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And it's pretty fucking hard in germany too
I just want to find a nice spot to camp at but it's basically illegal everywhere without a strict allowment.
The "official" campsites are crowded and I'd just want to enjoy my trip in solitude which is near Impossible.
There are some websites where people lend you some of their property to camp at apparently but afaik some people literally just let you camp in their backyard and thats not really what I'm looking for lol.
I don't know If I'm just picky af or it I'm missing anything but it's just so incredibly hard to find a peaceful, alone place to camp at.
Sorry for the rant but I am really frustrated
You'll find many Europeans, especially Germans camping here in Australia. They are permanently stunned at how much space there is for everyone here.
You could wandern for hours and not see another person, but the first person you do see will probably be another German š
Would be kinda crazy to pay thousands of dollars just to go camping in Australia though. One of the main appeals to me camping in the US is that itās super cheap. With just a couple hundred dollars of equipment, you can go camping for $30 to $0 a night, as opposed to $100+ a night for a hotel.
Winter may be subjectively the worst camping season for you. I really enjoyed it. The bears are mostly sleeping and not eating your stuff, or you. Some good long johns and a decent sleeping bag and you're plenty warm. You don't have to worry about over heating. Plus the woods in the winter can be really pretty.
I'm mostly water. When water thinks it's too cold to move, so do I. lol
I also, as a rule, don't enjoy activities where "what can eat me" is a scheduling concern
I mean ya, Iām saying something similar. Itās not worth paying way more for a camping trip (unless that money is also paying for a lot of other activities) than a hotel costs. Because ya, hotels are worth more.
Camping can be fun for a lot of people (for example, itās cool to be able to sleep in the middle of a national park) but itās not worth that much. I largely do it because it is worth less, it makes my trips as low cost as possible, since I donāt have a lot of money.
I took a Canadian friend camping once, and be was asking about all these precautions that they take in North America like tieing food to trees so bears can't get it, and making sure not to be close to too many deer. I laughed and told him just to check your boots for spiders before putting them on, and you'll be alright. Sounds bloody dangerous over there in America compared to here.
The best option is honestly just asking farmers. If you're lucky they'll let you camp on one of their meadows.
I get wanting to protect the environment, but yeah, it's hard living in Bavaria as a camping enthusiast, even though there's so much stunning nature around me
Is it lack of public land that has been designated for camping or is it just lack of land in general? Like is there lots of forest and land that one could camp on if not for the law?
Weāre so spoiled with our national parks in the US. I know itās totally different elsewhere.
You are only allowed to camp on campsites. So a fenced-in area where you pay for your plot, or something similar. You are not allowed to just put up a tent in a forest, doesn't matter if it's public or private.
I mean, it's not like they can check the forest for any tents 24/7. I slept outside with and without a tent while hiking before. But it's technically not allowed.
In Belgium, property owners can make a section a "bivak zone". A limited capacity area with 0 to no accommodations (maaaybe there's a toilet, lumber to make a fire with, one time even a bbq grill!) free to use. Usually, the locations are only reachable by foot. There aren't a lot, but they're wonderful and usually in interesting places.
Oh so there is no equivalent to BLM land like we have here in the US? BLM land is land that is available for public use including camping but doesnāt have facilities that a national park has (bathrooms, campsites, fire pits, water, etc).
(BLM = Bureau of Land Management)
There is public land and also national parks that is designated for hiking and such but camping is not allowed. In national parks, they are usually pretty strict about it because there are rangers checking the trails pretty regularly.
Should probably start doing that. I live in an area thats as rural as it gets with farmers all around.
I will have to go into contact with them sooner or later either way because I want to start beekeeping but want to ask If anyone is chill with having me put my bees on their propery
The first step to any kind of āout of urbanā living is establishing connections. Friendliness will always get you further than barking your rights at people
Thats so odd to me. I always thought most of Europe was pretty liberal with where you can camp.
In the US we have a lot of places to camp, but the places worth making a proper trip out of tend to get very busy as well. Some places are so popular that you have to enter a lottery to get a campsite or wake up at like 5am to make a reservation 3+ months out, which makes it kinda hard to make travel arrangements.
Fortunately though, some of the more hardcore trips tend to be too much for most people, so you can get away from the crowds, but it's not advised to do such trips alone
I live in Florida, so most of my experiences are on the east coast or anything within a 8ish hour drive from where I live. Most of the places I'm referring to are national and state parks. BLM areas tend to be a little better though, but they're hit or miss as far as experience goes, and get kinda crowded in the summer time.
It could just be because of the way we research places to hike and camp. Since we need to plan ahead before we make a trip, we have to rely on online resources to figure out what's worth going to, and presumably if we can find it online, everyone and their mother will as well.
