I've determined something about myself....

[SC Tiger]

I've determined something about myself regarding the outdoors.

On a backpacking trip, I could probably hang with most people on the hiking part.  Either through decent physical conditioning or misguided stubbornness.

But.......

At the stop for the night there better be at least a 2-star hotel.  Otherwise I'm screwed.

My son had a camping trip with his cub scout pack this past weekend.  Overnite at a tree nursery/campground.

It was fun and the kids enjoyed themselves, but I absolutely cannot sleep on the ground in a sleeping bag or a sleeping mat.  It just doesn't work.  

May try a hammock next time.

[refugeepj]

wait until you are taking GRANDCHILDREN! 

it only gets worse.

 

[Mrs.Cicero]

I don't do well on the bare ground anymore either.  Gotta have an air mattress of some sort, or whichever hip I'm laying on hurts so much in 20 minutes that I'll wake up and won't sleep the rest of the night.  The hammock is ok if I am tired enough.  I'm starting to think sleeping sitting up/leaning against a tree/rock with the travel pillow to keep my head from falling over would be more comfortable.

[Walt Longmire]

Army Cot for the win. Or a blow up Thermarest.

[TXUSMC]

I bought the biggest, baddest cot that Cabela's sells. Obviously not for backpacking, but if I go camping, I'm getting a good night sleep. Needs a big tent to cover it... bought one of those, too.

Funny thing... I have used that cot more indoors than outdoors. Pretty handy to have when you need an extra bed for an unexpected visitor.

[Maccabeus]

We're all soft and weak.

I honestly don't know how the ancients survived life or how the pioneers persevered. 

Everybody can tolerate some measure of hardship for a time (and the younger you are the easier it is to do so for longer times), but when constant hardship is the normal, daily routine?  I honestly can't really imagine that.  Our culture has become insanely pampered and comfortable in the last 50-100 years.

I used to backpack as well as camping in drive-up campgrounds.  Every so often I consider finally buying that RV for camping "luxury".  But, I was visiting friends at a campground this weekend who were RVing and as I made use of the grungy campground bathroom, all I could think was how many hotel rooms (with comfy beds, pools, free breakfasts, and clean towels) I could rent for the price of buying, storing, and maintaining any RV.

Yep, soft and weak. 

Admittedly.  And, thankful to God for the opportunity to be so!

[janice6]

1 hour ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

I don't do well on the bare ground anymore either.  Gotta have an air mattress of some sort, or whichever hip I'm laying on hurts so much in 20 minutes that I'll wake up and won't sleep the rest of the night.  The hammock is ok if I am tired enough.  I'm starting to think sleeping sitting up/leaning against a tree/rock with the travel pillow to keep my head from falling over would be more comfortable.

When I was in the Boy Scouts, our troop master used to bring a fold up cot and an air mattress, when he went camping with us.

I used to dig "hip holes" and find Pine branches to make a softer bed.  I liked camping because it was only me against Nature.  I didn't enjoy working with others.  Many time they always took the hard route.

[SC Tiger]

52 minutes ago, Maccabeus said:

We're all soft and weak.

I honestly don't know how the ancients survived life or how the pioneers persevered. 

Everybody can tolerate some measure of hardship for a time (and the younger you are the easier it is to do so for longer times), but when constant hardship is the normal, daily routine?  I honestly can't really imagine that.  Our culture has become insanely pampered and comfortable in the last 50-100 years.

I used to backpack as well as camping in drive-up campgrounds.  Every so often I consider finally buying that RV for camping "luxury".  But, I was visiting friends at a campground this weekend who were RVing and as I made use of the grungy campground bathroom, all I could think was how many hotel rooms (with comfy beds, pools, free breakfasts, and clean towels) I could rent for the price of buying, storing, and maintaining any RV.

Yep, soft and weak. 

Admittedly.  And, thankful to God for the opportunity to be so!

The pack leader and his family all bring hammocks.  The place we went was a retired tree farm so there are plenty of places to tie off.  I may try that or a cot.

[Huaco Kid]

A cement floor is fine by me.

Every hotel bed is too soft and they cripple me.

[Cougar_ml]

Last hike I went on when I was in the scouts, a couple decades or so ago, I had a jungle hammock that worked great.  Just a couple trees to tie off to, and a couple stakes to hold the fly out, mesh sides kept out all the bugs, and no worries about the ground being soaking wet.

[Walt Longmire]

Army squad tent. Cots. Those Army sleeping bags that weigh 10 pounds made with chicken feathers, and maybe a whole chicken or 2. A sheet metal wood stove.  Now that's camping. Lived on a remote beach for weeks at a time in Alaska commercial fishing. Lived somewhat off the land. Ate bears, halibut, salmon. clams. and eggs we gathered on the islands. Pilot bread and canned food.

[Moshe]

6 hours ago, Mrs.Cicero said:

I don't do well on the bare ground anymore either.  Gotta have an air mattress of some sort, or whichever hip I'm laying on hurts so much in 20 minutes that I'll wake up and won't sleep the rest of the night.  The hammock is ok if I am tired enough.  I'm starting to think sleeping sitting up/leaning against a tree/rock with the travel pillow to keep my head from falling over would be more comfortable.

