How many of us are campers?

[creekland]

As I'm sitting here at a wonderful campground overlooking big water and diving pelicans, etc (while my guys study/work), my mind naturally got wondering how many others enjoy camping.  We're here for a little over a week, and being a Great Outdoors lover, I wouldn't want it any other way since the weather is pretty much perfect.  The saving money is a bonus, but this sure beats a balcony from a hotel TBH.  (Not all campgrounds would, but this one - and our specific campsite within it - is literally ideal.

 

There are all sorts of ages here and the campground is full pretty much every single night this time of year.  Tons of us like it - or use it for the monetary savings - or both.

 

How votes the Hive?

Edited March 10, 2016 by creekland

[creekland]

Oh, we're tent campers BTW, but sooner or later as we age we'll switch to a Class B or B+ motorhome.  Just not now.

[Wilma]

We're tent campers!

 

Sent from my XT1094 using Tapatalk

[Arcadia]

Hubby and I like it. Our boys prefer cabins or yurts if camping and dislike tent camping because hubby buys the cheapest tent possible and no sleeping mats. We usually stay at family suites at midrange hotels though because we tag along for business trips.

 

Our boys would like to do a motorhome roadtrip just to experience what it is like.

[J-rap]

None of the options work well for me, but I love it!  We all love it!  In fact, our honeymoon was canoeing/camping for 7 nights in the Boundary Waters.

 

Once we started having kids, it was just too hard.  We camped a bit when we just had two, but having 5 babies in 7 years made camping too hard.  Then, we didn't have the equipment for 7 and couldn't afford it.  Once our kids were old enough, they'd camp with friends or other groups.  A few times we rented a camper cabin for all of us (didn't need all the equipment) at state parks and absolutely loved it.  Now that our kids are all grown up, we sometimes camp with two at a time if it works out.  But now that my dh is disabled, tent camping is too hard.  The last two times we've camped, dh and I have rented a camper cabin and our kids stay in a tent right outside the door.  I love camp cooking the best.  :)

 

[aggieamy]

I camp with Scouts and with my family.  We love it.  DH and I started off tent camping and then bought a pop up.  There wasn't room for it when we moved so now we're back to tent camping.  We're going out next weekend and I'm excited!

 

That said ... I love camping for two nights.  I have no interest in being out longer than that!

[Amira]

We love to camp but it's a little complicated to find a good place to go wherever we're living and to have the stuff we need.  We're planning on lots of desert camping in Saudi.

[regentrude]

We (tent) camp as a means to an end: we camp in order to hike and climb.

We don't love camping per se, but we love being out in nature and hiking - camping hear the trailhead and backpacking are the ways to get to the great places.

I would not "go camping" for the sole purpose of camping. I do not actually find it enjoyable to sleep on a sleeping pad in a small tent or the act of cooking one pot meals on camping stove, but this is the price one has to pay for getting to the cool spots.

 

 

Edited March 10, 2016 by regentrude

[Dmmetler]

We like camping/hiking, but I can't sleep on the ground without significant pain the next day, so we usually do cabin camping. I figure DD will need to get some more rugged camping experiences before she starts field work (since "accommodations provided" usually means "a sleeping bag and mosquito netting in a shared tent" for herpetology field work unless you're at a research station).

[bettyandbob]

I car camp with a tent. It means I can afford a trip with my kids. I made reservations for the state park beach back in December for three nights in July. Weve been before. Its nice. That's our next camping trip.

 

Ds is in a special needs scout troop. We are going to start camping once a month with them.

[RebeccaS]

We used to tent camp as a family every summer.  I love it so long as it doesn't rain.  But I swear, you take me along and it rains!  So, now dh takes the kids and I stay home for a week of peace and quiet.  :D 

[creekland]

Hubby and I like it. Our boys prefer cabins or yurts if camping and dislike tent camping because hubby buys the cheapest tent possible and no sleeping mats. We usually stay at family suites at midrange hotels though because we tag along for business trips.

 

Our boys would like to do a motorhome roadtrip just to experience what it is like.

 

No sleeping mats?

 

Thermarest pads are a necessity for us.  (Granted, we camped for years without them, but then we discovered them about a decade ago.  We still use the same ones we bought then...)

 

http://www.amazon.com/Therm-A-Rest-TPSP-17-Therm-a-Rest-ProLite-Sleeping/dp/B0075JN8FS

[MEmama]

DH and I used to backpack and tent camp a lot, but we do less and less every year. I'm sorta over it, honestly. DS likes it okay, but it's not his fave. He's not one for discomfort of any kind.

