Do you rough it, or bring luxuries?

[Ingrid]

We usually go to actual campsites where we can drive within 1/2 mile and then there are carts at the ranger station we can borrow to pull our gear to the site. It's kind of the best of both worlds because we get to feel far away from everything but still have an air mattress.

When I go on canoe trips, I have to be a little more basic since a canoe will only hold so much before it sinks.

I don't do hike in camping.

 

[ejdixon]

Well, at least nobody is bringing a generator so they can plug in a microwave and a cappuccino maker.QUOTE]

You need to get one of these......(mini espresso maker)

No generator needed. Small enough to take backpacking.

I also love my Big Agnes sleeping bag and pad. Just because you're "roughing it" doesn't mean it has to be rough....

Oooohhhh!!! I want and need one of those.

 

[ppine]

One of the real joysof camping is to be comfortable with minimal equipment. That is the real challenge. For some trips I like to go light and fast. For hunting trips of a week or more I bring canvas tents, a cot and a luxurious bed. Adjust your equipment to the type of trip and the style of you companions.

The term "roughing it" is a dated colloquial phrase from about 1900 when the conservation movement started in earnest. At first it was the wealthy that rediscovered the outdoors, and brought champagne and silverwear. They thought it charming to go roughting it.

I spend all of my time in the outdoors "smoothing it". That is trying to be as comfortable as possible. Any other smoothers out there?

 

[ponderosa]

I brought a little pillow the last time I went backpacking. That felt pretty luxurious. And my down-filled 3" air mat is a luxury I won't do without now, compared to the 3/4 length standard 1" thermarest I used for a couple of decades.

 

[Pathfinder1]

Hi...


Luxuries? Wow...that's almost beyond my comprehension...!!

No, no luxuries...just me and my minimal gear. I do sometimes bring some tinned herring in mustard or tomato sauce, though.

 

[JimBob]

That expresso maker is pretty cool. There is actually a similar one I have that they use to make "Cuban coffee" in where I live. The bottom part is similiar to the one in your picture. I'd like to get my hands on one of these and see if it makes good coffee too.

 

[Hikenhunter]

The whole idea of camping is to get outdoors and have fun. For me, I like backpacking,and canoe camping best. I enjoy the sounds of nature and the relaxation that comes with it. I also enjoy state parkcamping but I expect a much different experience when we go to the state parks. These camping experiences are actually wilderness vacations and are where we take lots of stuff that we could never take on a backcountry trip.We also know that we will have to deal with things that we don't particularly like, from other campers. Stuff like music that we might not wish to hear, noisey children, and sometimes rude behavior on our camping neighbors part. They in turn have to put up with things from us that they may not care for but that is the way of camping in a park setting vs camping in the baccountry. Camping in private campgrounds with R.V.s and tenters mixed together can be a whole different experience as well and in my case I just avoid those places, yet if I choose to go there I also accept the difference of the camping mentality in that type of environment. If you wish to camp you can make it as simple or as complex as you would like. The trick is to be adaptable to the environment you have chosen, learn what you like and don't like, Try to not ruin any bodies experience around you and try to not let others ruin your time there as well.The main thing is to have fun and relax and that is what you should strive for each and every time you go camping.

 

[HikerJoe]

Tent, Sleeping bag/pad, chair, clothes, fishing pole, food, booze, cigars, my Pony, Jimothy. That's about all you need.

 

[BSquared18]

My wife and I are at the age where roughing it isn't an option. Nevertheless, some of our friends are amazed at the level of relatively primitive living that we have become used to.

Our luxuries include: Black Cat heater to warm the tent in the morning; very nice air mattress; screen house to keep the bugs out; camp stove; coffee making system that works without electricity (that's a MUST); and two inflatable kayaks.

We manage to stuff this and more into and on top of our minivan. With careful planning, it works really well.

Bill

 

[ejdixon]

The trick is to be adaptable to the environment you have chosen, learn what you like and don't like, Try to not ruin any bodies experience around you and try to not let others ruin your time there as well.The main thing is to have fun and relax and that is what you should strive for each and every time you go camping.

Well said, Hikenhunter. I don't mind about people bringing a few luxuries provided that they don't compromise the trip that their needs have to be the top priority when it comes to the things we do during the camping trip.

