Camping Camper

Question:

Many years ago when in college I would go camping with my friends and, at the time, the only camping equipment that I owned was a pad and sleeping bag. I recall with fondness those nights. Years later I began camping with my family. We purchased gear. And more gear. And yet more gear. When we went on vacation it looked like the Army was packing up. We are on the road again this summer but everyone has agreed that taking all that stuff is not worth it. We gave up the camping last summer but we do miss it. So, this summer, each of us will be taking a ground cover and bag. While we will be staying in motels most of the time, we are planning a few special nights under the stars in the high Rockies. I feel better already.

Response:

Sounds brilliant, but here in the UK anyone venturing out even during summer with just a bag and ground sheet would be considered two pennies short of a tuppunce. Just wondering, what do you do if it starts to rain or do you also take some sort of cover as well ?

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Many years ago when in college I would go camping with my friends and, at > the time, the only camping equipment that I owned was a pad and sleeping > bag. I recall with fondness those nights. > Years later I began camping with my family. We purchased gear. And more > gear. And yet more gear. When we went on vacation it looked like the Army > was packing up. > We are on the road again this summer but everyone has agreed that taking all > that stuff is not worth it. We gave up the camping last summer but we do > miss it. So, this summer, each of us will be taking a ground cover and bag. > While we will be staying in motels most of the time, we are planning a few > special nights under the stars in the high Rockies. I feel better already.

Response:

You made me curious. Why does one have to have a tent in the UK?  Is it because of rain? Insects? Rain where we are planning to camp our few nights this summer is fairly predictible at night. We will watch the weather and if the threat exists (infrequently at nights during the summer) we’ll stay in a hotel. I’m of both schools now, anyway: the "camping is fun" and "what the heck, mix another martini and kick-up the temperature on the hot tub" schools, that is. I was doing geological mapping field work in the New Mexico desert years ago and had my wife along. We were forced to rip things apart, throw them into the car and flee from a night-time tornado. We later determined that it missed us by less than a half mile (we drove through hail on the way out and it dented the rental car). I drove out of harms way for an hour or so then settled into a room for the night. Since then I have taken the weather foreast more seriously. We used to monitor the weather closely prior to making the decision to spend the night outdoors. And, yes, part of the campig gear was a weather service alert radio. I was awakened that night by the frequency of the lightening and thunder and had sat-up in the tent and was looking out of the door. There was a windmill nearby and everytime the lightening flashed I could a see the dark outline of  the windmill. The tornado was approaching from directly behind it. Only when it was close enough to be much larger than the windmill did I see it; I never heard it. The next morning the news satated that a twister had touched-down in the "remote" desert and had done no damage. They obviousley didn’t know about my pride. Also, I learned then that one man’s "remote" is another man’s back yard. In my haste to leave, I left behind a box with some very nice mineral specimens that I had collected that day. I have always hoped that someone found them–at least someone who could appreciate what they were.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> Sounds brilliant, but here in the UK anyone venturing out even during summer > with just a bag and ground sheet would be considered two pennies short of a > tuppunce. > Just wondering, what do you do if it starts to rain or do you also take some > sort of cover as well ? > Many years ago when in college I would go camping with my friends and, at > the time, the only camping equipment that I owned was a pad and sleeping > bag. I recall with fondness those nights. > Years later I began camping with my family. We purchased gear. And more > gear. And yet more gear. When we went on vacation it looked like the Army > was packing up. > We are on the road again this summer but everyone has agreed that taking > all > that stuff is not worth it. We gave up the camping last summer but we do > miss it. So, this summer, each of us will be taking a ground cover and > bag. > While we will be staying in motels most of the time, we are planning a few > special nights under the stars in the high Rockies. I feel better already.

Response:

Well, whilst we certainly don’t get the extreme weather that you get (anyone waking up to see a tornado heading their way would be on the front page of the newspapers for weeks) our weather is fairly predictable as well i.e. if you go to sleep under a cloadless sky and the forecast is for fine weather for weeks to come, its a cert that by the time you wake up it will be raining (especially here in Wales). Obviously British camping is a slightly less ‘adventurous’ activity than yours. We hear quite a few stories in the papers of people camping in the national parks encountering bears, wolves etc. whilst the largest wild animal we are likely to encounter is Flossy the site owners demented pussy cat. In fact just about all British camping takes place at regular camping sites where the facilities mean the tent is used as a bedroom rather than a temporary home. Getting right back to nature and setting up in a forest (of which we only have a couple left anyway) and where we might encounter one of our really big really wild animals like a fox, has never occurred to me and I’m sure most others feel the same. As for the hotels, have you tried British hotels, they have a rather tarnished reputation and for good reason. I have only been to USA twice both working visits, once for a day and once for two weeks. The ’standard’ hotels we stayed at would have been considered luxurious over here and yet they were so cheap so I doubt that I will ever experience the American outdoors properly but at those prices, who cares. Also a factor is that we don’t have anything poisonous over here and the mere shake of a babies rattle would be enough to put me on a plane back to blighty pronto.

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> You made me curious. Why does one have to have a tent in the UK?  Is it > because of rain? Insects? > Rain where we are planning to camp our few nights this summer is fairly > predictible at night. We will watch the weather and if the threat exists > (infrequently at nights during the summer) we’ll stay in a hotel. I’m of > both schools now, anyway: the "camping is fun" and "what the heck, mix > another martini and kick-up the temperature on the hot tub" schools, that > is. > I was doing geological mapping field work in the New Mexico desert years ago > and had my wife along. We were forced to rip things apart, throw them into > the car and flee from a night-time tornado. We later determined that it > missed us by less than a half mile (we drove through hail on the way out and > it dented the rental car). I drove out of harms way for an hour or so then > settled into a room for the night. Since then I have taken the weather > foreast more seriously. We used to monitor the weather closely prior to > making the decision to spend the night outdoors. And, yes, part of the > campig gear was a weather service alert radio. > I was awakened that night by the frequency of the lightening and thunder and > had sat-up in the tent and was looking out of the door. There was a windmill > nearby and everytime the lightening flashed I could a see the dark outline > of  the windmill. The tornado was approaching from directly behind it. Only > when it was close enough to be much larger than the windmill did I see it; I > never heard it. The next morning the news satated that a twister had > touched-down in the "remote" desert and had done no damage. They obviousley > didn’t know about my pride. Also, I learned then that one man’s "remote" is > another man’s back yard. > In my haste to leave, I left behind a box with some very nice mineral > specimens that I had collected that day. I have always hoped that someone > found them–at least someone who could appreciate what they were. > Sounds brilliant, but here in the UK anyone venturing out even during > summer > with just a bag and ground sheet would be considered two pennies short of > a > tuppunce. > Just wondering, what do you do if it starts to rain or do you also take > some > sort of cover as well ? > > Many years ago when in college I would go camping with my friends and, > at > > the time, the only camping equipment that I owned was a pad and sleeping > > bag. I recall with fondness those nights. > > Years later I began camping with my family. We purchased gear. And more > > gear. And yet more gear. When we went on vacation it looked like the > Army > > was packing up. > > We are on the road again this summer but everyone has agreed that taking > all > > that stuff is not worth it. We gave up the camping last summer but we do > > miss it. So, this summer, each of us will be taking a ground cover and > bag. > > While we will be staying in motels most of the time, we are planning a > few > > special nights under the stars in the high Rockies. I feel better > already.

Response: