the changes to your camping lifestle over the years.

[Corwin C]

In my very young years, Mom and Dad took us camping in a Aristocrat Lo-Liner which I have recently inherited. Unfortunately it's going to need a complete redesign/rebuild because of structural and water damage. Here's a rather undignified picture of it on the transport trailer to bring it home (tires wouldn't make the trip safely.)



As I came to scouting age, a lightweight nylon tent when hiking, a cowboy bedroll when equipment didn't have to be carried and when on horseback w/ packmule with Dad, Uncles, and older cousins. I couldn't find a picture of mine, but here's one that's very similar. They are the teardrops of the "fabric" camping experience ... EVERYTHING (except the dutch oven) rolled up all in one somewhat compact package. To camp ... unroll and crawl in. In poor or cold weather, the loose fabric at the top can be pulled over your head. When it's nice, push it away and have a perfect view of the stars.



Late teenage years and for several years out of college I didn't do much camping ... After starting my own family we tent camped with extended family. Mom and Dad still used the Aristocrat and eventually moved up to a small 5th wheel trailer while I used several different large tents and eventually upgraded to an Aristocrat like my parents, but quite a bit larger than theirs (if you call 13' large.) (I'm finding that all of my pictures are of people and scenery and not our trailers/equipment...something that I must rectify from now on.)

The last five years, we've been somewhat on a camping hiatus again, primarily to finish up my parents dream home. There has been some extensive "Yamping" in the process, however. The foundation was poured in the '80's but Dad's first cancer experience and relocating for Mom to have a career put the home on hold for almost 30 years. Unfortunately, Dad didn't survive his third bout with cancer and passed away last November. He was excited about my interest in teardrops, and if the house wouldn't have been the priority, he undoubtedly would have built one. The house only needs cabinets and minor finish work to be done, then I can put my efforts on my tear, followed soon after by rebuilding Mom and Dad's Aristocrat with something similar to "The Big Pink." With luck, perhaps Mom will be able to join us in it (with luck she won't figure out what I'm up to until I present her with the finished product.)

[aggie79]

My parents were not outdoorsmen at all, so camping in my youth was limited to Boy Scout tent-camping.

In college, I didn't have much money but in the summers I was able to backpack and wilderness camp in Idaho and Colorado with a few friends.

After college, I didn't do much true camping. I was (and still am) a huge fan of Formula 1 racing. I would save up vacation time, travel to Europe, and "urban camp" on benches in train stations.

I got married for the first time when I was 45. (We're still married.) We tent camped some, but were looking for an easier set-up. About 10 years later, we "finished" our teardrop and have enjoyed it although we don't get many opportunities to camp.

Now that 60 is near upon us, we are looking for something bigger with an internal porta-potty and shower. We can't decide if we're going to build, modify (CT conversion) or buy. We also don't know if we'll keep our teardrop or not.

[Crabapple]

My parents were not outdoorsmen at all, so camping in my youth was limited to Boy Scout tent-camping.

In college, I didn't have much money but in the summers I was able to backpack and wilderness camp in Idaho and Colorado with a few friends.

After college, I didn't do much true camping. I was (and still am) a huge fan of Formula 1 racing. I would save up vacation time, travel to Europe, and "urban camp" on benches in train stations.

I got married for the first time when I was 45. (We're still married.) We tent camped some, but were looking for an easier set-up. About 10 years later, we "finished" our teardrop and have enjoyed it although we don't get many opportunities to camp.

Now that 60 is near upon us, we are looking for something bigger with an internal porta-potty and shower. We can't decide if we're going to build, modify (CT conversion) or buy. We also don't know if we'll keep our teardrop or not.

AND...now you also have a great F1 venue right there in Texas!

[Tucguy]

