Am I being a prude or would this bother you? Camping etiquette

[Momto6inIN]

Camping in a small, family oriented campground. Very few people here right now besides us. Young 25ish woman walks out of the shower house in broad daylight wrapped only in a towel and walks down the loop to her tent. A few minutes later her also 25ish SO walks out of the men's shower house clad only in his white Under Armor skin tight underpants and goes to their tent as well.

What the actual heck, people??? I do not need to see that and my kids and teens especially don't!

I would never in a billion years say anything to them about it, but I would like to know if I'm being unreasonable to be shocked and ticked off. 

[Jean in Newcastle]

I don't know it's unreasonable but we would laugh. 

[hippiemamato3]

Wouldn't bother me, but I'd find it funny. 

[Shoeless]

I wouldn't be ticked off, but I'd think "Well, that's rather bold". 

[rebcoola]

I wouldn't do it but it probably wouldn't bother me.  

[Excelsior! Academy]

It would bother me.  It is so easy to slip on a bathrobe.  If one didn't feel the need to get dressed, one has other options than just skivvies.

[sweet2ndchance]

I wouldn't be mad. More like, "Well that just happened, lol"

Nudity in general doesn't bother us though.

 

[theelfqueen]

I would definitely find that odd.

This morning I went to drop my teen at something... his program has 3 other teens. One of the teen's moms was a wearing a quite short dress... and not a thing under it. Which I know because it was blowing up and around and all over the place and I (and the instructor) got quite an eyeful. She made not attempt to stop it from blowing about... Different folks have different modesty expectations for sure. 

Edited August 21, 2020 by theelfqueen

[MercyA]

I'd find it tacky and disrespectful, but I don't think I'd be shocked. Like you, I wouldn't say anything.

Edited August 21, 2020 by MercyA

[Acorn]

I wouldn’t have a problem, but I’ve camped enough to wonder if their one set of clothes was wet or being washed.

[TABmom]

I would assume she had a swimsuit underneath. I've been coming out of a campground bathroom after swimming at the beach and felt very awkward because between my hair covering the straps of my swimsuit and the towel, you couldn't see I was wearing anything! And believe me, I worried people were noticing. But I was covering more than my swimsuit- and I wear pretty modest swimsuits!

[Tap]

I wouldn't even bat an eye at it, as long as the private bits were covered. When we used to go camping, we didn't take things like robes. LOL  A towel covers more than a bikini and men's traditional white underwear cover more than a Speedo, so honestly that could have been their version of being modest. 

Edited August 21, 2020 by Tap

[livetoread]

Wouldn’t have bothered me. My first thought was maybe they were European, but even if not, I wouldn’t have found it weird. Different enough to notice, but no big deal. 

[KungFuPanda]

The towel wouldn't bother me.  I'd expect to see bathing suits at a campsite and a towel would cover more.  The undies would probably have me stifling a giggle and raising my eyebrows to dh to see if he noticed..  I wouldn't want to be rude, because there are cultures where this is a non event, but I'd have trouble not laughing on the inside.  I will never outgrow thinking speedos on men look ridiculous, but I can now keep that to myself . . . and all of you.  I don't see how it could harm my children in any way other than learning from my immature, judgy reactions. 

[itsheresomewhere]

They had something on so it wouldn’t have  bothered me.  

[alisoncooks]

It would have bugged me. But I'm pretty prudish when it comes to stuff like that. (And I think it's common courtesy to not walk around in underclothes. What makes it {it=an adult in his underoos in front of children he doesn't know} okay in that situation and not others?)

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, Excelsior! Academy said:

It would bother me.  It is so easy to slip on a bathrobe.  If one didn't feel the need to get dressed, one has other options than just skivvies.

I literally don’t even like to, say, dash from the bathroom to the laundry room in just a towel in my own home. I just think that’s a lot of information my 15yo son doesn’t need to be faced with in the hallway. 😄

[JustEm]

wouldn't bother me one bit. My children see more skin from people in bathing suits and that doesn't bother me.  I would correct them if I saw them staring because that would be rude.

