Tent Dwellers?

[Clemson1881]

What is up with the tent dwellers? We went to the lake a couple of weeks ago, and while putting the boat in spoke to a guy coming out. I made some kind of mentioning of loving camping. Dude fires back all angry with we're the only tent here, so you're not camping! I asked him what do you call it then? Answer was RVing. I apologized for offending him and his way of life. The guy went off mumbling about he's sick and tired of RVers trying to say they are campers or something. Man, some of those tent guys are ready to fight over this as this is not the first time I've gotten into this discussion with a tent camper, but it is the first time anyone got that upset. I say they can have their tents!

[HOOK]

I have read a lot about that sort of thing . My son in Calif. says that they are common place out there. Says at some places the unwelcome atmosphere is made very obvious. What they don' know is that he is Special Forces and having done 5 tours in A' Stan he has roughed it more than they shall on a life time.

[Clemson1881]

The part I don't get is it is an indiviual choice. I don't get mad because they are in tents, so why do they get so fired up about RVs? If they enjoy tent camping then do it. We're going to enjoy the Montanas. What gets them going is when you say we are "camping". They'll just have to get over it because I'm not going around saying I'm RVing. Nothing wrong with that saying, but it is not what I grew up calling it.

[camper4]

We used to tent camp, before we got tired of it.
Some people are just jealous. Others do not like all the noise hard campers make. In the quiet of the night, the furnace and hot water tanks kick on, water pumps, door slams, snap of the stove lighter, and toilet flushes. And that is without AC power or generators.
But, I say they shoud get over it!
Most tent campers are great to meet and greet. A few can be mean though. But they are a minority.

[DQDick]

Met a few RVers like that also, particularly the Class A folks who like the Class A only resorts. People are people and there will be some less than friendly folks in every crowd. It's usually folks who have their own self esteem issues or wish they had what you had. We got old raising 13 daughters and camping in a popup and three umbrella tents. Particularly when the big storms came thru, did I wish we had a couple of bunk house toy haulers. But we didn't have the money, but we did have the kids and we were willing to look at the good things God gave us. Not everyone looks at the world that way.

[mlh]

It is hard to say a 35+ long home on wheels is camping, but whatever you call it I'll take it. I've stayed in a tent and I enjoy it, for about two days.
Lynwood

[HOOK]

When we were tent campers, I dreamed of the day I could have my dream RV. I worked for it , earned it, and now am living it. I shall be polite and courteous, but I intend to enjoy "camping" in my style and refuse to let another style intimidate me..

[Recumbent]

We have tented for many years, done alot of backpacking on the AT. Once at Fort Pickens in FL we heard all the Motorhomes fireup and leave in the middle of the night, we just tied one side of the tent to a palm tree and the other side to the car and backed the car till the ropes were taunt. A tropical storm moved through and we enjoyed a natural eye-max event. The next morning we and a few other diehards had the park to ourselves. We now enjoy a softer lifestyle, but we are still camping in our Montana.

[steelpony5555]

Got to agree with the "camper" I don't camp no more I RV.... But I don't get PO'ed if someone wants to "camp" beside me lol lol. Just I done my share of camping. I backpacked all over Europe and have camped high up in the Alps, I have woke up covered in snow "camping" beside my tank, I ride a bike and have camped out beside it many, many times. Lots of those times I did not have the luxury of a tent. So if the tenters want to get upset because my back don't handle the ground so well and I want some of the finer things of life then I am sorry. He just needs to walk a mile in my shoes before he goes spouting off.

[pineranch]

In my career, I've had the oportunity to be tired, wet, ****** off and hungry while in the boonies. I now camp in my Montana and if anyone doesn't like it, they can just "bite me".
Mike

[Art-n-Marge]

Even today, I still tent camp, backpack and use a tent, backpack and use no tent (if weather and bugs cooperate) along with RVing. I even have a tent I can mount on my truck bed. I don't try and profess whatever I do over someone else's preference because I can do it all when I choose.

There are so many extremes for camping and as long as respect for others and where you are is maintained, then what's the harm? Even when I tent camp next to others, I have so many cool gadgets and gear to make camping more convenient that the neighbors still give me the "what's up with that?". I prefer to forego any "my way is better than your way" discussions, then invite them to have a cold one and set a spell and I've also reciprocated their invitations. All is good.

I think calling them tent dwellers is probably not a good idea, but in this topic's case, to make the point that everyone should respect and tolerate everyone else, this is appropriate. I stick to tenters, packers, RVers, etc. and respect what they've chosen. I've met some tenters that cause more ruckus and noise than us RVers. It's not the method, it's the people behind it.

[Tom S.]

I suppose somewhere there are folks who only use sleeping bags. I wonder if they give tenters the same ration of crap?

[Waynem]

Ha ha! If you think the MH's are noisy you should have been around when I would pull in and set up my tent. Setting up the tent was not noisy, but the motorcycle sure was. Now consider that at times their may have been 4 or 5 motorcycles, and all had "loud pipes." We couldn't even sneak in.

People should try my philosophy:

"It doesn't matter what you camp in, you will have just as much fun."

[padredw]

I'm with a couple of my friends just above. I considered it an advance in "camping" when we went from tent camping in developed parks to backpacking in the wilderness--I still do.

But I never felt any hostility toward anyone who was in an RV when we were in a tent; and I feel none toward anyone in a tent now that we are in an RV.

So the only question is one of language or terminology. Perhaps because of our experience:

http://www.dwilliamson.com/rvhist/Page.html

I do not usually refer to our RV trips as "camping," but it's a bit much for someone to get upset about an RVer who uses that term.

[seahunter]

quote:Originally posted by padredw


So the only question is one of language or terminology. Perhaps because of our experience:

http://www.dwilliamson.com/rvhist/Page.html

Thanks for sharing the photos - very neat.

[Hooker]

We've done it all. However, now the definition of "camping" is when we only have 30 amps, not 50 amps.

[Flymutt]

Did you say you raised 13 daughters??? My hat is off to you and your wife DQDick!

[mhs4771]

And really roughing it is with only 15 amp service

[DQDick]

quote:Originally posted by Flymutt

Did you say you raised 13 daughters??? My hat is off to you and your wife DQDick!

Yup. We used to take foster daughters as an alternative to locking them up at the state girls detention facility. We had one of our own, one adopted and the rest foster daughters (we also adopted one of those). All of them were with us till they got out of high school and in the beginning all at the same time. Age range was 2, then 10-17. You couldn't stand the house in the winter. All the girls with straight hair were in the upstairs bathrooms doing perms and the girls with curly hair were in the kitchen straightening theirs. DW was in the hospital on and off with the 2year old for 2 years so I got to learn about prom dresses and foundation garments. Managed to embarrass a few sales ladies along the way, but we had fun and loved it most of the time.

[Clemson1881]

Well at least the Montana means you don't have to run for the bathhouse if a storm comes up either. See that all the time from the tent guys at Myrtle Beach. But as I said, if those tents makes them happy so be it. And speaking of Myrtle Beach, when you see the tents at Ocean Lakes in July with the window unit air conditioners rigged up in them, I wonder if that's against the "true campers" code? Or are they just cheating a little? LOL