Started camping as a teenager. Always loved the dark skies for my amateur astronomy pursuits. I worked hard the summer before my senior year in HS to buy top quality backpack, tent, goose down mummy bag, and all accessories from Eddie Bauer Expedition Outfitters. Expensive but I still own everything except the tent from 45 years ago. I mostly back packed. I did two hikes into the Grand Canyon that each lasted two weeks. They were with the U of A hiking club. Did many trips alone into the wilderness of northern Arizona and New Mexico when I could not find a friend to go. Not so inclined to backpack alone these days at age 61. Since married and am raising a second family now. Have been a car/tent camper also during all this time. I have blended the love of good tents with my '06 Platform 5' Wide Little Guy. I had bought a Harbor Freight 40" trailer to build a replica of Roly's 1/4 stacker trailer but found the Little Guy here in the for sale listings in '09. Used only three times, garaged, and at a great price. I now merge my love of good tents with the comfort and quiet of the queen bed in the trailer. Some of you got trailers to not have to set-up tents but I use both together to have good comfortable spaces with Mexican blanket carpets and tables and chairs. I keep everything ready for my camping in the trailer ready to go and the tents are part of it. I have a 25 year old son and a three year old daughter. My Son is a regular camper. The camping trips are such a thrill for us with our three year old now. I have a 10'x10' Paha Que side tent for the Little Guy. I use the Coleman Event Shelter for sun and wind control. I install the side panels as the wind dictates. I don't camp where there are hook ups and usually in unimproved camps. I like to camp with friends when possible which is rarely. I sometimes take my 8" Schmidt/Cassegrain telescope along and use a tent as an observing room, just point the scope out the barely unzipped door and look at the heavens in comfort. The places I camp are famous for darkness and dry clear skies. Life is good when nature is a regular part of it in my opinion. I will do this as long as I can. I can see another thirty years but I may have to leave the driving to others by then. I guess the change is only that I now sleep on a real bed while camping and I don't walk many miles to get there!

[dustboy]

Been thinking some more about this great thread, I added a bunch more to my story. See page 2 http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=60036&start=15#wrap

[Socal Tom]

As a kid, my parents tried all kinds of camping set ups. Dad was Navy, so we could rent anything pretty easily through special services. Eventually they decided a monkey wards tent was the way to go, and we used that until I was in high school. Then we joined the Socal off road subculture, bought an RV and spent about one weekend a month in the desert or at the Colorado river. My first camper was a 78 ford van, it had a bed in back and a bench seat that converted to a bed. There was a 5000btu window AC unit hanging from the back window, and the bumber carried a 4kw Coleman generator . All my supplies went under the bed. To go camping I needed 30 minutes notice.

After that I got my own 26 foot RV. It was also built in 78, but I was 20 years old before I got it. It towed a 20 foot car hauler trailer which carries my rock crawler 67 Bronco, and an ATV. Since then I got married ( at 40). Sold the RV, sold the ATV, sold the big trailer. Bought a 4 door jeep, and put together my TD. Now I can go camping with 30 minutes notice, sleep in a comfy bed, and not use 6 miles per gallon getting there.

Although we RV camped for years, it wasn't at RV parks. We spent most of the time outside. Most cooking was done on the grill. We usually camped with a group of friends in a circle.
Tom

[2bits]

When I was a kid I was always in the woods either by myself or with my best buddies. We built "Forts" which were closely akin to teardrops without wheels, although we preferred them to be the Millennium Falcon, but we never went camping. When I was in my teens and as a young adult, I never went camping, not once.

When I was in my mid-30's I went camping for the first time EVER, at Caddo Lake in a tent with my girlfriend. It was a great time, but the hassle of, buying, packing and setting up the gear was a real turn off, always has been always will be. So my wheels started turning with a grey idea...

I want to camp quick and easy. Camping shouldn't be work, it should be fun! How could I put my clubhouse from my childhood on the road, fully stocked and ready to go at a moments notice? Then comes the teardrop... Just over a year and a half later comes the LT I designed and built. I loved it! People thought I was crazy having only been camping once and to be spending so much time building a camper, but I knew what I liked, it just had to be on MY terms.

After camping a couple of years in it, I knew what I wanted next, a shower. I'll do the black water at the park facilities, (and prefer to) but I want a shower in my climate controlled camper. I still wanted to keep to my original idea, simple, and easy. This did not mean buying a 1 ton dually to tow a huge camper. I wanted to still keep it small. Plus I love vintage stuff and the vintage camper trend was just taking off so I dove in using that angle.

First off, I sold my teardrop to buy my wooded land so now I am camping every day! Then I camped in a truck camper which served it's purpose well. Then I built a git er done teardrop while I looked for my small standy...

My first standy that is campable (I have a few projects) is a gem of a 1958 16 foot Kenskill. It looks beautiful and nothing worked on it. I fixed everything on it and now it has an stove, over, fridge, sink , toilet, shower, AC, everything! The problem was that Kenskills are built extremely well, and this camper weighs 3700lbs. It was a pain to tow with my 1/2 ton truck with the small V-8. So it is now for sale.

My current chapter is a 14 foot 1970 Shasta with all the features I want plus an awning and half the weight! This is my perfect camper. I still have my ten foot '74 Prowler that I plan to restore with a queen size bed, full size shower and a small kitchen. Then I will decide which one I will keep, or maybe I'll keep them both, but for now, I have found my perfect size. Permanent bed in the back, Dinette in the front, kitchen and bath in the middle and 14 foot long, so it is still lightweight. Plus being a member of the EIGHT-WIDE club!

