The
other day on Gypsy’s blog, she was talking about tent camping. To me, there is something so peaceful yet a
little spooky about sleeping in a tent in the middle of no-where. When I was a young boy and when I was about
to start grade school, my parents moved to the country. I grew up living next to the woods and since
I was an only child, I spent a lot of time in those woods. My Dad had two army pup tent halves, put them
together, and put up a two man pup tent located up next to those woods that I loved
so much. He showed me how to trench it
so that when it rained, the water would not come into the tent. I spent a lot of hours in that tent, both in
the day time and at night. Sometimes my
buddy would come up and we would play in it and if allowed, would spend the
night. That was a long time ago and
tents have sure changed since then.
After I was grown with a family, I still liked to spend time in a
tent. I went “boat access only” tent
camping with some good friends of mine and had a wonderful time. The first RV I had was a pop-up tent camper. I posted a blog about it last year. Here is a link to it: http://dizzydick.blogspot.com/2011/01/wondering-about-my-first-rv.html
. We used
it a lot and my whole family enjoyed it.
Of course there are always some problems that pop up when you are
camping or on the road, but nothing catastrophic happened and we always got
home safe. We had lots of good times in
that old Pop-Up. Today’s tents are much
more sophisticated. I was looking at an
article in my “Gold Prospectors” magazine about tents that attached to or
become part of your vehicle. They even
have some that attached to the rear of small SUV’s and use part of the rear
storage area as part of the living area in the tent and it is completely off
the ground and some go to the ground for more head room. Your choice of whether you want up off the
ground in heavily infested rattle snake country or down on the ground with them
so that you have more room to jump up and down on them if they want to move in
with you. There are a lot of new and
unique designs out there that are compatible with most any type of vehicle or
use. Gypsy, you should have no trouble
finding one that suits you, but the only trouble I see is trying to decide
which of the many different designs you may want. You all have a great day now, you hear?
A few things make tent camping a lot more comfortable. Really good zippers. No-see-um bug screens. A really good air mattress. Decent sleeping bags.
ReplyDeleteThere's a big jump in quality between a tent from a big box store and one from a place like L. L. Bean.
Not gonna get me into that tent stuff! Now, don't get me wrong,,i'll go in an RV any time.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I bought a new tent a little over a year ago, before I traded my Ford F-350 to a Toyota Highlander. If buying a tent now, I would get one that just extended the space in my SUV. I love my tent though, because I purposely bought one that I can stand up it. The very center height is 6' so I can stand straight up in almost any part of it. It's a bit large for 1 person but accommodates me and my dog pretty easily. While I loved Rving, there is something special about being in a tent in a quiet woods - no diesel engines coming and going, no generators, etc. And keeping it simple especially when you can't plug in and switch on is both challenging and satisfying.
ReplyDeleteI have always used tents to go camping. The last tent I bought I heavily researched. It is Burning Man approved and if you have ever been to Burning Man or have read about it..you know it takes a special kind of tent to get burner approval.
ReplyDeleteI would love to go to the Chili cook-off in Terlingua in an RV but chances are slim to none of that ever happening...so will continue to make memories in my Kodiak Canvas Flex Bow tent.
Sixbears, that is the way it is with a lot of things. You never always get what you pay for but you sure take a gamble if you buy something that seems too cheap.
ReplyDeleteTrouble, ah shucks, why not?
Gypsy, you know what they say, if foresight was as hood as hindsight. . .
MsBelinda, I heard that cook-off was a good place to stay away from. Hot chili and alcohol, not a good mix. The more chili you eat the more alcohol some drink.
Dizzy I have been going to the CASI cook-off in Terlingua for 16 years and if I live to see November it will be 17 years.
DeleteNever have had a problem. Most people do not go sample the chili (that takes place on Saturday) since you only get a tiny sample probably the size of a ketchup paper container at a fast food place.
The only ones that sample the chili are the people that sign up to be judges...but that isn't me as I do not like commitments :)
I stand corrected. Must have gotten some bad information. I should learn not to comment on some event that I have never attended. And I love chili.
DeleteI had one of them box store tents and a 125lb dog. Did you know a 125lb dog can go right through the side of one of them tents.
ReplyDeleteIf a 125 lb dog can go through the side of a tent, imagine what a 400# bear can do! The main thing to keep a bear out of your tent is to never, ever store or eat food in it.
ReplyDeleteMy tent is a "Big Agnes", by the way.
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ReplyDeleteJim, I imagine rain and hail could do the same thing.
ReplyDeleteGypsy, a 400 pound bear can go where ever he pleases. I have seen where they ripped a trunk lid off of a trappers car to get at the bait stored inside.
Bears!! I'll stick to my simple B+ motor home! It has a steel frame, but I think I'll stick to bear free country.
ReplyDeletePenny, bears get really hungry and will go almost anywhere they smell food and they have remarkable strength.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I want to stay away from them, Dick.
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