 

The only cabin we've ever stayed in was infested with mice. DS was small enough we had him sleep in his travel crib so he was safe, but the mice literally ran over our bodies all night. *shudder*. Have never done that again!

 

We do talk now and again about getting some kind of small trailer or, more ideally, a camper van. But we don't have a car that can haul a trailer and I don't want to drive a camper van around as my daily vehicle so neither is realistic. I do think we'd get out more with either one though (especially if there was a shower). But where we live, we have so much natural beauty essentially in our backyard it's kind of hard to want to leave. We can do day trips to the mountains, the ocean, any number of parks and wild places and still sleep in our cozy beds at night. :)

[umsami]

We aspire to be campers, but are not.

 

Kids have done some through Scouts... and I did a little as a Girl Scout....but we've not yet done it as a family.

[Loowit]

I grew up camping with my parents several times a year in a trailer.  I always enjoyed it.

 

After I got married we didn't do any camping. DH is only into backpacking/tents and I am not as big into that.  After kids came along we have done a few tent camping trips.  DH and the boys go about once a month backpacking/tent camping with their troop.  DD goes camping with her venturing crew a few times a year.

[Arcadia]

No sleeping mats?

He thinks sleeping bags are good enough, but he also buys the cheapest sleeping bags he can find.

[Tess in the Burbs]

tent campers here.  Both kids do scouts and we camp as a family.  For long camp trips we do cots and the kids sleep pads.  But I did do a long weekend without my cot last year.  I survived ;-)  All my scout functions are just a sleep pad.  I just won a new one and can't wait to try it out, way thicker than my thermarest.  

 

We have been looking at campers.  It rains here so much I think we would camp more in spring/fall if we had a camper.  Or we need more tarps to make rainy camping more tolerable.  But honestly, so many places close here in fall/spring I almost need cold weather gear to deal with the snow in upper elevations.  

 

We are doing Mount St Helens, Cape Disappointment for sure this year.  Lots of little nights not far from here.  I also want to hit North Cascades in Sept but I haven't booked it yet, and it may be full.  Need to wait on some details for life first.  

 

Last summer we did a week in eastern Oregon.  I did minimal planning for that one, but it turned out to be an amazing experience!!!  One of our best trips.  And Deception Pass.  Another good one.  We may go back there soon as a family.  

 

Dh and I hope to get a camper for old age and be camp hosts.  My mom did it for years and loved it.  Good people she met.  Ideally we hope to retire near a large National Park and work or volunteer.  

 

The nest big trip will be 2017.  Pretty sure we are doing 2 weeks in Yellowstone/Tetons.  Second choice is Yosemite/CA.  

[bettyandbob]

Hubby and I like it. Our boys prefer cabins or yurts if camping and dislike tent camping because hubby buys the cheapest tent possible and no sleeping mats. We usually stay at family suites at midrange hotels though because we tag along for business trips.

 

Our boys would like to do a motorhome roadtrip just to experience what it is like.

We've been using air mattresses, but they don't last very long. I got some nice sleeping mats I'm looking forward to using this year. Sleeping on the ground is not very comfortable.

[theelfqueen]

We've been tent campers for most of my life... I wouldn't have considered an RV before I started homeschooling but now I WANT one so we can take more trips and

have more of a home base! We live at high altitude so the tent camping season is a bit shorter for us.

 

 

[Sherry in OH]

We tent camp because our sons are in Cub Scouts and Cub Scouts camp in tents.  The boys love it.  Dh and I not so much.   

[livetoread]

I love tent camping, our kids like it pretty well (especially if they can bring friends now that they are teens), and my husband tolerates it. I plan on doing more after the kids are in college and maybe getting a small trailer then. My husband says he will accompany me because he loves me and he enjoys the places we go, if not the camping itself. Even if he didn't though, I'd go myself. It's my happy place.

[creekland]

He thinks sleeping bags are good enough, but he also buys the cheapest sleeping bags he can find.

 

:scared:   That would make camping an entirely different experience - esp if you go somewhere cold (like Yellowstone or something).

 

It's too bad he can't try some better things and see the difference for himself.

