Me and friends for years tent camped.Then I got married and bought a boat.My passion is fishing for striped bass and flounder in the chesapeake bay.My wife doesnt have the same 'passion'.So one day I asked her,"What if we sold the boat and bought a new camper?" "What just came out of my mouth?",I said to myself.Did I fall and bump my head? So the rest is history.We bought our 26RLS Outback last June and have loved it ever since.Dont get me wrong.I still fish.And I WILL get a bigger boat later if all goes well.
In our younger days, DW and I LOVED to go camping. On her 55th Birthday she said all she wanted was to camp at our "Favorite Spot".
My first thought was "Great, an inexpensive gift." OOHHH NOOOOO!
We camp with EVERYTHING!! Including the kitchen sink. Our favorite spot is up the mountain to a secluded grassy meadow surrounded by big pines. The trouble is this meadow is about 100 feet elevation below the road down a one quarter mile rubble strewn path. The reason we had given up camping there was, it was just TOO MUCH to lug all our stuff down the hill and then after a few days of roughing it, lug it back up the hill. After much thought, I Paid a 17 year old neighbor $60.00 (this was to pay for his gas also ) to follow us up the mountain and help me drag the camp down into the meadow. BRILLIANT !! He was supposed to come back in four days to help with the hard part, "the hike back UP the hill". Long story short, his truck broke, no cell phone service in the mountain, and him being 17, left me up there to my own devices. After 7 hours of back breaking
labor and the fear of a stroke or heartattack, I swore I would never go camping again (and that my neighbor was forever banned from my Xmas card list). Three months later we bought our Dodge Pleasureway Camper Van. Life is Good.
ArizonaTraveler 98 Dodge PleasureWay. "My way is the Highway"
O.K. I have to jump in. I used to travel with my mom and dad and sisters in a 15 foot TT in the days (1950's) when people used to stop and stare and point as we went by. My sister and I used to blow up our own air mattresses by puffing into them by the campfire, then throw them into the back of the station wagon and try to quit giggling and get to sleep before all the air leaked out. When I got married, we went through the usual progression of tents and tent campers. Every summer we packed up three kids in the Starcraft tent camper and camped our way to Grandma and Grandpa's in Nebraska--taking side trips to the Badlands and the Rockies, etc. In 1979 we scrapped together enough down payment to buy a truck camper, and the five of us spent 6 weeks going clear to the Pacific and back. Our kids still talk about that trip as a highlight of their childhoods--although where we ever put enough jeans and T-shirts for all of us I can't imagine! After we got the kids through college we bought our first fifth wheel and kept on traveling--to 49 states including Alaska. We just got back from Florida where we enjoyed some great state parks in our brand new Cougar 5th wheel. As everyone says--it gets in your blood!
My wife and I were always tent campers. We would camp 3-4 times a summer, and we were contented with this at the time. Our second child, however, changed all that when we discovered that he would get very congested when he slept in the tent. I don't know if it was the cold ground (we slept on air mattresses), or something in the tent, but after not camping for a while, one of my wife's co-workers offered to let us use his PUP for a weekend at a local campground. We enjoyed it so much that we soon purchased a PUP and started camping pretty much every other weekend. After 6 years in the PUP, by chance we spotted a previously-enjoyed HTT, and last year we upgraded. We now have 4 kids, and we all enjoy RVing as much as schedules allow during the summer months.