 

[dinosaur]

luxury defined

There is a fine line between luxury and necessity. It depends on the person. If you have a bad back, you take things that allow you to continue functioning that those with no back problem may consider a luxury.

Some people think a bath is a luxury. Most of us, on the other hand, would say: "You stink! Take a bath. It's necessary.".

For HikerJoe, the chauffer, grey poupon, and golf clubs are necessities. Although, he did forget the Melba Toast, caviar and pearl onions.

 

[den's wife]

The older I get the less rougher I like it. But then it all depends on how far we are walking. If it's a short walk from the car, then I'll even bring my pillow from home. To me that's the height of luxury. If it's a long walk, then it's the bare essentials.

 

[ejdixon]

There is a fine line between luxury and necessity. It depends on the person. If you have a bad back, you take things that allow you to continue functioning that those with no back problem may consider a luxury.

Some people think a bath is a luxury. Most of us, on the other hand, would say: "You stink! Take a bath. It's necessary."

Well said, dino! So sad that there are some campers that seem to be rather rigid in their mindset when it comes to camping without even bothering to know the story behind it. :tinysmile_fever_t:

 

[BSquared18]

Shhh. It's a secret! I bought my wife and me a "present from Santa" of a battery-operated, power-shower system for camping. Tried it out before wrapping it, and it seems to work great. Will pay for itself by saving the cost of going somewhere that charges for showers, as we had to on our last outing.

I figure if it makes you feel good, it isn't a luxury. I'm not into being a martyr.

Bill

 

[hiking_and_biking]

I guess our camping experience would be considered more "luxurious" than basic. Here's our checklist:

Tent (one room)
Air Mattress (full size)
Sleeping Bags (2)
Pillows (2)
Lantern
Coleman grill, fuel
Kitchenware box (Always packed and ready to go, it has a pot to boil water and 2 each of cups, plates, forks, spoons and knives.)
Cooler
Food, drinks (Hot dogs, s'mores, hot chocolate, etc.)
Cards (Poker, Phase 10, Uno, etc.)

The cell phone comes along for emergency use only and stays in the car unless/until we need it.

You can judge if it's luxurious or not, I don't really care either way. We enjoy camping and take EVERYTHING we need to make it joyful. We're not hardcore "If it ain't rough, it ain't campin'!" kind of people, lol.

 

[BSquared18]

I guess our camping experience would be considered more "luxurious" than basic. Here's our checklist:

Tent (one room)
Air Mattress (full size)
Sleeping Bags (2)
Pillows (2)
Lantern
Coleman grill, fuel
Kitchenware box (Always packed and ready to go, it has a pot to boil water and 2 each of cups, plates, forks, spoons and knives.)
Cooler
Food, drinks (Hot dogs, s'mores, hot chocolate, etc.)
Cards (Poker, Phase 10, Uno, etc.)

The cell phone comes along for emergency use only and stays in the car unless/until we need it.

You can judge if it's luxurious or not, I don't really care either way. We enjoy camping and take EVERYTHING we need to make it joyful. We're not hardcore "If it ain't rough, it ain't campin'!" kind of people, lol.

I could have written that posting. Sounds very similar to our camping list, except we add a screen house, tent heater, porta-toilet, and soon-to-be-included (for Christmas) shower system.

I agree. Even with these so-called luxuries, camping outdoors still beats a motel room by a country mile.

Bill

 

[Eaglescout 49]

I suppose my stainless steel martini glass is a luxury, although relying on a plastic cocktail shaker is really "roughing it."

 

[state_camper]

We've tried roughing it and discovered they call it rough for a reason, lol. We prefer a more luxurious camping trip, as we like having a bed to sleep on and a pot to... well, you get the idea.

 

[ppine]

I am amazed at the amount of people that equate car camping with radios, noisy kids, and rude people. It takes more creativity in some places to find peace and quiet. Things like camping mid-week, camping in the shoulder season, camping near old logging roads or getting permission to camp on private property or camping by boat. I grew up in the East as a kid. When I was 12, I camped on an island in Cheasapeake Bay for a week with 3 friends. We saw no one. We went back the next year and did it again. In the Boy Scouts, we had winter trips to sleep in old barns full of straw on private property