I've enjoyed camping since I was 8 years old. Even in bad weather I'm happy as long as I'm properly equipped for the conditions. The only time I bailed-out early was this past February when the weather turned worse than predicted: temperatures in the 20's, strong gusty winds blow ing wet snow horizontal, there was no relief but inside then tent. And to me, camping isn't about the tent, it's about what you do outside the tent.

I gave up backpacking for the most part several years ago. Between my back and my knees it just wasn't any fun. I had plenty of through-hiking with 35-40lbs of gear and food on my back, and the trails were getting too busy and camping restrictions so tight, scenic locations trashed with broken glass, garbage and graffiti, that the peace and serenity just wasn't there anymore. I still manage to find places to camp that aren't overridden by folks looking for an excuse to party-up and be obnoxious; I just drive to those places now instead of hiking.

The side effect of driving is it's easy to increase the amount of gear you carry. One backpack turned into two duffel bags, a folding table and chairs. The two-man 4lb tent turned into a three-man 8lb tent. The rain poncho that doubled as shelter for my kitchen was replaced with a 20x20 tarp and poles. Then add a portable grill, two-burner stove, pots and pans.... Soon I was packing a carload of "essential" gear. And if I wanted to bring one of the kids (now all young adults and usually traveling with at least one friend) and the dog, I had to use a utility trailer to leave room in the Jeep for passengers. I enjoy basecamping, but all the packing and unpacking was a chore I could do without, particularly for some of the jeep club events where we'd change camping locations every day.

My solution was to build a micro-camper with many of the same features as a teardrop. But time and money have been interfering. A few weeks ago I found a 35 year-old Coleman pop-up camper on Craigslist for $500. The camper is in amazing condition for its age.

I still plan on building the micro-camper, because even with the pop-up there's still some time and effort required for setup. But now the pop-up is always packed-up and ready to go, just add fresh food and ice. As a result I've been out camping every weekend since, and am enjoying the trips much more. Even in the rain (and boy did it rain on my inaugural trip).

And once in a while I still head out minimalist and hike a few miles from the car to get away from everything. It's just that there's no real spots like that left in my area. If I'm going to drive most of a day to go camping, I'm more inclined to make it a longer and more comfort-oriented trip.


Sage advice. As a snorer, I always pack earplugs for any unfortunate tent-mates or neighbors with our group. Personally, I plug in the earbuds from my iPhone and play music at low volume. A very handy thing when the whippoorwills start singing at 5AM when my target wake-up time is closer to 7.[/quote]



I first saw this done (setting-up a tent inside a screen room) a few years ago at a 4-day jeep club off-roading and camping trip. It rained heavily the entire trip, and many suffered with wet tents and sleeping bags. One fellow setup his tent each day inside his screen room and not only kept his gear dry, but had enough room to setup his kitchen inside.

Someone else on the trip observed he had a tent for his tent. Thus the "tent-tent" name was created. The only negative is you are cooking right outside your sleeping area, so this isn't a good solution for locations where bears or other animals might be attracted to the smell of food.

I also admit to enjoying the sound of rain on the tent, and love watching a good thunderstorm. But cold or hot temperatures and constant rain can wear down anyone's enthusiasm. As I said, I did all that man versus miles stuff in my younger years and don't get excited about proving my trail toughness anymore.