I love seeing how other people prefer to camp. Personally, I’m all for tent camping. What do you prefer?
I went camping about 5 years ago and my neighbor was apparently afraid of the dark. He had a genny powering about 60000 lumens worth of led light stringers and spotlights on his truck. At least all the light and CO2 drew all the skeeters to his site.
I was at a campground a few years back and my nearest neighbor had nine different types of lights that they left on overnight. Several of them were very bright LED rope lights. It was like a damn football field over there at 1am.
I would have told the guy to shut the lights off please.
And majority of those people will admit no wrong doing. Heck, many are probably reading this like, "I'm always so considerate" as they blast their 100000 lumen camp lights all night. Self awareness is hard for some.
you think they can read?
Not gonna find that on a facebook post unfortunately.
I agree with this. But I also think people need to be realistic with their expectations. If you want true absolute quiet then you aren't going to find it 30 minutes outside of the city at the KOA campground with 30 RV's. You're just setting yourself up for failure.
For that you are going to have to drive a bit further and maybe hike a bit in. You have to get away from the crowds somehow, you don't own the outdoors.
But i do expect it at Deep Creek campground in GSMNP
We just came back from Cades Cove and generators were everywhere. This wasn’t an issue before COVID
It's great that a lot of people are into the outdoors. But at least around Seattle, it's so hard to get away from the crowds. There is a lot of quick access to natural beauty within an hour of the city. But that means on the weekends every campground and hike is packed on nice days. It also doesn't help that we have a lot of rainy months so people affinity for the outdoors gets shoehorned into like 4 months in the PNW.
Thankfully I get to work 4 day weeks and have a weekday off. The difference between hiking on a Wednesday at 11am and a Saturday is crazy. Feels like an entirely different experience. I love hiking but when you get to the top and there's 30 people taking selfies and whatnot it just kind of taints the experience for me. But again it is awesome people are enjoying this stuff and getting funding to these parks and trail networks. Definitely conflicted lmao.
I don't mean to devil's advocate but I do wonder if part of the problem is more people need respiratory help, sometimes with the aid of machines that require power. I had a moment where we were annoyed at a generator while camping a year or two ago, but the next day realized that the person likely needed it to make it through the night when we saw them with oxygen tanks. Super annoying to camp near but there's possibly a reason outside of what able bodied people may assume
They could get a battery, charge it during the day, then use a silent battery all night however.
That could be the problem but my dad has needed respiratory help since COVID so we bought a Jackery. It was a bit expensive but it’s silent and doesn’t spew fumes into the air
That looks like a really nice place.
Yeah, that's not where the problems exist. Those places are practically trailer parks.
It's the campgrounds that are hours from the closest areas resembling civilization, that until 2018 only saw RV use when fire swept through the RV grounds, but now have RV's in every 4th or 3rd site where inconsiderate behavior has become an issue. Sure, they might be groomed campgrounds, but they were never intended to host RV's. There's no hookups, no street lighting, no pull-throughs, even the kiosks at the entrances are unlit. These campgrounds were designed for people that want to experience the environment of the outdoors, but having tons of lights and running generators ruins it.
There was a good balance before covid. Plenty of campgrounds for RVer's that like to party with their neighbors, combined campgrounds where the RVer's are separated from the tent campers, and campgrounds where only tent campers went. We all got to do camping how we wanted.
A few weeks back I was greeted at 6am by a diesel pusher rolling in. The roads were curvy, so if anyone had to leave, they'd come to an impasse with that behemoth. He promptly took 30 minutes to squeeze his 30ft brick onto a 20ft pad that was never designed to take that weight. Just minutes after shutting off the engine, the generator kicked on. The whir of his slide-out motors filled the still morning air.
Sadly, land managers have just accepted this, and have simply adjusted fees to compensate for the extra wear and tear. The sites we visit went from an average of $12/day to $26/ day in three years. To tent camp anywhere with a shower, we now get to pay almost as much as a 30A hookup site, but without the convenience of having a trading post at the campground like most RV sites.
This, in turn, has pushed a lot of car campers into the backcountry, and I'm now noticing an uptick in garbage left within a quarter mile of trailheads, and at some it seems a lot of vegetation in that area is being trampled.
