Camping Craze

[MacLaren]

Hey gang, so far so good!
Feel so much better not having to pack up already ( we got here Saturday)
Hopefully everything will go good. The AC on this Jayco is awesome. She'll get a test today though. Could get as high as 95° South Carolina lol.....

[MacLaren]

Well Rick, this is our last night here in North Myrtle Beach, S.C.
This will be night #7 and, I gotta say man, you are exactly right. Staying a week at a time is the way to go.
This Jayco Jay Feather has been superb. If it was a piece of crap, I'd say. But man, its been great. The AC will run you out, lol. Has a helluva good heating system too. We actually used it a few weeks ago in the foothills. But, above all else, thankfully nothing has went wrong or tore up yet. I was also suprised at how nice the shower is. Tons of pressure and when we all 3 need to take a shower, we just run the propane as well and it has plenty of hot H2O. But, yeah man it's been awesome. The 2 night stays are good but, just like you said, feel like a lot of work just for staying 2 nights. I swear, we could all stay another week here no problem. I just hope everything stays intact.

[MacLaren]

Beautiful day and weekend to get out!

[TkoK83Spy]

Good on ya! Give that baby some use. Where are we going this weekend?

[murphjd25]

Enjoy your weekend! We have decided to wait until next year to buy a trailer. I’m hoping prices come back down, but I’m not paying 10-15k more for the same trailer we were looking at last year.

[MacLaren]

Good on ya! Give that baby some use. Where are we going this weekend?

Thanx Rick :)
Dollywood! Or very,very, close at The Ridge in Sevierville, Tennessee
We just got here. The little wife is checking us in.

[MacLaren]

Enjoy your weekend! We have decided to wait until next year to buy a trailer. I’m hoping prices come back down, but I’m not paying 10-15k more for the same trailer we were looking at last year.

Josh, I think that is a very wise decision.
They will definitely come back down imo.

[MacLaren]

What a great trip that was. I always enjoy going to Sevierville, Tennessee. We were about 3 to 4 miles from Dollywood off Veterans Highway.
I tell ya, these campsites are absolutely makin bank!!
Constantly full. But, I always get to see a lot of very new, very expensive trucks too lol.
Gotta say, I went from being skeptical to really enjoying this. But, the longer trips are just so much better.
Our next trip will be even more local to us.
It takes us with the travel trailer of course, 2 hours and 30 minutes to get to The Ridge ( Dollywood ) and our next trip will only be about an hour away. But, after that we go to Charleston, South Carolina in August for my wife's birthday. I'm really excited about that trip.
We've by far and away been to Charleston more times than any other beach. Gonna be good to see Charleston again.

[MacLaren]

Well, we went to the Nolichucky River (Erwin/Jonesboro, Tennessee)a couple weeks ago and are currently here in Charleston, SC.
Lol, Charleston never fails to deliver the stifling heat!
At any rate, it's been a real joy going camping this year.
We have one more trip planned for this year in October when we go to Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
I'll getbsome pics up later. I really enjoyed camping by Nolichucky. That's a lot more my taste than the Coastal areas.

[murphjd25]

Have fun buddy!

[TkoK83Spy]

Glad to see you and the family are enjoying it Paul! There's two different that live near my work that have beautiful campers, this year the one hasn't even been uncovered since this past winter and the other one I've seen move once all year. Both are pretty new too!

[MacLaren]

Have fun buddy!

Thanx Josh!

[MacLaren]

Glad to see you and the family are enjoying it Paul! There's two different that live near my work that have beautiful campers, this year the one hasn't even been uncovered since this past winter and the other one I've seen move once all year. Both are pretty new too!

Thanx Rick
Yeah man, we've been going pretty steady bro.
The little wife even has half of next year planned out too. I just thank goodness everything has went alright thus far. It's been a lot of fun though bro.

[MacLaren]

We've been coming to Charleston since the mid 90's (early 80's when counting with my parents) and, we always make a trip to Hymans Seafood. It's the best seafood I've ever eaten. It's pretty famous too.
This time I drew Mel Gibson, my wife drew Michael Bolton and my daughter, Martha Stewart
A lot of fun at Hymans

[aicolainen]

I've never been much for RVs or trailers... they don't get to the places I like to camp. The downside is that my camper is short on both space and luxuries.

Of course I have several different "campers" for various situations. Here is my most fancy ultralight "camper" in Wrangell-St. Elias NP.

