*you should learn how to camp before going camping
Camping is kind of a skill. Throwing together the equipment and going to a park is technically camping. But unless you’re very lucky, it’s probably gonna suck.
Let me preface by saying that my friends and I all have experience camping and know relatively well what we are doing. So we all went to the same college after highschool though we all met outside of school and were from all over our state which was pretty cool. Anyway 3 of us decide to go camping on some local land to look at stars and smoke a little weed, good times yk. Only we all come to realize we have very little camping supplies without driving the hours it will take to get it from any of our parents and we have very little money. So we decided to just tough it out, fuck it we ball. I cannot stress enough how bad of any idea this is, don’t do this. We essentially brought a large tent, some snacks, some weed, and one of us was smart enough to bring a pillow (me). The night itself was wonderful, the weather was great and the skies were clear so we talked and stargazed for hours until they started getting tired.
So we file into the tent and it takes a moment before one of us says “yo did we bring anything to sleep on?”. No. No we did not. Cold hard ground it is. This sucked but I could live with it, I’ve done it before. Except, having never slept in the same room as them I was unaware that the both snore, one of them especially so when he is high. I could live with physical discomfort but the mental effort it took to not strangle them made sleep impossible for me. So around 4 am I gave up, grabbed some more weed, stepped outside, and smoked as much as I could while laying in some surprisingly comfortable tall grass looking at stars.
I do not know how they both managed to pass out that night but I’m jealous of their ability. I should have known considering I am an insomniac (not hyperbole) that I would struggle to sleep in this situation but sometimes I am not very bright. All in all not the worst experience, I’d rate it like a 6/10 because the conversation and the stars were really nice. It would have been much better if we took even the smallest amount of time to plan any of it.
So plan your camping, it can still be a blast on a whim but it will be so much better when properly plotted
+1. The joy of camping (for me) is that your experience is directly related to your preparation. You plan your location, activities, meals, sleeping arrangements, and companions, doing all of the research and investment up front to make each of those work well, taking into account weather and conditions, and then you get to enjoy a trip where everything goes well with people you care about, with the satisfaction that the experience that you are having is the direct result of your actions.
Of course, the pain of camping is that any and all of the above can go wrong, and then, indeed, it’s probably gonna suck.
all avoidable. except for cold/heat
Yup… Hammocks are the one true way.
I’ve gone camping a lot and the worst part of camping in any season but winter are the bugs. I absolutely hate bugs. I’d gladly take being nearly frozen in the mornings over the bugs, and I absolutely hate the cold.
Agreed. I basically take a fucking bath in DEET.
Camp in Washington, there is almost zero bugs.
The secret is buying a good tent. And getting pisshead drunk, so that nothing in the world can wake You up. Trust me, I’ve been to tens of music festivals and twice as much camping.
The secret is becoming a homeowner and then camping inside the home
But always put up your tent before getting drunk!
It’s known as “The First Rule of Camping: First put up the tent, then open the beer.” I’ve seen what happens when people ignore this rule. I’ve seen 6 guys trying to put up a tent for 3 and a half hours. I’ve seen a guy sleeping wrapped up in an unraised tent. I’ve seen a guy throw a tent on a bush, then sleep under that bush.
The last guy is my spirit animal. Tent’s off the ground, technically it’s “up”!
Camping has the potential to be any type of fun. From 1 to 3. It depends a lot.
I love type 2 fun so I’m equipped for multi day bike touring and camping trips but it’s a bit like anything: if you don’t practice it’s difficult to get better at it.
However mosquitoes are indeed the worst. I avoid certain areas at some periods of the year because of that. Again, depends where you go and how prepared you are.
I’ll be honest, my favorite type is 3
Better tent(or just setting it up correctly), bug spray, cheap cot from Amazon. Fixed all your problems
You clearly don’t know how to go camping. For instance, why were there mice in your bag? Did you by chance put smellables in there?
As for the bugs I can’t really say as I don’t live in an area with that problem.
Why are you sleeping on the ground? Using a cot will change the whole experience!
I use a cot or hammock. OP is really bad at camping.
Nature sucks. We should be aware how vulnerable we are and how happy we can be about all the luxury we have. Like fresh water that doesnt taste like anything, a roof, no insects in our beds…
And then we should appreciate how important this still is for our life and that we still need to protect this strange world, as it is our Ecosystem.
if camping’s so great, why did man invent House? 😏
(I’ve never actually been camping. I think I would like to one day though, both for the general experience and the ability to actually see stars, which I think would be neat.)
It can be great if you bring the right people and camp smart (bringing a cot, bug spray, TP, changes of clothes etc.) Playing D&D with the boys around a fire just hits different.
Camping is less comfort and you really need to step out of those comfort zones to appreciate the little things.
Like, nobody needs to drive a car in a city. We should appreciate that we have pathed ways for cycling, instead of mud.
The little things. People stopped getting them and their comfort need is always increasing, I mean its never perfect.
Life is about contrasts
Unrelated, but I’d definitely subscribe to any account or community that posts pictures of cats looking like Limmy
This must be what it’s like if you just lay down in the wilderness at night and call it camping. A decent tent and sleeping roll will prevent bites, mice, water pooling, and back pain.
I gave it some thought and decided that yes, while it’s nice to get out in nature, an afternoon in the park does just as well, walking around, no need to sleep there, so the reason people are camping is that we are practicing homelessness, just in case.
I feel like slapping a random cat picture underneath some funny take isn’t the most effort to put into what hardly qualifies as a meme.
