@ruouttaurmind They’ve been deprived. Nothing else gives you a greater appreciation for not having to go camping. You need to go camping, just so you’ll know why you don’t want to.
@2many2no and skeeters don’t forget smelling like and oilchange bay to ward off skeeters. And the joy of waking up in wet sleeping bag because your partner couldn’t not touch the tent.
@ruouttaurmind wasn’t me you were referring to, but I did pick that answer. It’s almost correct. I haven’t camped since being a child, and wouldn’t know how. Don’t own a tent… don’t have a place at home to dry one out. What behaviors, if any, constitute responsible tree relations, are outside my memory.
Bugs, creepy crawlers, @Kidsandliz tick issue, spiders mosquitos, wildlife, no toilet, not my own bed, no air conditioning, no white noise to fall asleep to, not being able to eat a home cooked meal, more bugs…not seeing any good reason to camp. Plus, I can see most of these things from the luxury of my home and the back deck. We have coyotes, rabbits, foxes, bats, owls and the occasional cat (which I don’t get why you would get a cat and let it go outdoors and then let it in at night which brings in the first five things mentioned - dogs I get - since they are normally walked on a leash and only let out to the backyard). Went to camp as a kid, and when in Girl Scouts (Mom made me do that so we’d get dibs on the cookies early) didn’t like it then either. So, I think I should have clicked a different button but there was no “been there done that don’t want to do it again”.
Way too hot to camp in the summer here. The only people that I know that went camping this summer are actually “camping” in RVs or putting AC units in their tents.
Since I became an adult, I prefer to camp when it’s actually cold. I don’t like to sweat in my sleep. I don’t want to sit in front of a campfire when it’s 80° in the middle of the night.
@RiotDemon I’ll camp in the summer in Georgia if asked only because I get so few opportunities to camp, but fall camping in Georgia, now that’s the stuff. Gorgeous colors on the trees, beautiful weather, crisp, fresh air to blow out all the stress, and cool enough at night for s’mores over the fire and snuggling if you’re so inclined… Good times. Man I miss camping.
Not yet, but the kids and I are planning to as soon as it gets cooler. It will be the first time I have actually been camping since I was young. First time for the kids.
@mehbee You may. We decided to take a driving tour of the Eastern Shore.I have lived here 17 years and have never really checked out everything it has to offer. So we found a state park in Crisfield, MD (Janes State Park) which has camping and sits right on the Chesapeake Bay. They have 30 miles of marked water trails. There is also an island right off shore that has beaches on the far side (the kids and I just purchased a canoe). We even were able to get a Ranger to show us around for an hour. And just in case we want to change it up from tents they have 5 nice cabins that sleep 6 with full kitchens and private piers. The kids and I are really excited for bonding time. My daughter freaked a little about no wifi - I told her we all need to disconnect sometimes! Here is the park: http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/janesisland.aspx
On another note @mehbee, I am all caught up on Killjoys, Dark Matter, Wynonna Earp, The Strain, Handmaiden’s Tale, and GoT. Am I missing anything?
Camping in the summer just sounds like a horrible idea. In the fall/winter, you can always add another layer of clothes or wrap up in a blanket if you’re cold. In the heat, you can only get so naked before you’re just hot and nude.
@Tin_Foil - You don’t actually HAVE to camp where you live. You can travel to someplace like, oh say Alberta, where the weather is different than, say, Georgia. And Canadian mosquitos are MUCH nicer than US ones, they’re quieter and their bites don’t sting or itch.
I just remembered that I have to go camping when it cools off. My dad gave us either the coolest or most pointless gadget ever, and I have to find out which it is. It’s a camp stove that uses the heat from burning twigs to generate electricity so you can charge your phone and cook at the same time.
@unksol Basically, I guess. It’s a camp stove that generates power.
@ruouttaurmind Cool. It sounds like it works so that’s good. I guess they’re based on Peltiers running in reverse to make power from the heat differential instead of hot and cold from electricity.
@djslack Mine is the PowerPot (as seen on Shark Tank). Yes, it uses a series of TE modules to generate power. They claim 10w. I haven’t measured, but It recharged my lantern in about 2 hours. Usually takes just over an hour when charging at home, so not bad really.
These day a popup camper is as close to roughing it as I get. But now I’m self contained in 27ft of fiberglass tube. I’ve found that dual connected honda generators are quiet enough to run the air conditioner in a national park campground if you kinda get off by yourself a little ways.