 

tent campers here.  Both kids do scouts and we camp as a family.  For long camp trips we do cots and the kids sleep pads.  But I did do a long weekend without my cot last year.  I survived ;-)  All my scout functions are just a sleep pad.  I just won a new one and can't wait to try it out, way thicker than my thermarest.  

 

We have been looking at campers.  It rains here so much I think we would camp more in spring/fall if we had a camper.  Or we need more tarps to make rainy camping more tolerable.  But honestly, so many places close here in fall/spring I almost need cold weather gear to deal with the snow in upper elevations.  

 

We are doing Mount St Helens, Cape Disappointment for sure this year.  Lots of little nights not far from here.  I also want to hit North Cascades in Sept but I haven't booked it yet, and it may be full.  Need to wait on some details for life first.  

 

Last summer we did a week in eastern Oregon.  I did minimal planning for that one, but it turned out to be an amazing experience!!!  One of our best trips.  And Deception Pass.  Another good one.  We may go back there soon as a family.  

 

Dh and I hope to get a camper for old age and be camp hosts.  My mom did it for years and loved it.  Good people she met.  Ideally we hope to retire near a large National Park and work or volunteer.  

 

The nest big trip will be 2017.  Pretty sure we are doing 2 weeks in Yellowstone/Tetons.  Second choice is Yosemite/CA.  

 

Most of our huge trips have been camping for at least significant numbers of our nights.  We love National, State, and County parks.  We've been to 49 of the 50 states and might have camped in the majority of them to be honest.  Not all though.  But many.  It's tough to pick a favorite campsite.  There have been so many...

 

We love the one we're at now (esp if one can get waterfront sites and the weather is in the 70s without rain).  It's Ft DeSoto in Pinellas County, FL.  We're return campers here... as are many.

 

ETA:  We've camped a bit in Canada too... can't help it.  It's my second home really and tough to consider a different country.   ;)

Edited March 10, 2016 by creekland

[J-rap]

We love to camp but it's a little complicated to find a good place to go wherever we're living and to have the stuff we need.  We're planning on lots of desert camping in Saudi.

 

That brings back memories of camping in the desert in Jordan.  We used to go with another couple.  My dh and the other husband would just spread a blanket in the sand and sleep.  My friend and I would usually sleep in the car.  It was all the equipment we had there.  :)

[Carrie12345]

I can't vote, lol.

I'm a born and bred camper, but haven't gone in 15 years.  My children know little of the camping lifestyle.  :crying:

 

My family went in tents and/or a pop up once or twice a year and I've done tents and cabins with Girl Scouts.  We spent most of our summers (plus fall and spring weekends) in a trailer at a family campground.

 

I definitely miss it.

[Reefgazer]

My family absolutely loves camping and I loathe it, so they go without me. Everybody's happy; they get to go camping and I get a free alone time weekend.

[Tess in the Burbs]

my issue is we own a timeshare that my mother gave us.  So we go in spurts.  We are camping a lot now that we are back in the PNW.  But my timeshare is banking up weeks and we need to use them before they expire.  I ought to sell the timeshare/give away.  But then we went to Montana with a cabin last year and I wanna go back!  But the kids want to camp at Glacier next time....but that cabin had a hot tub :-)

[LifeLovePassion]

We do. We had a Scamp trailer and sold it when we got grandpa's fishing boat. We do tents or camper cabins depending on the trip. We also stay at a rustic resort sometimes. It has a dry sink and private outhouse. The girls have gone since they were babies. Dd1 was 11 months on her first trip and dd2 was 5 months.

[Arcadia]

But the kids want to camp at Glacier next time....but that cabin had a hot tub :-)

That is enticing since I am scared of cold but we love snow :)

[Guest]

Yes tent camping//hiking. <3

 

Though really right now I'd love to have a pop up! Just to extend the season for us a little bit.

 

And I love a cabin more than almost anything else!

[Arcadia]

:scared: That would make camping an entirely different experience - esp if you go somewhere cold (like Yellowstone or something).

 

It's too bad he can't try some better things and see the difference for himself.

We have bought and returned sleeping bags. It is not the money though, we just lack experience in picking out camping equipment so we have quite a few buy and returns.

 

We'll stay in a lodge for Yellowstone or anywhere cold. He stayed at inns for Canada when he was an exchange student backpacking during term breaks.

[SKL]

With kids 40 years younger, and a job that doesn't readily allow "getaways" (outside of wired hotel rooms), my primitive camping days may be over.  I do want my kids to do it.  They have done it a few times, one of which I was with them overnight in a tent.  Therefore I answered "yes."  :)  I do like camping, it's just hard for me to do it.

