Camping?

[claws]

My dad loved camping so our family would go camping for a few weeks every year. Most of the time we would stay at some lake in the wilderness about 50 miles away. This wasn't a official campsite so there were no toilets or showers, but it was a popular weekend getaway spot.

Camping was fun, especially when you were a kid. Was there anything better than sitting at a campfire poking it with a stick and staring into the flames for hours? And wasn't the sound of rain on a tent the most relaxing thing ever? 

Any of you guys still camp or when was the last time you went camping?

[Alex]

Last time I went camping was two years ago when I was on operations. While I normally like camping, this was in the middle of the southern hemisphere's winter and uncomfortably close to Antartic.

When I was a teenager I used to go camping regularly, mostly to a nearby island called Arran. Before that we had many family holidays camping near Blackpool.

[RCMerchant]

The only time I camped is when I was homeless.

f**k that. I lived out side too much to think it's fun.

[ER]

Mostly when I was in the Apalachian Trail just before college. Camping....has lost its charm.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Do I still go camping?
No.

When was the last time I went camping?
The late '50s or early '60s? With the family.

Now days I prefer a room that has a bed, indoor plumbing, and a TV.

Though, I think my sister and her husband still go camping on occasion, and they take their dog with them when they go. It's an inexpensive way for them to vacation.

[FatFreddysCat]

I think I'm done with camping, now that both of my kids have aged out of Cub/Boy Scouts, which is good cuz I'm too old to be sleeping on the ground.

On the other hand, if you consider this "camping," my wife's family was way into RV'ing long before we met, so we had our own RV trailer for most of the early 2000s. It was fun for the first couple of years, but after a while it got old, then it just turned into a pain in the ass. We would always go as a "group" (my wife and I, my in-laws, my brother-in-law and his wife, and a couple of family friends, plus assorted kids, dogs, etc.) but we never really went anywhere cool - just to the same campgrounds that my wife's family had been going to year in, year out, forever. 

Then on the last couple of trips my bro-in-law and his wife weren't getting along (they later divorced) so they'd fight the entire weekend. My father-in-law would hide out in his trailer watching TV the entire time cuz he didn't want to listen to their sh*t, and my wife and I would be like "Why are we still doing this?"

Eventually the Dodge Durango we were using to tow our trailer died, and since we couldn't afford a new vehicle in the same class, that was the end of our RV'ing days. The trailer sat in our backyard taking up space for a year or two before we finally sold it on Craigslist, buh-bye. I don't miss it.

[bob]

The last time I camped was when I was a youngster with my dad.

[claws]

I think I'm done with camping, now that both of my kids have aged out of Cub/Boy Scouts, which is good cuz I'm too old to be sleeping on the ground.

On the other hand, if you consider this "camping," my wife's family was way into RV'ing long before we met, so we had our own RV trailer for most of the early 2000s. It was fun for the first couple of years, but after a while it got old, then it just turned into a pain in the ass. We would always go as a "group" (my wife and I, my in-laws, my brother-in-law and his wife, and a couple of family friends, plus assorted kids, dogs, etc.) but we never really went anywhere cool - just to the same campgrounds that my wife's family had been going to year in, year out, forever. 

Then on the last couple of trips my bro-in-law and his wife weren't getting along (they later divorced) so they'd fight the entire weekend. My father-in-law would hide out in his trailer watching TV the entire time cuz he didn't want to listen to their sh*t, and my wife and I would be like "Why are we still doing this?"

Eventually the Dodge Durango we were using to tow our trailer died, and since we couldn't afford a new vehicle in the same class, that was the end of our RV'ing days. The trailer sat in our backyard taking up space for a year or two before we finally sold it on Craigslist, buh-bye. I don't miss it.

Understandable. While camping was fun in my pre-teens it became a personal struggle when I got older (I had other interests), though my folks never actually forced us kids to go along. In my early teens we started going to a real campsite that came with toilet and shower facilities, cabins, BBQ spots, benches and tables and camping rules. All the convenience made camping a bit boring and it wasn't long until we brought a portable TV and VCR, and started renting tapes from a local video store. So much for roughing it 

[RCMerchant]

Do I still go camping?
No.

When was the last time I went camping?
The late '50s or early '60s? With the family.

Now days I prefer a room that has a bed, indoor plumbing, and a TV.

Though, I think my sister and her husband still go camping on occasion, and they take their dog with them when they go. It's an inexpensive way for them to vacation.

Late 50's? How old are you, my friend?
Holy s**t! 

[retrorussell]

Camping can be okay.. I used to love it as a kid.  I'm a city guy now though.  The highlight for me is drinking around the campfire, laughing about stupid s**t with the others like funny movie dialogue (THE JERK often gets quoted).  I also like hearing the hiss of the Coleman stove as it heats up my Dinty Moore beef stew (a MUST for camping!).  When my friend was alive we'd sometimes go camping around Central Oregon with his real estate friend who'd marinate steaks or chicken for days in advance.  I'd sometimes drink till I puked, wake up an hour later, and be hungry as hell for marinated meat!

I seldom drink anymore but camping tends to bring out the souse in me.

[El Misfit]

I like camping. My favorite place to camp is in the Nantahala in the Appalachian Mountains. Hearing a fast moving stream within feet of the tent is very comfy for me.

[The Burgomaster]

In the early 1980s I had a girlfriend whose family enjoyed camping. So, I went with them several times.

In the early 90s, I went camping for a week with about a dozen friends. The campground was like a mini-resort. There was a restaurant/nightclub on the campgrounds. Every afternoon they had happy hour with various drinking themes (Octoberfest, 50 cent beers, etc.) At night after dinner they would have entertainment (karaoke, a comedian, a talent show, etc.) It was a lot of fun. I would get up and start drinking at 8:00 or 8:30 every morning (we had a trash barrel full of ice and beer that we would replenish as needed). My wife and I went back to the same campground with another couple a few years ago for a murder mystery weekend. It was okay, but I would have preferred going on a non-theme weekend. The murder mystery thing was sort of lame.

 

[BoyScoutKevin]

How old am I RC Merchant?

A lot of times old enough to know better, which does not mean that at times I still do something that still gets me in trouble.