To each their own, but we need a fix for this as the sheer volume of cross-camping is devaluing the experience for many.
I hadn’t thought about the increase RV camping in traditionally tent sites contributing to the rise in rates. It’ll be a massive hassle to reconfigure campgrounds to accommodate the greater number of RVs, but if the trends continue, I hope someone undertakes the project.
Camping in the Adirondacks and these young guys pulled up with a theater size roll out screen, projector and speakers. Cinema in camping. Fucking buzzkill. That's not acceptable in my books. They were told to shut it off pretty quick, but why bother camping if you'll just do that.
Even that depends on where you are. Some campgrounds are meant for parties.
To the RV who is running their generator all night...
They are an exception
It’s enough to where there is more than one asshole at every campground that’s big enough for RVs, sometimes 5.
Even if that asshole is the “exception” there’s still “always one around”
Only takes 1 exception
To be fair though, any type of camper can be the exception. Whether it’s the group tenters with vehicles coming and going all night with loud music until 2am, people with barking dogs, couples constantly yelling at each other, etc.
As a camper trailer person though, I do understand the hate for RV’ers with generators running nearly all the time. They make people hate all RV’ers that arrive with a generator. There are places and times to run the generator. Running it next door to a tenter at night isn’t the place or time.
As solar panels and batteries improve along with the energy efficiency of all the electronic systems, I see a lot of nicer rigs not running a generator at all, ever.
I’m at the point where anyone with a nice new trailer and a generator is an asshole in my book. I do understand that there’s gray area, and I’m not saying everyone needs to upgrade now, but there’s a ton a huge dicks that are clearly way over the line.
Besides being truly solar-ready (including roof mount brackets for the panels), my hope is future RV’s will have better window designs. It’s nearly impossible to get a good breeze through most RV’s due to odd window placements and sizes, which necessitates air conditioning more than it should be needed.
I’m just a blue collar worker and I’m not made of money, so I’m limited to a slightly older camper and I don’t have solar system that can power everything I want. I promise you that if we were in the same campground, you’d never hear my generator unless you’re walking by my campsite. I camp 90% of the time on weekdays which usually means 0 to 2 other campers in the campgrounds I go to. I also pick campgrounds that aren’t closely packed together, I pick the subprime sites that are away from other people, I use sound blockers for my generator to direct my noise into the woods or brush, and I only run it when most people are gone doing activities (or are being much louder than my generator is).
I dislike camping at campgrounds on weekends when it’s busy for various reasons, so I usually disperse camp if I’m going on a weekend. The closest building is over a mile away at my usual spot, and the nearest campground is 5 miles away. I could make all sorts of noise and no one could hear me.
I’m the type of guy though that will even be courteous to other RV campers. I’ll wait to see how much they’re running their generator before I run mine.
"Your generator's humming is the coziest sound nature can give us, thank you"
The only thing I want to hear at night when dispersed camping on blm land is the hum of generators in the distance from every direction /s
…Your generator is beautiful and I love you 🤣
Dispersed national forest camping is where it’s at.
I don’t give af how others camp, I just want them as far away as possible.
1000%. Did a Utah trip a couple years ago with my girlfriend, we disperse camped in the desert the first half of the trip and the closest camper was probably 100-150 yards away from us. was one of the best experiences of my life and such a good time.
then we stayed at the official Zion national park campsite and holy shit….what a nightmare lol. packed as fuck and got woken up at 6AM by screaming kids on site. never again
When we lived in Utah in the late 80s we drove for two hours out of SLC, up into the Wasatch so we could camp and let the two dogs wander without being tied up. We found a great remote spot and had just finished setting up when a couple pulled in 200 yards away. My 85lb Malamute immediately ran over to visit despite my calling her back (she was quite a challenge). When I arrived she was sitting at the table in their camper "talking" to the wife, who had a very surprised look on her face. Fortunately they were cool and thought it was hilarious, but the pups ended up tied up for the weekend.
