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...