Does Camping Qualify as FUN? – Maybe Yes, Maybe NO.

Now that summer is waning and the winds have started to disperse the smoke-drenched skies of the west, I can approach the question of camping in a more relaxed manner.  I may have the broadest definition of ‘camping’ than anyone you will ever meet.  To me it is any way to experience nature or sit outdoors somewhere other than your home for more than an afternoon.

Lots of my friends are backpackers.  Not me.  I accept that I am not going to replicate the book/movie ‘Wild’ in a one-woman trek on the Pacific Crest Trail (which is not that far from my backdoor).  I am probably too lazy.  On the other end of the spectrum, a few friends have massive Recreational Vehicles (RVs), some of which could qualify as a second house.  Neither my husband nor I want to deal with the effort (or skill) of driving one of those, especially on rough conditions and gravel roads.  I don’t have to mention the costs.  But these aren’t the only options either.  Resorts with yurts, cabins or just a nice veranda also qualify as camping in my book (or my blog).

Further, there are so many levels of camping in between.  If you ever contemplated a small RV you would be among the nearly 10% who own one in the US or the 15% that have considered it.  Several points made by a friend often entice me about the small motorhome types – 1) they are small, 2) you don’t have to step out of the vehicle to go to sleep at night and 3) they have two great luxuries, a microwave for tea or coffee and bathroom facilities.   If you continue to evaluate this option for yourself, do not make one decision without reading two particular articles on the site which I would proclaim as my model blog.  His article on  ‘Choosing a Compact RV or Camper for Retirement Travel’  is excellent and the article entitled ‘Traveling in a Small RV’ gives a practical account of what that option is like on the road.  Both honestly explain costs, options, pro/cons, trade-offs and even other types of travel possibilities.

Additional options in the realm of making a significant financial commitment include pop-up vans or trailers, or those that you tow along, like the new teardrop styles.  Some are rugged and others very high end.  Last year while having a parking-lot picnic with a friend at the Tetons National Park Welcome Center, I saw a very elegant teardrop pull along (the Hutte Hut).  It sleeps two and is really ‘decked out’ but costs around $60,000 (so I hope it has some other uses).  There are additional options in this category a bit more affordable (if not as fashionable).   My new state of Oregon boasts the substantial ‘Dub Box’, looking like an old VW and costing somewhere between $20-25K (depending on your customization); or the Cricket pop-up trailer for about $22,000.  Both of these have room for the grandkids – well at least 2 of them (if they aren’t too big).  The Colorado Teardrop (company also rents) has sleeping room for two and a hatchback kitchen area.  It may be a bit rougher, but a good price tag of approximately $11,000 that makes it a good selection for those people watching pennies but who still want an easy set-up.  Buying used is frequently the better bargain, even after minor repair costs.  I have heard about (but not seen) the new Happier Camper trailer with a kitchenette and room to sleep 3-5 with a price tag of $15,000 (new).  Certainly they are not as comfortable as a smaller RV, but the tradeoff is the acceptable coziness for a lower price versus the comfy but more costly RV.  Some of the smaller RVs (nicer ones of course) can hover around the $90,000 mark.  [Remember to check out the articles above if you are serious about an RV.]  My point is that when it comes to ‘camping’ you can choose from the most expensive and elaborate second home RVs or the most rugged ‘sleep in the dirt’ backpacking, and everything in between depending on your nature.

What did We Choose?

I have compromised with my husband (who would be very willing to backpack, but also appreciates a fine lodge).  We contemplated how we could satisfy both our opinions on what is the best level of ‘camping.’  Plus we both desire to not spend so much money on an RV that enjoying extra nights at a resort would sound frivolous.   There is that consideration of price, along with the question of utmost importance to us both — how to save our backs and spines from discomfort.

We took two camping trips this summer, a short one and one very long.   The experiences were considerably different.  Here is our most recent solution for ‘camping’ which leaves us a budget free to luxuriate in the higher end places once in a while.  It’s about gear. If you like toys, you may like this.

Tents? 

Maybe, maybe not.  We currently have two ground tents: a small 2-man backpacker and a 2 ROOM (yes, rooms) larger tent.  During our short trip (a long weekend) we decided to use neither.  Instead, we found a new solution from CampMor (in New Jersey) for less than $150.  It is a tailgate (vehicle) tent designed in different sizes for trucks or cars with hatchbacks.  We got the idea 25 years ago or more when we did a long cross-county trip in a small Toyota hatchback and were often too tired to set up camp.  We frequently slept in the car rather than the tent and used mosquito netting with clothes pins – it worked fairly well.  [And as frugal as we are, we have kept that mosquito netting and now use it for the front windows as well.]  But we are older now and that jerry-rigged contraption was lame compared to this new tailgate tent.

As suggested by others, along with our tailgate tent, we purchased super-duper (almost scary powerful) tiny magnets that hold any section totally closed.  No part looked open using the tent alone, but these hero magnets made you feel really protected from those flying West-Nile carrying, biting creatures always so dense near a lake.  Why could this be more inviting to us than our other tents? The first reason is back comfort.  We got heavy duty high-density foam which we cut to fit the back of the car and used cotton mattress covers for comfort (all less than $75).  It is a treat compared to the backpacker tent.  We have both Therm-A-Rest and Z-line sleeping pads, which would be great for on-the-ground tenting, but can’t match our foam ‘mattresses.’  We also have high-end cots we use for the two room tent, but they are heavy.  Between the cots and the humongous tent it is time-consuming to set up.  It also means we have to use our car top ‘clam shell’ to make more room in the car.  We were able to forgo that for the short trip, but on the extended trip did find that the set-up time for the large tent was a bit exaggerated in our minds, and not that bad.  Nevertheless, this is why so many RVer’s chose the rig route.  They don’t want hours of set-up when they are done driving for the day.  So far, our tailgate tent and indulgent bedding duo gets a fairly good grade.  Still, we are NOT talking luxury.

