Camping pet peeves

[TNONMYMIND]

Re: Camping pet peeves

I have been checking out some of the state parks close to me for possible future camping and have
noticed that they seem to have ALL the sites(primitive,regular,and RV) clustered in one small area...
while the rest of the park is left undeveloped or with hiking/biking trails criss-crossing...and no
dispersed sites to be found...these parks have been in existence for some time as the main building
were built by the CCC back in the 40's I think...
definitely not looking forward to experiencing that kind of camping...
I hope this is just the setup here in this part of TX and not like this all over...

PET-PEEVES:
people who set up their site and it overflows into the street
sites with 1 large tent and 4-5 kidsized ones as well
people who leave their vehicle in the way blocking traffic while they unload their camping gear

(all these scenarios happened in the last two weeks)

[jason]

Re: Camping pet peeves

Campers singing (maybe accompanied by guitar, harmonica, etc.) Children laughing. Adults laughing (not the continuous party laugh) Families or groups teaching their kids to respect other people and nature. Obedient and non-aggressive dogs that only bark when provoked. A clean and orderly camp.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Camping pet peeves

I have been checking out some of the state parks close to me for possible future camping and have
noticed that they seem to have ALL the sites(primitive,regular,and RV) clustered in one small area...
while the rest of the park is left undeveloped or with hiking/biking trails criss-crossing...and no
dispersed sites to be found...these parks have been in existence for some time as the main building
were built by the CCC back in the 40's I think...
definitely not looking forward to experiencing that kind of camping...
I hope this is just the setup here in this part of TX and not like this all over...

PET-PEEVES:
people who set up their site and it overflows into the street
sites with 1 large tent and 4-5 kidsized ones as well
people who leave their vehicle in the way blocking traffic while they unload their camping gear

(all these scenarios happened in the last two weeks)

For curiosity's sake why does this bother you?

I've seen several different types of campground developments throughout several states and even changes with in one state. I think it depends on when it was built, land development cost, gosh so many possible factors. I can often find a campground map online as well as a map of the park in total. It's been a great boon in helping me to decide where I want to go and what area I'd prefer to camp in.

[thuffrn]

Re: Camping pet peeves

I have to ditto the PP who said leave your dog at home. You are really the only one who likes them that much.

I take my autistic daughter camping (she loves it!) and she is terrified of dogs, any of them. But what really chaps me are the people that have a retractable leash but gives 30 feet of slack (usually just enough so Fido can s#!T at the edge of everyones campsites). A 200 pound dog running up to people just doesn't give us all the warm and fuzzies. But when you laugh at my childs distress, make jokes and say stuff like "whats the matter with that retard?" I really want to punch you in the throat.....hard. It's not funny.I don't bring my cats and allow them to sleep all over your campsite and lick you within an inch of your lives (then immediatley go back to sleep for 12 more hours) but what can i say, they are cats.

Oh yeah, for those aholes who brought those annoying horns from the world cup a few years back and started blowing them at 5 am. You are jerks. I was truly tempted to get up and tell them so but hubby reminded me that silence is golden. To which I replied "Yes but duct tape is silver and stops the air flow". So we had a chuckle, got up and made coffee, and gave the stink eye as hard as we could.:cool:

[TNONMYMIND]

Re: Camping pet peeves

the site I commented about was a single tent site not a group site so it looked very cluttered and disorganized...
I'm not used to camping where the kids have their own tents...it was always a case of the kid(s) slept in the same tent
as the parents, that way they were kept in check...camping is different now,as is life in general...
I am much older, no longer have kids or grandkids around and don't have the patience to deal with people in general, kids specifically...
My reason to go camping is to get away from civilization but I am more and more restricted as to when and where because of
the set-ups as they are now...
dispersed camping is not a viable option because of physical handicaps, I(we) are not able to hike with gear to remote
sites...not arguing, or trying to be ugly,just explaining my situation...
guess camping for us will only be off-season,during the week when few to no people are around...

[farout]

Re: Camping pet peeves

My pet peeve is someone who uses handicapped parking spots or when some one uses a camping spot that clearly says handicapped only. When you asked them why they are using that spot they say there was no other spot in the area. Then there are those who catch their trout limit in the morning and go back in the evening just before dark and catch more trout. Then there are those who use the restroom to clean their fish in the sink, and of course leave the mess for someone else to clean up.
But there seems to be some kind soul who takes all this in stride and never says anything but does their best to be a good camper, cleans up the mess, helps those who can't help themself. God bless those kind of campers, I hope I am known as a good camper.