I very strictly stay at adult only campgrounds because the first time my husband and I went camping together, we went to a normal campground and had kids running through our site constantly. Never again
i had no idea adult only campgrounds were a thing, that sounds amazing. are they typically available at/near national parks?
I don’t think so. The one I go to is privately owned about 30 minutes outside of my city. Fair warning, they’re usually nudity-friendly
I’m a tent glamper. I’ve been married almost 20 years (I’m 38) and we couldn’t afford vacations. So we went fancy camping. Silly frivolous decorations. Fancy food. Special drinks. Fluffy comfy bedding and tent interior. Games we played only while fancy camping. It’s changed over the years as we get a little older and bring less lol. But I love seeing other set ups. How you’re cooking and how fun your area looks.
You could probably call our camping glamping too. My husband and I also can’t afford vacations. Luckily we both love camping. We just got an eight person tent for dirt cheap, and we always get a “fancy” ($15-$20) bottle of wine, bring a bunch of comfy bedding, food we don’t get often, and just enjoy it. At this point I almost prefer it to actual vacations
...but to the folks who blast their Bluetooth speakers all day, go home.
I own a Class A with that shit on it. TVs & speakers outside the RVs just baffle me.
When we were looking at buying it they had all the stuff on, like it was a positive thing to have all this outside noise going on except for tailgating at a ball game but that's it. This may be the old tent camper in me bubbling to the surface but I found that stuff ridiculous and annoying as hell. I'd much, MUCH rather be outside with my binoculars watching birds and hiking, or in my kayak, on my bike. Hanging out at camp watching TV? I can do that at home.
Especially those that turn it on them leave the campsite all day!!
Where do you live where a house is 100k? Cause I might need to come check it out.
I had a government job in a small "city" in the Midwest and could buy a house for 70k i could be happy in. Moved for significant others job now I make 40% but a good house is 450k and a good meal or a beer is 50% more expensive. Take me back to the corn it ain't worth it
I just make my commute to the city and live in the corn.
Won't catch me traveling 1.5 hours for a job one way. I'll find remote work.
Lol Springfield?
Lol I was gonna ask the same thing. Sounds about right. My wife is from there, I lived there for a few years with her. It was nice to get a restored/updated 1900s home with 2000 sq ft for $900/mo but thats about it. The school system is terrible, not where I want to raise a family. When my daughter was about a year old I finally got work to transfer us back up north. There is definitely some jobs that pay a good salary but for the most part its all low income. And most of those good jobs are all with the state, good pay and pension is why people stick it out down there.
Midwest!!! They're everywhere!!
Exactly!
Cries in Minneapolis. We're looking at 300k at least in the metro area.
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Ughh. Sorry. The post did say midwest though and big cities exist
My hoa is 500 ;( and we keep getting newsletters saying someone took money from the hoa funds and we need to pay more to replace it lol
Wtf is up with the condo HOA fees? In Seattle we have the same prices but HOA fees are easily on average $800+/month. Who is paying for these!!
Even then, drive an hour or so out of the suburbs and you can get back closer to that price. Maybe not 100,000 but 150-175K.
Example: I’m looking at Mankato right now and just zoomed in on our “downtown” and Jefferson Park neighborhoods. I’m looking at eight houses under $175,000 with at least three bedrooms.
$750k starting in Southern California.
The four bedroom home on a huge chunk of land that I grew up in was only $250k. In my new city, the two bedroom condo my roommates bought was the same price
But then you're also in the Midwest.
Hahaha that's the beauty of it!! Not nearly as bad as ppl think! We like it slow and GREEN lol
Yeah, in MN that’s green half the year, white half the year, all of it FLAT and much of it full of suburban sprawl.
The Midwest is incredible. I'm no longer a Midwestern resident, but I loved my time there.
Shhh don't let everyone know the Midwest is affordable and beautiful. You just have to love nature versus urban environments.
This statement is a bit ridiculous.
Great! I'll let my friends know too.
- A Californian
KY. Lots of cheap houses and you'll never be more than 30min from a good camping/hiking spot.