[EKS]

It wouldn't bother me at all.  How is what you described any different from what people wear to the beach?

[hippiemamato3]

41 minutes ago, Quill said:

I literally don’t even like to, say, dash from the bathroom to the laundry room in just a towel in my own home. I just think that’s a lot of information my 15yo son doesn’t need to be faced with in the hallway. 😄

This is the main reason most of our towels are actually giant. lol 

[Sneezyone]

Oh geeze. I'd probably giggle over the tighty whities but a towel? Pshaw. We don't take a whole wardrobe into the shower in our own homes let alone at a campground. As long as they were covered, I wouldn't batt an eyelash. It's camping. Isn't the point to be as close to nature/simplicity as possible?  Who takes a robe camping? I don't even own one that's not silk or satin. I hardly think that'd be an improvement over a towel, lol.

Edited August 21, 2020 by Sneezyone

[popmom]

I'm surprised how many of you see people in bathing suits at campgrounds. Other than a few preschoolers, I have never seen anyone walking around a campground in a bathing suit. 

[theelfqueen]

Yeah I think that may have to do with kinds of camping, lots of.people camp at beaches, lakes, and while boating ...

I camp at high mountain campgrounds so not a lot of bathing suits for me either! 

[JustEm]

15 minutes ago, popmom said:

I'm surprised how many of you see people in bathing suits at campgrounds. Other than a few preschoolers, I have never seen anyone walking around a campground in a bathing suit. 

 

We camp at a state park at the beach.  So, everyone there is there to go to the beach. 

[Ausmumof3]

I’m a prude and I think it’s inappropriate but also kind of funny.

[vonfirmath]

39 minutes ago, theelfqueen said:

Yeah I think that may have to do with kinds of camping, lots of.people camp at beaches, lakes, and while boating ...

I camp at high mountain campgrounds so not a lot of bathing suits for me either! 

They actually told our girls NOT to wear just bathing suits while boating this summer -- something about chafing and needing more coverage.

 

[Katy]

I'd find it unusual at a campground where you drive up and pitch a tent or park an RV, but totally typical at a backpacking place or anyplace people are camping due to an athletic thing (like a cross state bike ride).

[maggie18]

18 minutes ago, vonfirmath said:

They actually told our girls NOT to wear just bathing suits while boating this summer -- something about chafing and needing more coverage.

 

I don't understand-who is "they?"

[frogger]

At first I was like, "Wow, that's bold-different." But then I do walk from hot tubs or pools at hotels with towels on but over a bathing suit. I'd be worried about a towel slipping. 

[kiwik]

1 hour ago, Quill said:

I literally don’t even like to, say, dash from the bathroom to the laundry room in just a towel in my own home. I just think that’s a lot of information my 15yo son doesn’t need to be faced with in the hallway. 😄

I generally wrap a towel round myself now the kids are older but wouldn't bother with more.  Ds13 is starting to realise most people don't walk round the house naked and ds11 is very private.  Our rule is for sitting in the lounge you must have at least underpants and a top of some sort.  So as long as their genitals and her breasts were covered I wouldn't bat an eye.  I hate getting dressed in camp ground showers anyway.

[vonfirmath]

3 minutes ago, maggie18 said:

I don't understand-who is "they?"

The instructors teaching the class

[Sk8ermaiden]

1 hour ago, popmom said:

I'm surprised how many of you see people in bathing suits at campgrounds. Other than a few preschoolers, I have never seen anyone walking around a campground in a bathing suit. 

Could it be weather related? It's so hot here all the time and 90% of our campgrounds have swimming, canoeing or kayaking available. Swimsuits are very common in the state parks. 

