Your Idea of Camping

[Sford13]

Well I am sure we all have our own ideas of what camping is. So I figured I would share mine with you and then you could share yours.

I am a proud tent camper. And my wife actually refuses to do any other camping. It is not camping if there is not a tent according to her. Boy you gotta thank the father in law for raising a women right in that aspect.

We are not social type campers. Our goal is to go out and have our own little world to experience with ourselves. It is our get away for ourselves. Now there are times we like to have family or friends along but like to keep the group fairly small.

That being said we look for fairly secluded campsites that have plenty of space to others near by. But that is a problem in our area and having 5 acres in the country we do some camping on our own property. Also find that the in-laws with 40 acres is another great spot. Don't have to worry about neighbors that way.

We both did some camping as youngsters, her probably more than me. But know with two little girls we are wanting to do more of it as a couple. Maybe using it as a way to let them see more of the beautiful country we live in. And a way to connect as a family without the tv, microwave, and video games.

That in a nutshell is what camping is to us. So what is camping to you?

[Bigdog57]

I feel the same - if you ain't "on the ground" you ain't camping!

I like privacy too. I tend to be a light sleeper, and others moving around or causing noise makes for a poor night's sleep!

[renodesertfox]

We too camp in the dirt! It's a nice escape from our modern concrete and asphalt lifestyle!

[AdamGOGC]

Wow. Sford13, I couldn't agree with you more. My wife and I are the same way. We are and probably always will be tent campers. Most of the camping we do is just the two of us, but sometimes family will join us. I think the two things that make an outing a real campout for me are a tent and a campfire.

Camping is a great way of slowing down and enjoying the things around us. It is a way to enjoy nature and get some fresh air. For me the quieter the better and for that reason we usually look for secluded campsites. Being outside also makes us appreciate all the luxuries of a modern home.

[renodesertfox]

I'm adding more of my two cents, cause I can, so can you so this is a great topic, what does camping mean to you? Well...

One day last week I sent four e-mails throughout the United States, opened three “overnight” packages sent to my home office(I still shoot some weddings), read five faxes, surfed the web for new sites, made and received a dozen telephone calls, took out the garbage and watched a news program on television about crime, viewed half of a movie I had taped on my DVD recorder, ate a home-made pizza, kissed my bride and went to bed.

It was time, I thought to myself as I tried to sleep. Time to get away from these machines and services and satellite hookups that supposedly make my life easier, and go up on a mountaintop somewhere and stick my face in the dirt.

Well, maybe not literally. Maybe. But the point is that I needed to spend some time somewhere away from civilization, at a place where I could witness the strength and beauty and mystery of nature as it has been for millions of years—and before my fellow humans did such a good job of insulating us from it.

The need to forego modern, artificial comfort and convenience and reconnect with nature is quite natural. Humans have been enjoying the so-called good life for only a comparatively short time. Although there is evidence of Neanderthals first living in caves anywhere from 50,000 to 100,000 years ago, humans did not begin to form basic cities (and the practices of agriculture and animal domestication) until just 10,000 to 12,000 years ago. We all have an understandable biological reason to feel the urge to roast a freshly caught trout over a campfire somewhere in the wilderness, especially after experiencing some supposed improvement in life such as a “moving sidewalk.”

Unfortunately, the zeitgeist of the modern “outdoor experience”—going “back to nature” is another cliched term for the movement—is often misinterpreted in various media. Witness a recent television ad depicting a young man eating a bowl of breakfast cereal atop a misty peak at sunrise before, it is implied, he charges off deeper into the wildlands.The beauty and solitude of this compelling image belies the difficulty of experiencing such a dramatic moment—not to mention the impracticality of backpacking fresh milk up the side of a mountain.

Which is what brings us to this site. You're smart enough to want to learn something about camping before jumping in. For instance, I've seen more than a few people who evidently thought they knew enough about camping to spend a night in the woods—only to spend two hours fumbling around at a dark campsite trying to erect a tent before finally retreating to the back seat of their car with a sleeping bag in one hand and a dim flashlight in the other.

We, all of the great subscribers here, have years of experience camping, hiking far into the wilds, spending the night on the ground and under the stars. We have learned quite a bit about the proper and improper ways to go about it. We have an innate love of both the sport and the natural world. So read and go forth and have fun by doing it right. And Respect the Wilderness while you are there, because it's really all that's left to define who we really are, by cracky! You'll find that out once you're there! Thanks Sford13 for starting this thread!

[donnyonee]

Well I am sure we all have our own ideas of what camping is. So I figured I would share mine with you and then you could share yours.

I am a proud tent camper. And my wife actually refuses to do any other camping. It is not camping if there is not a tent according to her. Boy you gotta thank the father in law for raising a women right in that aspect.

We are not social type campers. Our goal is to go out and have our own little world to experience with ourselves. It is our get away for ourselves. Now there are times we like to have family or friends along but like to keep the group fairly small.

That being said we look for fairly secluded campsites that have plenty of space to others near by. But that is a problem in our area and having 5 acres in the country we do some camping on our own property. Also find that the in-laws with 40 acres is another great spot. Don't have to worry about neighbors that way.

We both did some camping as youngsters, her probably more than me. But know with two little girls we are wanting to do more of it as a couple. Maybe using it as a way to let them see more of the beautiful country we live in. And a way to connect as a family without the tv, microwave, and video games.

