Tell me about Camping

[JoyG]

My sons have been begging to go camping for two summers now. They envision the whole tent set up, the campfire, roasting marshmellows, yada, yada, yada.

I've been avoiding the topic with them b/c I am so NOT a bug person. I don't really think it will be my cup of tea, and I've never ever tried it.

Where do we start? Can someone with an aversion to bugs attempt staying in a tent?

Do they rent tents or do we have to buy something that might only be used once?

What about pop up campers? They look like I'd have less bug encounters, and I found a place that rents them, but would I also need a truck to haul it? Can a regular car pull one of those?

What about cabins? My sons probably won't feel like they're "camping" in one of those since they don't look like tents, but would it be better for my bug phobia? I can just picture spiders crawling all around in those things though.

I don't know where to start! Help!

 

[jenks0718]

Some of my best memories of my childhood involved camping with my family. My dad bought a tent and also a screen tent for the food and to keep the bugs away. My mom used to get those candles that kept the bugs at bay too. It was great. My son asks now all the time and my dh isnt a camping kind of guy. I think I will rent a cabin and take him and my dd on my own one year. I prefer cabins to tents!

 

[lindakmonty]

I know how you feel about the bugs...I'm not much of a camper either but you may want to consider renting an rv... you still get the camping but a taste of home. You can shower right there, cook, watch tv whatever you want but you can walk outside and the kids can do the smores and fun stuff. We use to have an rv and it was a lot of fun. To me camping is staying in an rv on my queen size bed eating a steak and watching tv !! it doesn't have to be that bad. Good luck

 

[manchurianbrownbear]

When I was growing up, my family camped all the time. DW, however, does not enjoy camping, so our kids have done very little camping.

A couple years ago, I bought a tent on sale at Target and we “camped” a couple times in the back yard, just to make sure that we were capable of putting up the tent and making a reasonable attempt to sleep through the night.

Since we have very little camping equipment we still haven’t done anything too ambitious, but we’ve been out overnight to nice county park about a half hour from our house. It’s kind of like an extended picnic with a long nap in the middle!

I would guess you could probably find some kind of insect repellent to use around your campsite to keep away most bugs!

 

[bbangel]

Do the cabin or RV thing but bring a small tent for the kids to sleep in outside. That way you are comfortable and they have a place to go when they freak out with all the night sounds and whatever that they aren't used to! Agree that you should try the tent in the backyard first.
I'm not a bug person either, but you can camp without any more bugs than you encounter in your general day.
Go for it! If you don't like it you never have to do it again.

 

[barkley]

i hate sleeping in a tent (my back just is'nt up to it) and am not into the whole "back to nature" thing. when the kids wanted to camp i checked into the local state parks and found one that rented trailers on site. we rented one and set up a tent just outside-dh and the kiddies lasted ONE NITE before they opted to join "mom" inside and away from the mosquitos, ants and other "joys of nature" they still got to do the campfire, smore stuff-but they also got to take a shower in a non public venue and crawl between clean sheets each night.

there are companies that will set up a travel trailer on site at some locations-just look under "trailer rental" when doing a google search.

 

[twojo21]

i too am not a bug person but i absolutely love camping, ive been going my whole life. we actually just went this weekend at cache la poudre canyon.

my advise to you would be have fun & give it a try. i would just buy a tent as you can get a decent one from walmart for about $30. your boys can use it in the backyard if worse comes to worse. bring bug spray, a propane cook top so you can use a pan/pot in addition to the fire ring grill to make food, bring sleeping bags or blankets, a lighter, paper & some wood, food, water & clothes, etc.

 

[JoyG]

I like the idea of setting a tent up outside of the rv! I didn't know that they were as cheap as $30. I'll have to look into one.

 

[budbeerlady]

Our local state parks rent "cabins" that have bunk beds and bathrooms inside. That would be the easiest way to go. We are campers (searching for a new tent but campers!) and we love it.

I love the no cooking part. Slap some hot dogs on a roasting stick, chips and dip, smores for dessert and that is a heavenly meal! Bring the Off bug spray and that will take care of that problem. Keep the tent door shut as much as possible to keep the buggers out! NO FOOD IN YOUR TENT and put the cooler in the car, or you will invite families of raccons to visit you all night. It will be a good time and if not its only a night or two out of your life but your kids will remember it as a great time!

This tent looks great for the money. http://www.target.com/gp/detail.htm...9?_encoding=UTF8&frombrowse=1&asin=B000E87WFY

 

[kimmikayb]

I LOVE camping. I love being outside with the kids, sitting around the campfire, swimming, hiking...everything. I did the tent thing before I had kids. I moved up to a 14' travel trailer, then a 30' fifth wheel and now I have a 38' travel trailer complete with two bedrooms (one bedroom has a triple bunk bed and a table that makes into a bed for my 4 kids), microwave, AC, TV/DVD, fridge and a bathroom!

My thoughts for you would be to try the cabins or rent a RV. This is just me, but with the age of your kids I would feel very uncomfortable having them in the tent while you were in the cabin or RV. But you can still have the full effect of roughing it in a pop up or cabin. Start a fire at night, use bug spray and I use RAID around our campsite....that should help with the bugs.

This past weekend we did see soem really cool tents. They are fairly solid and keep a lot of bugs out (if you can keep the kids from un-zipping all the time). Air mattresses are very comfortable and heck you can even duct a room AC into tents now. We also saw a small/tall tent that people use for their porty potties now! How clever! Do you have anyone you can borrow a tent from to see if you like it?

 

[MoniqueU]

There is no room service, no high speed internet and no ac unless you have one of those 150,000 rigs. Camping is not something I would ever consider. I will send my kids to camp if they ask though.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Rent a cabin your first time out. Also camping is alot more fun if you can get a group going. When we camp it is with alot of friends and/or family.

Find a cool place this year and get yourself a group to go with and book it. We already are booked to go back next year with our friends in Branson Missouri.

 

[funhouse8]

We are a camping family and I have to say it is one of the best things we have ever done. When you are camping you spend so much family time together it is great. No TV's, no phones just good times. We always go to camping resorts. They seem to have better facilities and loads of activities for the kids. I won't rent an RV right away before I try it out. (They charge alot of money and I think you really need to know what you are doing before renting one.) Most of the newer campgrounds have these small cabins called camping cabins which are really good for first time campers. No tent to put up and will keep out some bugs. They are really cute and would be the easiest for you. They remind me those play log cabins we had as kids. If you do decide to tent camp, make sure you get a site with water & Electric right on it. This will also make your camping trip easier. here is alink to one of the campground we stayed out. take a look at the cabins. Good luck. Feel free to email me if you have any questions. Gina

http://www.nyjellystone.com/docs/rental-units.htm

 

[MerryPoppins]

I'd get the kids an inexpensive tent to try in the backyard.

Then I'd look into the RV or cabin possibilities for your first real camping trip. You can still do smores and grill hotdogs on a stick, but get inside, away from the bugs, and in a real bed.