Crazy For Camping?

By Glenn H. Kipps

In the world of camping, there are a few choices. You have wilderness camping, where one either hikes a few miles into the woods or paddles down the river for a while and sets up camp. With this type of camping, one should only bring what is needed to ensure their survival. Then there is back country camping, where one does not have to travel as far (maybe 1/4 to 1/2 mile from the beaten path). With this type of camping, one can bring a little more than the bare essentials because they do not need to travel as far. A couple of trips from the car is all it takes. Last, but not least, you have what is known as car camping. By car camping, I do not mean pulling over somewhere and falling asleep in the car. Car camping means that one can pull the car right up to the campsite. Campgrounds are the most common conduits for car camping. Car camping is the easiest way to camp because one can bring virtually anything. This is what I will be talking about in this article.

Car camping is a great way to gather with friends and/or family because most people will not like to take a 10 mile hike in the woods with you. Of course, just like any camping trip, you need to take the essential camping tools for fire building, survival (i.e., first aid kit), shelter (tent), sleeping (sleeping bag), cooking, etc. However, you can bring as many extras as you like.

Some people prefer not to build a fire (although I can’t imagine why) and prefer to bring a grill. Then, there is the music factor. Some people bring radios. However, I just bring my car. The stereo in my Durango provides enough music for the whole camp. When my friends and I go camping, we take turns playing music from our cars. If you are with a group of partiers, you may want one from your group who has a truck to bring a couple of kegs of beer. It is always good to get everyone in your party to contribute for this one. If your car is equipped with video, feel free to bring a couple of DVDs. However, that would sort of take away from the experience. Bringing some games (or in our case, my friends and I invent them i.e., Flip Cup) can help with interaction. The point I am trying to make is that the possibilities are endless.

In conclusion, car camping is the easiest way to camp. Most people like the convenience of stepping out of the car and setting up camp. They also like the idea that they can bring whatever they want and not worry about carrying it. More often than not, if they have to carry things a great distance, people will leave their extras in the car.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 29th, 2008 at 2:55 pm and is filed under Car Camping. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.