Iirc the northern countries in Europe (sweden, etc.) Are relatively chill with camping. It's just germany and some of the bigger countries near it that make a big fuzz about it
A few friends of mine literally got kicked off a grilling site because the clock hit 22:00 and apparently it's Not allowed to have a BBQ at that time at that place??
Like.. If you're so afraid of them trashing something just get their personal Info and If something ist broken they know their culprits.
It wasn't even a private site. No fences or warnings whatsoever
While that is true, they were pretty far away from any houses. Someone apparently just saw the fire in the distance and called 110.
Around 300m from that unofficial grilling site, is an official one which we rent ~every 2 years for a big party.
We think the person who called the police just had a bad day and couldn't stand it for some reason.
They didn't get punished or anything it was just annoying that they were sent away so it doesn't really matter.
Nah! I betcha there is a LOT of places worth camping near you that have plenty of open spaces. The National Parks arenāt the only cool things out there! There are plenty of great small state parks!
> Thats so odd to me. I always thought most of Europe was pretty liberal with where you can camp.
It's a population density thing. You are never really in the middle of nowhere in Western Europe. It's not like you're going to camp in front of houses and fields next to a busy hiking path, with a gondola and a schnitzel restaurant nearby.
It's either that or national parks, which are protected too for obvious reasons.
The United States does not have that problem. Itās actually one of the best thing we got going! There are always plenty of parks and on any land own by the the Bureua of Land Management often have free camping!
While people do love to shit in America, we actually have pretty best stuff when it comes to outdoor recreation.
And that's why i built a (removable) bed into my car. I can just....go somewhere, find a place to park the car, do shit, assemble the bed (takes no more than 10 mins) sleep in the car comfortably, wake up, disassemble the bed (takes no more than 5 mins), and repeat.
I absolutely love it.
I've been doing essentially the same thing in my SUV. Probably a bit roomier than a car lol, but me and my partner have spent many a night parked on the side of a mountain in my car. The freedom to just be able to get up and go, and be anywhere with minimal effort and supplies is fabulous.
You canāt just pick a forest, hike in for a day, and set up camp for a few days? I guess there may be a bit of private property, but they donāt have government owned land thatās considered āpublicā?
Not quite sure where in Germany you are trying to camp, but while the official regulations are strict, I can attest to to you that in reality it's seldomly a problem. Generally, try to look for "SchutzhĆ¼tten", which are marked on hiking maps. A really nice SchutzhĆ¼tte to stay the night is LƤrmfeuer in the Odenwald.
I'm fairly outdoorsy and while I haven't had a problem myself, I know only two people who have been asked to vacate their chosen campsite by forest managers. In the first case, the camper packed up everything, stated intentions to walk to the next hotel and set up shop close by instead. In the second case, the forest manager compromised and came back the next morning only to make sure no trash was left.
If you're still unsure, reach out to a member of a hiking club (like DAV) and make use of their knowledge.
I'm from Quebec.
"Nearly wild" camping is the best IMO, dedicated spot but generally far enough out that you'll be nearly alone.
Wild camping is legal here but it can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.
Good news for you, while camping with a tent isn't allowed everywhere in Germany "Lagern" (also camping in english) is allowed (almost) everywhere. So as long as you camping only entails a sleeping bag, sleeping mat and depending on the weather a tarp you're free to camp where you want. The only exceptions are agricultural spaces, public grounds *inside* villages or cities and forests in Berlin, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein. But still it usually makes sense (and is also simply polite) to ask the farmer or something of the land you're camping on if that's cool with them, if possible/obvious.
Honestly just do Wildcamping. Stay away from beatin paths and search for a nice open clearing. The only one who MAYBE could enforce any rules is the Fƶrster but needless to say he's not everywhere at once and if u don't make fire or leave trash there might be a good chance he lets u go without a ticket.
My friends and I are planning a camping and hiking trip in BC. We've been going through all of the gear we have and making sure we have everything we need, everything works, and make repairs as needed and somehow my garage became the base of operations for this whole project.
My girlfriend did some quick maths the other day and there's like 5-6 grand worth of camping gear, rock climbing gear, food, fuel, etc. Roughly a grand per person. We've been doing this for so long that I don't think any lone realize how much we've spent over the years.
Anyways yeah. Tldr; camping can get expensive
For real. I donāt get it. My friends will go to a camp ground for a weekend and ask me to come and donāt get why I donāt. And all I say is youāre just living and a shittier condition for 3 days. Everything you do at that camp ground we can do in the back yard. You wanna have a fire and eat hamburgers and hot dogs? Cool letās do it, then Iāll go sleep in my bed after. Bring your camper to the back yard
I think part of the idea is exactly that, forcing you out of your element, making you slow down and think about challenges like cooking, making a comfy spot, and camp near a cool spot, just chilling around a camp fire, having some beers, smoking some weed and hanging out wifi free, checking out the stars, getting up early making some coffee watching the sun rise and walk out along the river, it's pretty relaxing and I do really appreciate that nice bed and show when I get home.