Tent camping in August at Ft Wilderness is doable if you bring some cinderblocks, visqueen,duck tape and a 10000BTU window unit. A portable works ok but you’ll need a bigger tent.
Used to take people camping for a living (outward bound, etc.) and have worked doing that in a number of countries. Sure it can be hot (like when I took adjudicated youth canoeing across the state of Florida) but you do get acclimated to the heat if you stay out of the A/C. Takes about 3 weeks. The most number of days I spent in a tent was around 280 or so. Been camping in 100+ degrees with 99% humidity and minus 40 to 60 (F although at -40 that is roughly the came in C; then that made -5 F seem absolutely tropical by comparison LOL).
While I appreciate A/C, running water, electricity, etc. there is something to be said for camping as well. Seen/done a lot of beautiful and interesting things that I wouldn’t have been able to see/do from an RV, hotel, car…
We love camping, but can’t easily get away, so we built a cabin/treehouse in the woods at the far end of our property. There’s a firepit out there, too, so we can have the full camping experience without having to deal with all the logistics.
We’ve spent several nights in it so far this year, and it’s also a nice place to go for some quiet time. Lots of country noise - roosters in the daytime, bullfrogs and crickets at night. It can be downright spooky when the coyotes are out, but really, that’s half the fun.
Don’t mind the debris in these pictures. They were all taken during various stages of construction. That’s my mom helping me paint it.
The nephews spent the night over the Fourth.
The bunk has a twin-sized mattress that’ll sleep two kids or two very friendly adults, and there’s also room for a cot, a small table, a couple of chairs, and some shelves. It’s wired for power and has a wifi repeater, 'cause we’re not savages. A kerosene heater warms it quite well, so we can use it year round.
We’ve been working on it for a couple years now, making improvements and additions when we feel like it. It’s been “done” for probably a year, but I doubt it’ll ever stop being a project.
@dannybeans Our coyotes don’t sound like movie coyote. The sound like a hyena crossed the a psychopath. Makes the hairs stand up on your neck, disturbing on a very primal level. Are yours like that? I’ve wondered if all coyotes are freaky sounding and the movies are just substituting wolf howls.
I am camping right now in the club level of the Hilton in Virginia Beach. My idea of roughing it is bad toilet paper. Camping would be blended scotch instead of single-malt.
@mfladd oceanfront. Leaving tomorrow (today? … Sunday) alas b/c weather has been fantastic but real life calls. VA Beach is terrific town, clean, highly recommended.
@Sarahsda Yup, Oceanfront is usually where I stay. I go for business 1 or 2 a month. Va Beach is nice, and amazingly clean. Far cleaner than Ocean City, Md. Glad you had a good time!
@ruouttaurmind SCA and AMTGARD. That photo’s SCA, but I didn’t take it. But it’s pretty representative. We had a peaked round tent, queen sized portable rope bed, a large Turkish rug, folding wooden chairs, and a gold colored silk satellite re-entry parachute (40’ wide in the shape of a plus sign) that we strung up to shade the common area between household tents.
Again, not our actual bed, but ours was this style.
@moondrake My roommate is into SCA. He has a pretty sizable pavilion he tricks out with a bunch of rugs, a bed just like that one, and even tarted up with a wood burning stove/heater. A couple years ago I helped him make a banquet table and benches and a couple large throne type chairs, all painted up with his household colors and device. When his camp is all set up it’s a pretty impressive presentation.
Someone has never camped? Ever?? Pity.
@ruouttaurmind They’ve been deprived. Nothing else gives you a greater appreciation for not having to go camping. You need to go camping, just so you’ll know why you don’t want to.
@simplersimon Especially when it’s way too hot, but still raining.
@ruouttaurmind It is a pity. Any type of camping is good camping.
@2many2no and skeeters don’t forget smelling like and oilchange bay to ward off skeeters. And the joy of waking up in wet sleeping bag because your partner couldn’t not touch the tent.
@ruouttaurmind wasn’t me you were referring to, but I did pick that answer. It’s almost correct. I haven’t camped since being a child, and wouldn’t know how. Don’t own a tent… don’t have a place at home to dry one out. What behaviors, if any, constitute responsible tree relations, are outside my memory.
Man didn’t invent beds just to sleep on a glorified tarp. You wanna get in touch with nature? Start a garden.
