Hey Gang,
I never went camping as a kid, my Dad didn't like the outdoors. He'd take us to the library, museums, lots of good stuff, but no camping, fishing, hiking or anything like that. This is a gap in my upbringing that my kids will not have to endure!
Anyway, my first camp trip was through my first job out of college in 1992, I was 27 years old, working at a residential long-term behavioral health/substance abuse treatment center.
Once a year, they took everyone in the facility, about 100 clients for a 4 day therapeutic camping trip. All staff was expected to camp out to help with the supervision, cooking, group activities, etc.
So I bought a 2-person K-Mart tent and picked up a Coleman lantern at a pawn shop, and that was my first camping trip. I went every year for 4 years after that. Some of the other, more seasoned staff, taught me the finer arts of camping, including how to make S'mores, how to make camp doughnuts from those tubes of biscuit dough, how to use a camp stove, etc. Along the way, I picked up more gear...
Started going camping on my own sometimes. Before the kids came along, sweet Wife and I had a music duo, played a lot of art/music festivals around Florida (G'ville Spring Arts Fest, White Springs, Starke Art fest, etc.) and would often camp out at these gatherings as the real music is never on the stage, but back at camp at night when all the musicians sit around the campfires and jam.
Then the kids came, don't do music as much, now camping at Myrtle Beach fairly routinely. Got a bigger tent. Other camp trips as we can...
Until in 2007 or so, decided I was tired of tent camping and wanted to build a camper!
AL in Asheville