 

So, showing some irrational thought, the underwear would bother me, but the towel wouldn't. Either of them in a towel wouldn't bother me at all unless it was a tiny towel, but either of them in their underwear would. Even if swimsuits cover the same or more, I still cant get over the fact that underwear is supposed to be private. 

[happi duck]

I'm very modest and that would not bother me.

[Carrie12345]

It would seem strange to me, as in, you don’t see people walking around in towels and undies every day. It’d also seem strange if they walked out of a camp shower in business casual attire or with pineapples on their heads. But I wouldn’t consider it objectionable in context.

I rarely walk through my own room in a towel, but I do get not wanting clothes to get damp or “icky” in a public shower. It’s not an experience I’ve had often, but I have had it (and just made the best of it.)

[kiwik]

1 hour ago, Carrie12345 said:

It would seem strange to me, as in, you don’t see people walking around in towels and undies every day. It’d also seem strange if they walked out of a camp shower in business casual attire or with pineapples on their heads. But I wouldn’t consider it objectionable in context.

I rarely walk through my own room in a towel, but I do get not wanting clothes to get damp or “icky” in a public shower. It’s not an experience I’ve had often, but I have had it (and just made the best of it.)

I have seen men coming out of camp showers in business suits ready to go to work in the city while the wives and kids camp.

[Momto6inIN]

10 hours ago, Dreamergal said:

What are the campground rules regarding COVID ? 

Bear with me while I tell a small story. I am a very modest person and even my swimsuit is a swim dress, always change in locker and wear a robe. Most people are like that. It was in fact forbidden to walk in the lobby with swim suits on. But after our gym pool opened at 25% capacity in June with no lockers, lot of us turned up in our swim suits with no robe in the lobby. We did not know what to do and most of all did not want "COVID on our clothes" which seems a bit irrational now but made perfect sense then. I have never, ever done something like that and I drove with just a swim suit on.

Fear of COVID makes people do strange things they would not do otherwise. Give grace.

We're camping in Tennessee. Masks are required indoors here but not outdoors as long as you stay 6 feet apart. Neither of them were wearing masks, so I'd be surprised if thst was it.

9 hours ago, EKS said:

It wouldn't bother me at all.  How is what you described any different from what people wear to the beach?

It's not different in terms of what is covered. But it still feels different to me. I am extremely modest in my own swimsuit standards, but I wouldn't feel like someone was unclothed if they walked by me in a much less modest swimsuit than I would choose, just maybe immodest. I felt like this couple was unclothed, which felt different.

9 hours ago, Sneezyone said:

Oh geeze. I'd probably giggle over the tighty whities but a towel? Pshaw. We don't take a whole wardrobe into the shower in our own homes let alone at a campground. As long as they were covered, I wouldn't batt an eyelash. It's camping. Isn't the point to be as close to nature/simplicity as possible?  Who takes a robe camping? I don't even own one that's not silk or satin. I hardly think that'd be an improvement over a towel, lol.

I don't take a robe into the shower while camping either, but I do take my clean clothes with me to put on afterwards.i've never seen anybody do anything other than that in a campground. It's a whole heckuva lot easier to get dressed in a bathroom than it is in a tent!

7 hours ago, Sk8ermaiden said:

Could it be weather related? It's so hot here all the time and 90% of our campgrounds have swimming, canoeing or kayaking available. Swimsuits are very common in the state parks. 

 

So, showing some irrational thought, the underwear would bother me, but the towel wouldn't. Either of them in a towel wouldn't bother me at all unless it was a tiny towel, but either of them in their underwear would. Even if swimsuits cover the same or more, I still cant get over the fact that underwear is supposed to be private. 

We're in the mountains and It's not over 80 degrees and breezy, so I don't think It's weather.

[Momto6inIN]

10 hours ago, Acorn said:

I wouldn’t have a problem, but I’ve camped enough to wonder if their one set of clothes was wet or being washed.

Do people really camp (in a campground, not backpacking) with just 1 set of clothes? No extras?