No one does well on the bare ground without some decent insolation.  The earth sucks the warmth right out of you at night.

[RenoF250]

You need to be drunk to sleep on the ground and you can't do that with the scouts.

I solved this problem with a motor home, it has a nice queen bed and a heater.

[Moshe]

5 minutes ago, RenoF250 said:

You need to be drunk to sleep on the ground and you can't do that with the scouts.

I solved this problem with a motor home, it has a nice queen bed and a heater.

On the bright side you get to carry your poop with you wherever you go.

[railfancwb]

We're all soft and weak.
I honestly don't know how the ancients survived life or how the pioneers persevered. 
Everybody can tolerate some measure of hardship for a time (and the younger you are the easier it is to do so for longer times), but when constant hardship is the normal, daily routine?  I honestly can't really imagine that.  Our culture has become insanely pampered and comfortable in the last 50-100 years.
I used to backpack as well as camping in drive-up campgrounds.  Every so often I consider finally buying that RV for camping "luxury".  But, I was visiting friends at a campground this weekend who were RVing and as I made use of the grungy campground bathroom, all I could think was how many hotel rooms (with comfy beds, pools, free breakfasts, and clean towels) I could rent for the price of buying, storing, and maintaining any RV.
Yep, soft and weak. 
Admittedly.  And, thankful to God for the opportunity to be so!

Daughter and I are just back from two weeks out west. I was amazed to see a fair number of rental RVs - about the size of a medium U-Haul truck. That would be the first thing I would try to see if the RV life is for me.

Amazed to see all the RVs storage places as well. Most with roofs, a few indoors with climate control.

If I was doing the flea market or craft show circuit, where I was on the road most weekends with my stuff, a motorized RV might make sense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Maccabeus]

6 hours ago, Huaco Kid said:

A cement floor is fine by me.

Every hotel bed is too soft and they cripple me.

That's closer to my preference, too.  Not actual bare concrete. I prefer a thin layer of carpet over my concrete floors.  But, soft beds are a backbreaking nightmare for stomach sleepers. I rate them as unpleasant as sleeping on roots, rocks, or sloping ground.

 

 

[RenoF250]

32 minutes ago, railfancwb said:

Daughter and I are just back from two weeks out west. I was amazed to see a fair number of rental RVs - about the size of a medium U-Haul truck. That would be the first thing I would try to see if the RV life is for me.

Amazed to see all the RVs storage places as well. Most with roofs, a few indoors with climate control.

If I was doing the flea market or craft show circuit, where I was on the road most weekends with my stuff, a motorized RV might make sense.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I thought about doing that but rental is not cheap and you don't get to keep it loaded with your stuff.  It is VERY nice to have it sitting in your yard packed and ready to go as soon as the kids get home.  Also, you can go whenever you want, no reservations, picking it up etc.  I also have a bunch of friends into RVs and got their input first.  I am hoping if we get tired of it I can sell it for close to what I paid since I am constantly fixing/improving my stuff.  I have a friend that made money selling his used motor home, I think a lot depends on the market and the time of year.

[pipedreams]

Hammocks don't do you much good above the treeline.

[Walt Longmire]

I sleep on a blow up doll. Kinda freaks out my tent mates.

[holyjohnson]

trust me mats and self inflating pads are okay but.

i use this and it makes a huge difference in my mood the next morning.

https://www.bigagnes.com/Insulated-Air-Core-Ultra.

Ive done the Hammock camping and it works okay if you don't mind sleeping kinda diagonal and theres trees where you need them.

the older i get the thicker my sleeping pad gets........

Edited May 21, 2019 by holyjohnson

[minervadoe]

3 hours ago, pipedreams said:

Hammocks don't do you much good above the treeline.

And  we always used to camp above the tree line because if there are no trees, there are no bears.

During my backpacking years, I switched from a foam pad to a blow up thermarest pad.  But, my body is probably just too beat up to get a good night's sleep out in the woods anymore. 

[pipedreams]

5 hours ago, minervadoe said:

And  we always used to camp above the tree line because if there are no trees, there are no bears.

During my backpacking years, I switched from a foam pad to a blow up thermarest pad.  But, my body is probably just too beat up to get a good night's sleep out in the woods anymore. 

Thermarest was a big improvement over the closed cell pads.  A three quarter length wasn't that bulky.

[M&P15T]

22 hours ago, SC Tiger said:

......I absolutely cannot sleep on the ground in a sleeping bag or a sleeping mat.  It just doesn't work.  

May try a hammock next time.

Go big or stay home!!!

[Walt Longmire]

9 hours ago, minervadoe said:

And  we always used to camp above the tree line because if there are no trees, there are no bears.

During my backpacking years, I switched from a foam pad to a blow up thermarest pad.  But, my body is probably just too beat up to get a good night's sleep out in the woods anymore. 

Above tree line is where I kill a lot of my bears in the fall. They are chowing down on blueberries. Best bear meat you'll ever eat.

[jmohme]

I can sleep on a stack of firewood. My wife on the other hand, would not even consider it.

I clearly remember the time that I said to the wife, "Lets go camping". She, without hesitation, replied, "Great idea! I'll make the hotel reservations!"