[TheOtherSean]

When I was a child, I went camping in a big tent and a van with my parents. We had a lot of fun for a few years visiting places like the Outer Banks, Acadia, New Hampshire, etc. Then we started staying at hotels or motels, often flying to our destinations. When I was in my early twenties, I want tent camping with my girlfriend a couple times, but neither experience was great (rain did in the tent the first time, while the second time the sound of a raging river nearby combined with heat, humidity, and indigestion to make a less-than-pleasant experience. It was motels and hotels after that, but I wanted something better. I wanted to be able to wake up there, in the wilderness (or at least in the campground), ready to face the day, not spend 15-30 minutes getting someplace in the morning and the same coming back in the evening.

I discovered this forum about 8-9 years ago, while looking for that something better. I was living in an apartment at the time, so nothing happened at first. Six years ago, when I moved into my first house, I was planning to build a teardrop. I made several abortive efforts, but time (I decided to back to school and finish my college degree while working full time) was precious. As a sort of compromise, I picked up a used conversion van fairly cheap, and have used that on road trips, vacations, and a few long weekends during the past four years. It has been a lot of fun.

The two major drawbacks are climate control and bathrooms. I mostly camp in spring or fall locally, or up in cool mountains during summer, because I need to stay cool to sleep well. Also, I discovered that the last thing I want to do in bear country is have to traipse through the woods to the restrooms or bathhouse in the middle of the night. If I didn't have to go, whoever I was with did, and wanted company on the walk.

So after I finished my degree I started hunting Craigslist, eBay, etc. searching for either a lightweight fiberglass camper (Casita, Scamp, etc.) or a vintage trailer. After many months I settled upon an 1949 Airstream, and drove from Ohio to Kansas and back to pick it up. I've been restoring it ever since, the poor thing. Today, I just about finished stripping the paint off two of the three surviving the cabinet doors. Had the mosquitoes not been so aggressive, I probably would have finished it up, but there's only so much heat, sweat, and bugs I can take in any time period.

[arlon]

Did a tent for awhile, from little kid with a pup tent to a nice wall tent. It was still a tent. One nasty storm that flattened the tent had me thinking about sleeping in something more solid. That led to a pop up that had been in the family for some years, nobody really enjoyed it and and I soon passed it on to my sister.

Went camperless for a number of years and got more into boating. Got tired of boats and sold the 26ft Center console and got a 28' 5th wheel. Had fun with the 5th wheel but it was still a financial drain with having to pay for storage, fuel use, etc.. Moved from the coast to West Texas and sold the 5th wheel.

Found a used 17' Casita and we get way more use from it than we did the 5th wheel. We really like the Casita, there are just to many advantages to downsizing.

My personal favorite is my old AWD Astro van I've turned into a one man camper. I love hiking and photography and the AWD van (slightly modified) gets me into places I would not want to drag a trailer. I love the van, my wife refuses to even try sleeping in it. For solo photo trips, it's me and the van. If wife comes along, so does the Casita.. (-:}

[nhstt]

aggie you said you got married the first time at age 45! does that mean at age 38 I am not weried to be unmarried?

any ways. I am glad this tread turned into something helpful and great for everyone!

slow

Slow,
My husband was 31 when we got married and not looking, I was 27 . No age is too old. Just wait for the right one! We've now been married for 26 years With 3 boys and the biggest problem in our relationship is that we don't have enough time alone just the two of us.
Still in love
Karen at the Ladybug-out build journal viewtopic.php?f=50&t=55602

[Kaz]

I've been camping all my life, they say humans can only remember back as early as 3 years old so I'll call that my start point. I am now 54. I started in tent's until my parent's bought a pop up. Since I met my wife of 26 years and still going we have camped with our kids in tent's,moved to the cabin rental at campground's, to popup to 24' RV back to a pop up and just this past summer gone back to a tent. Now the kids have moved on to their own adventures and I have started my first from scratch teardrop build. I really don't need more than a bed and a kitchen. Funny how things change. Just wish I had another garage bay so my truck wouldn't have to stay outside. I don't even own an ice scraper! Just hope my build is half as nice as the ones on here giving me my motivation and ideas.


You can take the kid out of the forest but you can't take the passion of camping out of the kid.