Daniel Boone National Forest/Red River Gorge is beautiful. -- just be careful if you're of color and do your research of the place you want to live. Sundown towns still exist here and you want to live in peace, not having to fight your neighbor
My family is from North Carolina. I thought the people in my 1400 pop Midwest hometown were bad. Good lord…
I live where my wife grew up now. I am originally from DC. She has informed me a few times that I am "not allowed to get out here".
I am white passing hispanic... Didn't think it'd be an issue until I got stared out of a few stores in "nicer" towns...
Where we live, I'm okay though lol
Same!
OnlyStandard
Where do you live where a house is 100k? Cause I might need to come check it out.
House could have been bought in the 80's or 90's.
Nah, there’s still houses here that cheap, and you can find some pretty nice ones
Lots of homes in the Midwest. It may not be a stand alone home, but lots and plentiful condos and townhouses for that price or a bit more.
Gatekeeping sucks, but I'm all for encouraging people into following etiquette. Me, I like to tent camp with my car as my backpack. I don't go too crazy, but I recently got a small propane stove - major game changer. I'm still working on downsizing my gear so I can fit another human in my hatchback too lol
Everyone needs to understand and respect campground etiquette. Blaring music at 1am is just rude.
Car camping is definitely what I prefer. I get paranoid about forgetting things, so I sort them out in totes. You can’t backpack with totes.
Oh for sure, I cut my last trip short because a huge party was raging most of the night, all adults who should know better. I did totes for a while but I switched to duffels and backpacks because they're easier to Tetris into my car lol
You would have been within your rights to blast Barney songs at full blast at dawn as you packed up.
You see, that's where it gets tricky... I left around 10 pm on the second night and the family right next to me was great. 2 adults and their 2 kids. These people were teaching their kids how to be respectful of other people, not scream, not walk into other sites, etc. Absolute angels. The group next to them, however was the problem. I packed my shit up as quickly and quietly as I could and left. Those poor people and their kids had to listen to "Sweet Caroline" on the karaoke machine all night. They even stopped the music and did the "bum bum BAAHHMM" part as a group.
So (NOT) good, so (not) good, …
Since that incident that phrase just makes me seethe with rage lol
We went tent camping this weekend with our kids and dog in what I would usually consider a decently private back-in campsite. Plenty of tree coverage and a big space. We have taught our kids to be mindful of other campers, but several sites had kids screaming constantly until midnight. The site next to us was using a pump to inflate their air mattress for literally half an hour in the dark and the RV across the way kept their lights and generator on all night. We love to camp but it was such a frustrating experience and we had to cut our trip short because we were all overstimulated and cranky.
Music that another camp can hear at any time is rude.
If you’re loud enough for me to hear, you had better hand me a beer.
To the kids with the Gerber hatchet trying to cut down the oak tree on their site... I called forest service 👍
You reminded me of this. It’s why humans suck.
We watched this family who clearly had never built a fire in their lives try to ignite a log that was section of a large tree that had been cut down. We spoke w/one of the rangers who took care of the situation.
as long as people pack their trash out, turn their lights off and shut the fuck up after 10pm i couldnt care less what they camp in
Except for that A-hole running the LOUD generator all night, we all hate you.
This is a cute sentiment that doesn't really correlate to the real world, in my experience. But I'm all for everybody getting outside in whatever way they find comfort and enjoyment, and I don't judge their choices in that regard.
I do judge their treatment of the environment and the people around them, though. Some folks are so disrespectful of the outdoor spaces we're all ostensibly there to enjoy that welcoming them is encouraging the continued destruction of those spaces. At the end of the day, LNT principles and a responsible stewardship of natural resources is a higher priority to me than just about everything else when it comes to being outside.
But please obey quiet hour rules! Even if you're just in a tent and an acoustic guitar. Just because you're playing it doesn't make it quiet.
Just got back from a week away. We were so impressed at how quiet surrounding campers were. Only had one weekend night with dueling radios from two camp sites and even they shut down before ten.
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Anyway, here's "Wonderwall."
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I solo camp and try to find as remote a spot as possible as such to avoid all the people in the post hahahah.
Unless the rig is running the generator all day and night disturbing every other campers peace
I've never backpacked and I've never camped. But I want to. This post has inspired me to take my little hatchback down to the nearby campsites soon and try car camping.
