Comfortable camping... Is this true?!

[Squidders]

I love how threads like this bring out the crazy people.

Regarding chatter about alpine starts in the middle of the night to summit mountains, hunting in bad conditions - what's wrong with you people? When did the original post mention anything other than camping? Seriously... camping. If you need help, I can type it again with finger spaces.

To rg598, if you wish to judge someone expertise based on a thread about camping (c a m p i n g) that's cool but perhaps I didn't care to impress you, perhaps I didn't post enough photos of myself in the wilderness but the bottom line is, that if you want to discuss other things, that's great but this thread was about camping. Maybe you have never tried camping, you don't seem to get it yourself.

I'm happy to go off topic and discuss shelter building and various times I did not make a perfect judgement and suffered cold, fatigue, discomfort and sleepless nights but my answerers weren't about that, they were about camping.

But thanks for the insults, I appreciate it. Maybe next time, leave the insults in your head though and not commit them to text?

 

[cbr6fs]

Squidders, i have reported your post.

Not really sure why you feel the need to try and belittle and insult others to be able to put your point across, but i don't think it's right.

Please take a min, take a breath, relax and look up the definition of camping
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/camping

 

[Toddy]

Aye…..

How the hang did you lot take a happy pleasant activity and turn it into a rammy ??

This is a bushcraft forum….the ultimate, "Chill out asap", not "get the hell out asap"…..one of our most sane threads is titled sommat like "Make a nice cup of tea".

This thread is pot and kettle.

Stop insulting each other; you may cast aspersions on each other's chosen activity, but not each other. You may be politely scornful of the other's chosen kit, but not of the person.

Toddy…who used to camp only with what could be packed in a small daypack, but now goes with the car and the full bhoona
Life's too short; enjoy it while you can.

 

[Baelfore]

As i say though it 100% depends on the context of "camping".
If your camping on a warm dry bank holiday weekend, next to your fully loaded up car then sure why not throw everything in including the kitchen sink.

If on the other hand you are camping half way up a mountain after having hiked 15km with 1500m of elevation gain your definition of comfort will be different.

Likewise very very few people will find anything comfortable about spending a week camping/hammocking in a tropical rain forest.

So i can understand and agree with rg's concerns.

Anyone that's not had a uncomfortable night camping hasn't really camped enough times or hasn't ventured far enough from he car.
Be that gale force winds, driving rain, snow, kit failure, mistakes made or just downright unlucky, i've had many a uncomfortable nights as a result of all, i don't see how that makes me more of a fool than say someone that camps out only in good weather and never strays far from the car.

I also don't see how anyone can judge car campers as fools either, each to their own.

your point is both agreeing with what I had said and disagreeing at the same time. as we both said (in diferent words) It depends on what you veiw as camping.

I don't drive, or live close to a locale where can just pop off for a quick overnight. every trip I plan has about 5-7km of walking carrying gear to or inbetween transport thorugh unrban areasjust to get to my starting point, then whatever walking I do to get to my site, usually another 5km (give or take), before I set up camp for a few days, then hiking back out, with the addition of any rubbish that was unsuitable to burn(plastics,glass etc.). I would veiw that as camping, where as the situation your describe as hiking and setting up a camp along the way, as I stated above, meaning while making a camp was nessecary as part of the chosen activity, it was not the purpose of your trip in it itself.

so yes, while on a CAMPING trip I still agree with Squidders, it doesn't take much gear to be comfortable while camping, more a bit of knowledge and a bit of time to put into your camp to make it comfy to your standards. in addition, if camping was the purpose and hiking is simply your means to an end say 10km hike in and out for a five day camp, I would say that carrying/ suffering an extra kilo or 2 is worth it for the reward it provides for the purpose of your stay. Camping, as defined in your own link as:

"to settle down securely and comfortably; become ensconced:"

As to your second point, I just yesterday got back from a 2-night trip, where it rained heavily and non-stop for all of the second day and most of the night combined with heavywinds, and a new tent I was testing out was not up to the standard I had hoped. Add to this that I had forgotten my tarp and this lead to me having a very uncomfortable night sleep. but I would veiw this as the exepction that proves the rule rather than the norm, so much so that I was shocked when I got home and was physically wrecked, as it had been that long since having an uncomfortable camp.

atb
Ste

p.s. i'm, starting to remember why I normally avoid these threads! can't remember the last time I typed so much!

 

[Jack Bounder]

I don't mind a bit of comfort on a trip...