 

Now that my kids are crossing over to a scout level where they can camp without me, I am not sure whether I will do this with them or not.  Don't get me wrong - we travel together, we hike together, we have all sorts of "away" experiences together.  I love the outdoors.  But sleeping on the ground at age 49 feels a lot different from how it felt at 9.  :P

[Seasider]

Add us to the "yes" crew. Mostly tent and cabin camping, but I am looking at teardrop trailers. Also hope to do some backpack/kayak camping this year.

 

ETA a link to my "wish list" item:

 

http://vogeltalksrving.com/2014/02/vistabule-teardrop-trailer-one-year-later/

Edited March 10, 2016 by Seasider

[RKWAcademy]

We camp in a travel trailer.  Right now, we can really only swing two separate weeks per summer at the beach.  But some day, we hope to branch out and go other places.  Our camper has proven to be as expensive as just renting a beach house - between the blow-outs (2!) and the campground fees and on and on.  But we just love it.  We have never taken the kids to Disney, but we hope to stay at their campground when we finally save up and make that trip.  There is also a campground Bahia Honda in the keys that we have wanted to visit for years.  It's just such a long way down from NC. 

 

As for tent camping, I was all game for that when I was a kid.  But now I'll leave it to DH and DS for their scout trips.

[mamiof5]

Didn't vote since didn't find an answer that totally fit for me. Dh grew up camping and loves it. I didn't, at all. I have learned to tolerate it, and mostly love it because my kids love it, and I want them to love it. We do tent camping, and we have cots for adults and air mattresses and pads for kids. Dh has bought a lot of equipment, and can set up a pretty neat campground. I also do like hotel and cabin experiences, while dh not so much. Oh, and camping and raining just don't go together :P.

[gardenmom5]

you need other options:

yes - we used to camp alot, but we're getting too old to sleep on the ground (even with an air mattress) . . . .

[Pawz4me]

I voted yes we love it and we're motor home campers.  But really we never say we camp.  We say we RV.  I think of camping as being much more roughing it than what occurs in our RV where we have all the creature comforts we do in our sticks and bricks house. I wouldn't love anything to do with roughing it. ;)

[Lady Florida.]

There was no Other option for the first question so I couldn't answer the second one.

 

We're former campers who haven't had the time lately and haven't gone in several years, and our family dynamic is changing so I don't know when we'll go again. We were mostly tent campers though we once borrowed a pop-up from friends, and three times we went cabin camping with several other families (each family had their own cabin).

 

Ds loves to camp and it bothers him that none of his friends do. He said to me one day, "Nobody wants to be outside anymore". That saddened me to hear. He loves the outdoors and would like to go again but really wishes he could convince a group of friends (or even just one or two) to go too.

 

Tent camping is a bit harder than it once was, because of my back problems. I can't sleep on the tent floor like I used to and I don't find cots comfortable either. If we started going again, I'd want a pop-up. I don't think I'd like a motor home because I really do like the outdoor camping experience. A pop-up is as far as I'd want to get away from a tent.

Edited March 10, 2016 by Lady Florida

[creekland]

We camp in a travel trailer.  Right now, we can really only swing two separate weeks per summer at the beach.  But some day, we hope to branch out and go other places.  Our camper has proven to be as expensive as just renting a beach house - between the blow-outs (2!) and the campground fees and on and on.  But we just love it.  We have never taken the kids to Disney, but we hope to stay at their campground when we finally save up and make that trip.  There is also a campground Bahia Honda in the keys that we have wanted to visit for years.  It's just such a long way down from NC. 

 

As for tent camping, I was all game for that when I was a kid.  But now I'll leave it to DH and DS for their scout trips.

 

Both Disney and Bahia Honda are great campgrounds.  At Disney though, beware of pine sap getting on things.  At Bahia Honda, try for a waterfront site.  ;)

[creekland]

you need other options:

yes - we used to camp alot, but we're getting too old to sleep on the ground (even with an air mattress) . . . .

 

I added a more inclusive similar option.  Hopefully that will help!

[Sk8ermaiden]

We love camping and try to go monthly if possible from March to November - usually taking a break in July/August because Texas is miserable. 

 

We tent camp, though now we'll get a screened shelter if the park has them - but we still sleep in a tent unless it's only a 1 night trip. We don't hike in or primitive camp though - that's not fun for me!  

