# Anyone Else Keep A Camping Journal?



## Acadia Hiker (May 29, 2007)

I don't remember where I got the idea, or even if I came up with it myself, but I bought a really nice leather-bound blank journal three years ago when we bought our pop-up. I keep it in the trailer and I have been writing in it every night that we are camping, putting on paper what we did each day, even if it was just relaxing. It is amazing the details we forget even a year after an event. In this way, I can put down my observations about a place or event and capture the true feeling of the day and the funny or poignant little things that happened. I can also keep track of maintenance and campgrounds/specific sites and remind myself to take care of things later.

It is my hope that someday my children's children will be able to read what their parents did when they were kids (and make fun of them!







).


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## jetjane (Feb 8, 2007)

I keep one too. I like looking back and reading about where we were, what we did, how the campsite/campground was, who was with us, funny things that happened or even the bad things. I also glue in small pictures that I took on the trip that I just print on regular paper from my printer.


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## lori26 (Jul 23, 2007)

I actually did write in a binder when we first started camping..........reading your post inspired me to get that old binder out and to begin again!







Thanks, and I think you won't regret the time you put in your journal.

Lori


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

My mother has kept a journal for as long as I can remember. Not just camping but every day. She can tell me who came over for 'company' on June 15, 1965. It does make for a combination of boring and interesting reading. It is interesting to read about our vacations.
The running comment in our family when they call Mom to just say hello is "I get journal credit for this, right."

It would make a nice addition to the picture album









John


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## Tyvekcat (Aug 28, 2007)

yeah, wifee has been keeping one. Its good to read back at some of the duh things I have done and wasted money on








and the fun things. And what the cat has done








Its good .


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## Lady Di (Oct 28, 2005)

A number of years ago, in popup days, some friends gave us a camping journal.

An actual formal camping journal.

We are not real good journalists, but do make notes, and can check back when our memories fail us, and know when we were someplace, or what the weather was. Even with minimum notes, it is still a journey down memory lane.


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

I do a website. Every camping trip and RV show since 2003 is documented with photos and text. 44 camping related excursions so far.

Randy


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## prevish gang (Mar 19, 2006)

Yes, we have a journal and since I have started selling campers, I usually give one to every customer who makes a purchase to record their memories and to make note of all the new friends they have met along the way.
I haven't written in mine in awhile though. I need to be more diligent.
Darlene


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## Camper Louise (Aug 7, 2004)

tdvffjohn said:


> My mother has kept a journal for as long as I can remember. Not just camping but every day. She can tell me who came over for 'company' on June 15, 1965. It does make for a combination of boring and interesting reading. It is interesting to read about our vacations.
> The running comment in our family when they call Mom to just say hello is "I get journal credit for this, right."
> 
> It would make a nice addition to the picture album
> ...


That's funny, my mom can also tell me who visited what day, who was born, who died and what the temperature was were she was at. She has a 5 year diary that lasts her 25 years because she only writes one line per day. I want a copy of that diary someday.


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## Camper Louise (Aug 7, 2004)

As for the camping journal... we have only kept track of date, place, distance, nights in trailer since 1999 but none of the real fun stuff you are talking about.
It sounds like a great idea.


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

We keep and camping note book. When we go to a new campground we try to get a map. then we walk around the campground and make notes on the map like what sites we would fit in is the awning on the correct side to open, plus we rate them good, better, best. So then next time when we make reservations we know what site to book. We also keep other info like fishing, local things to do, things we didn't do but want to in the future. It comes in very handy.


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## Paul and Amy (Jul 8, 2007)

I have one.....its great. someday it will bring back memories to my aging mind (that is if I can find where I put the book)


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## LarryTheOutback (Jun 15, 2005)

For our annual road trips we do a blog. We are then creating printed bound books with the text and pictures for each trip.