Go for it! You can make the back of a car really comfortable
As others have said, just turn your generator and lights off by 10pm at the latest lol
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And those damn gas powered boats, jet skis, four wheelers, side by sides…. Am I right?
I'll drink to that
People who run generators all night in the RV are the absolute worst though.. it's one thing at a state park or area meant for RV camping, but I've been experiencing it more and more in secluded state forest spots. Two years ago on memorial day we were stuck with people at the next site over doing this all weekend. Barely left the RV all weekend and had the generator running continuously. The only time they did leave was to ride their loud ass quads and 4x4s all over the dirt road
I was all for tent camping till I got a little older and sometimes need a toilet in the middle of the night.
I think this should be pinned!
This is great and true. I see so many gatekeepers of the wilderness on these Reddit subs.. the backpackers think the the car tent campers suck, the tent guys think the RV guys suck and so on.. we are all out for the same reasons, to get away and to be happy
What’s the logic behind backpackers thinking car campers suck? Both had to drive their cars there, one walks away from the car and the other stays near it. Giant homes on wheels slamming up every lake shore with trailers and boats and jet skis and generators I can understand the annoyance with.
its not "real camping" unless you have to hike 10 mi with nothing but the clothes on your back edit. ,/s thought it was obvious My bad.
The only time I understand the frustration is with people who are excessively loud or damaging. But at that point you’re just dealing with assholes
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I grew up backpacking, my son does not enjoy it. He tolerates it in small doses so we go on short trips. I do most of the work and incorporate his help when I can. He learns and we have a generally good time. More than a night or 2 is too much for him. We have an RV, he loves it, if it was up to him he’d never leave the campground. I take the opportunities I can to get him away from the RV park and do hikes etc.. Just a bit from a different perspective on why ppl camp how they do
For sure…there are lots of good reasons camping that way. Kids and significant others who aren’t passionate about bare bones camping are important factors!
That’s me. I love nature in doses. I love physically challenging myself to a hike a finding ways to start fires and chill by the river. I do not like the dark, dead silence, or sleeping in a cold tent. We compromise. I stay longer (and we gave a kid) with a travel trailer or tent, a mattress, some dim fairy lights and a way to charge my phone. Now I bring a power bank for heat (apparently having a fire at r am because you’re freezing to death is distracting)…
It’s really good that you acknowledge that, though. I’ll admit, I’m kind of the same toward RVers, and that’s not okay. If they’re having fun, that’s all that really matters
Tent for me. 5 year old loves it.. hoping the 1 year old will too. And of course the doggos love it
Bwca canoe camping…really love to get out and away from everything and every one
I want to go there so bad. It’s like 6 hours away now though, and I’m currently stuck with one-night trips
I love campgrounds. I won't camp in one but I sure am happy they are available and attractive to other people.
I camp in them because of how I sort my stuff and because I don’t live anywhere near a place where I could disperse camp. Plus sometimes toilets are nice to have
To the folks with the four 15” powered speakers blasting music at max volume all day, go fuck yourselves.
To paraphrase what the backpackers say (and to agree with the OP), "camp your own camp"
And to guy with the gasoline powered generator...
And don't forget to clean up after yourselves !!... those if us that live in vacation destinations would appreciate it..
And keep your music and lights to yourselves!
I’d argue leaving the site better than you found it is the most important thing. But I don’t mind this
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Or gift it the nice neighbors who weren't asshats at 3am.
I usually chop some up into kindling for the next people too
To the folks who just pulled up with every inch of their tacoma covered in bright white LED floodlights blasting rap on your external speakers, please go away forever, you're ruining everyone else's experience. If you can't, I'm not stopping Billy Bob in the rusted camper when he decides to slash your tires.
Need more of this in general, don’t we?
My family and I are leaving Niagara Falls tomorrow and expect to pull into a site in our minivan, setup the tent, pavilion and the crack open some suds. Likely all in the rain because it's not a family camping trip for us if we are not either setting up in the rain or tearing down in the rain. It's apparently how we roll.
