I remember when----???? (camping version).
I have a buddy that says we go "trailer" NOT "camping". I have no desire to start an arguement over what "camping" IS. However, after reading the post about needing bigger tow vehicles, bigger tra...
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I remember that day back in 1965 when Dad came home with the bright blue Sears Ted Williams umbrella tent. It had 3 fold out rooms plus the center room for Mom and Dad. It was plenty big enough for us 6 kids and Mom and Dad. He also bought a blue and orange dining fly (which I still have) to go over the table and homemade camp kitchen. It was also a dry (somewhat) place for the family to gather when the weather was bad. When we set up camp, it looked like Barnum and Baily had come to town. We all arrived in Dad's 1965 Buick Sportwagon with 2 of the youngest up in the back on top of the tent and duffel bags along with Kelly our Irish Setter. Sleeping bags and such went into the cartop carrier that fit in the luggage rack. We had the typical for the times, white gas stove and lantern as well as the large cooler that took ice blocks to keep our food cold. We also had the obligatory thermos cooler to keep our Kool Aid in. Once we hit the campground and everything was set up, it was like a starter's pistol went off and the kids scattered in all different directions looking for the fun at the campground.
I tried to recreate the scenario when our kids were old enough. As we only had 2 girls, it was much easier than my parents had it. My Sportwagon was a Skylark hatchback and our tent was just a large umbrella tent with no side rooms. I used Dad's old dining fly over the table but my stove and lanterns were the propane versions which required none of the pumping like Dad's did. Campgrounds evolved and my girls were happiest when we had a campsite with electricity that ran their hair driers.
We evolved into renting tent trailers which got everyone up off the ground to sleep and provided some creature comforts like a furnace and a sink to wash up in.
After the kids grew up and moved out my wife suggested we look into a travel trailer for our vacations. I reluctantly agreed and found it to be a great way to experience the outdoors without sacrificing the comforts of home we had grown accustomed to. The best amenity for me was having my own indoor toilet which didn't require nightly walks to the comfort station. Of course, it came with the additions of a fridge, A/C, a microwave, TV with DVDs and morning music from our CD player.
After our second TT, we took a 2 year respite from camping to resolve some health issues and now we are venturing forth in our new (to us) Class C. We have already introduced the fun of RV camping to our 6 year old granddaughter and look forward to showing our 2 new grandsons the joy of camping this summer. It is a great way for a family to vacation.
I tried to recreate the scenario when our kids were old enough. As we only had 2 girls, it was much easier than my parents had it. My Sportwagon was a Skylark hatchback and our tent was just a large umbrella tent with no side rooms. I used Dad's old dining fly over the table but my stove and lanterns were the propane versions which required none of the pumping like Dad's did. Campgrounds evolved and my girls were happiest when we had a campsite with electricity that ran their hair driers.
We evolved into renting tent trailers which got everyone up off the ground to sleep and provided some creature comforts like a furnace and a sink to wash up in.
After the kids grew up and moved out my wife suggested we look into a travel trailer for our vacations. I reluctantly agreed and found it to be a great way to experience the outdoors without sacrificing the comforts of home we had grown accustomed to. The best amenity for me was having my own indoor toilet which didn't require nightly walks to the comfort station. Of course, it came with the additions of a fridge, A/C, a microwave, TV with DVDs and morning music from our CD player.
After our second TT, we took a 2 year respite from camping to resolve some health issues and now we are venturing forth in our new (to us) Class C. We have already introduced the fun of RV camping to our 6 year old granddaughter and look forward to showing our 2 new grandsons the joy of camping this summer. It is a great way for a family to vacation.