Our longer trip pointed out weaknesses of both our systems.  We did a LOT of driving (the first mistake if you plan on tenting).  Starting from southern Oregon we went south to Mt Shasta in California, then back north through part of Oregon new to us and eastern Washington to the national forest land near Coeur d’Alene, Idaho and finally to Glacier National Park.  [Yes, for now they still have some glaciers.]  Only in Glacier did we set up the large tent and cots.  We were both reminded and delighted that the tent space and sleeping accommodations were (in camping terms) lavish.  Two decision points helped in the choice of this arrangement: we had reservations for at least 3 nights and it is bear country.   The latter may seem counter-intuitive.  Wouldn’t we be safer in the car?   Maybe.  However, your food needs to be kept away and in the least-inviting place possible for the bears (and their sense of smell).  Many parks (like Glacier) have public bear lockers but we choose to keep our food and coolers locked in the car.  Good thinking since late in the afternoon on the day we arrived there was a bear in the campground, although luckily not near our site.

Everything was going well, despite the smoke and continued active fires until the last evening.  The skies darkened, the winds started to blow from a different direction and the rangers were predicting a significant storm.  We had to be thankful, assuming it would alleviate the fires, as long as there were not too many lightning strikes.  But we decided to scramble as well.  Anyone who has ever camped knows that packing a wet tent is to be avoided if at all possible.  We had 15 minutes to strike our big tent and pack it up.  Basically we made it.  The storm came, some powerful winds, and a fair amount of rain.  We had to make other arrangements for our food.  The rain abated but we enjoyed a dinner indoors – enjoyed until we saw the lightening start again.  Once more a scramble ensued.  But unlike the first effort, our timing was not as fortunate.  We put up our tail-gate tent in the dark and in the rain.  It will not surprise you that 10 minutes later the rain subsided.  Ah yes, the joke of the GODS was on us.

So while tents can allow you the outdoor experience and are convenient considering their costs (comparted to camping vehicles) even with our comfortable options, weaknesses are present.  They include (but are NOT limited to): rain, wet-tents, wind, bears, set-up/break-down time, cold campground showers and feelings of insecurity.

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Screen House.

We have a Coleman (not top of the line) two-door screen tent that allows a nice place to sit while keeping most of the bugs out, and a bit of the sun off.  It can even save us from a few raindrops.  This model (with just a little maneuvering) comes out of the bag and goes up quite quickly.  It has poles, but they are (semi) permanently attached thus (according to the instructions) you “simply” stand up the 6 poles.  We both agreed that a center pole would be handy, and we jerry-rigged something for that too.  The guidewires help keep it upright and well protected from the wind.  We used this on both our trips and would recommend it.  Additionally, it can play double-duty in the backyard for all sorts of activities.  You can purchase this for less than $125 from different places if you search carefully.

Chairs.

 On our short trip, we brought our old camp style chairs (the type you can get in any department store for less than $20), and one new low-to-the-ground backpacking chair (REI flex-lite chair).  The latter is actually more comfortable than the others despite being closer to the ground, although more expensive (around $70).  But neither was as comfy as our backyard foldable zero-gravity recliners which we considered packing up for the next time if we used the car top carrier.  While in the chair section, let me mention our cots again.  Take a lesson from the mistakes of others.  Our cots are great, but basically serve only one purpose.  If you buy the sort that allow for back adjustment (like a lounger) you have killed those two unfortunate birds again.  While not as wide as our cots, something like the REI Kingdom cot ($139) is cushy and adjusts in 3 different positions.  This means it is useful all day long for lounging around camp as well.  Back to chairs.  Before our long trip we purchased a ‘compromise’ chair (a way to avoid the bulky loungers and yet keep it on the inexpensive side).  The compromise was an aluminum Coleman chair (approximately $40 – not on sale).  It is incredibly lightweight, more comfortable than the common camp chairs and has a useful fold up side table and drink holder, more stable than the cup holders build into other chair arms.  Combined with our REI chair, this was a worthwhile purchase, even at double the price of the typical camp chair.

The Secret Tent.

Last, but not least is our new ‘Stinky Pete’ tent:  a changing-room, shower, and porta-potty tent.  (You can get the ‘Stinky Pete’-Giga Tent Deluxe for less than $75 if you research a bit.)  It is quite tall and more convenient for changing clothes than wiggling around in a ground-tent or car.  Most of all, it provides a place for a porta-potty without nighttime runs to the ‘vault’ toilets, which are always creepy – day or night.  Do I need to mention how much cleaner it is?
Let me stop right here to say, if you can’t find the courage to use either a porta potty or a vault toilet DO NOT CONSIDER TENT CAMPING – EVER.

FINAL THOUGHT.

Camping is a science – and everyone’s experiments are different.  For those looking for low-end, low-effort, semi-comfortable ‘camping’ maybe you will like some of our tips.  I am not certain what ideas we will maintain and what we won’t — or what new changes we may still make.  I am sure there are more to come.  In the end you may notice that I have not declared whether camping is fun – or not.  What I will attest to is the recommendation that, without fail, you should keep that list of resorts and nice hotels handy.

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