Tom's Field, Purbeck. Karma Canvas 5m Bell Tent

Not strictly glamping but comfortable (except for the chairs which were definitely uncomfortable!).

 

[Robbi]

That's the way to go !

 

[rg598]

I love how threads like this bring out the crazy people.

Regarding chatter about alpine starts in the middle of the night to summit mountains, hunting in bad conditions - what's wrong with you people? When did the original post mention anything other than camping? Seriously... camping. If you need help, I can type it again with finger spaces.

To rg598, if you wish to judge someone expertise based on a thread about camping (c a m p i n g) that's cool but perhaps I didn't care to impress you, perhaps I didn't post enough photos of myself in the wilderness but the bottom line is, that if you want to discuss other things, that's great but this thread was about camping. Maybe you have never tried camping, you don't seem to get it yourself.

I'm happy to go off topic and discuss shelter building and various times I did not make a perfect judgement and suffered cold, fatigue, discomfort and sleepless nights but my answerers weren't about that, they were about camping.

But thanks for the insults, I appreciate it. Maybe next time, leave the insults in your head though and not commit them to text?

So apparently I should have been insulted by your post. Thank you for clarifying.

That being the case though, I am also a bit saddened by your need to force your shockingly limited definition of camping onto others. I personally camp every night I am out in the woods. Whether I am out hunting or climbing or whatever, when I set up camp in the woods and spend the night there, I am camping under any definition of the word.

If you like sitting by the car with a ton of gear relaxing, that is fine (btw, here in the US we call that car camping). As long as you enjoy yourself, there is nothing wrong with it. However, telling everyone else who likes to camp in different ways that they are doing it wrong, or that they are insane is just absurd. The fact that you feel that you can define the term "camping" and then tell everyone who doesn't share your extremely limited view that they are wrong and then belittle their intelligence is laughable.

 

[rg598]

I don't normally chime in on threads like this but this post and your one below just sort of brought the point home for me.
I think part of the difference between yours and Squidders opinion may be the same issue as when people try to define bushcraft.

It depends on what you view to be camping.

I strongly agree with Squidders that if you should not be uncomfortable camping.

That being said, In my opinion, being out and uncomfortable for a shoot or trying to summit a mountain are not camping. They are activities that go beyond making a camp and living in it. the camp itself simply serves a purpose as part of a greater experiance or challenge rather than BEING the purpose in the first place.

So yes, in those situations I can see that a peson may need to be uncomfortable to acheive their chosen goal, but for some one setting up a camp for the evening/night/morning, with the intetion of camping (i.e. making a camp and living in it,not hiking, shooting, fishing, etc) I can't see why they cannot take the time to make their campsite comfortable.

As for being dehydrated in a forest, I really don't think there is ever a justifiable reason to let oneself get to this condition, short of emergency sitiuations where it is out of your control(or in some challenges against a clock). It's just unsafe, and with a little preperation and forethought can be avoided most of the time.


I hope you understand I'm not having a dig at you, I'm a regular browser of your blog (thanks btw!), but these are my veiws on it .

All the best,
Stephen

Thanks Stephen,

For me camping is the act of setting up camp and spending the night in it regardless of what else you are doing. I camp every time I am out in the woods. I don't see the terms as limited to car camping, or caravaning, or anything that locks you to a particular location. I suppose that's just semantics. Here is the definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

1: to make camp or occupy a camp
2: to live temporarily in a camp or outdoors —often used with out
3: to take up one's quarters : lodge
4: to take up one's position : settle down &#8212;often used with out <camp out in the library for the afternoon>


I think there are a whole lot of versions of camping that can fit comfortably within that definition.

With respect to dehydration, sometime it is just not a choice. A lot of the times when I am out in the woods, I just have a topographic map and a compass, and I try to make my way to a particular location. There are no trails, and there are no resources other than what I can carry and find. If you think you can see a water source on your map that turns out to be dried up, or it takes you longer to get to the location because of unexpected terrain, then you have no choice. There is no way out. You have to do with what you can find or what you can figure out based on the map you have and what's around you.

To me all of that is part of the adventure. It's why I go out. That's what forces me to learn and expand my skills. I actually have about 3/4 of an acre of land behind my house where I can just go hang out if I wanted to. However, to me that's not what draws me to the woods.

