Lost interest in camping?

I just did an overnight campout with my brother and father, and our kids came along. It's a 3 mile paddle-in site alongside a reservoir - very basic sites, not "car kamping" - you need a tent and water and all that, no real "facilities" at all.

In the evening a strong wind storm with rain blew through, and I was laying in the tent at 2:37 AM with my kids, listening to branches snapping and falling and the rain coming down, I was thinking, "OK, I don't like this anymore."

In the morning, we got a weather report via text message (yes, yes, I know...phones on a campsite...) that there were heavy thunderstorms coming in the afternoon and into the next evening - so we decided to cut the trip short and head back to my house before the storms came.

But as I paddled back, I began to wonder if I'd really just lost interest in camping entirely. Things I used to like to do - like collect firewood and set up a campsite and cook over fire and digging a latrine and trying not to get bugs and soot in my food and all that - they were just tedious. It just seemed like endless chores, not "getting in touch with the outdoor lifestyle"

I think what I want these days is less "camping" and more "base camp in the outdoors" - I used to mock people who hauled chuck boxes and field kitchens out into the woods, but I think that perhaps they are on to something. Maybe it's that middle ground between "solo backpacker" and "base camp" that's no fun for me.

Anyone else arrive at this point?

Yes. Small children means a much larger support infrastructure is required for my family. My bad back makes it hard for me to sleep on the ground, even with a pad. We use an air mattress and either stay in electrified campsites or use an inverter with the car running to inflate and deflate it.

I do get a great deal of decompression value out of it though; my stress seems to just melt away.

I think you're out of practice.

All those "overhead" items cost you psychic energy which drags down the experience.

With practice, the overhead chores take less time and effort and thus impinge less on the positive parts of the experience.

At least that's been my experience.

On the other hand, sometimes the best choice is to bail out when conditions are going against you. Camping thru 3 solid days of rain may be a character-builder but it's not fun.

Personally, I'm at the other end of the spectrum. I've always done the car camping thing and have only recently started getting into the backcountry stuff. One of the big benefits of backpacking in my mind is the reduction of gear needed. Its so much nicer to have a backpack full of gear to deal with than a truck full of it.

Even for the father/child trips I've started taking, I've been scaling back what I bring; using a lot of my new backpacking gear instead of my car camping stuff to keep the volume of stuff down (my kids aren't yet as enthusiastic about the idea of backpacking as I am).

But when the whole family goes out together, we still bring our large complement of gear. For example, I have a trip scheduled later in the year to an area I've never been to and I know my full-size crossover will be full to the brim and the roof basket will be full too. So I'm not looking forward to the packing & unpacking/cleanup aspects, even though it will likely be a great trip overall. My wife too is put off with the amount of gear, but reducing it is a challenge and usually comes in the form of finding a more compact solution to supply a particular functional as opposed to reducing the amount of amenities overall.

All that said, we should be doing what makes us and our families happy; this is how we are choosing to spend our leisure time and it should be enjoyable. Heck, one of these days I'm likely going to break down and get a tent trailer to keep the family happy while still enjoying the outdoors. So my advice is to try different solutions and find out what helps you enjoy your time out there the best.

As long as that's what you're doing I don't see how anyone could say what you're doing is wrong. Unless, of course, you start bringing a generator, then I might have to hate on you a little bit

I am an avid car camper who has had zero interest in backpacking. But I love day hiking. So, yes, am all about a comfortable base camp -- hot showers, bathrooms, "chuck box," java press, bulky Thermarest "Basecamp" sleeping pad....

In August, my pup and I are going car camping at my favorite park - beautiful mountain lake for boating (no power boats allowed). I have a campsite on the lakeshore which I'm sharing with friends and several other friends have booked four cabins (replete with a/c, fully-stocked kitchens and bathrooms). There's a restaurant on the lake and a camp store (with wi-fi). We'll have five inflatable canoes which the pups love to ride in.

Forty miles of hiking trails. At the end of every hike is a hot shower and a great dinner (we take turns cooking).

Am just taking a tent for this trip, instead of taking my teardrop trailer.

Heaven is waking up before sunrise and walking 20 yards to my boat to paddle around the lake before breakfast.

There are many ways to camp.

perhaps you are depressed like me. I find it difficult to get back to the spirit of camping again.

