Community Chat

[CAMOGIRL]

Matches.

Toilet paper.

Bottled water.

Flashlight, lantern.

Have a great time! ⛺️

[Mindy D]

In case of emergency, add a couple extra pairs of undies and a couple of extra things to wear plus an extra pair of shoes in a place away from your tent...maybe the trunk. If you get rained on you will want something dry to put on. Add a couple of towels and an extra sheet too. Beware of poison ivy, there's pictures you can add to your photos on your phone in case you can't get internet. Turn on Find My iPhone or the setting that friends and 911 can find you. Sorry, I forget what this is called. Put extra flashlight batteries in a zip loc. Tell a friend the exact route you are taking and exactly where you will be. If you have one, a plastic painters tarp is handy to keep in the trunk. Find out what wildlife is found where you are going. If you're near a river or brook, having either a rod with hook and line or just some line and a few hooks is good for an emergency situation. 

[CrazyKittyLvr2]

Noooooooo.  I have a fit if the power goes out for long stretches. If I was meant to rough it I would have been born in 1850 instead of 1095.

Am not schlepping to pee at 2:00am worrying what critter I might run into along the way.

I want a very nice hotel room and a mint on my pillow.

[Anonymous032819]

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@CrazyKittyLvr2 wrote:

Noooooooo.  I have a fit if the power goes out for long stretches. If I was meant to rough it I would have been born in 1850 instead of 1095.

Am not schlepping to pee at 2:00am worrying what critter I might run into along the way.

I want a very nice hotel room and a mint on my pillow.

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@CrazyKittyLvr2 

Well, when you're 925 years old, I think you deserve a mint on the pillow.😄

But, were things really that much easier in the year 1095, the year that you were born?

[foggy!]

We live on a 4acre forest so in the summer our kids "go camping" in tents out back.....without DH and I....we're done after the fire pit, stars, s'mores and games.

Eons ago we did tent camp in various state campgrounds, then bought an ancient camper, then a new trailer, now have another small oldie trailer.  We haven't been camping in over 20yrs and aren't likely to again without a bigger trailer and even bigger motivation. 

Everyone should enjoy the camping experience, whichever way you choose, at least once. We found it more fun than a hotel but more work too.

I heard that this year the RV industry had record sales of new units, due to families wanting their own new, sanitized, space they could retreat into and not worry as much about sharing anyone elses germs. It really is a bonus to be able to stock your trailer as you like so its ready at a moments notice to just go in an emergency or to a vacation spot, park and immediately enjoy. Tent camping takes alot of set-up and take down, sweeping, hauling....and is tough to due if it rains or its noisy.

Can't wait to hear how much fun you had!

[char1976]

I don't think your crazy. I'm 62 and just got back from a 2 day camp trip and I use a tent, You didn't mention where you were camping. I have been 4 times this year and I stay at a local State Park or National Park.and they always have clean showers and restrooms. So check out their websites if you will be staying in one of those. If you are over 62 you can get a Senior Discount in several places so I can camp where I live for about $30 for 2 nights. I probably go overboard with my bedding so I take a cot with quilts. this last time it rained 1 night and the next night it was around 47 degrees. I always get a campsite with electric so I can have a fan but this time I took a small heater to warm up in the mornig ad I also had a electric blanket. Here we keep our food in the car at night to keep the wildlife from getting it. I do prep my tent with Scotchguard to waterproof it. Didn't leak from the rain. I take a couple of lanterns, canopy, firewood and a small campstove. I keep my camping equipment in totes. I love breakfast outdoors. This time I had french toast one morning and eggs and bacon the next. I usually don't eat much for lunch. So I have plenty of snacks for that. Usually its hamburgrs for supper. Also a chair and my Kindle. I go just to chill and relax. Hubbys idea of camping is a hotel room. Just enjoy the experience.

[J Town Girl]

I used to love camping when I was younger but now the idea just doesn't appeal to me.

On my last camping trip I went to use the bathroom later in the evening and right by the entrance door they had a garbage can and there was an group of large raccoons hovering around it and they weren't exactly receptive to the idea of me approaching them. After a moment of deliberation I thought should I take my chance and try to get into the bathroom or should I just duck down behind a tree.   I decided that a tree was my better choice.   That was my first evening at that campground.  After that I made sure not to drink anything after 6:00 PM.   

As I got older the novelty of sleeping in a tent and trying to warm up on those chilly mornings just wore thin.  

Now I much more enjoy staying in a hotel with a nice warm bed and clean shower.  If I want the outdoor experience we just take a walk in the evening.   

I'm glad that I had all of the different camping experiences and I enjoyed them a lot but for me those days are in the past.   

[Kalli]

I'm back and it was amazing!  I wanted to go on this particular trip because I wanted to see Elk.  This is the time of year the bulls are on the move, bugling and searching for mates, but there's only about a 4 week window for this. I'd never gone to Elk county, PA, before but several of my friends have gone and said it was awesome.

Because we camped at a primitive location, we heard and saw elk several times. One bull ran within 75 feet of our campsite and a little farther off a few would graze and lie down to sleep. They bugled throughout the night.  The sound was eerie and thrilling at the same time.

We took our horses and rode up in the mountains both days.  Only saw 2 elk on our rides but the scenery was in full Fall color and gorgeous. The trails were wide enough in most places for 2 horses but some places were only wide enough for single file, and when we were coming down off the mountain, it was a little scary to see the drop off on one side. The horses were fine with that, thank goodness!

Sorry this is so long.  Thank you so much for all your suggestions.  We basically packed almost everything that was mentioned and while I over packed, it's better to over than under pack, as you campers know.

[Anonymous032819]

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@Kalli wrote:

I'm back and it was amazing!  I wanted to go on this particular trip because I wanted to see Elk.  This is the time of year the bulls are on the move, bugling and searching for mates, but there's only about a 4 week window for this. I'd never gone to Elk county, PA, before but several of my friends have gone and said it was awesome.

Because we camped at a primitive location, we heard and saw elk several times. One bull ran within 75 feet of our campsite and a little farther off a few would graze and lie down to sleep. They bugled throughout the night.  The sound was eerie and thrilling at the same time.

We took our horses and rode up in the mountains both days.  Only saw 2 elk on our rides but the scenery was in full Fall color and gorgeous. The trails were wide enough in most places for 2 horses but some places were only wide enough for single file, and when we were coming down off the mountain, it was a little scary to see the drop off on one side. The horses were fine with that, thank goodness!

Sorry this is so long.  Thank you so much for all your suggestions.  We basically packed almost everything that was mentioned and while I over packed, it's better to over than under pack, as you campers know.

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@Kalli 

I'm so glad that you had fun!!!

[aroc3435]

@Kalli   So pleased that you had a successful trip and thaat you spotted the elk.  And you had good weather for it.  I appreciate that you came back and let us know how your excursion went.

Regards,

aroc3435

Washington, DC