I love camping in the summer and I think that everyone should experience some kind of camping in their lifetime!
I have camped in a tent, in an old 1988 motorhome and a new trailer which each can bring their own unique camping characteristics! I think everybody should camp because it is such an experience and you make such great memories!
Camping in a tent is very traditional although it can be uncomfortable if you have nothing but a sleeping bag to sleep in. There’s nothing worse than waking up to a sharp rock jabbing into your back in the middle of the night. It as well can be harder to cook things if you do not have a stove like you would in a motor home or trailer, however, if I go tenting, we have a little portable Coleman stove and a cooler which is always handy to have. My least favourite part of tenting is having to use an outhouse. Yuck! Especially at night in the dark.
When you have a motorhome, some people consider it “glamping” because you have more of the comforts of home with you. In our motorhome, we had a stove, oven and fridge which made it easier to keep and cook certain foods. Sleeping was better because we had one big bed in the back, the table folded into a bed and a small bunk at the front. And best of all, your own bathroom!
The con of having a 36-year-old motor home was you never really knew if you would even make it to the lake! Ours had many ups and downs. I remember once we were travelling through Vernon when we had stopped at a gas station to fuel up. After we fueled up we tried to start it and it wouldn’t start. We must have sat at that gas station for about half an hour when it finally started again. It was a struggle but lots of amazing memories.
Camping in a new travel trailer has all these amenities much like the motor home, although it is more modern inside. The one I stayed in had lights all around the outside and the majority of things were electronic, including the awning. It even adjusted automatically when it was windy! I was very fascinated since our awning didn’t even work. Staying in the new trailer was a lot of fun, although nothing beats staying in an old nostalgic motorhome that you never know is going to start.
My favourite part of camping is the night, minus the bugs. I love going on night walks with the cool breeze, only a flashlight and the only sound you can hear is your footsteps.
Cooking marshmallows and hot dogs on the hot, sparking fire is also one of my favourites. In my opinion, the hot dogs taste better when they are roasted and bubbling over the fire, except when you look away for one second and one side of your hot dog gets covered in ashes from the logs. But hey, they say a little bit of ash is good for your system!
As many of you already know always be vigilant when having campfires. Once we put our fire out at night with a bucket of water and a few hours later it relit itself. We went out again to dump another gallon or so of water on the embers and about half an hour later it relit again. It’s surprising how much water you may need to completely put out a fire.
I love it when there is no cell service and I can disconnect myself from the online world and just focus on the present and the people around me. I can get so caught up in the social media life, however, when I’m camping I feel free and more connected to the things going on around me and what’s really important in life.
I have been camping twice this summer already and I hope I can do it a lot more often because I really enjoy the nature and being outside. Even if you aren’t able to go to a campsite, I highly recommend camping in your backyard!