Though I wouldn't say I'm no longer into camping, my own personal definition of what "camping" is has changed as I've gotten older.

In my teens, 20's & 30's I did lots of tent camping. Thin pads were the norm.

In my 40's, with young children my family moved to use of a popup camper, though with both my son and daughter there were plenty of nights tent camping with Scouts. I did notice that I was spending much more thought on picking sleeping pads - and spending more money on them.

Once I hit my 50's I found I was really not sleeping well on the ground. In the last two years I actually found myself dreading it when I'd go with the Scouts (my son is now 17 years old, so he REALLY doesn't need me there). With the family we moved up to a travel trailer - mostly for the wife, and sometimes actually rent cabins.

Recently we bought some property in northern Wisconsin (pre-retirement) and have moved the trailer to a seasonal site near by. We still pretty much camp in a simple way there - no rolling barbecue grills and large wood porches - pretty simple living actually. For me the travel trailer is a comfortable bed and a way to not have to do the walk to the latrine in the middle of the night :-)

I still like camping, but its the sleeping on the ground that I've moved away from.

BTW, I never was one to burn fires just for the fun of it. I don't know why - it was just never something I did. Because of all my years involved with Scouts I'm actually pretty darn good at it. I don't cook over fire - for the most part, and unless someone else wants to start one I probably won't.

I am at crossroads, so to speak. Most of my adult life has been pure wilderness hiking and camping where seldom, we would stay put for more then one night. Meaning, hiking all day, setup an expedient overnight camp, next morning pack up the camp then repeat for as many days as planned.

Now I find that although I enjoy hiking, the overnight hiking / overnight camping adventure is getting old, and not just for me but also for my SO. As well, some of our friends in the same age group (<<50 yrs old) feel the same. Perhaps it is not as much as the adventure getting old...rather it is us getting older.

What I am now finding to be more enjoyable is to setup a decent and better stocked camp with also a larger tent. This setup is then used as a jumping off point for a more broader mix of day hiking, fishing, canoeing etc where you can choose any given activity or all on the same day if we want to and still return to camp to sit around the fire later at night enjoying good company and conversation and not have to worry that we need to be up at 4:00 am, packed and on the trail an hour later.

By taking this approach and now with a much bigger vehicle, we can take all the various gear with us and not worry about if we go multi-day hiking, we cannot take the canoe etc due to the previous space constraints and also time constraints. Also in my area, the option to stay in place longer opens a lot more options in terms of suitable locations and distance as we fortunate to have virtually unlimited camping anywhere whether it be at a rudimentry .gov forest recreation site that only offers a pit toilet and a fire ring or just at the end of a forest service road turnaround/turnout 60-70 miles from the nearest civilization.

That all said, I still enjoy some multi-day hikes with overnight camping, albeit in smaller quantities. Next month i have a 6-7 day solo hike and perhaps a 4-5 day solo in late September but that will be it for this year which this is the least I have done in years. For next year, I have a 12-14 day solo tentatively planned of which, in all probability, will be my last big solo in terms of duration, but who knows what the future holds...

Martin, camping is always more fun in good weather. You had your children with you and more storms coming in. I'd say you made a good decision to get out. Try again when the weather is cool and clear.

I've seen it creeping up on me as I get older!

I did a lot of backpacking in my younger days. Enjoyed it a lot. Now at age 73, I prefer our truck camper on our 4x4. We still get into the back country. Only now I can stay for several weeks (if I plan it right).

We hike during the day and return to the comforts in the evening. Best of both worlds.

Our life is simple, sort of, but we have all we really need. I don't know if you call that camping or not. Don't care what you call it but it gives us access to places we could not ever get to by any other means. And provides the "infrastructure" to support our needs.

Right now we are in a remote part of Maine, on the edge of a large "pond" We will wander about for the summer and then return to southern AZ for the winter. Our route takes us through all the national forests and such that we can.

I could not do this with a tent. Too much work and could not provide the solar power or "facilities" we need for such remote camping...there.. I used the word.. guess I do think of it as camping.

Nomad

Nah, I think that I'm just tired of sleeping on rocks and eating dirty food. I rather enjoy being outdoors, but I like a hot shower at the end of the day.

Every morning when I realize I have to crawl to get out of my bag and tent! For me it's just part of getting older and stiffer. I'm not doing the multi-day backpacking trips like I used to, my body is refusing more often.

