What kind of camper are you?

[Searching_Ut]

Do you go to the same campgrounds most of the time, or do you try someplace new as much as possible?

Myself, living in a fantastic area for camping, and with both of us having jobs where we get 3 day weekends most weeks we try and hit a different campground every trip. They claim there are approximately 7000 developed campgrounds in the state. If you rule out tent only, boat access only, too small for our TT, no dogs allowed, or commercial RV parks in cities which we rarely utilize you still end up with well over 1000 campgrounds that are probably worth a visit. How are we ever going to hit them all, even if we stay within the state, which of course we don't.

It would be interesting to see how others like to camp. Do you like to explore, or do you prefer the comfort of what you know? Do you like the RV park sort of setup, or do you prefer boondocking/forest service sorts of areas where you get away from it all?

To start it out, we much prefer scenic areas, avoiding crowds as much as possible. As mentioned, we try to go someplace different every time out. The areas we seek out rarely have hookups, and are often in campgrounds with less than a dozen other campers, more often than not scattered around for privacy. This is what we love, but find that when heading out with our camping friends, most of them seem to seek the RV park, built up sorts of areas so we hit those sorts of places about a 3rd of the time.

What are your preferences?

[Tothill]

Varies for us.

Last weekend same campground as a year ago, site right next to the one we had last year in a Forestry campground. No services, except outhouses, but a great lake for swimming. Only 40 miles from home.

Next trip a resort type place on a remote Gulf Island that we have never been to (the Island let alone the campground) before. Looking forward to a new adventure.

We have stayed at three different campgrounds in the same area, two of them twice. Two were resorts, one we will not return to, the sites were just too close. The other resort we have tented and RV'd at, there is a pub nearby and we will probably stay there again one year.

The third is a provincial park. Love it, no hook-ups, huge sites, well spaced, clear shower blocks (teenagers need long showers), hiking trails, great beach and more. We will return many times.

Sometimes we are camping to sit around the campfire and relax (high stress jobs), other times we are touring and site seeing and barely spend any time at the campground. Then there are the longer trips were we just need a night or two on the road to get to our destination.

[Atlee]

We're either weekend football tailgaters, or travelers. We do not go a campground just to camp for a week, or more.

Unfortunately, we haven't been able to do much of the latter, since I've had a job with very little vacation time. That changes in 35 days.

Early in 2014, and after this year's college football schedule is finished, we plan to travel across country.

[Kittykath]

Just bought a big, shiny new fifth wheel last week...and we don't even own a truck! It was so fun to make that purchase when weight wasn't a factor at all. Had it delivered to our seasonal site and we are enjoying all the creature comforts of home, and then some.

My husband isn't much of a traveler right now and has very limited vacation time, so getting out of Minnesota isn't a high priority. Someday when the mood hits, we'll be in the market for a TV and we'll take that hog on the road. Until then, we're obsessively enjoying our "lake cabin" with all of our cherished neighbors, most of which happen to be family. Life is good!

[noe-place]

We have a couple of favorite spots near home but every summer we take one or two big trips out of state and explore America.:C

[Searching_Ut]

I left out motel camping when I listed the sort we do. Approximately every 18 months we try to take a cruise, which you might think of as a large really well equipped RV. We also tend to motel camp when we're hitting the ATV jamborees, or traveling far enough away to ride that we can't reasonably do it as a day trip. Long hot showers, and the maid service seem to suit us on this sort of trip. Motels are also the way we tend to go when sightseeing, or taking the grandkids to places like Disneyland.

[Slownsy]

We to are a lot like gypsies and like to travel and experience new places,prefer it a little rugged rather than resorts. Travel the country se new places and meat new people.

[rfryer]

“I'm a hardsidedtent camper. The only difference between the old days and now is that my tent follows me to camp all set up and ready to go.”

Francesca took the words right out of my mouth. Ever since I was a teenager I’ve been blessed, or cursed depending on your point of view, with a wanderlust. Who knows what lurks in that next canyon or over that next hill. My job fed that in spades and since I retired nothing has changed. So that reflects my camping, too. I’m always attracted to places I haven’t been and the rougher and more remote the better.

Needless to say I don’t camp in RV parks or commercial parks; they’re too much like the city. I don’t camp in state parks, either; they’re a bit too developed for my taste. Most of my camping is in national forest campgrounds though I prefer the less developed ones. I also do a lot of boondocking, like Utah, Arizona provides a lot of opportunities for that.

Between my job, and 50 years of hunting and camping trips there isn’t a lot of territory in AZ I haven’t been in so I’m tending to gravitate your way and to southern Colorado for my shorter trips. I’m hoping to get up that way in September-October when the temps are more tolerable.

[Cloud_Dancer]

We prefer "all the comforts of home" camping. Actually, I wouldn't even call it "camping".
We're not opposed to boondocking (no hookups), but we run our QUIET generator so that we can have "all the comforts of home",....which means we only stay for 3 or 4 days (due to capacity of all our tanks, and not wanting to get bored).
BTW, we do NOT do campfires.
We really prefer RVing to destinations where there's things to do (touristy stuff is OK too).

[SRT]

fj12ryder wrote:
We're not campers, we're RV'ers. I gave up camping when I got rid of the tent.

Yup....:B

[2milesup]

We also live in a place full of good camping spots, probably more than we'll ever visit. We have a few favorites we always come back to, but like to try places that are new to us. Mostly NFS campgrounds, I think we've only had partial hookups twice in 6 years, never had FHU. I have no idea if the TV cable in the TT works, hope I never find out.

[goducks10]

We have one place really like so we go there 3-4 times a year. We fill in the rest of the time with some new, some old. Living in Oregon we're blessed with some of the best camping in the country. Problem is it's really seasonal. We could never go to the same place all the time. That would be boring. We're not the sit around under the awning and nap types. Got be able to get out and ride the bikes, hike and site see.

[tenbear]

bsinmich wrote:
I don't think we would be considered campers either. We don't go to sit around a campfire, except for once a year with family. We use the MH as our hotel when we are going to see things. We are hardly ever at the MH during daylight hours because we are out seeing something someplace. When we have covered an area we move on.

X2. That's us.

[bertnspike]

Jim Shoe wrote:
I'm not a camper. I'm a visitor, and I prefer to visit in my RV so I can have my "stuff" with me. And I choose FHU parks with pull thru sites including cable and WIFI. At a destination, I unhook the toad, hook up the utilities, and see the sights during the day and relax at night. If there's a picnic table at the site, I'm out there in the morning with my coffee, reading the morning paper if its available and enjoying the quiet, or trading travel experiences if somebody stops by. I spend my days seeing what I came to see, fix something to eat when I'm hungry and go to bed when I'm tired. I've never been in a pool if they have one, or a dog walk because I don't have one. That's paradise for me.

x2 + dogs. That is why I chose to live in an RV instead of a house or an apartment. I'm a traveler and a visitor.

[Winged_One]

We are trying to hit all the State parks, that fit our trailer and our requirements (wooded). Thus we like to go to new places.

[swamp50]

Only camp at deer camp!