And sleep in it!
Too much heat, too many bugs, too many mold spores… Otherwise, a great idea!
Bugs, creepy crawlers, @Kidsandliz tick issue, spiders mosquitos, wildlife, no toilet, not my own bed, no air conditioning, no white noise to fall asleep to, not being able to eat a home cooked meal, more bugs…not seeing any good reason to camp. Plus, I can see most of these things from the luxury of my home and the back deck. We have coyotes, rabbits, foxes, bats, owls and the occasional cat (which I don’t get why you would get a cat and let it go outdoors and then let it in at night which brings in the first five things mentioned - dogs I get - since they are normally walked on a leash and only let out to the backyard). Went to camp as a kid, and when in Girl Scouts (Mom made me do that so we’d get dibs on the cookies early) didn’t like it then either. So, I think I should have clicked a different button but there was no “been there done that don’t want to do it again”.
Way too hot to camp in the summer here. The only people that I know that went camping this summer are actually “camping” in RVs or putting AC units in their tents.
Since I became an adult, I prefer to camp when it’s actually cold. I don’t like to sweat in my sleep. I don’t want to sit in front of a campfire when it’s 80° in the middle of the night.
Plus, mosquitos.
@RiotDemon They are the world’s deadliest animal.
@RiotDemon I’ll camp in the summer in Georgia if asked only because I get so few opportunities to camp, but fall camping in Georgia, now that’s the stuff. Gorgeous colors on the trees, beautiful weather, crisp, fresh air to blow out all the stress, and cool enough at night for s’mores over the fire and snuggling if you’re so inclined… Good times. Man I miss camping.
Not yet, but the kids and I are planning to as soon as it gets cooler. It will be the first time I have actually been camping since I was young. First time for the kids.
@mfladd I’m so excited and jealous all at the same time!! Do you mind if I ask where y’all are going?
@mehbee You may. We decided to take a driving tour of the Eastern Shore.I have lived here 17 years and have never really checked out everything it has to offer. So we found a state park in Crisfield, MD (Janes State Park) which has camping and sits right on the Chesapeake Bay. They have 30 miles of marked water trails. There is also an island right off shore that has beaches on the far side (the kids and I just purchased a canoe). We even were able to get a Ranger to show us around for an hour. And just in case we want to change it up from tents they have 5 nice cabins that sleep 6 with full kitchens and private piers. The kids and I are really excited for bonding time. My daughter freaked a little about no wifi - I told her we all need to disconnect sometimes! Here is the park: http://dnr.maryland.gov/publiclands/Pages/eastern/janesisland.aspx
On another note @mehbee, I am all caught up on Killjoys, Dark Matter, Wynonna Earp, The Strain, Handmaiden’s Tale, and GoT. Am I missing anything?
Camping in the summer just sounds like a horrible idea. In the fall/winter, you can always add another layer of clothes or wrap up in a blanket if you’re cold. In the heat, you can only get so naked before you’re just hot and nude.
@Tin_Foil I think whether being hot and nude is good or bad depends on your choice in camping partner
@Tin_Foil - You don’t actually HAVE to camp where you live. You can travel to someplace like, oh say Alberta, where the weather is different than, say, Georgia. And Canadian mosquitos are MUCH nicer than US ones, they’re quieter and their bites don’t sting or itch.
The answer I’m looking for is “No, but I will when its cool enough to require a fire to cook dinner.”
I just remembered that I have to go camping when it cools off. My dad gave us either the coolest or most pointless gadget ever, and I have to find out which it is. It’s a camp stove that uses the heat from burning twigs to generate electricity so you can charge your phone and cook at the same time.
@djslack so it’s a phone charger right? You already have the fire to cook
@djslack I have a similar device. It’s a pot that generates power when cooking. I have used it to recharge my lantern a couple times.
@unksol Basically, I guess. It’s a camp stove that generates power.
@ruouttaurmind Cool. It sounds like it works so that’s good. I guess they’re based on Peltiers running in reverse to make power from the heat differential instead of hot and cold from electricity.
@djslack Mine is the PowerPot (as seen on Shark Tank). Yes, it uses a series of TE modules to generate power. They claim 10w. I haven’t measured, but It recharged my lantern in about 2 hours. Usually takes just over an hour when charging at home, so not bad really.
