camping with friends

[geekyguru]

It was my wife's first time camping with me since we purchased our TT. We decided to take another family of three and one additional lady. Total of seven of us. Anyhow... We booked a two night trip on the beach. The first night on the way down the other couple stopped on the side of the road to pee. The guys wife got bit by something and had to go to e.r. they had all of our beer and food in their truck. Anyhow they didn't end up at the site until 11pm. (Five hours after us) we all went to bed around 1am. Their kid woke up at 5am. This meant all of us were now up.
Day two...
Things were going good until 8pm. Their kid developed wooping cough. He puked all over my towels and brand new tt. So the couple were out of action with him for the rest of the night.
The next morning I woke up and just packed up and left.
****ty thing is we were on the beach camping!!
It shouldn't get any better than that!!! Now my wife isn't too thrilled about camping now.

[Heavy_Metal_Doc]

I have a sister and brother-in-law who where the first in the family to make the jump from tents and pop-up campers to having an RV with all the amenities. I kinda laugh at it now, but they offered many times for "all of us" to go camping since they had a 2 big drop down bunks in the garage of the their toy hauler. We never did get that group trip in before DW and I bought a TT of our own. First trip out with a site nearby with Sis / BIL "showing us the ropes" of RV camping, she asks: "It's really great having your own space in the RV isn't it?" So goes on to explain: "We love having friends, kids, grandkids all come for visit, have dinner, enjoy the campfire and all that...but no one staying for the night, except when we take the young grandkids. When it's time pack up for the nigh, all the stuff in the RV is our personal space."....a few nights in our TT and can see it. We "could" sleep 6, but probably never will!!

[Murphsmom]

We do a short vacation visit with some friends every year. Most of the time, they come to visit us, but we have on occasion rented a cottage together. They used to tent camp while we were in our smaller TT, but no longer do any camping. They prefer to stay in a B and B. This year she asked me how many our new TT slept. In my mind, I heard "uh oh" and immediately said that with the mods we had made, it would only sleep two. Spending several days with them in a house where we can go into our own room is one thing, but I know for certain that we are NOT taking them as guests with us in a 25-footer. I definitely don't qualify as a B and B host!

[CavemanCharlie]

I posted in this thread before but, want to expand on that. To me camping means at a park. I have used my TT for a place to sleep while at concerts and such. That is different and as such I change the rules for sleeping. This spring I took my 20 foot TT to a concert at a casino near me. Because it was at a casino everybody went to the concert then into the casino and then just "crashed" in the TT. When we were ready to pass out,,,err,,, I mean go to sleep we had 4 of us in the TT, 2 on the bed, one on the dinette, one on the floor, and one person got stuck sleeping in a friends mini-van. Thank God I had my TT because a big storm came up that night with high winds and massive amounts of rain. We were warm and dry even as the neighbors awning got ripped off of his Motor Home. (Worst part was the broken awning banging against his motor home woke us up at 2Am) We didn't need to cook, set inside of, or use the bathroom facilities in my TT. We just slept in it after the concert. This is different then camping. But, am I glad I had my little TT that night!!!!!! It was much cheaper then renting a room at the motel and because it was at the casino we still had access to the pool and all the other facilities.

[pappcam]

The only person besides us who has slept in our trailer is the mother in law who is fine and it wouldn't feel right making her sleep in a tent when we have an empty bunk at the back of the trailer.

Other guests and friends can sleep in the tent we bring along or their own if they brought one. Most people are smart enough to realize that they won't be crashing all over the trailer when they come for visits.

[stephend]

When camping with friends, they must bring their own TT!!

[plasma800]

EldIr wrote:

NoVa RT wrote:
I remember reading here that every RV, no matter its size, works best "with 6 for cocktails, 4 for dinner & 2 for sleeping". Probably a flexible guideline, but more people can mean more potential problems. Sick kids happen, but that's true in cabins & hotels, too.

The trick is to convert all the problems into amusing anecdotes as time goes by.

6 cocktails, 4 with dinner and 2 for sleeping. That's my kinda camping! But you forgot a couple while making dinner :C

Oh, wait... Were you counting people???

LAUGHING !!!!!!! It took me a second to catch your drift.. and then when I did.. i was like.. HEYYYY, This is MY kinda campin buddy!! :B

[plasma800]

BadBeans wrote:
Sorry about your camping trip. My wife and I love to camp with our friends, but it has always been our number one rule... You gotta be in your own tent or trailer or whatever. I'm far too old and far to cranky to share my toys. I'd rather camp alone with a good book than having to let others put wear/tear on my things that I've worked hard to pay for.