That in a nutshell is what camping is to us. So what is camping to you?

ditto! im 1 step over a tent in my timeout tent trailer, its only a tent 15x5 on a very small trailer 4x6 that folds open. i have a sm folding table inside and a sm folding chair. double bed on 1 end. i cant do the knee thing anymore.

when were camping we see the huge rigs pull in, somebody hops out to walk their pooch and thats all you see of them. imo thats not camping, thats rving. but all that really matters is that your happy.
but im a camper!

[njcamping]

Howdy,

I'm not set to a certain type of camping to be frank. I have done many different kinds of camping and like them all to be frank.

In the Boy Scouts we do mostly tent camping (I am the Scoutmaster of my two sons troop), friends of ours have a trailer that we borrow at times and we've even rented a cabin every now and then.

To me it's more about getting away from everything and everybody except the one or two other families that we go camping with (if anybody). Our "regular" lives are very hectic and our camping trips are the only time I get to slow down at all.

Sincerely,

Eric
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NJ Camping Information --> NJ Campgrounds

[17nut]

I too am a tent camper, I have never been to a campground or state park because I am lucky enough to have a large amount of woods where I live. I would like to camp some state parks sometime just to check it out. I drove past Watkins Glen already and it looked really beatiful. But anyway Camping with me is normally Myself and my woman and our 10 year old son. Now there is a new member of the family who is not yet 2 so My wife stays at home with him till he is a little bigger. We also go with my friend and his 2 boys and my brother and his 2. We went for a night this weekend and going again in 2 weeks... Cant wait

[ontariocamper]

Camping for us is in tents............
Love to listen to rain pitter patter on the tarp.
Just the 4 of us, me the wife and 2 girls 9 and 11,
sitting around the fire at night facing the bush.........sometimes talking quietly, often just being mesmerized by the fires' warmth and flickering.
During the day, biking, sitting on the floating dock, watching small fish in the lake, or a turtle swimming past.
Trying a bit of fun fishing with the kids.
Going on the hiking trails, hoping not to encounter a mother bear.
Taking the kids out on the lake with the canoe, watching loons dive and resurface.
Smelling the pine scented wind blow,and the smell of bacon cooking.
Everyone huddling at the picnic table under the tarp if it rains in the day.
Playing an impromptu game of camper baseball at the point.
Watching the nature presentations at the outdoor theatre, and riding back to the site by the light of one flashlight.
Most of all, listening to the sounds of silence.

[familycampman]

Hybrid Camping family

Hi all,

I'm a tent camper. Wife is a cabin camper. We both are not social campers.

Here's what camping means to me:

Camping means family time.
Camping means taking a deep breath and enjoying the fresh air
Camping means fishing
Camping means hiking
Camping means roasting marshmallows and eating s'mores
Camping mean sitting around the campfire, enjoying the peace
Camping means reliving childhood memories
Camping means preparing for rain, while hoping it doesn't
Camping means struggling with a campfire and cursing, hoping the kids don't hear.

I'm sure I'll think of more..

Eric

[Smokey Mtn. Camper]

I am a tent camper and the rest of my family is as well. We have done the pop up and RV thingy but it ended up being to much of a hassel and campin is all about having fun.

Camping to me is watching my 2 year old chase 100's of butterflys that just hatched out...seeing my 9 year old watching a mother bear take care of a cub that is a few weeks old...building a campfire and reading stories to my kids by the flickering light...hiking to a waterfall and seeing how children inspect every inch of the surrounding terrain...sitting by myself after everyone has gone to bed and just listening to the silence...getting all my gear together and watching the excitement grow in my whole family...enjoying the time in the wee hours of the night with my wife, when everyone is asleep...at least we "think" everyone is asleep.

[racegrrl7665]

I think I'm outnumbered here!

Smoky Mtn. Camper, I am envious! I have visited the Great Smoky Mountain National Park numerous times in my life - it's basically the only place my family ever went on vacation when I was a kid. We were not raised camping in the Smokies, but we are Gatlinburg people and stayed in a cabin at a now-defunct hotel near the park entrance.

I tend to like my camping with walls, electricity and air conditioning, LOL. However, my kiddo and hubby are planning to go camping with Cub Scouts next week. It will be my son's first real experience tent camping, so it will be interesting to see how he does. Hoping our weather improves so we don't have the strong storms next week that we have had the past 2-3 weeks.

[gmonteith]

When we had small children, camping meant parking the car near the campsite and hauling in a Coleman stove, games, lots of food from home. It was always in a tent, and those were wonderful times -- even in crowded campgrounds.

Now that I can do it my way, camping means hiking in with everything I need for a weekend or a week. Walking through some forest each day and discovering something I never knew existed. Sometimes never seeing another person and sleeping alone with the sounds of the trees, the wind, the water and the animals all around me. About day three I shift into a new mental state in which TVs, phones and e-mails seem meaningless (occasionally realizing that have to return to them sooner or later).

Does this make any sense?

[Fieldsy]

The best thing about camping to me is...

Sitting in my chair, listening to tunes, looking at nature, making fires, cooking food right on the fire

Its so simple, but its like my paradise. Its my favorite thing to do. When I have to go back to real world it really makes me sad. lol

[WVcamper]

When I have to go back to real world it really makes me sad. lol

Glad I ain't the only one.