@djslack That’s really neat! Way to multitask mother nature! Or should I say what a great way to science a wood fire!
These day a popup camper is as close to roughing it as I get. But now I’m self contained in 27ft of fiberglass tube. I’ve found that dual connected honda generators are quiet enough to run the air conditioner in a national park campground if you kinda get off by yourself a little ways.
Tent camping in August at Ft Wilderness is doable if you bring some cinderblocks, visqueen,duck tape and a 10000BTU window unit. A portable works ok but you’ll need a bigger tent.
Used to take people camping for a living (outward bound, etc.) and have worked doing that in a number of countries. Sure it can be hot (like when I took adjudicated youth canoeing across the state of Florida) but you do get acclimated to the heat if you stay out of the A/C. Takes about 3 weeks. The most number of days I spent in a tent was around 280 or so. Been camping in 100+ degrees with 99% humidity and minus 40 to 60 (F although at -40 that is roughly the came in C; then that made -5 F seem absolutely tropical by comparison LOL).
While I appreciate A/C, running water, electricity, etc. there is something to be said for camping as well. Seen/done a lot of beautiful and interesting things that I wouldn’t have been able to see/do from an RV, hotel, car…
We love camping, but can’t easily get away, so we built a cabin/treehouse in the woods at the far end of our property. There’s a firepit out there, too, so we can have the full camping experience without having to deal with all the logistics.
We’ve spent several nights in it so far this year, and it’s also a nice place to go for some quiet time. Lots of country noise - roosters in the daytime, bullfrogs and crickets at night. It can be downright spooky when the coyotes are out, but really, that’s half the fun.
Don’t mind the debris in these pictures. They were all taken during various stages of construction. That’s my mom helping me paint it.
The nephews spent the night over the Fourth.
The bunk has a twin-sized mattress that’ll sleep two kids or two very friendly adults, and there’s also room for a cot, a small table, a couple of chairs, and some shelves. It’s wired for power and has a wifi repeater, 'cause we’re not savages. A kerosene heater warms it quite well, so we can use it year round.
We’ve been working on it for a couple years now, making improvements and additions when we feel like it. It’s been “done” for probably a year, but I doubt it’ll ever stop being a project.
(For actual camping, I like Chain-O-Lakes State Park in Albion, Indiana. It’s only about a half hour away, and has swimming and canoeing.)
@dannybeans That is AWESOME!
@dannybeans How long did it take to build that?
@dannybeans Our coyotes don’t sound like movie coyote. The sound like a hyena crossed the a psychopath. Makes the hairs stand up on your neck, disturbing on a very primal level. Are yours like that? I’ve wondered if all coyotes are freaky sounding and the movies are just substituting wolf howls.
They sound just like this. When you hear this thirty feet from your bedroom window you count your kids and pets.
I am camping right now in the club level of the Hilton in Virginia Beach. My idea of roughing it is bad toilet paper. Camping would be blended scotch instead of single-malt.
@Sarahsda I have to go there monday night! Are you at Oceanfront or Garden Inn (there are two on the strip)?
@mfladd oceanfront. Leaving tomorrow (today? … Sunday) alas b/c weather has been fantastic but real life calls. VA Beach is terrific town, clean, highly recommended.
@Sarahsda Yup, Oceanfront is usually where I stay. I go for business 1 or 2 a month. Va Beach is nice, and amazingly clean. Far cleaner than Ocean City, Md. Glad you had a good time!
I used to camp with my medieval groups several times per year. Of course we camp a little different from most folks.
@moondrake SCA?
@ruouttaurmind SCA and AMTGARD. That photo’s SCA, but I didn’t take it. But it’s pretty representative. We had a peaked round tent, queen sized portable rope bed, a large Turkish rug, folding wooden chairs, and a gold colored silk satellite re-entry parachute (40’ wide in the shape of a plus sign) that we strung up to shade the common area between household tents.
Again, not our actual bed, but ours was this style.
@moondrake My roommate is into SCA. He has a pretty sizable pavilion he tricks out with a bunch of rugs, a bed just like that one, and even tarted up with a wood burning stove/heater. A couple years ago I helped him make a banquet table and benches and a couple large throne type chairs, all painted up with his household colors and device. When his camp is all set up it’s a pretty impressive presentation.
I’ve spent a lot of time in U.S. airports in the past few months. That feels very much like getting away from civilization and roughing it.