As far as the spirit goes, I actually started thinking about renting or buying a Class-B van for the first time last year. There is something to be said about being a turtle.

I actually like the sound of the rain on the tent flysheet. A good storm is also sometimes enjoyable as we get a lot of Atlantic storms blowing in. But the weather can have an effect on others for when misery sets in. The Weather here has been cold, damp and wet this summer. This Wednesday, the weather forecast gives a high temperature of 55F, overcast with the prospect for showery rain, which probably would put a lot of folks off camping. I prefer the backpacking type of camping and trekking as opposed to the organised paid for camp site motoring (with facilities) crowd as it gets you away from the crowd aka the rat race and takes you into more spectacular scenery and wildlife. A camp fire gives an ambiance to the whole adventure.

Planing a camp trip should be done with a loose itinerary and time scale. The pace of life today is far to hectic and it does take time to slow down to a stress free pace out there in the wilderness.

Having others in the group saying 'are we there yet' is a particular annoyance along with the snorers.

As an occasional backpacker, I've really gotten into car camping in remote locations. Its a whole different logistical challenge; fuel, water, gear, tools, etc. And from there you can day trip or overnight out as far as you want to go. Of course in the west/southwest its a bit different than the northeast.

I find its easier than planning a strickly backpacking trip because you can have pre-packed storage bins ready to go. Throw them in the car/truck and you're off.

I used to backpack a lot when I was younger. But that kind of slows down as you age. Now I just do the car camping thing. Our annual "Men's Only" camping trip, which has been going on annually for probably 30 years now, is a bunch of us old ambulance paramedics (I should say "ex-paramedics") who still love each others company. It used to be just an overnight campout. Now it's three nights. We don't do any more than we used to ... it just takes us longer to do it.

Night one is always a "wine and exotic cheese" party, and in recent years we've been following up those appetizers with fondue (how's that for "wilderness cooking"?) Next night is usually big 'ol steaks, baked potatoes, salad and some kind of baked cobbler. All washed down with some Jack Daniel's and Coke. The third night is our "back to basics" night. Well, kind of "basics". Typically bratwurst, hamburgers, salmon, etc.

And over those four days/three nights we try to prove that we are still young by mountain biking, hiking, kayaking/canoeing, fishing, slingshot shooting contests and the occassional air pistol competition. Just a bunch of old farts having fun. Oh yeah, and we have real comfortable chairs and hammocks we set out under our sunshades for napping!

A well-timed post. We just got back yesterday from a three day car-camping trip to the Minnesota blufflands.

All the way there the wind buffeted the car, making the drive more challenging. When we arrived however, the wind died to nothing, and with the temperature topping 100 degrees, and the humidity at 100% the air was oppressive and heavy. After setting up camp, I was drenched in sweat. The ground was wet from condensation, and the trees were dripping water. I had some difficulty getting a fire going because the wood was wet, and I had to tie a bandana around my head to keep the sweat out of my eyes while I shaved down some fatwood for kindling. I finally got a good fire going, and almost immediately heard a clap of thunder, followed by a torrential downpour which extinguished my fire.

Sitting in the heat under the fabric canopy watching the heavy rain, wet from top to toes, for the first time ever I told my wife that I thought I might be losing interest in camping. My wife knows me well and just nodded knowingly.

The next day, the sun came up over the tall bluffs around our valley campsite with an eastern exposure, and I was up early brewing a pot of my coveted camp coffee. The droplets of condensation in the trees glowed brightly with all the colors of the spectrum, and I could hear a wild turkey calling behind my camp. One of those living jewels - a Myrtle warbler - chased a moth branch to branch through the camp, as it hunted for it's breakfast. Everything was lush, green, and fragrant.

We finished a hearty breakfast, drained the coffee pot, strapped on daypacks and headed out. Miles of cold, crystal clear water creek teeming with brown trout the size of my forearm. We followed the creek to it's source, taking time to doff the boots and walk in the icy water, and ford the creek using a fallen tree for a bridge. We looked in amazement as the creek gushed out of the base of a 250 foot limestone bluff. We then headed out through the hardwood forest onto the wild mint scented tall prairie. Everything was in bloom and attended by hummingbirds and butterflies. I almost felt like we were on the set of 'Avatar', as we gazed out on the prairie nestled at the base of tall limestone bluffs.

