Would You "Downgrade" To A Tent?

[longislandcampe]

Myself, like I'm sure many others here grew up tent camping. We did it about every year from about 1985-1993. It was our parents and 3 kids, myself included.

In September of 2011 our parents bought a hybrid camper and I bought a tent which I used about 3 times last summer. My parents ended up upgrading to a much larger TT and my brother also dove in to get a bunkhouse TT. I really don't intend to use my tent anymore since my parents basically give me free reign to use their TT when I want.

Anyway, 90% of the time we camp at a local beach CG with full hookups and great views of the ocean. Whenever we have to exit the campground we have to drive past the tent section with no views and only a water hookup. We always think to ourselves that we will never be tent campers again. This is especially true on a hot, sticky night or when it's raining.

I hope it doesn't seem that I'm putting tenters down, but I just know that more then likely I won't be one again. So, does anyone that has an RV still tent it or has anyone "downgraded" to a tent?

[mockturtle]

Geocritter wrote:
As far as nocturnal bathroom trips, years ago while doing mountaineering out in WA I learned to use a “pee bottle” at night (sorry ladies, it’s a man-only thing, don't be jealous) that way I didn’t have to leave my warm sleeping bag to take care of business.

Hey, I'm not jealous. I have one of these: Freshette

[SteveAE]

We have a RV.
We have many tents.
Yet on most of our summer rafting trips, (like the one we just returned from) we just sleep under the stars.
Before you pass this off as just "kid stuff", we are in our 50's and my 84 YO mother was along and very comfortable (OK, so she "up-graded" and slept in a tent :)).

Steve

[Geocritter]

Dick_B wrote:
My last tent was olive drab some 50 years ago. Never again.

You sound like my old man. So many things he did or didn't do with me were predicated on his experiences in "The War". His idea of a great father-son day was taking me to the horse track for a day of horse race gambling. As for camping or hunting, oh hell no I had enough of that in The War. Let it go!

Steve

[Geocritter]

I’m new to RVing but not to tent camping, backpacking, and general adventuring. Starting late this fall my plan is to tour the country in my new-to-me RV using it as a “base camp” for further adventures backpacking off into the local wilderness areas with my tent. I guess my late wife was right and I’m just a big kid at heart. As far as those who complained about getting wet in rainstorms, you need to buy a better tent! I have an old Kelty 2-man Vortex, I’ve been in mid-west thunderstorms that were so bad that trees were blown down around me and I stayed bone-dry in my little Kelty. As far as the achy-breaky part, being 65 I feel it when I get up in the morning, but after 15-30 minutes I’m back to normal, if I’m still achy I take a couple of Aleve. As far as nocturnal bathroom trips, years ago while doing mountaineering out in WA I learned to use a “pee bottle” at night (sorry ladies, it’s a man-only thing, don't be jealous) that way I didn’t have to leave my warm sleeping bag to take care of business.

Steve

PS one poster mentioned camping during an 8” rain, it happened to me once. I had a crappy WalMart tent so I got soaked (it’s how I learned about tents) but I still feel sorry for one of the guys with me who pitched his awesome mountaineering tent in a small ravine and awoke to a river flowing through it. You learn about things like “campsite placement” during events like that. Treat it as a learning experience and you won’t make the same mistake in the future.

[FOREVER_FREE]

We have our pontoon boat docked at a marina on Tims Ford Lake in Tennessee. This is a huge manmade reservoir that has many islands you can camp on with permission from the state park system. We plan on doing this in the future. Otherwise nothing beats our king-size bed in the 5vr. Best wishes to you and happy Rv'ing. 🙂

[Kittykath]

Hubby and I bought a new 38' fifth wheel a week ago, and as I write this, I'm planning a tent camping trip with my sister. I'm adaptable!

[Wickerbill]

Nope

[rockhillmanor]

John & Angela wrote:
Well, we kinda sorta did/do, but its more an extension of our RV lifestyle than a a return to tenting. Its also closer to a tent trailer than a tent although there is no hard top. When we want to go kayaking in a provincial park for a couple days the Pusher is not an option as it is too big and there is no where to carry the kayak. So, we use this setup. We enjoy it a couple days at a time. I guess the big difference is in a tent you are sleeping on the ground and in this setup you are three feet off the ground. Its also nice to have a porta potti and fridge.





This picture taken at another time.

Now that is one slick set up!
I'd do a tent camping trip with this equipment! B

[LaunchnRetrieve]

I've downgraded to even less. I have a sleeping pad, a sleeping bag and a tarp for my boat and I lay on the floor to sleep on the water.

I have a tent, several, and an air mattress and sleeping bag for car camping with my boat or boat camping (campsites with boat access only or hike/boat access only, no cars). I can't bring my trailer and my boat anywhere at the same time.

I'm too tired to read the preceding replies and op, but will do that later to see if I'm anywhere near on target with my response. 🙂

[ol_Bombero-JC]

Geocritter wrote:
I'd "downgrade" to a tent in a heart beat under the right circumstances. You can't backpack an RV into the wilderness.
Steve

Simply a matter of whatever rings your chimes! (and wallet).

Do you need a 4000 sq ft sticks and bricks - or 1000 sq ft?

Pool and tennis court?

City lot, 5 acres or 50?

One story or two?.:@

~

[elsique]

Lots of great times tent camping in the past but I probably wouldn't go back to it.

[rfryer]

Well I don’t consider tent camping downgrading, just a means to an end. I still have all of my backpacking and camping gear, including tents. I’ve acknowledged I’ve gotten too old to do any serious backpacking, but the tent camping gear could be useful for some hunting trips. But whenever I bring that subject up I get a lot of flak from the DW. She thinks I’m too old for tramping around the mountains hunting, too. Telling her about the 92 year old guy in a TC I once met on a hunting trip doesn’t seem to impress her any. But I still consider that an option.

As far as normal camping, no, I wouldn’t go back to the tent. I guess I’m getting lazy but it’s more work than I want to do. Mostly the packing and unpacking of the vehicle. But I still get a twinge around tents, I had a lot of fun and good memories tent camping for near 20 years.

[WishWeWereCampi]

We've taken up tent camping again during the summer, we live in CA and it hardly ever rains here in the summer. We can get to the campsite so much faster in a car, get 50 mpg, and have just about every comfort that we have in the TT, except for a propane refrigerator. That's the only thing that I really miss. It's also much easier to book tent sites at the popular campgrounds around here than it is to book trailer sites. Unfortunately, our favorite RV park in the Pismo Beach area doesn't allow tent camping; we only go there during the winter.

[mockturtle]

I still tent camp once in a while, either kayaking or backpacking. While it's enjoyable in its own way, it does make me appreciate my RV.

[Atlee]

No way. The last time I camped in a tent, I was a young whipper snapper in the Boy Scouts. That was probably 1/2 century ago.

It was fun when I was a kid, but I haven't been a kid a long ago.