Those steaks taste good when it's raining and we're under the pavilion or dry out and we're under the pavilion or around the campfire. The card games after dusk should be fun too ;)
All true but please for the life of you all, keep the music to a level your circle can hear and not the surrounding campsites!!
I always wonder with this bubbly inclusion - is there a line, a limit? If someone built a mcmansion out in the woods and said they were camping, would you agree?
The giant RV's with a queen bed, living room, full bathroom... Of course they're allowed and welcome, but is it really camping, or is it parking a luxurious house somewhere and barely spending time in nature?
There's gotta be some kind of perimeter, some standard. Words do have meaning.
We went RV'ing in the 80's and never called it camping. Camping as I remember it involved a tent, maybe the the seat of your car or van, but some kind of roughing it. The minute you weren't roughing it you weren't camping. I think KOA and some marketing folks got creative and said "well... if your not in your/a house, your camping..."
I'd love some real clarification so when I search on 'camping' I don't get a bunch of things about RVs, but it's never going to happen.
I agree. And it shouldn't be an insult to RV people if we think they aren't camping. They're still enjoying things and I'm happy for them sincerely. I just don't think they are camping.
Bet it’s down by the river
Hold up, where you gettin these $100k houses?!
✨Midwest baby✨
The art teacher at my high school tried to talk to me about campin once, then he proceeded to brag about how he camps in the middle of nowhere with a tent and what I did wasn’t real because my dad had a camper that we towed to campgrounds at. That teacher was a douchebag
I avoid all these problems by not using a campsite, just go deep in the forest, find a river on a mountain, find a quiet beach.
That sounds delightful
So true, let’s all have fun. I was super inspired by the family of about 30 that did a 1/3 mile hike-in tent camp on the beach in Michigan this weekend.
Amongst the family, two grandmas, two babies, three dogs, friendly as hell. The ladies toughed out a tricky bathroom situation, I was really impressed.
Talk about memories and family bonding!
I love tent camping in the fall and spring. I love glamping in the summer (it's HOT!). In the winter, I love small tent camping.
I also love doing all of that in a 5th wheel but I find myself wanting to do more tent glamping than anything else. Small enough to pack in my truck but more than enough to enjoy my week or weekend trips. Solar genny along in tow.
My wife though... She prefers the 5th wheel lol but can't take the 5th wheel off roading!
Started out with a sleeping bag under the stars, at kids camp, living out of my backpack or with the horses hobbled nearby. Many years of car camping with a tent. Slept in snow caves after skiing in. Lots of years at anchor on a sailboat. Now it's in a 34' 5th wheel that has been a full-time home as well. Now looking to downsize to about a 25' 5th wheel better suited to camping rather than traveling. In the PNW we learned that we camp more with an rv because if it starts raining we're still comfortable so we're more inclined to just take off. Still most of our time is spent outdoors. As our bodies age, sleeping on the ground becomes a challenge and nobody wants to watch my old ass trying to stand up after a night on the ground!
We do run a generator an hour or two most days (we're usually camped for a minimum of two weeks) which is enough to keep the batteries topped up for running the water system and furnace fan as well as charging devices. We always place the genny so it impacts our neighbors as little as possible, plus we only run it during the allowed time of day and when everyone around us is up and about. It doesn't take a lot effort to be aware if you're being annoying. Just walk around the perimeter of your campsite and listen. If I'm conscious of your camping situation while I'm in my camp, you're not doing it right.
What if this mindset was applied to idk... living?
I went camping once to enjoy the ocean. I had my view blocked by an RV that was the size of the house. It was so huge it extended all the way to the edge of the drop off and there was no way for me to see the ocean from my camping spot.
I had a one person tent. The lady had the nerve to approach me and wonder why I slept in that. I was taken aback and didn't know how to reply, I should've said I come out to be in nature and not be in a hermetically sealed box.
I get if people are handicapped and it's the only way to get out there.
Except one of these groups runs loud ass generators…
I’m just fucking dying to go camping. The woods are calling meeeeeeeeee
We all know that unless you only bring a packet of jerkey and a toothpick you're just a poser. Back in my day we had to make mud pies out of leaves because we couldn't afford dirt, and we liked it!