This time we were car-camping a remote state park, and that evening sitting under the stars next to the fire, my wife declared that the problem was that 3 days is not long enough. I thought about that and realized that I don't like being stressed out, hot and wet, but I really do love camping.

Ditto on the sound of rain on the tent. Some of my favorite trips are to the Shenandoah Mountains (100 miles west of Washington, D.C.) where we camp at 3700-feet and the camp can be shrouded all day long in drizzly rain clouds. Even in DC's hottest month - July - it can be cool at camp at night, so I always pack fleece.

EARPLUGS: I keep a package of earplugs in my camp kit as well as airplane carry-on. Crowded campgrounds and hotels are equally annoying when noisy neighbors are nearby or in the hallway. These earplugs enable a good sleep and lessen the temper.

http://www.amazon.com/Hearos-Xtreme-Prot...ywords=earplugs


A key to my car camping zen is this 12' x 12' screenroom (Eureka Northern Breeze). My tents come and go but this screenroom is the mainstay of basecamp. Shelter from bugs and rain (including withstanding a tropical storm that broke one of my tent's poles). 1" shock-corded aluminum poles that connect at a 4-way hub. I can put this up in 15 minutes by myself. I also have the optional snap-in floor. Each wall can roll up or be used as an awning.

http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___26300

It's so big I've arrived at camp in thunderstorms, put up the screenroom and then set up my tent inside the screenroom.

The cool thing about the Northern Breeze is that it has rain/shade flaps on all four sides, so you can essentially turn it into a tent. We even have a removable floor for ours. Great screen tent!!

Camping with DS's cub scout pack, we've had to get used to the sound of rain on the tent roof. It's such a common occurrence, the running joke is that it wouldn't be a cub scout campout if it didn't rain.

Perhaps it's this news article that gets me a little worried about tree branches:

http://www.nj.com/hunterdon-county-PHRAS...amper_at_b.html

An adult sycamore tree, weighing several thousand pounds, fell on top of the family's tent about 6 o'clock this morning, Tang-Smith said. State park police arrived about 6:15 a.m. and found the man and his wife inside.
Tang-Smith said the Somerset County family had been camping with their children, a 10-year-old boy and 12-year-old girl, as well as a 9-year-old cousin. Authorities said the children were unharmed. It was not clear where they were when the tree fell.

Happened just a few miles from me...I know guys who were on the call. It wasn't even bad weather...it just fell.

Ouch! That price tag stung a bit...

People change - no need to beat yourself up about it.

I have gone back and forth between unsupported solo camping, car camping, and RVs. All of them have their pluses and minuses.

I do find that if I finish off a trip with a few days somewhere that I can get a hot shower that it makes the whole trip better.

You probably already have too many obligations in your life, so no need to feel obligated to camp a certain way to stay true to some ideal you formed years ago.

My two cents anyway.

my friend's idea of camping is motel 6.

and too, that's why the national parks have hotels of all types within them - to attract folks who wouldn't otherwise be caught dead (pun intended) sleeping on the ground.

My camper the original owner had a tree fall on it with him in it. He sold it and the second owner then bandaged it up with some aluminum flashing, a lot of caulking, and fiberglass with a couple steel angle bars across the center to pull it back up. I peeled the covering off and replaced all the broken and patched wood framing after I got it. It might not have been too heavy for his truck without all the extra crap

I'm curious as to why you would find the need to put up the tent within this particular screenroom? Was the downpour that heavy? It seems that this model once completely outfitted would serve adequately as a tent in its own right, sans a little privacy.

I've seen others use a tarp as the first setup and then setup the tent beside it so that the entrance to the tent is given complete cover.

The solutions for this problem is fairly simple. Don't camp under trees with large branches. They are frequently referred to as "widowmakers." A properly maintained campground will prune their trees of such hazards.

Raindrops on canvas (or nylon) are wonderful. Chunks of wood are the opposite of wonderful. In the last while, I have found good reason to echo Martin's discomfort.

One of my favourite campsites (in a national park) had a microburst come through a couple of years ago. Dozens and dozens of honking big spruce trees were snapped off at 3-4 feet and laid down neatly in the same direction.

One of these was right across the place where I had set up my tent the year before.