 

We've been camping since we got together 12 years ago, though we've taken a couple breaks because my personal limit is kids under 1. I don't camp with crawling babies! Though I've gone up to 8 months pregnant. 

 

We enjoy it partly because we like the outdoors and a lot because it's such an inexpensive way to go make memories with the family!

[Night Elf]

Ugh! My first husband dragged me camping. I hated every moment of it. I'm happy that when I remarried, he doesn't like camping either. We've never taken our children. I asked them once and they were horrified at the idea. :)

[J&JMom]

I caught the camping bug on my first overnight tent campout with my then Tiger Cub Scout.  7 years later and I still spend upwards of 2 weeks or more in a tent.  In fact, I have at least 3 week end (2 night) campouts planned this Spring - one just for the family and two with Scouts. The boys will each have an additional campout with their patrol. And, then I am ASM for the local summer camp so another 6 nights there.  Add in the two campouts from the Fall and that's 16 nights in a tent.  We love it. It's our "sport".  My husband isn't too keen though - only one of those campouts (the family with beer and steaks on the grill) interest him.  We have TONS of equipment including instant tents, cots and a heater.  We camp in style.   

[raptor_dad]

We (tent) camp as a means to an end: we camp in order to hike and climb.

We don't love camping per se, but we love being out in nature and hiking - camping hear the trailhead and backpacking are the ways to get to the great places.

I would not "go camping" for the sole purpose of camping. I do not actually find it enjoyable to sleep on a sleeping pad in a small tent or the act of cooking one pot meals on camping stove, but this is the price one has to pay for getting to the cool spots.

 

This is exactly why we don't car camp. However in addition to getting to cool spots, I think immersion in nature is another major camping benefit. So backpacking is an entirely different thing than hiking hut to hut and certainly inn to inn. Any of those are fun but camping does have benefits to make up for the tradeoffs. I have no interest in car camping or motor homes but backpacking on a close to civilization trail like the Superior Hiking Trail or the Long Trail still has some allure... even if its not as epic as the PCT or West Coast Trail or whatever.

 

ETA: On further reflection, I think immersion really is the key feature for us. That's why a hike in state park camp site 1/4 mile from the road is infinitely cooler than a drive in site. A twinkee true back country site might be even better. Likewise, that's why sub 24 hour bike overnights are cool( just google s24o if you care). 

Edited March 10, 2016 by raptor_dad

[QueenCat]

Despise camping but love hiking and campfires...... so cabins WITH heat and air conditioning, depending on the season.

[regentrude]

What is "cabin camping"? What about staying in a cabin is camping? It's a house.

[FaithManor]

Love - hate relationship. I loved camping for the benefits for my children. They adored it, and we nearly always stayed at a lake so they played on the beach, hiked, swam, fished, you name it. But for me with four children, the three boys being little stair steps, bathing, cleaning, cooking, laundry, everything was more work for me than being at home.

 

Now that said at times when dh and I went off alone, that was fun. That just didn't happen very often.

 

We had tents at first, and then we had a pop up camper.

 

Due to a variety of reasons, we no longer camp. We gave the pop up to dd and hubby who adore camping, and that allows them to take a vacation when they otherwise could not afford it.

[myfunnybunch]

We're mostly tent campers, though we'll occasionally rent the Forest Service cabin at the lake near my dad's.

 

Last summer, my sister and I started backpacking camping. We do carry a tent, but I voted hiking/under the stars since we hike in and camp.  It's so peaceful, and not crowded like traditional campgrounds can get around here in the summer.

[Wheres Toto]

We tent camp.   We own 50 years worth of camping stuff from dh's family so we're pretty well set-up. 

 

I would eventually like to get a pop-up, but dh has a boat that he hauls along so I'm not sure how that would work.

[MomtoCandJ]

Well dh, dd1 and I have done tent camping while with dd2 we now have a truck camper. We plan on buying a pull behind camper (with a bathroom or at least a toilet) in a few years that will be more comfortable for all of us. The truck camper was free (given to dh by his uncle, the camper was bought for the truck that dh bought from said uncle), it doesn't have any type of bathroom facilities and it's a pain to get it in the truck. We have had a couple of pop up campers but none of them were worthy of camping in and they didn't have bathroom facilities either(rotten canvas and you can just about buy a decent used camper for the amount you would pay for a new canvas).

[lynn]

Love it. Got rained out from going this weekend.