquette are all helpful. After 20+ years we are systematic in how we approach camping and it makes it so much easier except for the last trip of the season. Tents get washed down and dried, sleeping bags get cleaned, kitchen bins get scrubbed and restocked and notes are made for what is needed for next year. That is a bummer after the glory of being at our favorite spot.

 

Anyone else think being a camp host could be a fun way to spend retirement?

[Colleen in NS]

The longest we've tent camped has been three weeks and a couple of those days there were hard rains and wind storms, but our tent held up just fine. We do put extra waterproofing on all the seams

 

Our tent has a rain fly on top and pure ventilation under it.

 

when picking a campsite where it's known to rain, be sure to pick a spot that's uphill or on higher ground.

 

Yeah, the hill thing makes sense - our big flood happened when we were camped on a sloping hill.....I guess we didn't think about it - we just took the site they assigned to us.

 

So waterproofing of seams. OK, I guess I need to look into this, too.

 

About the rain fly - we have one, and there is ventilation under it - but it seems to me that a fly should overhang even out to where the bottom of the tent makes its footprint? Ours doesn't.

 

Our answer from the early days has always been good equipment. I know that two out three of my tents can withstand a torrential downpour and some strong winds.

 

I understand the footprint thing - putting a tarp under the tent, with nothing sticking out, right?

 

Good equipment - we finally bought a Coleman stove, a huge insulated cooler, and a huge water jug a couple of years ago. And air mattresses. That made things ten times more appealing to me. It was the flooding tent that bothered me. What do you look for in tents to make them withstand torrential downpours?