[NYCgrrl]

Re: Camping pet peeves

the site I commented about was a single tent site not a group site so it looked very cluttered and disorganized...
I'm not used to camping where the kids have their own tents...it was always a case of the kid(s) slept in the same tent
as the parents, that way they were kept in check...camping is different now,as is life in general...
I am much older, no longer have kids or grandkids around and don't have the patience to deal with people in general, kids specifically...
My reason to go camping is to get away from civilization but I am more and more restricted as to when and where because of
the set-ups as they are now...
dispersed camping is not a viable option because of physical handicaps, I(we) are not able to hike with gear to remote
sites...not arguing, or trying to be ugly,just explaining my situation...
guess camping for us will only be off-season,during the week when few to no people are around...

No prob at all! I have noted the tendency to sprout smaller tents for kiddos by tenters and RVers at various campgrounds. It's possible I'll succumb to it when the kiddos are older assuming the generous tent allowances remain where I camp now.

I so enjoy the peace of camping at the end of the season! It's looking at the same space in a new light. Oh but the various raccoons, skunks etc become bolder as well ....

When the time comes when I really don't want to be around many others I hope i can still fufill my dream of hiking the entire Appalachian Trail.

[brewmandan]

Re: Camping pet peeves

I'm adding another one of mine. Went camping this last weekend and our campsite was next to the playground area. Kids playing during the day is fine with me--gives my kids a chance to play with some of the other kids at the campground. However, my pet peeve is the 8-12 year old kids arriving at the playground area once quite hours begin and like to make it known that they are there by being loud. And when I ask them to at least quite down, they look at me like I just ruined all the fun.

[1ATony]

Re: Camping pet peeves

I'd have to say people who steal stuff from your campsite when you turn in for the night.

[Billy Bob 66]

Re: Camping pet peeves

I'd have to say people who steal stuff from your campsite when you turn in for the night.

I agree that is my 1st pet peeve the second is people who don't put their trash away and campgrounds that don't have the trash picked up often enough.

[Like2Hike]

Re: Camping pet peeves

#1 - Noseeums, only found that a drilling layer of Skinsosoft can stop them
#2 - not a pet peeve but personal weakness. I'm a hyper-lite sleeper. As soon as any other camper unzips a tent or even stirs during near dawn hours I pop up like it's noon. Then, I have to be super quiet while every else sleeps for 2 more hours. This is when I go for solo hikes. maybe it's a gift, not a weakness.

[chuckdee]

Re: Camping pet peeves

Oh yeah, CabinFreak reminded me of one of mine.

Finding trash when I am out in the wilderness.

That's my biggest peeve. Everybody in this country knows not too litter and they still do it. No respect.

__________________________________________________ _____________________
"I have busted more hippies' noses than all the narcs in the free world." - Ted Nugent
Chuck Dee - AKA Chris
www.rhinobldg.com

[pitmaster]

Re: Camping pet peeves

trash, trashers, loud people who like to draw attention to themselves, and those who don't know what quiet hours mean. had to step over and ask a group to guiet down an hour and a half after quiet hours started. the one guy wanted to make a scene since he was drunk and the women were watching. it's funny to watch a drunk swing, miss, and face plant the ground. the next morning i woke up at 630 and quietly tipped toed my way to the restroom and back and put some coffee on. a few minutes later a few folks stepped in to our camp site. one began by apologizing for the nights events and the others backed her. come to find out, it wasn't anyone from their group that was making the noise, it was a camper on their other side that had stepped over to visit them while they were playing cards by rope light and they didn't even know the guy. i told them no issue and all was good and they joined me for coffee. later, the moron who face planted mother earth steps over and wants to start up again. i gave him 3 choices, leave freely, walk away on his own, or face plant mother earth again but this time he wouldn't like the way he did it. he chose option number 1 and the week was awesome, but i kept an eye on my site

[sonworshiper]

Re: Camping pet peeves

My greatest pet peeve (at the moment), after just coming back from our second camping trip this summer, is children -- and the parents who don't teach them how to talk quietly at their site, and then those same parents who yell, seemingly incessantly at those same children. It's sad when you know the kids names better than your own, because you've heard it yelled so much. The place gets so quiet and enjoyable when those types of campers leave.

And music. Why go to the great outdoors to play music? And sing along off-key? I actually did play some music on my ipod one a.m., because I was tired of the noise in the next site. . . .those same 2 kids. . .and their parents.

Thanks for the chance to vent. Happy camping!

[Hikenhunter]

Re: Camping pet peeves

Just got back from Locust Lake state park and I watched some lady camper wash her dishes at the public water source.She thought nothing of dumping her waste water, soap included, on the ground right where she got the warer. When I informed her that there was a place behind the bathrooms for washing dishes and that the water she was dumping had the potential to enter the well we were getting the water from, She told me that she has been doing this for 30years, that she knows what she is doing and that I should mind my own buisness. So I told the Ranger and decided to let her deal with it.