We look like "the Beverly Hillbillies go camping" with all our stuff lol, so that would surprise me!

[marbel]

18 minutes ago, Momto6inIN said:

Do people really camp (in a campground, not backpacking) with just 1 set of clothes? No extras?

We look like "the Beverly Hillbillies go camping" with all our stuff lol, so that would surprise me!

I never did, but sure, people might. People do all  kinds of stuff.  Or, maybe they didn't want to worry about their clothes in the shower room.

In terms of my own modesty, if I find myself fresh out of the shower and need to dash into another room for some reason, I'd rather my son encounter me in a towel than in my underwear. Towel covers so much more. 🙂

[alisoncooks]

I've never seen anyone walk from the bathhouse in a towel or just underwear. We camp 3x a year for about a week each (beach and state park/lake). I see plenty of bathing suits as clothes (though many adult women do throw on shorts). I see plenty of naked babies and toddlers.  But no adults as described in the OP. 

[theelfqueen]

9 hours ago, vonfirmath said:

They actually told our girls NOT to wear just bathing suits while boating this summer -- something about chafing and needing more coverage.

 

Yeah more coverage is better.... I pissed off my DIL's mom a few weeks go by suggesting to DIL that she should get a rash guard instead of just wearing a bathing suit while boating. The intense light on the water plus the likelihood of washing away sunscreen make it a sensible choice ... but skin cancer is a a constant part of our life.

Dh has had deep tissue melanoma with extensive surgeries as well as literally dozens of excision surgeries. He is at the derm 4 times a year and it is very rare for him to leave without multiple new biopsies and at least one follow on surgery. 

[HS Mom in NC]

I see people in bikinis and speedos at the beach.  People at the beach are wrapped in towels over their swimsuits. I see people in bikinis and speedos in hotel pools.  They wrap themselves in towels there too.  I see people in spaghetti strapped tank tops, tube tops, short shorts, and mini skirts at the mall. If those things aren't bothersome, I don't think seeing them at a campground should be bothersome. As long as the goods are covered, that's all I expect. 

As a friend of mine would say, "If I'm not your midwife, there are parts of you I shouldn't see."

[RootAnn]

I'm a prude (as I've been told multiple times when being judgy about skimpy prom dresses). The towel wouldn't make me blink an eye as long as it went all the way around. I'd be unhappy about the tight-y whites but I'm not excited about male Speedos & bikinis, so....

We had a neighbor several years ago who mowed his lawn sans shirt. He was obese & it was not a pleasant sight. I learned to never look in that direction when the mower sound was coming from that direction. Shudder! I'm not ever a fan of shirtless mowing no matter your physique (though I expect to see shirtless guys at the pool & it doesn't bother me there). I guess context matters. So campground bathhouse towel wear is ok to me.

[Wheres Toto]

11 hours ago, popmom said:

I'm surprised how many of you see people in bathing suits at campgrounds. Other than a few preschoolers, I have never seen anyone walking around a campground in a bathing suit. 

We generally camp places with at least a lake, and sometimes a pool, so swimsuits are very common.  

I can see not wanting to dress in the showers at some campgrounds.  The floors are wet/sandy/muddy/gross, you are wearing sandals in the shower to not stand on the floor, juggling with one foot on top of one sandal while trying to raise the other foot to put on pants or underwear while not putting your bare foot on the icky floor, you are potentially still a little wet making it harder to pull up pants.  Sometimes there's very little room to put down your clothes, maybe one small hook and your only other option is throwing it over the icky shower curtain rod where it might get wet.   I've had this problem and if I had towels big enough, I'd be tempted to just wrap one on to walk back to the campsite.    Our last few trips, I started taking an extra towel just to put down on the floor to stand on while getting dressed.   

Although unless it's a really long trip, I also agree with WendyMilo, we barely shower while camping. 