Kinda harsh I know, but try it this way at least once before you toss I'm the towel. Your wife might like it better maybe.

LOL! You made me laugh with this one, cause I TOTALLY GET IT! :W

[Ray552]

Sorry you had such bad luck. You should try again no one can have that much bad luck as to have it happen twice.

The only thing I would say you did "wrong" is to not have at least some of the provisions with you in the TT.

I too carry a tent though I have only used it with the TT a few times.

I had one of my sisters , my adult daughter, wife and I on a 6 weeks trip last summer. The late sleeping up late daughter was in the bunk room with a door to shut. Sister early riser fairly early to bed was in the main cabin, wife and I on the big bed.


We were joined at the Grand Canyon by friends and one of there grand daughters. Grand daughter sleep in one of the bunks and the couple used the table/bed area. It did not seem to be crowded even after a week. We did use it later at Sequoia when the sister in law and her wife joined us. We gave them the bed room and used the table/bed but the next night we used the tent as it just seemed very crowded. Fewer people then before but somehow they seemed to take up a lot more room.

[RideSlow]

Have been camping many times with friends. Always dragging along kids or grandkids or friends. Last time out was with about 30 folks from work. We had 6 sites close together, at a State Park, and had a blast. Several folks have gone on to get trucks and trailers and go out. Was kinda funny one weekend, rolled past a truck and trailer heading east on I-90, said that looks like our friends truck, turned out she had bought a little trailer and was heading out with her dogs!

[TnCamperMama]

WandaLust2 wrote:
I love camping with others but they must have their own tent or RV. Our TT is just too small for more than 2 adults. I'm also the kind of person who needs some "space" every day and that would be hard if other people were camping with us and staying in our RV.

I'm in West Tn Wanda. Our fav place is Natchez trace. I too need my space. Even camping with a group, we don't feel obligated to do everything with each others family. If my crew {and one or two extra kids} want to go do something that my bff and her crew don't want to, we go anyway. This year it was their turn to take my oldest ds with them on a hike to the bottom of Fall Creek Falls. I had no desire, but happily watched her younger two so they could go.

We're also self contained units. Sure sometimes we share stuff, like if I have a snack my bff wants or my kids want an apple at her site, but they take their own groceries and we take ours. My husband brings the beer and her husband brings the homemade wine. They have their own cooking and sleeping gear, and we do to. Families all eat differently. My kids eat everything, but hers are picky. So even if we are "on vacation together" we're still sep. units and function as such

[doxiluvr]

I can't imagine why you would invite that many people to go along on a first camping trip. Just because it states that it will sleep 6 or 7 or however many, it does not mean everybody is going to be comfortable or fit in the trailer. I agree with most of the responders that if you want to camp together they should bring their own camper or tent and you will meet them there and to also bring their own food and anything else they need. Once you open up the sleeper sofa or convert the dinette to a bed, there isn't much room to move around. We have a 34' TT and I occasionally will only let 1 or 2 of my adult kids spend one night if necessary. Anymore nights than that and they get a motel or cabin. We bought the TT for us, not them.

[WandaLust2]

I love camping with others but they must have their own tent or RV. Our TT is just too small for more than 2 adults. I'm also the kind of person who needs some "space" every day and that would be hard if other people were camping with us and staying in our RV.

[Lowsuv]

we camp with old friends regularly .
we all live in different parts of the state , now .
we rendezvouz at a couple of different places to add variety .
none of us use a generator .
but the cacaphony when we get together is deafening .
Oregon and Washington now have great wines .
that adds to the decibel level .

[michigansandzil]

It might sound lame, but I would love to have so many eager people wanting to camp with us.
We have pleaded with our family to come with us and so far, only 1 person has taken us up on the offer. She's in her early 30s, easy going, will watch the kids for us and walk the dogs.........why wouldn't I want her around!! She stays in the camper with us and has a standing open invite to all/any camping trips. Aside from her, none of our family or close friends enjoy camping and we enjoy company so it's almost unfortunate.

Our kids say that they have fun camping no matter what, but they prefer to camp with friends. We do have another family we enjoy camping with. We all have our own RVs, sites and equipment but the kids are usually running between the two sites or crowded into someone's camper. I will admit that I love camping with these guys......but I also love having my own space.

Some of our best memories are from enormous cooperative dinners we have planned and the kids playing with each other. We really enjoy camping with friends.