A story about getting my wife to like "camping"

[MagillaGorilla]

I grew up camping. Actually I grew up in the middle of a city. One day when I was about 10 my father came home with a tent and said he was taking his boys camping. My mother did not want to be left out so the 4 of us went camping. None of us were boy scouts so we were not prepared at all but we still had a great time. Soon we were seasonal campers at a campground about 25 miles from home. I loved getting out of the city and made several life long friends while camping.

Fast forward to me getting married when I was 23. My wife had never been camping but in my infinite wisdom I went out and bought a tent trailer. I told her that we were going to use it for our honeymoon. Yeah I was that dumb. So although we used the camper a few times we did not use it for our honeymoon. Instead I got on a plane for the first time in my life and we flew to a beach.

So as you can guess my wife was not into camping. We went from time to time but it was not her bag. We tried a seasonal camp at the beach in Maine for a few years but we both got burned out on the travel every weekend. Due to this we sold our camper and stopped camping for years.

Then in 2007 we took a road trip down the eastern seaboard. We covered 17 states in the comfort of our car. We stayed at hotels and we were actually lucky in that every hotel was relatively nice. We knew that was a fluke because we road trip a lot and have not always had good luck in finding a nice place to stay.

When we got home I told her that I wanted to buy a motorhome. That way when we road trip we will always have a nice place to stay and ALWAYS have a clean toilet. Here is where my wife is the greatest. Whenever I get something in my head that I want, she always supports it. She did not want a motorhome or even a TT but she let me do my thing.

I ended up buying a very low mileage 36' MH that was about 12 years old. It needed a little TLC that I was able to do and was soon ready to roll. Our first trip was to the very first place that I had ever gone camping. The place my dad took his boys. It was at a state park at a beach. This was a good move on my part because my wife LOVES the beach. We pulled in and within 5 minutes we were set up. Life was good.

Now we have friends and family that have gotten into camping. They all have TTs and a few even have tents. This helps my wife like camping but its not the only thing. When we camp I do all the planning and all of the set up. So for her its always a vacation. The MH has everything she needs so she is comfortable. Because it is a big unit (we now have a 37' Holiday Rambler) she feels like a big shot. Now she cant wait to go camping.

In the end its all about how you do things. Camping in a tent trailer on your honeymoon was a bad idea. Camping in a luxury MH after 25 great years of marriage is a great idea.

[Kaz]

These posts are great!

The DW and I have camped as long as we've known each other. In fact, we took our honeymoon (part of which was, um, technically before we got married) tent camping across the U.S. in an S&H GreenStamp rubber-coated canvas tent. Saw all of the greatest National Parks. Then backpacking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire.

Our first RV was a homemade conversion of a VW bus, with a fold-up card table for eating and a Coleman cooler stood on its end for a fridge (picture here: http://skiprd.com/?p=447). From there, we went to a Vanagon camper, back to tent camping, to a popup camper, to a 21-foot trailer, to a 27-foot trailer, to our present motor home. And the DW has loved every single moment of 43 years of doing this.

If anyone doubts the virtue of family camping, I offer this. When my older son was about to be deployed to Irag, I asked him what he'd like to do. We'd go any place, do any thing, money no object. What he said was, "Dad ... I'd really like to go camping with the family." Really. Now, both sons have purchased their own popup campers and are starting their families on exactly the same lifestyle they had growing up.

And I agree with the advice on making the camping experience as hassle-free as possible for the DW. Camping has all of the duties associated with home living, plus more. Taking some of the load, including the ordinary burdens, off the DW makes it special for her as well. And you know what they say: "Happy wife, happy life..."

[pkunk]

Ha! I grew up camping but present DW never expressed interest until 10 years ago. She used to refer to MHs as Turistas Winnebagas or Hippus Microbussus when we traveled somewhere. She's hooked now though!

[koda55]

I started camping in the Cub Scouts. As I got older, Dad and I rented Scotty trailers and went to the lake fishing for a week. After 30 plus years in the Navy I retired. Started getting the urge to start camping again. Asked t boss what she thought of us getting a tent and start camping. First question was, does it have air-conditioning.
Of course I said no. So no tent camping. Passing a RV dealer ship she all of a sudden said, "lets stop here". We looked around and all of a sudden she said I want this one. It was a 2005 Georgie Boy Landau 35 ft 3 slide. After 2 years she all of a sudden said this is not big enough for 2 dogs and a cat. I though she was kidding. One day I was looking on the internet and called her and said look at this one. She immediately fell in love with it. All she wanted to know was when do we pick it up. It was a 2008 Thor Mandalay 41'6" 4 slide. We use the rv as a base camp and use our HHR to travel around to see things. Seeing new places and meeting new friends is what it is all about for us.

[MagillaGorilla]

JimM68 wrote:
We sold the "big house" last fall and moved into the "little house". May 1 the little house goes up for sale. Plan is in August we will send #3 son off to a college that does dual enrolement, to finish senior year of high school as well as his first year of college. And we will be off on our next great adventure.

So what do you do if you sell your house in May but your son does not start school until August? Also when you sell the small house, whats next? Full time in the DP or a different house in a different location?

