comfort and its meaning/rating

[drewdunnrespect]

hiya gang

now i have beeen talking to mum and dad receantly about how they are bushcrafters and are really green because they recycle everything they can and even donate to charity shops and in away thats recycleing and then asked them why the why they werent in to bushcraft and they said

they dont like roughing it.

No matter how much i tried to tell them that no savvi bushcrafter roughs it they said the liked caravaning and had caravan club standeds when it came to toilets showers and what not to such an extent they would not consider even coming to the moot.

now the reason that i ask this is does that mean that my standad of comfort is less then theres or what cos there is people on here who are just as old and who like just as much comfort but would never use a caravan or a caravan club site.

your thoughts please

 

[Harvestman]

I think people get used to being able to do certain things, such as use a porcelain loo or have hot water from a tap, and for somepeople those things define their minimum level of comfort. Others don't mind not having them.

Not a criticism of anyone, but the lack of the expected minimum standards is what constitutes 'roughing it' to that person. For me, that would be no tarp or bivvi bag in wet weather, or being cold.

People differ.

 

[shaggystu]

not quite an answer to your question i nkow, but there's a caravan site pretty close to the moot site, in fact i think the moot site and the caravan site pretty much border each other. so if you wanna drag your parents along to the moot then there's your answer.

never try to make sense of caravaners, they're an odd breed

stuart

 

[drewdunnrespect]

never try to make sense of caravaners, they're an odd breed

i think that is the answer to my question

 

[Aristotle]

'comfort' is definitely a relative thing.

I've noticed that even amongst the outdoor fraternity, there is a wide range of what level of discomfort and difficulty people find acceptable.

Personally, I like being outside in all conditions and dress accordingly. If I know (as certain as I can be!) that I'm going to be returning to somewhere warm and dry later, I don't mind getting fairly cold and wet.

 

[R3XXY]

I find myself in varying levels of discomfort during pretty much all of my outings: Cold, damp, numb bum, etc.

Isn't that part of the charm ?

 

[santaman2000]

Comfort has more than one meaning. I think for a lot of people it means the ability to meet certain "norms" By that I mean the normal daily routines; get up at a certain time, brush your teeth, etc. Not just using a pillow but using "my" pillow. The caravan is an extension of their routine. venturing into a tent or tarp would be outside that routine. I expect also they might consider the more solid walls of the caravan to afford a bit more privacy than an open tarp or canvas tent walls; something that might be more important to older people with medical conditions to attend to (dentures to clean, insulin shots, colonoscomy bags, etc) These are also the sort of things they might not be comfortable discussing when others ask why they don't wild camp.

 

[Graham_S]

This is what I like about Comrie Croft.
Bushcraft style camping, with a decent toilet block.
That's the kind of site you need to find.

 

[Toddy]

Yep

I think it's the privacy thing and the non simplicity of nipping to the loo that gets most folks tbh.
I freely admit when camping among a group and not solo with just one or two friends, then I wish for a quiet ablutions tent space and it's never fun getting up out of a warm sleeping bag and stumbling into boots to stumble across a field or wood to find space(place) for a midnight piddle. Once I've gone to all that effort I'm wide awake

The Moot site's good, and the caravan idea might work Drew; Comriecroft's ( or Wiston Lodge's new tree bogs) are hard to beat though

cheers,
M

 

[blacktimberwolf]

I find myself in varying levels of discomfort during pretty much all of my outings: Cold, damp, numb bum, etc.

Isn't that part of the charm ?

I think that if you're cold, damp & with a numb bum during most of your outings, you must be doing something wrong, unless your female that is, which would explain it

 

[R3XXY]

Getting out of my sleeping bag at midnight at minus 15c for a pee, that was pretty cold.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I like a warm place to sleep, warm clothing while I'm not sleeping and access to clean running water. (or bringing it with me)

Half the fun is having to take into account all the day-to-day things you normally dont think about... Waking up in the middle of a forest with not a caravan in site is just 'bliss'

 

[Tengu]

For me discomfort is being cold and/or wet and/or hungry.

if I can avoid that, I am happy.

Last weekend I went camping with Dad in Tenby, and though it was better than predicted, the weather was squally. (not cold though)

but the tents held up. (Thanks very much to Wild Thing for the Eurohike backpacker tent, Dads really taken a shine to it) and we had plenty of room in the porch for cooking.

Optimally for him he would like a tent he may stand up in; but hes happy with what we have.

 

[santaman2000]

I WISH my definition of being uncomfortable was being cold. Quite the opposite here. I'm uncomfortable when it's too hot (most of the year) It's already September and it's 17:16 here now and the temp is still 90 degrees F. Being wet is just a way of life if you spend time in or along the swamps.

 

[SI-Den]

Well as an ex squaddie and having spent many 'happy' hours being cold, wet & tired - because it was part of the 'job'

These days as long as I'm warm (or cool depending on the weather!) have a set of dry kit to change into and enough water for a brew & a 'mess tin' wash & shave in the morning I'm quite happy

Den

 

[pango]

Hi Drew,
"Roughing it" is surely a state of mind. When I consider some of the old Victorian Shooting Lodges in the Scottish Highlands, the guests thought they were "roughing it", I'm sure, when staying in a lodge complete with Butler, hot and cold running water, sprung beds and Silver Service when served with delicacies prepared by top quality cooks. In one place I know near Aviemore, they had a telephone to call down to the estate house if they needed anything, like another servant, which servants had to walk up and down the steep 2 1/2 miles to and from the lodge in all weathers.

Children in rural areas walked miles to school in all weathers and people all over Britain walked to church on Sunday, sometimes too far to allow returning home until after evening service. It wasn't seen as a hardship for them, but normal!

"Roughing it" is something I hope to avoid. Any fool can be cold, wet and miserable!

"Roughing it" for me would be camping in a rowdy neighbourhood, having poor quality water, or not being able to dry my clothing out. Running out of tea or food, not being able to have a fire or being deprived of a quiet hour would be enough to make me shift venues. As I say, I think it's a state of mind!

Cheers.