[Greg Barrick]

Hahaha. I remember as a child, being stuck on the floor or in the rear window of the car going "somewhere." Graduated to thousands of miles in an old wooden pickup cap. As a teenager on my motorcycle, all that was needed was gas money and POSSIBLY an army surplus blanket tied to the bike to go cross country.
After the service, I usually drug along a sleeping bag. Been bike camping the last few years all over. Last year may have been my last 3-man tent on a motorcycle trip.
a few years ago, I built a 4'x8' "Cubby" teardrop. Loved it, but was pretty tiny for the wife and I. So I built a 6-1/2 x 12' x 5'-3" (inside) teardrop. Works great for us. Room to move around, cheap to pull. We're pulling it to Michigan in 2 weeks and again for Halloween. We even use it at camp fire nites at the house so the new born grand kids keep warm.
Yup, gettin' older sucks, don't bend as good. Can't stay up all nite. But the outdoors is free and beautiful. Enjoy. (Been debating on building another camper. Maybe a small standee. I'm just 65, have a few more years to enjoy.

[Glenn Butcher]

A great thread...

Growing up, my folks owned travel trailers, first a 18' Norris, then a 20' Nomad. We did a weekend trip somewhere in Louisiana almost every month in the summer, as well as a two-week vacation. The most ambitious vacations were to Washington DC and NYC, cajuns in the city...

My folks belonged to a camping club, Acadiana Campers. These clubs were mostly NCHA-affiliated (National Campers and Hikers Association - is this still around?), each club having a limit of 30 members. Club campouts accounted for most of the monthly trips.

We also camped to fish. I particularly remember one soul-sucking week at Toledo Bend, it rained the entire time, and all we did was play game after game of Yahtzee... I can't stand the game now.

But I always had the itch to backpack. When I left home and joined the Air Force, got that opportunity in Arizona. Hiked into woods at the Mogollon Rim a couple of times. Made plans to hike to Havasu Falls off the Grand Canyon, but school kept getting in the way.

Meanwhile, my dad, who would never own a motorhome when I was growing up, bought a Mini-Wini, I guess what they'd now call a Class C. He and mom used it extensively in the same manner as when I was at home. Eventually, they eschewed the camping thing in favor of motels. However, they literally toured the lower 48 to each of the four corners in that manner.

I resurrected the backpacking thing on a business trip to Colorado, six miles from Twin Eagles trailhead to McCurdy Park in the Lost Creek Wilderness. I really misjudged my altitude acclimation, got to my destination with a splitting headache, and it was all I could do to set up the tent, gingerly crawl in, and lay very still hoping the headache would go away. Woke up the next morning with a clear head, and very carefully walked out. I put the gear away after that trip...

Camping gradually faded from my priorities, replaced by sailing Hobie Cats, and then golf. After I got married and we moved to Colorado, we bought camping gear to cheaply explore our new home state. We used the gear a couple of times; one memorable episode in Durango, where a riverside campsite sounded neat until we realized that the river noise wouldn't stop at night...

My kid (age 23) and I did a camping trip last year to go to the Cumbres and Toltec Railroad. We had a great time, but I found sleeping on the ground wasn't so much fun anymore. After that trip, I went looking for alternatives to the tent, and ended up here.....................

[Danidog]

I was lucky in that my youth was during a kinder, gentler period of time when you didn't have to worry so much over your children and the dangers of strangers. I never went to the same school two years in a row (military brat), so, when dad retired I was 13 yrs. old and had never lived off a military base. The Blue Ridge Mountains became my playground and I'd leave home in the early morning and might come back in a day or two. I carried a ball of string, an old military canvas ground cover, a surplus sleeping bag and a small hatchet. I was living large as 'mountain man Dan'. I made lean-to's wherever I was tired and stayed until the next ridge top or holler beckoned to me. I drove my mother nuts.
As a young adult I tent camped and then graduated to travel trailers and now as I approach full retirement, I am looking for a simpler way to camp again, but this time around I appreciate being off the ground and in the cool or warmth of solid walls. My lovely wife appreciates my 'personal growth' into a wiser man. Once in a while Mountain Man Dan whispers to me from my far-away youth. He thinks I sold out. I smile to myself and tell the fool to hush.

[Socal Tom]

aggie you said you got married the first time at age 45! does that mean at age 38 I am not weried to be unmarried?

any ways. I am glad this tread turned into something helpful and great for everyone!

slow

Slow, I got married at 39 years 11 months old. We started dating a year before that. I had given up on marriage, and was just focusing on being happy. The best advice I can give you is to do the same. Married or not, its your job to make decisions that will make you happy. Its not your spouses job to make you happy, and based on the divorce rate you will see that many folks found that out the hard way.
Make your plans, live your life and don't fret about finding a wife. That being said, you are more likely to find the right person if you are happy and you aren't looking, then if you are sad and looking desperate.
Tom