My Dad was very much an outdoorsman...we camped a lot on fishing and hunting trips. My Mom finally put her foot down and we bought a Coleman pop-up so she could get off the ground while my Dad ran around doing his thing. Every family vacation except Thanksgiving (spent with relatives in the Bay Area) was outside. We camped on the way to go camping.

As a white water rafting guide in the summer and kayak instructor in the fall and spring, I spent probably 12 weeks or more a year camping.

I had my kit down to a science, especially the waterproof bag when I was running rivers. The trunk of my car a a thing of beauty in terms of spare everything.

Camping in the Sierra's is so much easier than east coast camping bug-wise. Even then I always carried netting just in case. I hate flying bugs:cool:

I have been looking at small "plastic" RV trailers like Crowbob and others have. I have also been scouting slide-in truck campers for 1/2 ton and below rated trucks. There is some incredible stuff out there in both design factors.

I'd be happy with much less but I'd like for my wife to come along:)

Did someone mention Glamping?

Truck campers with a full slide out is plenty big for 2 people and a dog. You can tow toys too. SmileWavy


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Did enough "camping" in the Army; prefer not to now. Will go every couple years with some friends who like to get out of the city but it's never "my idea."

aaaah, yes I/we (sons are now 40 and 43) enjoy camping...
Hillary (Sears) tent finally gave up the ghost 4 years ago, replaced by Cabelas.

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Nope, my brother loves camping. We have a nice house, and I prefer to rent a hotel room for a heck of a lot less than driving a slow ponderous vehicle into the woods to camp.

I only hate on campers when they are clogging up the roads with some slow moving vehicle on nice curvy roads made for sports cars! ;)

I love road trip camping. We spent a few weeks in Utah last April. We stayed at this place the first 5 days. 30 minutes from Moab. Dave

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I do love it still. My first night out in the woods was 48 years ago...

I completely understand it's not for everyone, my wife won't stay in anything without solid walls, and a bed, sink, bathroom, heat. The list goes on.
The other big factor for most people is environment, there are areas of the country much more camping/hiking/backpacking ready or friendly.
If I'd stayed in Wichita Kansas longer than the 5 years I spent there in my early years I doubt I would be as likely to want to go climb hill sides and sleep in a tent.

My first back country/back packing overnight trip was with my big brother when I was 14.
That's another huge factor, having a parent or sibling that will put up with you outdoors for a while so you get the taste and experience.
I remember asking again and again as we were hiking "are we there yet?"
His answer was always the same: Almost!
Back then I had an old military surplus pack and giant water proof bag everything went in to, very very uncomfortable!

He and I continued backpacking together into my late twenty's normally taking 9 to 12 days to backpack into remote mountain lakes at 4k and above in the North Cascades a couple days away from the nearest road we would often only see a few others on the trail first day, second we would not see another soul.

As time went by I bought better and better gear and kept on loving it, it's addictive for me.

The whole experience is still enjoyable, from planning, packing, hiking away from the comforts of home and knowing you have everything with you for several days.
The realization you can just walk to amazing unspoiled wilderness that is basically the same as it's been for hundreds, even thousands of years leaves me in awe.

Time has less meaning, the weather is everything- it's existing on a completely different level and I'm convinced it's good for you physically and even better for you mentally. "Mountain based therapy" I call it.

I always feel much more "centered" and relaxed when I come home and I certainly do appreciate all the comforts of home that much more.

John Muir had some great succinct quotes I feel:

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul”

“In every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.”

“When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them are dirt.”

“Going to the woods is going home.”

“The mountains are calling and I must go.”

My backpacking trips are fewer and further between, the body is not as capable of long distances, elevation gain and loss as it was in my 20's and 30's.
At 62 I lean more toward taking a kayak or power boat to a somewhat remote area... I still get the joy of solitude, peace and quiet as well as the great after effects of slowing down and drinking in precious sights. sounds and scents of nature.

I'm forever thankful for my big brother taking me under his wing and showing me how amazing and joyful getting away from the chaos of "modern life" is.
No sirens, no kids or people yelling, no dogs barking, that's what it's about for me.

Here's a couple shots from my backpacking trip May of 2021... I'm way overdue for another!

Backpack and such... yes that's an inflatable insulated sitting pad, old guy style, and yes that's a big assed camera.
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One person nylon hotel, 3 LBs and just enough space for a 6'3" 210 lb human
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Early spring before the lake has filled from runoff and before the crowds return
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My ahhhh, the walking is over and I'm here look
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In '22 I've spent 4 days 3 nights at Road Atlanta and 9 days and 8 nights at Daytona in this....

At the Rolex this year it dipped to 32 degrees. That night I slept in the truck with the heater on. :D

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In our late 20s and early 30s we used to car camp quite a bit. We would ride our mountain bikes during the day on trails and sit around the campfire at night. Other times we would hike and camp portions of the Appalachian trail.

Ms Rocket has hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia through Virginia so far. She tried to through hike a couple years ago, but kept breaking her feet. Now she does it in sections.

get up here in the spring CP. get that new rig out in the mud some, have the fam check out sonora downtown while i take you to the niagara rim trail. nothing crazy and there are a number of hotels up here.

shoot, if you wanted to camp you guys could set a tent or two up on the top of my property,,,

Can you set up a Yurt? I'll need heat, A/C, and a stocked fridge..

Once a year. Annual camping trip started first year of college when all the kids from our street came home. We decided to go out to the hills looking for trouble. Now their kids and their boy or girls friends come along. Camping has moved to east of San Diego. We have a great time, but no more back packing trips. Now the my kids are older, wife no longer comes along for the past couple years. We do it dirty, eat off the pot instead of paper plates. No washing between meals. If mom's around, we would be doing dishes all day. We are going up out again in April when snow melts along with a rafting trip. Looking forward to it.

We’re heading to Anza Borrego tomorrow on a glamping trip. Spending tonight in Bakersfield, it’s the halfway point. I’ll take some pics when I get to AZ. On the way home next week, we’ll be camping on the beach near Malibu. That’s if we don’t get rained out. That would be a shame since we reserved the spot on the beach 6 months ago.

I’ll see if I can convince Vash to do some wheeling up your way next spring, T.

Anza Borrego? there aint nothing there but sand and a few brushes. I hate desert camping. Freeze to death with lots of wind in the colder months, hotter then hell in the summer. Malibu will be nice. If you like costal camping, try Limeklin off pch between San Simeon and Big Sur. We have camped along those camp sites when kids were young. they are hard to come by, all full but then how often can one wake up unzip their tent and see the pacific ocean in full view. I still prefer the high mountains in the Sierra

Have fun on your trip

I still go camping regularly. Just one night out on my own can make a world of difference. My GF just isn't interested. Her loss ;)

Posted these pics before, but seem appropriate for this thread. Mrs Dave and I both like to camp out of the Porsches. We have a very simple and compact setup. A small but comfortable tent. We get a lot of amusing looks and comments when we pull up in one of the tiny cars next to some doublecab dually with a 5th wheel, or some grey-hound bus sized motor coach. But it takes us 5 minutes to set up camp and get dinner started, less time than they usually spend backing and spotting their rigs. Morning is just as quick and we are always out and on road or trail hours before the maddening crowd. Ain't a bad way to travel!

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