Not many women boondock? Why?

Women are a minority in outdoor sporting in general and technical fields in particular. There are many forces that determined the traditional role of women as stay at home moms, and/or liberal arts teachers and nurses, and away from engineering and auto mechanic roles where men can also be dads.
Some women despite social pressures still leaned towards "boy" fun. I hope the younger generation will be different. They will wonder why women limited themselves and their ideas of fun. They may still want pink and princess treatment too though.
Would you agree that if you ask a technical question on RV.net, it is best if you are asking without gender? I believe too many answers for females are "get a professional to help you" while DIY answers to the genderless or male are more often "try this". Not all the time though, anyone who acts clueless or whose problem has few DIY options, gets the "professional" recommendation and rightly so.

My gal sure loves it, in fact we bought our Class C, and chose the unit, based on HER comfort level and convenience.

I'm a pilot and fly out somewhere, she drives the C along with Deputy Dog and meets me there.

I doubt she's stayed even 5 nights in a c/g in 5 years (the first 2.5 in my fathers m/h) of doing it. She tent camped for years and jokes the 'tent with wheels' is much nicer in a driving rain.

Yes, i should have mentioned that I have a DH and that WE boon dock. I am glad there are women who camp off grid. We enjoy it as we don't have to drive a ways to shoot sunrise/sunset photos or rock hound. We can just step out the door or walk a short ways to pursue our hobbies.

I am the photography nut and actually make a bit of money as second shooter at weddings and get in free at music festivals (concert photography does not pay). DH has my hand me down camera and does some photography. He is the avid rock hound but it has become my passion, also. On our last trip, I found a large carnelian agate that is gorgeous. And, together, we will stop at historic markers and museums.

I am of the older generation but did some solo hitch hiking in this country and in Europe. It was my idea to get a 4x4 truck/pop up truck camper to enable us to go off road and boon dock. I have to persuade my husband at times to drive down the USFS/BLM road to see where it goes and what is along the way. In fact, he was the one who wanted the full bath in the TC, not me.

It is heartening to see that many women today are exploring the world. My family camped when I was a kid and in high school, at church camp, we went on 10 day/50 mile camping trips boy/girl in the Cascades. Maybe if you grow up with camping and it is a part of your life, especially the roughing it part, it seems to be an easy transition camping as an adult. While some folks have a large solar array/generators/batteries, etc. to bring along the comforts of home, we don't spend much time in the camper except to sleep and prepare meals. No TV, DVD player, etc. We would rather keep it simple. Whatever keeps you happy.

clikrf8 wrote:
I love to go off the beaten path (as a photographer and just an adventurous soul). I am a female but don't see too many women on this forum or any others actually. Men are always talking about the DW who is not herself unless she has a 20 minute shower (glad you convinced her to try boon docking) or wants a walk around bed or 3 slideouts or whatever. Just curious.
Happy trails

What a great question and I wish you would have gone just a bit farther and added; “Solo.”

The responses have been very interesting and a few off topic. One theme I saw was that many of the DH were pleased that their DW were following their interests and participating and when one DH mentioned Rockhounding he didn’t embrace that activity as much as many of the DH just glowed when the DW were following their interests. Interesting.

Some of my observations are a bit different and that might be I travel in areas/environments different than many. In the many years of backpacking/hiking and working as a Back Country Ranger in 3 National Parks, I observed many women hiking/kayaking/climbing and backpacking without a male type person. While many of the remote locations, I didn’t see many solo women, I did see many women with another or in a group. My impression of hiking in Colorado, I saw more women hiking solo and with groups, far outnumbering men. I was puzzled about this and often I heard the same answer, women were more interested in the exercise and the men they knew had other interests that kept them busy.

Over the last 4+ years, I have encountered a few solo women boondocking and a few with partners. One of the places I have boondocked for the last 8 years I see the same woman, each season with a different friend each time. She told me a while back it is difficult to find someone that wants to camp as much as she does.

My conclusion, is that the younger generation of women grew up in a time that allowed them to associate with young boys, less restrictions and camping, more than my generation did. My generation did not allow girls to go on camping trips with other unrelated young boys. Times are changing and many of the friends I have on my Facebook Page are young women traveling the US and the world, with a tent in their car, Class B RV or loaded up Adventure Motorcycle seeing the world over the front wheel of her motorcycle. One only has to go to the Overland Expo, south of Flagstaff Arizona the third weekend of May and you can see some of these young ladies and a few experienced ones too.

b

soren wrote:
Who knows how many of us pass up on experiences, due to fear and safety issues, while feeling safe in places that are, in reality, far more dangerous?

Very true.

It's the perception of danger rather than the actual danger.

soren,

You do make an outstanding point.

Perhaps the DW and I have watched too many episodes of "Criminal Minds" and watched too much "CNN". You only go around once ... so what if you were to die prematurely in the process.

2oldman wrote:
It's a safety issue for many.

It can be enlightening to compare reality to the "monster under the bed" that we tend to fear. Many decades ago there was a freakish streak of murders of Appalachian trail hikers. One of the outdoor magazines did a detailed statistical analysis of safety in the outdoors, VS various places we typically sleep. The odds of random murder were as high as 10,000 to 1 in some really rough parts of big cities, to twenty million to one, while backpacking remote trails in the US.

Who knows how many of us pass up on experiences, due to fear and safety issues, while feeling safe in places that are, in reality, far more dangerous? Personally, we have been in campgrounds in places like Las Vegas, Southern California, and Niagara Falls that sure seemed like they had a lot more potential personal safety risk, that our favorite boondock locations in AK,UT, the Yukon and B.C.

Huh, and all this time I thought it was because the women knew I wouldnt be out there with them. I mean whats the point if I'm not there, right?


You guys get so wierd sometimes I swear. LOL whatever.

pnichols wrote:
Francesca,

I "will not allow" is exactly the right words. I has nothing to do with her capabilities ... it has everything to do with me doing my job - protecting her.

This is the same as she "will not allow" me to eat processed foods that are past their datecodes.

The situations are identical - and we both love it that way. I think our marriage vows had something in them about this. :)

Can you put your wife on the line, please? :B

Francesca,

I "will not allow" is exactly the right words. I has nothing to do with her capabilities ... it has everything to do with me doing my job - protecting her.

This is the same as she "will not allow" me to eat processed foods that are past their datecodes.

The situations are identical - and we both love it that way. I think our marriage vows had something in them about this. :)