Ed


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## ember (Jan 17, 2008)

My best friend Beth, gave us Camping, The Campers Journal as a 'housewarming' gift when we bought our first OB!! (She got it at Dick's) I write about each trip as though I was telling our son (Frank he is grown and lives in AZ) about it. I leave it on the table unless we are eating, and friends and family enjoy reading it too.
My eldest sister, Chrystal is the family journalist. She has kept a daily diary since she was about 15. I am anxious to read them, but she says not yet!! She frequently refers back to them for one thing or another. 
Anyway.. inside the cover of our camping journal is this little ditty, and I TRY to abide by it.

Barbara Morina wrote:
Life is an adventure
It's not the destination we reach 
that's most rewarding.
It's the journey along the way.
So Write It Down! & treasure
the memory forever...

TTFN
Ember









OOOOHH!! While I was previewing this post I realized my sister is 12 years older than me, so she has been keeping a diary for like 40 years already!! WOW!!


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## daslobo777 (Mar 24, 2007)

Hi,
My parents kept a journal at our cabin and it is fun to look back and see what we did that weekend, temp., fish caught, etc. We keep a journal in our TT just summarizing who we camped with, where, temp. activities etc. Both DD are bringing journals to yellowstone. I want the 8 year old to journal each day about the trip and practice her cursive writing. The 5 year old is practicing writing her name, small words, her numbers etc. to be like big sis. I think DD will enjoy looking back at her journal on the trip from her eyes. I also think Camper Louise has a great idea in marking mileage down as well for easy to keep track of.

Cristy


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## GSJ (May 20, 2008)

We keep a journal on all our camping trips, since my wife and I started camping together 22 years ago. We do so much stuff that I can't remember everything we did. It's fun to read it a few years later and it all comes back to me. We also use it as a reference when we want to go back to a CG so we remember where the great sites were that we scouted out.
Gord


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## goneflyfishin (Jan 12, 2007)

Yes. I started when we bought the Outback.
I'm hoping our son will enjoy it when he gets older & will share it with his family.
It's also a great way to document the friends we meet along the way


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

We have been keeping a basic journal of all our trips since we first got the camper. It's a small leather book and we just jot down the highlights.

Today I'm at Bryce Canyon on the last day and stop of our now 17 day trip. Just for this trip alone I have journaled 10 pages in Microsoft Word while on the road. It's the mother of all road trip journals. I'll try and assemble it along with photos when we get home and have one of those hard bound books printed.

This trip has been exceptionally memorable.

Yes indeed. Journal.


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## bradnjess (Mar 25, 2007)

Thanks to many here we'll be keeping one now. Its really a great idea, a good way to remember things you did right and things you don't want to do again. And I'm sure years from now it will a great read.

Brad


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## skippershe (May 22, 2006)

I wish we had started a journal when we first got our Outback...
Better late than never I guess









I found this one online and plan to order one before our next trip out RV Camping Journal


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## Sluggo54 (Jun 15, 2005)

We each keep a separate journal - daily, since we full-time. In it goes favorite sites, possibles if the favorite is filled, cost to camp, and daily weather info. No idea why, but I have recorded daily max-min temps and precip, with wind notes if notable, for many years. I also make note of the satellite elevation and azimuth, so it will be handy next time in that area.

After Maggie died, I sorta lost interest in a lot of things for a while. My journal has an 8 month hole in it. It has a hole after mom's death last Feb, too.

It's tough to go back and fill them in, but I did the best I could.

Sluggo


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

I guess I did it for a different reason. I use to keep one for every trip we took with the boy scouts. Since both of my boys are out now I kind of stopped. I would use it at tax time as a write off for mileage. Maybe with the price of gas I should rejoin the troop and get the write off again for each trip. Kirk


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## Calvin&Hobbes (May 24, 2006)

I have a multi use journal... It is a multi partitioned wire bound notebook, and the first section is a diary/journal of all the campgrounds we've been to (good, bad, what we did, what was there, weather, etc). The second section is potential ideas for mods, which I jot down while camping- because I cant seem to remember what is important when we're not camping. The last section is the completed mods, and some notes so if I have to repair/rebuild/ pass along information, at least have some instructions to refer to.


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