Camping Buddies

Guess this is why I got married. Kind of sad that a family can't go camping on there own or need to have others around to have fun. I stay away from camp grounds since I don't enjoy leaving the city for another city.

When I want company I go with friends or kin folk...Mostly it is with the wife and 3 Chihuahuas when we camp in the pup. Being an ex- long distance hiker and still a solo canoe camper, I enjoy the peace and serenity of going solo. I find that it is great to solo as I do not have to worry about anyone else.

We talk to everyone we run across most are friendly some seem stuck up. I'm active duty so it hard enough to keep friends close due to moving all the time. The older person comment was said because it's less likely that we would like to do the same and therefore would make less than ideal buddies. We are just find camping by ourselves and have currently camped 3 weekends so far this year.

Scott - Are you very close to the parents of your sons friends at school? or sports team parents? I would casually work into conversations about camping, and see where it goes.

My daughter's school is a very tight knit community. A yearly event started out with a few families from the same grade going to a state park that has lots to do for the kids. (Spring fed stream for swimming, hiking trails, bike trail, fields for sports like soccer, kick-ball, and any other team sport that they can organize.) Over time it has grown to include an invite for pretty much the whole school. The state park has cabins for families that don't have or don't want to have an RV, but it still allows them to participate. There are families with big class A's, down to canvas tents, and everything in between including the cabins.

Maybe try to organize something like that to find families that you have other things in common with. We have also invited our friends to our campsites for the day that ends with a BBQ in the evening with sitting around a campfire. To avoid having to play "Host", we tell people that we are here to relax just like they are and to feel free to help themselves to whatever they would like or need. If camping "speaks" to them, you'll know it.

We also allow our daughter to bring a friend a lot, sometimes we'll even invite them to stop by for a cocktail or dinner one of the evenings. Hope some it this helps.

Doug

In our motorcycling days, it started like this - an online Forum. Then someone started organizing small group get-togethers. Then it grew into "Rallies" and similar events. Nowadays Facebook groups may be a way to find like-minded folks in your region.

For our Boating/Camping it was friends who invited us along and acted as true hosts. This was tent camping along a river and at first all we had to bring was a tent, sleeping bags, and chairs. It grew into bringing a little more gear to help everyone's weekend go nicer. And we always helped out on on or both ends of the trip so we'd be welcome back.

If you have "potential" camping friends with kids you can start easy with a KOA where the folks without an RV are in one of their Kabins. Or you can go somewhere where you can have both the RV and a Tent and put people in places that will assure a happy weekend (which may mean you give up your bed for a trip or two).

The other thing other's have mentioned is being at camping locations where your kids can help introduce you to other families. That means you probably should plan on staying around the CG rather than have big outings that take you away for the bulk of the day.

You can definitely do it, just try a few of the suggestions you've received.

State parks are the way to go. So many young families and lots of children. When your 8 year old makes a friend at a campground, invite their family over to roast marshmallows.

You might also try public parks instead of RV parks. Places like state parks, national forest campgrounds, Corp of Engineer parks usually draw folks that really enjoy nature and the outdoors. People are outside doing things not sitting inside in front of the TV or in the air conditioning. It is so neat to see your kids actually playing with sticks and rocks in some manner. They are more creative and not sitting with their attention on their electronics.

Some public parks have excellent ranger or volunteer-led activities just for kids - crafts, short hikes exploring the areas, looking for critters, exploring what's in the ponds or streams, etc.

I am 43 and hubby is 45 and you have made me feel very fortunate to have the camping buddies that we have. Most of our camping is with my high school girlfriends and their spouses. We also camp with family.

If you have friends who don't camp, try camping close to home and inviting them to come spend the day with you and BBQ for dinner. We keep our 5th wheel on a lot in a campground year round and when our friends can't camp a whole weekend, they will come spend an afternoon and evening hanging out with us while we are camping.

We have never made friends with stangers while camping but our boys always did. They are adults now but still camp with us when they can and still make friends out of strangers. My boys could always draw people in with a game of baseball (plastic bat and wiffle ball). Use your 8 year old to help you meet people. ;)

Don't know where OP is camping but in my experience my wife and I seem to always be much younger than others at our campsites. I'm 58; she's 54.

Statistically the cards are stacked against you. Many young families do not RV/Camp routinely and you are in the minority, although stats are changing some.

Like several have said, introduce friends to the adventures, and investigate campgrounds with kid activities.



Several you all are taking his comments/question incorrectly (no offense anybody).
~~** He never says they do not interact with the older people, just “ would like to meet people to hang out thats our age and have kids that close to our sons age.”

“We are what you refer to as "old" and we like to meet people while walking our dog around CG or RV park. We never have problems meeting others, but we are friendly to others and outgoing. It seems to me that younger people are UNFRIENDLY, as if "their world" excludes anybody that doesn't have little kids or an electronic device jammed into their ear!

Give it a try....approach others in a friendly manner and see what happens. “

“First of all that is your loss as you will miss out on learning more about RV'ing, etc. by not interacting with seasoned campers”





This is a pretty good take on the situation, we also run into:

We've struggled with making friends in our day to day life, and much more for camping friends. We've got one family that we've done things with about once a month for the last 10 years. Outside of that, everyone in my life is just an aquantence that I have to talk to early enough to get on their calendar. Even then, they'll only see us if nothing better comes up.

I think this is a comment on modern society as a whole. Technology has taken us all further apart, not closer. I have a few hundred people that will hit "like" when I post a camping picture, but none that will actually come along.

Now, before you go thinking I'm hard to get along with and the problem, you must know that my wife is very sweet and this phenomenon still happens to us!

We have had camping friends come along as guests a couple of times, and I was left feeling like a "host", not a camping buddy. Expenses went up, the amount of work went up...my time relaxing in a lawn chair went down.

Where to find friends that have their own camper and kids that match us? That's a tough one? I will say, our boys have made friends on almost every trip. Within minutes.


We have one routine family that camps with us, due to our shared RV/camping and Mtn Biking passion.
This has also run it's course and has become less and less, due to difference type of travel (they tend to not travel far and we get out further distances), we did change to a Class C, vs. a travel trailer situation and friend have a larger Toyhauler (not as easy to travel distances).


Get out there and make lasting adventures, you may or may not find that optimal camping buddy!

Markiemark:C