 

[Baelfore]

Thanks Stephen,

For me camping is the act of setting up camp and spending the night in it regardless of what else you are doing. I camp every time I am out in the woods. I don't see the terms as limited to car camping, or caravaning, or anything that locks you to a particular location. I suppose that's just semantics. Here is the definition from the Merriam-Webster dictionary:

1: to make camp or occupy a camp
2: to live temporarily in a camp or outdoors &#8212;often used with out
3: to take up one's quarters : lodge
4: to take up one's position : settle down &#8212;often used with out <camp out in the library for the afternoon>


I think there are a whole lot of versions of camping that can fit comfortably within that definition.

With respect to dehydration, sometime it is just not a choice. A lot of the times when I am out in the woods, I just have a topographic map and a compass, and I try to make my way to a particular location. There are no trails, and there are no resources other than what I can carry and find. If you think you can see a water source on your map that turns out to be dried up, or it takes you longer to get to the location because of unexpected terrain, then you have no choice. There is no way out. You have to do with what you can find or what you can figure out based on the map you have and what's around you.

To me all of that is part of the adventure. It's why I go out. That's what forces me to learn and expand my skills. I actually have about 3/4 of an acre of land behind my house where I can just go hang out if I wanted to. However, to me that's not what draws me to the woods.

I think you are correct to a certain extent that it may be semantics, but I think there is still a big difference between going out with camping and camping alone being the main goal rather than including making a camp at the end of a day as a small part of a greater activity. for example, I was reading about your recent trip earlier today, and the pic of you with your pack would simply not do me for the gear I would take to set up camp for several days, with the sole purpose of being comfortable and living in the camp, cooking, carving and generally relaxing, where as it would be fine for an overnight hike where I will make a camp in the evening and break it the next morning, but mabye I just define things differnently in my own head for the purpose of organisation and mind set. I go camping for relaxation, where as i go hiking for a challenge (most of the time.)

Mabye I am just being complecated for no good reason, but each to his own. i don't disregard others veiws on being uncomfortable while camping, but mabye this clarify's my view on it. I will be uncomfortable for the purpose of a challenge or acheiving a greater goal, but not for the purpose of relaxing.

with regards to the dehydration, I think the diferences in opinion may be as much geographical as anything else. Being in Ireland, where you are rarely more than a couple of kms from a road or dwelling, or village, combined with the fact that we are only just behind Scotland in being renound for rain and general wetness, gives me a different view on it, but I take your point about dried up water sources as I think we have all experiances this problem.

atb
Stephen

 

[Duggie Bravo]

As a lad we scout camped, but for our fortnight's holiday we took everything including the carpet and a hodder dodder to clean it, no battery hoovered in those days.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[NS40]

In terms of camping, I'm pretty much going full circle...but have enjoyed every twist and curve of the journey.

As a kid I used to build shelters and sleep in them overnight. I even remember building an igloo in the garden one winter and my parents allowing me to sleep in it overnight using a cheap sleeping bag inside a bin bag (they were a tad mad and I was probably lucky to make it to adulthood)

I discovered mesh hammocks and 58 pattern ponchos (going back over 30 odd years before such things were fashionable) which became my preferred method of camping.

During many years of being a Scout Leader, I kipped in Vango Force 10s, Icelandics, etc.

Trying to test the limits of my own abilities over the years I've gone out with very little kit as well as more kit than I could sensibly carry.

Along come my kids with my youngest managing her first camp at the age of 3 months (some accused our parenting of being borderline neglectful for taking a fragile child camping...the horror!). Needless to say she survived and when her two brothers came along they came too. Our tents grew from a 3 person to 4 person to 8 person (to give us space for two large dogs, 3 kids etc) with folding chairs, cooking stands, airbeds etc.

In the past few years, my kids have discovered a love for hammocking (albeit with nice new modern hammocks with built in bug nets, underquilts and the ubiquitous 58 pattern poncho replaced with a 3x3 then a 4x4 tarp). The kids have enjoyed camping at sites that have wifi, park rangers, toilet/shower blocks, entertainment laid on etc. They're also just as happy in the middle of the woods watching a campfire while getting eaten alive by midges eating some sausages that have been repeatedly dropped on the ground.

My sons are now wanting to try sleeping in the ground under a tarp then progress to sleeping under a shelter made from whatever they can find. Essentially, they're taking me back to where I started...

Which bits did I enjoy most? All of it...although laterally sharing those moments with my kids and seeing their enjoyment adds a little something more.