Now, I make it a practice to scan for large dead branches or trees -- the classic widowmakers. But I had the opportunity to look at the carnage. No rot or damage to these trees: they were healthy, solid, and in the prime of life.

I will still go camping, including in this place. But nature peeled a layer of smug off of me, right then and there.

My point of view is the old joke: Camping, for me, is staying in a hotel without a pool.

I think I am in love with the idea of camping; not camping itself.

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.

Thunderstorm (i.e. heavy rain and wind) + convenient sheltered space big enough to set up the tent. It is/was as simple as that.

The screenroom is not completely enclosed so it is not secure from creatures which populate this region, such as bugs, chipmunks, skunks, etc. I also need a tent to keep my dog inside at night, which the screenroom would not do if she was curious about something outside.

Another reason I like that screenroom is for storage of bikes, boats and boat gear. The walls/awnings provide privacy which provides more security for my stuff - which can be an issue at campgrounds (fortunately, I've never had anything stolen but it happens).


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Hear, hear!

My teardrop trailer transformed weekend camping - made it much more feasible, time-wise, and far more comfortable. Permanently packed with everything except food, it is hitch-and-go convenience.

Some weekends I don't bother un-hitching. Our favorite weekend car camping campground is right on the Appalachian Trail.

There are terrific deals to be had on used camping trailers.



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it is possible that we dread camping at older age because our bones are getting more brittle.

Wow, seeing how much you guys (and gals) love your trailers makes me want to check into getting one for the impromptu family weekend camping trip. It would sure beat packing the tents, air mattresses etc into the mini-van.

I couldn't use it for the cub scout campouts though. Well, I could, but I'd have to eat some crow. In years past I've told them campers are for sissies, but now I am looking at and thinking about them in a whole new light. I'm sure DW would enjoy it a bit more and actually WANT to go more often, and that's a good thing.

Emerson:"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."

Humility is a magical quality in a leader-this is a great object lesson for the scouts. You will show kids how to use new information to work through preconception and prejudice to a better decision, a critical survival skill.

Mark - highly recommend checking out this forum below on "Teardrops & Tiny Travel Trailers." There are some small regional manufacturers of teardrops but a lot of them, perhaps most, are home-made. This forum (THE forum for teardrops) even has free blueprints.

http://www.tnttt.com/

The classic teardrop -- consisting of a bed accessed through side doors and a kitchen galley accessed from outside -- is a few sheets of plywood - floor, sides, wood spars. Some are skinned with aluminum.

Could be a great project to include scouts in to earn some merit badges.

If you get into teardropping then you'll likely also discover cast iron dutch ovens -- if you haven't already in your scouting experiences.



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Martin ... Original Post

So - camping, with kids, in a windstorm in the wee hours of the morning?? Dude ... in family terms that goes down as an "epic experience". Hahahahaha !! A great story to be told later. :-)

Things with families have to be a lot milder and much more user-friendly. Otherwise they do indeed become "not much fun" for the adult in charge.

You'll be fine ... if you do future camps in simpler locations where you can bail out quickly. There's no shame in declaring a retreat and moving to a motel if things go horribly wrong. It's always a good idea to have that as a backup option :-)

good luck!

Pete2

The whole damn tree fell. All of it.

Martin, there are things that we cannot wholly get away from no matter how hard we try. Random car accident, maniac outside a movie theater (Colorado last night), trees falling, etc. A microburst topped three trees and snapped a fourth in my backyard a couple of years ago, dropped two in the front yard as well. I live on a quarter acre in a subdivision as well. That was just another thunderstorm that we were watching. The derecho was another. I still go out of the house. I still boat. I still camp.

I firmly believe that once you loose the wonder of it, camping is just sleeping in the dirt. This applies to a lot of other things as well. Everyone should go ride a bike this weekend just for the sheer pleasure of riding, not for exercise, to to go somewhere, just to ride.

Regards,
Bill

You have learned all that you need to learn on this path, grasshopper; it is time to seek a new path, with new obstacles and new delights.

IIRC, you live in a fairly rural setting, have an active emergency services job, and a wide range of expertise in subsistence technology, outdoor living and survival: you get more outdoor lifestyle on Tuesday than many folks do in a year. It is clearly okay for you to move on to another activity, or simply stop camping until the universe calls you to your next passion.