I’ve camped everywhere from sleeping in tiny mountaineering tents covered in snow while eating a stack of tuna packets to grilling steaks next to my RV with A/C going and a hot shower after. IT’S CALLED CAMPING NOT COMPETITIVE SLEEPING, there’s no gold metals, no finds it impressive, do what makes you happy and get off peoples backs.
Do what makes you happy WHILE RESPECTING EVERYONE ELSE AROUND YOU. Too many people forget that part. That's how you have assholes blaring music across the entire campground at 2am, or the half dozen RVers with their generators blasting all day and night, or their bright ass lights illuminating everyone and everything around.
I could care less if you're in a hammock, a tent, the back of your truck, or a quarter million dollar RV. Show consideration to others is all we really ask.
To the -p, who do that camping, they prolly do that at home and are still the AHoles I’m BITCH situations
Not gonna lie. hate the 43ft, 200k fifth wheel. Like, why even go camping in that monstrosity?
camping season ended for me in spring/early April. I don't camp in the summer. Sigh, I cant wait til fall and winter
The only good thing about having a job that involves working weekends is being able to camp on weekdays at forest service FCFS campgrounds.
I WFH, i could go whenever, but its mostly just the heat I don't like. It gets humid where I live, but I just naturally like the cooler weather and i find it easier to warm up than cool down
My husband works Tuesday thru Saturday, so we always go on Sunday nights. It’s usually really quiet and nice
One summer in my late teens, I spent ten days backpacking Wyoming's Wind River Range with a few friends. After hiking back to the trailhead on our last day, we started the long drive home, and pretty quickly had to stop for gas. I remember seeing a big 40 foot RV at the pumps next to us and questioning why anyone would need such a thing. After all, we'd just spent a week and a half carrying our entire lives on our backs.
A couple years later, I loaded a bunch of camping gear onto my bicycle and spent the better part of the next seven months riding 5,300 miles (8,500 km) around the western US. It wasn't terribly uncommon for neighbors in the next campsite over to see me ride into camp on that bike with all my stuff on it and come over to ask about it. I'd give them a summary of where I'd come from and where I was going, and they'd invite me to join them around their fire to exchange their food and beer for my stories.
It probably goes without saying that those people were generally traveling with a few more luxuries than me, whether they were in a car and a slightly larger tent, an RV that costs more than my condo, or something in between. However they choose to pursue it, I realized over time that their appreciation for the outdoors is every bit as real as mine. So from the guy in the woods in the bivvy, to the monster luxury RV, I apologize for how judgemental I was when our paths crossed near the Wind River Range.
Yes, I love listening to someone run their TV all night.
I'm going camping tomorrow and I'm so excited
I hope you have fun!
Thank you for sharing, this is the way right there, creating memories, sharing experiences. So long as it's done respectfully when others are around.
Tent or cabin . We used to do tent camping often til I messed up my back n knees. Now when we can go,it’s renting a cabin. Both are fun.
Yeah let’s not uphold the integrity of the act by attempting to keep loud ass generators out of nature oriented campgrounds. However anyone does it is completely fine and acceptable. Not rude and selfish.
This is awesome
I got an inflatable mattress for my truck bed and have a topper on the bed. This combination makes for a very comfortable bed for me, my wife and our 4yo. Then we have a tent with the camping gear in it. I'll be 40 next year and have done my fair share of tent camping and hammock camping as well. But for now, with the little one the focus is comfort.
We rented a spot in a campground for a year and half. They wouldn't let us move closer to the pool because we didn't have a "nice enough" camper. So we were supposed to worry about what the weekend warriors thought of us and who cares that we spent over $4000 there (not including what we spent in their store). Our camper was just older... No rust, no dents, it just wasn't brand new. Really put a sour taste in my mouth for KOA. I'll never give them our money again.
Next campground we have I hope it's on our own land.
That’s so dumb. Who cares what your camper looks like??