It's not a competition...it's a pastime, a way of life, an escape, something to restore us, allow us to remember who we are...or maybe to forget for a while. We may have different approaches, varying tolerances, might never agree on the kit we use... but we're united by our enjoyment of our shared pursuit.

 

[Robbi]

In terms of camping, I'm pretty much going full circle...but have enjoyed every twist and curve of the journey.

As a kid I used to build shelters and sleep in them overnight. I even remember building an igloo in the garden one winter and my parents allowing me to sleep in it overnight using a cheap sleeping bag inside a bin bag (they were a tad mad and I was probably lucky to make it to adulthood)

I discovered mesh hammocks and 58 pattern ponchos (going back over 30 odd years before such things were fashionable) which became my preferred method of camping.

During many years of being a Scout Leader, I kipped in Vango Force 10s, Icelandics, etc.

Trying to test the limits of my own abilities over the years I've gone out with very little kit as well as more kit than I could sensibly carry.

Along come my kids with my youngest managing her first camp at the age of 3 months (some accused our parenting of being borderline neglectful for taking a fragile child camping...the horror!). Needless to say she survived and when her two brothers came along they came too. Our tents grew from a 3 person to 4 person to 8 person (to give us space for two large dogs, 3 kids etc) with folding chairs, cooking stands, airbeds etc.

In the past few years, my kids have discovered a love for hammocking (albeit with nice new modern hammocks with built in bug nets, underquilts and the ubiquitous 58 pattern poncho replaced with a 3x3 then a 4x4 tarp). The kids have enjoyed camping at sites that have wifi, park rangers, toilet/shower blocks, entertainment laid on etc. They're also just as happy in the middle of the woods watching a campfire while getting eaten alive by midges eating some sausages that have been repeatedly dropped on the ground.

My sons are now wanting to try sleeping in the ground under a tarp then progress to sleeping under a shelter made from whatever they can find. Essentially, they're taking me back to where I started...

Which bits did I enjoy most? All of it...although laterally sharing those moments with my kids and seeing their enjoyment adds a little something more.

It's not a competition...it's a pastime, a way of life, an escape, something to restore us, allow us to remember who we are...or maybe to forget for a while. We may have different approaches, varying tolerances, might never agree on the kit we use... but we're united by our enjoyment of our shared pursuit.

What a great post, well said mate Bravo

 

[cbr6fs]

your point is both agreeing with what I had said and disagreeing at the same time. as we both said (in diferent words) It depends on what you veiw as camping.

I don't drive, or live close to a locale where can just pop off for a quick overnight. every trip I plan has about 5-7km of walking carrying gear to or inbetween transport thorugh unrban areasjust to get to my starting point, then whatever walking I do to get to my site, usually another 5km (give or take), before I set up camp for a few days, then hiking back out, with the addition of any rubbish that was unsuitable to burn(plastics,glass etc.). I would veiw that as camping, where as the situation your describe as hiking and setting up a camp along the way, as I stated above, meaning while making a camp was nessecary as part of the chosen activity, it was not the purpose of your trip in it itself.

so yes, while on a CAMPING trip I still agree with Squidders, it doesn't take much gear to be comfortable while camping, more a bit of knowledge and a bit of time to put into your camp to make it comfy to your standards. in addition, if camping was the purpose and hiking is simply your means to an end say 10km hike in and out for a five day camp, I would say that carrying/ suffering an extra kilo or 2 is worth it for the reward it provides for the purpose of your stay. Camping, as defined in your own link as:

"to settle down securely and comfortably; become ensconced:"

As to your second point, I just yesterday got back from a 2-night trip, where it rained heavily and non-stop for all of the second day and most of the night combined with heavywinds, and a new tent I was testing out was not up to the standard I had hoped. Add to this that I had forgotten my tarp and this lead to me having a very uncomfortable night sleep. but I would veiw this as the exepction that proves the rule rather than the norm, so much so that I was shocked when I got home and was physically wrecked, as it had been that long since having an uncomfortable camp.

atb
Ste

p.s. i'm, starting to remember why I normally avoid these threads! can't remember the last time I typed so much!

Looks like you have a well rounded opinion Ste

As i say one of the best aspects of this forum is the varied activities carried out by it's members, pretty much anything you want to do in the outdoors someone here does it on a regular basis.
That large experience pool is usually a good thing, when people start judging others activities though it tends to go downhill pretty quickly.