Clearly you have not seen the menu plan for the next car camping trip that I and seven friends are embarking on in August. One week, eight people (5 of us enthusiastic cooks), one beautiful mountain lake full of trout, bass and catfish, five canoes and kayaks, 40 miles of hiking-biking trails. And wi-fi at the camp store (and this is a state park, not a KOA).

We'll be catching a few Z's between fun times. I'll be sleeping atop a Thermarest "Dreamtime" air mattress.

There will be tree branches overhead so if there's a storm I'll be a little more attentive that usual to the trees.


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Bingo. Maybe that's it right there. It was just shy of being a homeless dude as far as I was concerned.

I've been thinking about it more, and I actually think that it's a matter of how I was both over and under equipped for the trip - I suspect that car camping with an RV or backpacking in a Bivvy would have been better than the mish-mash of heavy "car grade" stuff (massive tent, too much kitchen stuff) and backpack grade camping stuff we threw into the canoe.

The kids ranged in age from 5 to 13, that was a factor too - quite honestly, it's easier when they are younger and unaware of what a howling wind in the forest means - my daughter, who has seen what happens when a large branch falls on my car (happened twice) knows that the tent isn't going to stop any of those big branches way up there - she clung to me like a little monkey all night long.

it all depends where you camp!

Sadly, there was a fatality along these lines just a few days ago.

"GRAND FORKS, B.C. - An 11-year-old boy is dead in British Columbia's southern Interior after trees crushed his summer camp cabin during a severe storm.

Police say the accident took place Friday afternoon at the Pines Bible Camp in Grand Forks, B.C., 523 kilometres east of Vancouver and near the border with the United States.

They say that during the storm, winds snapped off trees, causing two to fall through the roof of a hut, crushing the boy who was inside.

Police say several other children were also injured during the incident."

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/health/Fa...0543/story.html

I have been camping for many years, and I still enjoy it - primarily because camping, specifically backpacking, it the only way to access the spots I am interested in. I appreciate the solitude as well.

We are car campers and still enjoy it immensely. Our fav is beach camping and state parks.

Could someone please explain to me exactly what a car camper is? Do you sleep in your car or just go there in a car with all your camping gear? Please enlighten this newbie, lol.

Camping in the immediate area around your car where you can take as much bulk and weight as your car can manage; as opposed to backpacking.

Car camping for us means bringing a couple of tents (one for me and my wife, one for the kids) and a whole bunch of other stuff. We often go on hikes, climbs and other activities, but our campsite is all within ten or twenty yards of the car.

For others car camping means a van or pickup that has room in it to sleep. Some tow a popup camper, others tow or drive a full RV.

Car camping for me means making enough room in my Jeep Cherokee to sleep in it. Because I'm travelling in the Jeep I can carry a lot more stuff and heavier than if backpacking.

I can move locations daily if desired (4WD trails) and don't have to be very picky about finding level rock-free ground for the night.

It makes a sturdier shelter for snow,hail, windstorms.
2 trips ago I was sound asleep and comfortable while my buddies were blown out of their tents by a t-storm (that also produced a tornado within a few miles). One spent the night in the cab of his pickup, the other I think spent the night in the outhouse......

Weve done dry camping in desert in truck.Without a shell we pitched our tent in bed,now have a truck with shell and can camp at night in that.Im not that keen on ground sleeping in desert.

As said,its nice to have gear in vehicle,Im no back packer any more being close to retirement age.We dont take a ton,but nice to take coleman stove,cooler and lamps,that sort of thing.

Martin - I think you've already found your answer, which is simply to do whatever makes you happy.

Personally, I still love to backpack and camp in remote locations, enjoying the whole day of walking somewhere beautiful, which is more of the focus for me than the campsite.

But I've also car camped, slept in the car itself (most recently to meet up with a group of friends at Lassen and then go day skiing/snowshoeing), and done day hikes from base camps or B&Bs. And, with a son just coming up on two years old, know I'll be coming up with other ways to camp that will work well for him (he loves being outside, already loves climbing up rocks and little hills, but of course has his limits of endurance and attention; I want to keep his joyful spirit nourished, not promote any specific way of camping to him).

In general, a crowded car camp site is the opposite of what I'm out there to enjoy, but sometimes expediency wins out. If it helps get us out in nature, it's all good...