[JimM68]

We went tent camping a few times BC (before kids)
as we had them and they grew up our annual vacations were mostly condos, smokie mountains was a favorite destination.

We got our first motorhome, a 1999 Fleetwood gasser, in 2008.
In 2010 we traded up to a 2 year old DP

Both the DW and I love travelling this great country. We sold the "big house" last fall and moved into the "little house". May 1 the little house goes up for sale. Plan is in August we will send #3 son off to a college that does dual enrolement, to finish senior year of high school as well as his first year of college. And we will be off on our next great adventure.

[Mr_Mark1]

MagillaGorilla wrote:

RayChez wrote:

Executive wrote:
Wow! You went from a 36' to a 37' and she feels it's bigger...:h...how's that possible....:)....Dennis

OH c'mon Dennis. not everybody can afford a 45' coach.:S

The 36' coach had no slides. The new 37' coach has 3 slides. So yes it is much bigger inside. I would say at least 30% larger. So that would be the equivalent of adding 10.8 feet of camper. So we went for 36' to virtually 46.8 feet.

That's funny...... we are at 45 ft. like Dennis with four slides.... we are enjoying 60 ft. of coach, I tell you! 🙂

[MagillaGorilla]

RayChez wrote:

Executive wrote:
Wow! You went from a 36' to a 37' and she feels it's bigger...:h...how's that possible....:)....Dennis

OH c'mon Dennis. not everybody can afford a 45' coach.:S

The 36' coach had no slides. The new 37' coach has 3 slides. So yes it is much bigger inside. I would say at least 30% larger. So that would be the equivalent of adding 10.8 feet of camper. So we went for 36' to virtually 46.8 feet

[turbojimmy]

I grew up camping, my girlfriend did not. I met her 6-years ago after an ugly divorce and it's been bliss ever since. She will try anything - once. Ironically, friends that I met through her are avid tent campers. We had camped with them a few times over the years and she was a good sport about it but it really wasn't something she clearly enjoyed.

When the annual trip with the aforementioned friends came around last year, I had my recently acquired '84 Allegro ready for the trip. I bought it for $200 with no engine. She thought I was insane and referred to it as the "sh***y old motorhome". There really wasn't anything wrong with it cosmetically beyond its dated interior. Once I put the new engine in our first trip was to the Promised Land with our friends.

I rolled up, leveled it, plugged in, put out the awning and cracked open a beer. All in about 15 minutes. She said "that's it?!". I said yep - that's it. Our friends took another couple of hours setting up camp. They came over and I could tell the wife was immediately hooked on the motorhome idea. The husband said "this isn't camping".

Later that evening my girlfriend was totally amazed to be walking around barefoot in the RV when it was barely 40 degrees outside. She, too, was hooked. Since then we've been on many trips - she still calls it disparaging names (mostly because it takes time and money away from her) but it's all in good fun.

And those tent-camping friends? They bought an '87 Allegro. We're meeting up for our first trip together in Hershey in June.

[RayChez]

Executive wrote:
Wow! You went from a 36' to a 37' and she feels it's bigger...:h...how's that possible....:)....Dennis

OH c'mon Dennis. not everybody can afford a 45' coach.:S

[gsf35099]

I grew up camping & the DW did not. When we met she had two boys from a previous marriage (3 & 1). We married 5 months after we met and I convinced her it would be fun to take the boys out camping in a tent. She actually had a great time & the kids loved it. That was 29 years ago this July. We continued the tent for a few more years until our youngest came along (another boy) and then the upgrades began. Full size conversion van ( the older boys & I would still use the tent), then Popup, then in 99 we bought a 35' TT & took everyone to Disney World. Awesome trip. Then as the boys got older we actually downsized to a Cabover so we could pull the boat, and then 8 years ago we bought our first class A "98 Fleetwood Storm" no slides that we enjoyed, but was intended to be a test run class A. 6 months later I found our current DP at a smoking deal and we absolutely love it. I do most of the cooking when we travel and we both love spending time together. We have been fortunate enough to have a nice home & toys & love to get away and travel and see the country side. Lots to see.

[dezolen]

Great story. We started out with a 23' trailer and it rained and hailed the first time out and we still enjoyed it. 10 years later with a motorhome with everything and we love it even more.
And to think all my life I thought it would be the last thing I would do.

[mtrumpet]

We started out many years ago by visiting and staying with friends in their RV's (Older Class A's)staying at nearby campgrounds. That was how DW eventually got the "BUG". (I've always had the bug.) We eventually went out and purchased our first RV - a 32' Class A Gasser with no slides. Both she and I loved it. We've since moved up to a DP (See below) and DW loves traveling and camping in it as much as I. We both would much rather go on RV trips - either close or far - than any other type of vacation. Yep. I've got a good one!

[murphysranch]

Wonderful stories! Thanks, even for the chuckle when the cots and luggage and 10K lb tent tried to float away!

[cruiserjs]

" Because it is a big unit (we now have a 37' Holiday Rambler) she feels like a big shot. Now she cant wait to go camping."

Why do so many class A owners believe themselves to be "big shots"?? Seems to be a class action to this fiver!!