I wanted to be near the pool because my boys were just learning to swim and there was no lifeguard. There were always empty spots up there, it's not like we would have been taking space away from someone who desperately needed it. They were just very snobby there (the owners). That's ok, though, my feelings were very well reflected in the Google review I left them, which was then shared with all the other review services online. (There were MANY things that were a turn off there that the owners did, it wasn't just that... Like when she yelled at my kids for being in their store looking around... Or when she blamed me for being past due on our bill because she got me confused with someone else and then didn't even apologize... Oh there was a lot)
Went from ground tent, to hammock, to rooftop tent, to now sleeping in the back of my car. So many good options for camping
Thanks for posting this! It helped me tackle tent shopping, and I ordered a Tarptent Double Rainbow!
Nice!
I have done most of those types of camping, too.
Happy camping to everyone except those in sprinter camper vans. You’re overlanding in luxury
A reminder that we don’t go camping to listen to your Jesus Alt-rock music until 1:30am. Or at all, honestly. Keep your music down
to the guy who turned on his generator F@!k you!!!
Yah idk I think there does need to be a discussion on how one goes camping. Tech limitations, rules and regs the like. This fb post screams of boomer neolib takes (everything is fine!).
I'm still tent camping. Of course the tent is bigger, 6 person even when my wife doesn't come along. As I have gotten older a cot and camp chair in the tent sure makes things easier.
OK so I don't get it yall all claim to be for getting people out there but the mass majority of you seem to think anyone with a generator is Satan look if I go kayaking in the morning and get back at 2 hot as hell and tired I'm cranking up my generator and ac and enjoying a little cool down I agree with not running it all night no need for that I prefer battery powered fans but I've seen no less than 42 comments here that just out and out call for the banning of all generators in all circumstances that's stupid campgrounds are noisy that's where the people congregate if you want to be in nature leave the camping area and go on a hike or something people like yall have been complaining about campground noise since before generators and campers were a thing go look at some camping mags from the 50s or some old boy scout mags they complained about the modern camper bringing guitars and similar instruments and playing saying all the different songs made camping impossible and that this new generation of campers was going to ruin camping I think most of you just think that anything you find slightly annoying about camping should be banned and it's sad
I'm not judging how you camp but I am judging you for the gear you buy but never use (that's not camping, that's shopping!)
And I'm really judging you for the sites you reserve and then never show up because you're not concerned about losing the fee but it stop the rest of us from being able to book. (Seriously, lots of campgrounds are half empty with all the no shows)
As someone trying to plan cross country trips with the kids, I'm a fan of the reservation system. Hate showing up and not having a site. But on the other hand that whole thing where people just reserve a block of nights, and don't use them is just mean. As it cascades into the only way to get a site at popular NPS sites is to reserve the day before so you can expand your days into the days that aren't open yet. It's a no win situation. I'd like to see a banning of individuals who do that somehow.
I read this aloud to my fiancé and choked up at one point. Beautifully written.
Three cheers for more love and acceptance in this world!
Me and my boys love tent camping but have no problem with how anyone else wants to get away from it all. Life's too short to worry about other peoples preferences.
Lol this reminded me of the days of being broke af in my Walmart tent, getting free dry ice from the fire dept, and living at the campground all summer long with my beater ski boat. Good times lol.
👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏
Tents for me until I can no longer sleep on the ground!! Be kind to one another, and if someone approaches you with an issue, hear them out!
Well said!
Love this, but can we all agree that you don't bring a TV camping
No….the point is to not gatekeeper what others enjoy. This is just some arbitrary boundary. If not tv…what about radio? Or a deck of cards? Or a gas cooler instead of “real” cooking?
The point is there are a lot of preferences and ways to do things.
I live in a 43ft fifth wheel and tent camp for camping.
I feel like I get the best of both.
Those people in the rv with the gen running all night. they are probably running their Cpap.They don't know how do it any other way. That's my theory
I'm not sure why they are. That's what batteries and inverters are for. I can run everything but the AC and microwave in my setup. And I think if I got a few lithiums, solar and a "soft start" I could probably get the AC running, too and never use the generator.
Yep
I don’t have FB and it’s my first time seeing it. Thank you for sharing it on here.
I am all for everyone enjoying their camping however they like, as long as it doesn't interfere with everyone else's enjoyment.
This is especially true with noise and light pollution two of the things camping is meant to help you escape.