I'm with you, WA!

I definitively fall into the backpacking / wild camping category too.
I do see the attraction with RVs and trailers though, but there's just something about the freedom and solitude of backpacking that appeals so much to me that I haven't felt the need to explore other ways to camp. Or.. well, actually I was trying to acquire a roof tent in time for the summer season, but demand was through the roof (pun not intended) and supply was lagging because of everything going on. Roof tent camping is perhaps comparable to RV camping in some ways, but it isn't really my intention to use it as such, but rather a more convenient way to do short stops and get some sleep on our way to the starting point of regular hikes or similar outings. I also think it will make a very nice mobile base camp for short (weekend) hunting trips.
Summer came and went, but there will be more opportunities for roof tent camping so I'm still in the market for one. Like WA, my preference for small, easy to store, low maintenance and kind of affordable "campers" allow me to have quite a "garage" to enjoy while I wait in line for my roof tent.

[MacLaren]

Lol, I really should've titled this thread, "The RV/Travel Trailer Craze!"
Because it's not really camping, I reckon.

[MacLaren]

I've never been much for RVs or trailers... they don't get to the places I like to camp. The downside is that my camper is short on both space and luxuries.

Of course I have several different "campers" for various situations. Here is my most fancy ultralight "camper" in Wrangell-St. Elias NP.

I'm with you, WA!

I definitively fall into the backpacking / wild camping category too.
I do see the attraction with RVs and trailers though, but there's just something about the freedom and solitude of backpacking that appeals so much to me that I haven't felt the need to explore other ways to camp. Or.. well, actually I was trying to acquire a roof tent in time for the summer season, but demand was through the roof (pun not intended) and supply was lagging because of everything going on. Roof tent camping is perhaps comparable to RV camping in some ways, but it isn't really my intention to use it as such, but rather a more convenient way to do short stops and get some sleep on our way to the starting point of regular hikes or similar outings. I also think it will make a very nice mobile base camp for short (weekend) hunting trips.
Summer came and went, but there will be more opportunities for roof tent camping so I'm still in the market for one. Like WA, my preference for small, easy to store, low maintenance and kind of affordable "campers" allow me to have quite a "garage" to enjoy while I wait in line for my roof tent.

Nice post/great pics!
That's real camping I would imagine.
Where are ya in those pics?

[TkoK83Spy]

Ain't nothing wrong with glamping either Paul! It's more of a home away from home kind of feeling. My wife doesn't like to tent because a lot of the areas we enjoy camping have bears and what not...it's the woods!! So that's why we did the camper thing. I definitely miss it when we're just doing whatever around the house on the weekends and could be out enjoying nature!

[MacLaren]

Ain't nothing wrong with glamping either Paul! It's more of a home away from home kind of feeling. My wife doesn't like to tent because a lot of the areas we enjoy camping have bears and what not...it's the woods!! So that's why we did the camper thing. I definitely miss it when we're just doing whatever around the house on the weekends and could be out enjoying nature!

Absolutely Rick!
And, when ya have kids ya really have to be careful as well.
But, it is so much fun like ya said it would be. And, I know I've told ya this before and, you were exactly right, the longer trips are really the best.
But, any trip is fun. Just the shorter ones feel like a little more work - as you had told me too.
Lol, my wife already has half of next summer booked!
I think we will have been camping 9 or 10 times total this spring/summer/fall. I think that's pretty decent to Rick.
Thank you

[aicolainen]

8< --------------------------------

Nice post/great pics!
That's real camping I would imagine.
Where are ya in those pics?

Thanks!

All camping is real, no camp-shaming around here ;-) Hiking in to the mountains, a forest or anywhere I feel close to nature and just erect my tent whenever and wherever feels right is how I prefer it. And the kids too actually. The mother isn't always as enthusiastic though :D
There's no right or wrong way, only what you like.

All pics are from trips in Norway.
First pic is from a trip to Jotunheimen this summer. When this picture was taken we weren't technically in the Jotunheimen national park yet, but very close.

Second pic is taken in the mountains just about an hours drive south of Trondheim where I live. Taken last winter.

3rd pic is from Femundsmarka. It's a national park with amazing fishing opportunities just 3 hours from home. Taken last fall.

4th pic is also from Femundsmarka and also from last fall, but it's taken a few weeks later on a canoe trip.

The last pic is from Dovrefjell national park. I believe it's from a trip in 2019.