# Years of Camping/RVing



## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

*How many years have you been RVing?*​
Under 1 (1st Season)1022.22%2 to 3 years511.11%4 to 5 years24.44%6 to 7 years920.00%8 to 9 years36.67%10 to 15 years36.67%More than 15 years1328.89%


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Just interested how years of experience of RVing we all have









This is out 1st season and the whole family is hooked









RVing is a big change from what we were use to. Both my wife and have been camping since childhood and continued into early twenties. In our twenties we started camping on crown land in the middle of nowhere. The last trip was canoeing the French River. The type of camping we did was "take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints". We would camp for week at a time without seeing another person.

Now that we are parents and older, RVing is just what we need







and the kids just love it. sunny

Thor


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

Well I am 42 and it is reported that my first camping trip was when I was 6 weeks old!

I don't remember a time of NOT camping









Although, first started doing the TT when about 10 to 12 years old...somewhere thereabouts.

"take nothing but pictures and leave nothing but footprints" is all I was ever taught, and is what we now teach our kidos.


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## hurricaneplumber (Apr 12, 2004)

Tented hundreds of times for about 22 years with my ma-pa and then my family.
Pop-up camper with my family for the next 6 years.
Travel Trailer, new this year.
Roughly 30 total.

And then you can include the sleeping in the cow pasture out back with no camping items, just lots of rocks and stars to look at.

All started at the yearly Elks Club family camping outings when I was just a wee one, in a canvas tent that leaked bad, smelled bad and was heavy.


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## Golden Mom (Apr 25, 2004)

I was born in December.......my first camping experience was when I was 6 months old.

My husband was born in December....his first camping experience was when he was 6 months old.

My daugher was born in December.....her first camping experience was when she was 6 months old.

See a trend here?









My husband and I have been camping way over 30 + years. Our daughter is 9 years old and hasn't missed a year.

Camping was the only vacation my family had growing up. It's always been a part of my life and hopefully will always be.

P.S. Our birthdays are all within 8 days of each other during the Christmas week. 
We do a lot of partying during that week


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## NDJollyMon (Aug 22, 2003)

I've also been a camper for decades. I have been RVing for about 9 seasons.


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## NWcamper2 (Mar 28, 2004)

hurricaneplumber said:


> in a canvas tent that leaked bad, smelled bad and was heavy.


Oh the memories







and don't touch the inside of the tent!









All kids (these days) should camp in one of those things to appreciate what we have now









Sort of like I walked 10 miles, up hill both ways, in the snow just to go to school sort of thing ...


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## hatcityhosehauler (Feb 13, 2004)

We had a TT growing up, since I was about 9 or 10. I have also boondock tent camped when I was in the scouts, and still own a tent, which I intend to use with my son when he is a little older.

My wife is new to camping and RV'ing. Prior to me taking her in a rented pop-up a few years ago, her idea of camping was staying at the Motel 6 instead of the Marriott. Buying the Outback was her idea, (with lot's of subtle hints from me







) and she loves going away for a weekend here, and a weekend there. Who knows, maybe someday, I can even get her to try dry camping.









Tim


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## Y-Guy (Jan 30, 2004)

Since 2002 with my wife, PopUp->Hybrid->Outback
As a kid for some 5 years in an old camper
But from 1979-1995 I went on youth trips and lead youth trips each summer, from Guaymas, Mexico to Edmonton, Canada I've camped in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, California, Arizona.. but the best part is going back to those places with my 2 kids and not 25 middle schoolers!


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Camped a lot as a kid but we didn't have a camper (my uncle did but we had to make do with some pretty sad second hand canvas umbrella tents).

Starter RVing when a guy at work GAVE us his truck camper. Said his boys were grown and he didn't use it much and wanted us to enjoy the experience. We did too. Had a blast for a few years and then a semi tractor crossed the median and destroyed our rig (and nearly me - thank goodness I was alone - it took three hours for them to pick up all the pieces of the camper). We got our new rig even before I was walking again.

We gave up our rig when we moved to Virginia on a transfer and now we are back in Seattle and we are back in the RV business again. Never should have sold our rig without replacing it. The Outback is the best by far.

Brian


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## camping479 (Aug 27, 2003)

I've been camping since I was about 6 months old. My dad would take a month off of work and we would travel all over the U.S. in our volkswagen pop-top camper.

That was back in the early 70's, one day we got pulled over in Ohio for going 56 in a 55 mph zone. The trooper was very glad to find out we weren't a bunch of hippies smoking doobies and travelling Ohio in our volkswagen bus.









I stopped camping when I was in highschool but picked it up again 20 years later when Chris and I bought our first trailer. She was willing to camp, but not without a bathroom and a/c.







We had that for a season and traded for our outback two seasons ago. It's a great way to travel, the kids love it and we've been to more places than I think we ever would have gone to if we didn't have our outaback.

Mike


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## luv2rv (Jun 21, 2004)

Have personally camped since the early months with my parents. They always had either a tent, pop-up and for few years in my early teens a seasonal park model.