I find it MUCH easier to dress in a tent than in some of the small shower/dressing stalls.  Plus I can sit down on the air mattress instead of trying to juggle things. 

[JustEm]

12 hours ago, alisoncooks said:

It would have bugged me. But I'm pretty prudish when it comes to stuff like that. (And I think it's common courtesy to not walk around in underclothes. What makes it {it=an adult in his underoos in front of children he doesn't know} okay in that situation and not others?)

 

I mean I think context matters.  The adult is simply walking back to his campsite.  His privates are covered. He isn't interacting with the children he doesn't know.  He isn't being suggestive.  He's simply minding his own business and walking.  There are plenty of situations where a man in his underwear in front of children he doesn't know would be an issue.  This isn't one of them in my eyes.

[SKL]

I wouldn't like it, but I would assume that was how they interpreted the rules.  I don't like a lot of things that others find acceptable ... but I guess that is my problem.

[annandatje]

Would not bother me at all.  Doubt I would take a second look.  

[Sk8ermaiden]

4 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

We're camping in Tennessee. Masks are required indoors here but not outdoors as long as you stay 6 feet apart. Neither of them were wearing masks, so I'd be surprised if thst was it.

It's not different in terms of what is covered. But it still feels different to me. I am extremely modest in my own swimsuit standards, but I wouldn't feel like someone was unclothed if they walked by me in a much less modest swimsuit than I would choose, just maybe immodest. I felt like this couple was unclothed, which felt different.

I don't take a robe into the shower while camping either, but I do take my clean clothes with me to put on afterwards.i've never seen anybody do anything other than that in a campground. It's a whole heckuva lot easier to get dressed in a bathroom than it is in a tent!

We're in the mountains and It's not over 80 degrees and breezy, so I don't think It's weather.

Sorry, I was responding to the post I quoted, where the poster was surprised people had seen campers in swimsuits. 

[Laurie]

4 hours ago, Momto6inIN said:

Do people really camp (in a campground, not backpacking) with just 1 set of clothes? No extras?

We look like "the Beverly Hillbillies go camping" with all our stuff lol, so that would surprise me!

If we camped,  I would pack like that, too.   And everyone would have some kind of appropriate cover-up to wear in public.  

Now at the risk of looking like some kind of dirty old lady,  I found myself wondering how you knew the brand of the guy's underwear.  Since I've never purchased Under Armour for my dh or ds  I looked at their website, and now I understand.  They are certainly proud of their brand name, aren't they!

I've always told my ds and dd that it's called "underwear" for a reason...if other people can see your underwear, then something's wrong.  (Ex. : the  guys who walk around in the extremely baggy pants to purposely expose their underwear.)  

 

 

[AngieC]

A towel seems a little odd, but hopefully it was large and covered everything.  As for the Under Armour bottoms, it could be that they were actually compression shorts and not underwear.  Google that and you will see what I mean.  They look just like undies, but the material is actually a little heavier and they can be worn under other clothes or they can be shorts by themselves (lots of people run in them if they have chafing issues - I own several pairs and there is no need for shorts over them other than personal preference).

I personally tend to dress somewhat modestly, but in the situation of a communal shower, I wouldn't care too much about what others did as long as they were relatively covered.

[Catwoman]

I don’t camp, so I don’t know the etiquette, but it would seem very odd and inappropriate to me to see some guy walking down a hotel hallway in his underwear, so I’m going to vote with MomTo6 on this one and say I would think it was weird at a campground, too. I’m not sure about the towel, because I have seen people go from the hotel pool to their rooms wearing a towel, but it was also obvious that they had swimwear on underneath it, and that never struck me as being a big deal. I always found it a lot weirder to see adults stepping into the elevator wearing wet swimwear with no towel or cover-up. If the woman at the campground was going commando under the towel, I would find that inappropriate, but if I couldn’t actually see anything, I would probably just figure she was wearing something underneath it... but I would still be hoping she didn’t accidentally drop the towel. 😉