Sean, Maureen, 4 Kids and a Shih-Tzu
2003 Rockwood Roo 21
2004 GMC Envoy XL (4.2 L V6)
Like quite a few people here, my parents enjoyed getting out in the mountains and fishing. We went throught the usual assortment of leaky tents, topper for the pickup with an old matress on the bed. After I moved away from home, I continued the leaky tent tradition till my second DW pressed the issue to upgrade. I found an old pickup camper I could get cheap, and that did wonderfully till the point was reached where after packing everything in the camper, there was no room left for us. I traded an old pickup for an equally decrepit 21ft. TT which gave us a marvelous weekend escape vehicle, and also provided me with all the plumbing experience I would ever need. After a move to Montana left us in that old TT for 3 months while finding and purchasing a home, cramped quarters, 1 teen, and 3 cats in a foul mood rather cooled the camping experience, and I got rid of the trailer. Another move to New Mexico left us longing for high country, pine trees and the sound of running water again. Once more launched into the leaky tent tradition as DW always wanted to get to a camp spot after work on Friday, in the dark, in a rainstorm. We kicked around the idea of a larger trailer, and what we needed to be comfortable. A local dealer had a previously enjoyed 29ft Cougar 5er that just fit the bill. While we may never really get to retire, and full time, our Cougar is just perfect for those high stress, gotta get away from work and the phone times. We weekend a couple of times a month during the summer, and try to plan at least one longer trip. Now if we can just convince our adult children that the Cougar only sleeps 2. Really, just 2.
Puller: '04 HD2500 4x4 SB,EC Duramax/Allison. Airaid intake, 4in. exhaust turbo back, ORU leveler.
Pullee: '02 Keystone Cougar 276EFS Reese 16k w/ slider.
(map is for current 5er only)
I had camped every so often in tents with buddies while in highschool but after I graduated, I took a job with a local RV dealer in their service department. The dealer only sold MH so when a PUP was taken in trade, I bought it and have up-graded and been camping ever since.
I still use a PUP when me and the family aren't using the 31' TT and I also still use a tent when I just take the truck.
Steve
2007 Springdale 291RKL
2003 F150 King Ranch
2001 Dodge Van w/Wheelchair Ramp
1991 Palomino Mustang PUP
Eureka Timberline Tent
Yamaha IF2400isc
Yamaha EF3000iSEBC "Politically Incorrect And Proud Of It"
I've been camping as long as I can remember. My Dad worked for the Corps of Engineers until retirement so we always stayed in Corps camgrounds. We stayed in a tent but had a shell on the back of the pickup for storage, great memories. In high school I camped with friends, DH and I have tent camped together since we met.
We started taking our oldest son tent camping when he was 2, youngest son was just an infant his first trip. About 4 years ago we decided we needed a place at the lake so we could go boating more often. Our neighbors have a trailer on a seasonal spot up there, that's where we ended up. Rented the spot firt, then found a trailer. Last year we got our brand new PUMA we ordered from the factory . I always wanted my dad to buy a camper as a kid, I still feel like a kid everytime we go up and stay for the weekend (darn near every weekend April-October). One of these days I want to get a TV and take it on the road!
Jennifer
Husband Dennis
2 boys 7 and 14
1 dog Joe Boxer
2007 PUMA 29-FKSS at the Lake
2005 Lowe Tahiti 224 Suncruiser
It's in my blood! My mom did it all through her life, starting in an old TC on my Grandpa's Dodge. When I was born, we went with them. After my brother was born, they would tow their Layton to the CG for us. We went through the progression that everyone else has and now there's a nice Hornet that follows us!
2006 Hornet 28BHDS-Bunk House, Dual Slides
2006 Dodge Ram 2500 HD
5.7L Hemi, Factory Towing Package
Reese Brake Controller, WD Hitch and Sway Bar
I've actually made quite an interesting observation in my 5 years hosting here and each time it never ceases to amaze me. I quite often get someone for instance come in with a $300K quad slide DP and ask if we have hookups. I say nope and the reply is "well we can't stay here then" and off they go! I have asked a few without reply why not? You have a 7.5K generator that could easily supply 3 or 4 rigs at once, holding tanks to last quite some time, a huge bank of Trojan batteries, solar panels and a class act inverter. Why? Why didn't you order the coach without all that and not only save weight resulting in better fuel economy but a ton of money!? It bewilders me to no end lol. "Self contained"......Hmmmmmmm?? Well as long as there's hookups I guess lol.! I'll play the devils advocate here. Why buy something self contained if you aren't gonna use the features that made it self contained?? you know like batteries, inverters, 12v features, generators and the list goes on!
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"My way is the Highway"