My wife and I purchased our first TT new in 2000 and have now moved up to the Outback. Our kids both started at about 4 - 6 months as well


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## jnk36jnk (Mar 9, 2004)

sunny Hi there, I have been camping for years now. My parents camped when we were little because we couldn't afford anything else. My DH camped when they couldn't even afford a tent and would just throw the quilts down on the sand at the beach. We always had a canvas tent. They do smell a particular way. When our kids were little we bought a tent and I insisted it be a canvas one because I associated that smell with camping (and good times). That tent served us well for over twenty years and was then passed on to our oldest daughter. We replaced it with a small pop up which was replaced by a larger pop up and finally the Outback, which I absolutely love. I am toooo old to sleep anywhere near the ground and I so love not having to go out in the night when nature calls. Actually we spent our honeymoon camping!!! Jodi


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## illinoisboy (Jun 11, 2004)

We have been camping together for a little over 3 years, first year with tent, then a pop-up and now the Outback. The girls are all experienced girl scout campers. I hadn't camped since I was a little boy with my parents, but I remembered how much fun we had together and I wanted my family to enjoy it as well. The first 2 years were disasters, the kids were bad, the tent got soaked and the pop-up was too small. So I plunked money down for the Outback which was my final attempt. Fortunately everybody loves the Outback with it's combination of comfort, function and convenience. The family also loves it because it reminds us of a Disney hotel room. Are we spoiled or what? Well at least we're spoiled together.


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

I remember camping once while growing up...and hating it. Too cold, ground too hard, no TV, wah wah wah. Tried it again 4 yrs ago when inlaws invited us to get with them. They had a fith wheel (the Cadillac of 5ers we used to say) and our bro/sister in law had a 5er also (that one was the Toyota of 5er's) and we stayed in our 4 person tent. Learned a quick lesson...those 4 person tents are meant for maybe 2 people. Upgraded to a 8 person tent. Before getting the Outback a month ago, we probrably went camping 2 times a year. Still didn't like the cold air, hard ground (even with the air mattress), ok with no TV, but added the fear of not having locks to the list. Since getting the TT, we have already been out twice with 2 more outings planned within the next 2 weeks! DH wants to do some winter camping also. Yeah! To be honest with you, we're still not too sure what to do with ourselves yet while out in nature! Actually thought to myself today that i'd need to pick up an book or two to read. I guess thats a start!

Enjoy the rest of the season!

~Brook


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Brook,
A recommendation for what to do - at least if you are camping in or near the woods here in the PNW...

Lots of good hikes all over Washington - a nice book is

Best Short Hikes in Washington's South Cascades & Olympics

because it has easy to extreme and lots of locations. REI is where I found mine. THere is one for the North Cascdes too but I figured you might want to start close to home. These range from nature hikes with marked plant names to EXTREME hikes with thousands of feet elevation gain (not my thing anymore).

For entertaining the kids, pick up a plant identification guide. Maybe my kids are just weird (maybe?) but they enjoy trying to remember which plants are which and we have even started collecting some of the edible ones (be careful!) and including them in our cooking. A lot of them you can just eat on the trail and a lot of them may be considered edible but yuck! It's still fun.

Anyway, if you are tree huggers (not the hard core conservationist types but the love to get out in nature type) like we are, you might enjoy these kinds of things.

Oh, one more; for the kids, finding the PERFECT walking stick can be a full time occupation when in the woods. But if it isn't PERFECT, it can't go home.

Brian


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## rennerbee (Jul 25, 2004)

Thanks Brian, we'll have to pick up the book. Excellent idea about the walking stick. Both the kids love to find sticks at the beach, so why not in the woods!

~Brook


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## KellerJames (Jan 19, 2004)

I was told that my first camping trip was when I was 6 mo' old. I don't remember not camping. Someone mentioned the smelly old tent earlier. When I was an elementary age kid, we had a huge, yellow canvas tent that had that musty smell about it. Every now and then, I'll come across something that smells just like that. While it's not the most pleasant smell, it sure brings back memories. Parents got a pop up and we went all over the Ozarks and up north. We had a TT on a permanent lot in my teen years. Had a motorcycle that I road the wheels off of in that campground. Moved out on my own and tent camped for many years after that. Wife and I got a Jayco pop up several years back. spent more time in the shop than at the campground. got rid of that and tent camped several more years until the Outback came along late in the summer of '03. Now,, I can't camp enough. 
Took my 7 yr old camping when she was a few months short of one yr old. Every trip we've been on since then, she always, ALWAYS makes the comment "I love camping" while we're out. 
Makes me happy.


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## CamperAndy (Aug 26, 2004)

Tent camped for years but it was out of the back of a car so did not feel like ruffing it very much.

Got married and did some canoe / tent camping in the Florida panhandle. Thirty Six miles on the Black water river, 3 days and 2 nights and only a bunch of snakes and even a few alligators for company. Lots of fun.

Then came kids and did not seem to have the time to camp. We then moved to North Idaho and a friend asked us to go so we scrounged all of our old equipment, bought a few new pieces and were hooked again. The mountain streams and wild life here are great.

After a season of tenting, we moved up to a pop-up. All the conveniences of home expect the toilet shy . Lots of room but a pain to pack away in the rain.

This season, after 5 in the pop-up, we decided that we only have a couple of more years with the kids and want to camp more than ever so we bit the bullet and purchased our 28rss.

Been out twice in it and it feels like it has paid for itself already and we haven't even made our first payment on it







.


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## DaveRL (Feb 26, 2004)

Janet and I have been camping together for over 30 years. Tents, Pop-ups, TT's, Motor home, Vans and Pickups. We like our Outback 5er the best.


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## mswalt (Sep 14, 2004)

Just started--we've only had it out once so far!! But loved it.

Never camped before and don't know why I wanted to start now but thought it would be a better alternative to renting condos. And I think I'm going to like it!

Everyone seems so nice (and helpful).

Mark


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