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?

[Crowe]

If I even suggested a 'downgrade' to a tent, my wife would UPGRADE to a different dude!

LOL! That's just about what I told my hubby when he suggested it! :B We've considered going back to a pop-up to get more "rural" sites and more choices of campgrounds but I just can't handle the thought of rolling up wet sides any more. Plan is to get a truck camper at some point but for financial reasons (college costs) and the fact that our son still travels with us, it will probably wait a few more years. Our hope is that he'll still travel with us for a while-but in his own unit of some sort after he starts working.

[John___Angela]

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.

[sele]

I hope to soon can't wait even the grandson will so be old enough even just in the backyard campfire smores scary stories. The whole 9 yards. YES I will downgrade, sure we will continue to rv but still grandkids and tent camping just go together.

[SC_camper]

Ive been a camper my whole life. Tents, campers, under the stars, it didnt matter to me, I just wanted to be outside. I started taking my daughter camping when she was 3. Back then I only had a small tent and backpacking gear. After a couple years of my wife not joining us, we got a popup. Enjoyed that for 10 years then upgraded to bunkhouse TT. Thats what it takes to get the family to join me in the woods, and I love it. I also still love tent camping. Im an avid backpacker and get out as much as I can. I go with friends because my family wont do it. On average I get in 15-20 night in the tent each year. Some years more, some less. But as a family, we need everything including the kitchen sink.

[RoyB]

In the 50s and 60s tent camping usually was sleeping on the ground with sleeping bags as the cushions...

Then the folding tent beds came along that had an insert slot for an air mattress.



These came in small carry bag and when setup was very much like sleeping at home... The only problem we would run into as the air inside the tent got colder as the night went on the air mattress would lose their pressure and you might wake up the next morning sunk way down into the mattress haha...

Our tent camping was running my good Jeep back off the trails in the high country of Arizona pulling a 5x8 utility trailer and usually running with a couple of Jeeps camper friends... Had some very great times... Our last tent which I still have was a 12x15 three room tent sold under the JEEP BRAND and this is a fantastic tent to sleep in.. The front room was half of the tent and ran the full 15-feet. The two rooms was perfect for a full size air mattress bed shown above and we used the other room for the day time catch all things...

These are a couple of photos from google showing a similar Jeep setup and the three room tent I used.




We would throw a 20x30 tarp over the whole tent and stake it off to the ground on the back side and run it out to four tent poles of the front side which made for a very nice awning sitting area...

The front room had a rug on the floor and with folding tables and sitting chairs. Watched TV every night haha...

We have more moving around room inside the tent then we do in our off-road POPUP...

Roy ken

[Community Alumni]

I still have two tents, they are for my wife's family when they want to visit! :S

[Olde_Volks_Plac]

Let's see,
1st my tent will NEVER "Delaminate"
2nd my tent WILL leak and I WILL be able to find it.
3rd my tent NEVER has to have the following: tires,allignments,WDH,a special TV capable of taking it anywhere I want to go,tag,ins,ETC.ETC.
4th and there is much much more you could add but I will end with this
NO FINANCE CHARGES for the life of the tent :B

having said that I will be getting a Jayco Eagle 324BHTS, I'm tired of tents

[aerbus32]

If I even suggested a 'downgrade' to a tent, my wife would UPGRADE to a different dude!

[BobR]

There are times I travel alone and camp in a tent. I prefer camping to staying in an overpriced hotel with questionable cleanliness.

[rockhillmanor]

IF you have ever walked thru the tent section at Gander Mountain you'd realize that it sure wouldn't really be 'downgrading' to a tent anymore!
Some of those tents were out of this world like small cabins made out of tent material and go up in literally seconds!

For me though you'd have to pry my hands of the wheel of my MH to tent again. Too old for that nonsense.:B

[Stefonius]

wbrown62 wrote:

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

Amen! I love backpacking. Its a wonderful way to get into little accessible areas where you may not encounter another person, let alone another vehicle. I will still tent camp. My wife on the other hand..........

Same here. I have a great tent, but after an episode of festival camping that included 8" of rain and knee-deep mud, DW insisted on an RV.

[pronstar]

Not for me.
I got a job and make money for a reason LOL

In all seriousness, backpacking was fun at a certain point in my life, but like many things I've had my fill and have gone on to other things.

[RetSgt7114]

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

You got a whole tent??? Uncle Sam only issued me a "shelter half" and I had to team up with my battle buddy with his own shelter half so that we could make a pup tent. Man, good times, especially when it rained and the water got in underneath you. Sweet memories.

[ken07734]

I loved tent camping but sadly I and my wife have had major back surgery so we were forced to buy a TT. See you at Disneyworld!

[WoodGlue]

I always carry a tent (2 man) and a 30 lb backpack with me when I go in the TT. You never know when you might be forced to bugout or just want to leave the RV in a COE or BLM land spot and take a hike into the wilderness.