There is no reason either, we are all different people doing different things.
Personally i can't sit down for more than 30 mins, so sitting around a camp for a weekend is likely to send me batty, i still enjoy reading peoples trip reports though as although it's not how i'd choose to spend my time it's great to see people doing something they love and write about it with passion.

In this case (as i see it) the problem occurs when folks start TELLING others how they should spend their own time, likewise on what comfort should be.

A few times in this thread i've read it's not a competition.
Surely everything we do is a competition to varying degrees.
Can i carve a good spoon out of this bit of wood, can i make a smock out of this blanket.

Then there are the more basic interests like can i build a shelter, can i start a fire with these 3 pieces of wood rubbing together, can i find 1kg of berries while foraging.

It's all something we set out to challenge ourselves, so it's all some form of competition even if we're competing against a bit of wood or even ourselves.


As i said in my previous post , anyone that judges anyones mental state or abilities by some perception of "comfort" should think back, there are not many that haven't spent more than a few uncomfortable nights out, like your experience shows.

For me personally it's these trips were everything went wrong that i now look back on with a smile, the ones where i everything went according to plan and i had a great nights kip are forgotten pretty quickly in comparison.
Not like i'm clinging to the side of mountains either.

 

[Duggie Bravo]

In my case I have been comfortable, I have been uncomfortable, I know which I prefer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Sundowner]

I'm 61 now and I NEED it comfy, very comfortable!!! Just got myself a Bell tent, ordered the frontier stove and will using double height airbeds with either arctic sleeping bag or duvets and pillows depending if OH is with me!
Getting cold, in my age, is lethal ............ so keeping the stove on overnight is a must. Folding chairs for outside and a table to eat at as I am NOT sitting crosslegged on the floor anymore, no way !!

 

[Goatboy]

I'm 61 now and I NEED it comfy, very comfortable!!! Just got myself a Bell tent, ordered the frontier stove and will using double height airbeds with either arctic sleeping bag or duvets and pillows depending if OH is with me!
Getting cold, in my age, is lethal ............ so keeping the stove on overnight is a must. Folding chairs for outside and a table to eat at as I am NOT sitting crosslegged on the floor anymore, no way !!

Sundowner. I did a wee experiment with my Frontier a while back. If using hardwood it's.easy to damp down the stove and have it in all night. With softwood it's a.tadge harder to keep it going without some tending overnight. So I took a handfull of anthracite cobbles from a household multi burner stove and a few chucked in before hitting the sack kept it going all night. Also worth making a little grate for inside to help airflow. I suppose good charcoal would do a similar trick and with the airflow of most bell tents and the flue on the stove carbon monoxide shouldn't be a worry.

Sent via smoke-signal from a woodland in Scotland.

 

[NozzaC]

Hello everyone,

Just wanted to get your opinion on this... This topic is all inspired because of this blog post I read during looking at holidays..

http://www.dolphinholidays.co.uk/glamping-in-cornwall/

It's about Glamping? No I have not spelt it wrong its actually called GLAMPING aha!

So the idea is to create a more comfortable camping experience.. At first I wasn't really buying it the idea of a 'comfortable camp' seems to take the fun away from camping with all this technology and perks. But it does also maybe to remove back ache too. So i am considering it. ;-)

But what do you guys think? Interested to see your views on this subject. Has anyone ever done these techniques before?

Nothing wrong with a bit of glamping. When I go with my family I generally want it as comfortable as possible and I don't just mean a warm bed - I want to be able to standup and get dressed in the tent, to be able to cook at a waist-height table whilst under cover and necking some cold Chablis, to site around a table and eat with knives and forks etc. For that I use a bell tent, camp beds with SIMs, duvet, kitchen unit etc etc. I still insist on a fire. Obviously all that needs a car to be close to the pitch. I've even got into the style side of things with colour co-ordinated covers and wicker baskets. Bunting might be a step too far but I actually appreciate getting into a stylish tent setup more than the blue polyster modern kit.

When I'm on my own I don't mind a sleeping mat and a bivi bag in the woods or on a hill. I can't pretend it's as comfortable as the bell tent setup but both are camping IMHO.

Where I draw the line personally is sites with no fires but with electric hookups, pool areas, astroturf pitches - at that point it seems to me it's just a cheap room on a holiday park and has none of the romance of campiong.

 

[petrochemicals]

Not strictly glamping but comfortable (except for the chairs which were definitely uncomfortable!).

Yup them chairs sure are something, I do not know how they get away with selling them.

http://ebay.co.uk/itm/121649750492

Something like this is far better.