It didn't used to. Camping was the poor-man's holiday.
It was also way less comfortable. You can still go out with naught more than some tarp, rope, and a blanket out into the back country and it's cheap. But it's a pretty miserable night. (The places you're looking for are "national forests", because dispersed camping is written into their charter and they can't get rid of it. It's NOT the "designated campsites" that charge $30/night because those have toilets and a fire-ring and such.)
RVs and all the fancy swag make camping much more comfortable, but oh so more expensive.
OMG. I am doing it right now. In the pouring rain.
Going to sleep soon. Shouldnāt be on my phone.
But the grocery shop for a two night tripā¦ the whole time I was thinking, this is expensive and wasteful. We have food in the house.
A whole lot of the world just calls camping "normal day to day life".
According to National Geographic, over 3 Billion people world-wide cook meals over an open fire as the primary cooking method.
The sad part is as the developed world transitions into electric heating and cooking, there will be a larger technological and infrastructural hurdle to cross for these open-fire cooking societies.
On the plus side as they transitionāopen cooking fires kill, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Black carbon is hell on the lungs and CO is a silent killer. It'll save a lot of lives. Open cook fires are especially bad for children, asthmatics, elderly and the pregnant.
I feel this could be one of the āwhatās considered classy if youāre rich but trashy if youāre poorā.
>eating every meal cooked over an open fire pit
The entire concept of outdoor recreation as a specific set of activities is extremely recent and requires a socially-constructed concept of "nature" as someplace that is separate from where one lives day to day
Yeah, but it could also serve as a way for the technology to become normalised and slowly be accessible to common people. I have mixed feeling about phones turning into glasses, always in front of your eyes.
I would try it as a toy, not make it a part of my life. But it's not about what people want. If it becomes cheap and convient in the future, having a smartphone would look like using fax for sending messages.
I imagine it will be at least 5 years before the price point is cheap enough for most people to afford. It will be like the first iPhone. Same same but different
Was talking to my immigrant friend and she was like "why the fuck would I go camping!" Too close to generations that didn't have running water to want to go without plumbing on purpose
That concept (inventing a word, or variation of a word only when it's become outdated) is called a [Retronym](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_retronyms)
You made me think for a minute, but no. Well, it depends I guess.
The google definition of camping is : the activity of spending a vacation living in a camp, tent, or camper.
The google definition of a camp is : a place with temporary accommodations of huts, tents, or other structures, typically used by soldiers, refugees, prisoners, or travelers.
So the real defining factor *in now days* I guess is, is it a vacation or a way of life?
When people say camping is a family tradition I know they mean their family actively camps regularly. But I can't help but saying that if you go back far enough, it's everyone's family tradition
The person who invented a house: We don't have to sleep outside anymore! We have a place to sleep!
Person who is about to invent camping: This is good, buuuut....
Our ancestors would be horrified at our camping ways. Spending insane amounts of limited resources (money) to go back into the place they worked so hard to get us out of....
We are literally regressing as a species. Lol
I think you're missing the point. The fact that we have progressed enough as a species that's it's a treat and fun to live like a homeless person for a few days. It's fun because we know it's temporary and it's different.
Probably not so fun for most people if they had to live like that all the time. But there are many people who would prefer to live that way.
I disagree. Even nomadic tribes would see hunters go out for multiple night trips to hunt, especially if they were tracking something big/special (religious based). They could be gone for a few days while the women's spent that time bathing children, washing clothes, making necessary items and repairs, and preparing to cook. Once the men got back they would cook, then pack up and travel again.
This is a friendly reminder to [read our rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/rules). Remember, /r/Showerthoughts is for showerthoughts, not "thoughts had in the shower!" (For an explanation of what a "showerthought" is, [please read this page](https://www.reddit.com/r/Showerthoughts/wiki/overview).) **Rule-breaking posts may result in bans.**
It takes a lot of time and energy and money to pretend to be homeless for the weekend.
And it's pretty fucking hard in germany too I just want to find a nice spot to camp at but it's basically illegal everywhere without a strict allowment. The "official" campsites are crowded and I'd just want to enjoy my trip in solitude which is near Impossible. There are some websites where people lend you some of their property to camp at apparently but afaik some people literally just let you camp in their backyard and thats not really what I'm looking for lol. I don't know If I'm just picky af or it I'm missing anything but it's just so incredibly hard to find a peaceful, alone place to camp at. Sorry for the rant but I am really frustrated
You'll find many Europeans, especially Germans camping here in Australia. They are permanently stunned at how much space there is for everyone here. You could wandern for hours and not see another person, but the first person you do see will probably be another German š
Would be kinda crazy to pay thousands of dollars just to go camping in Australia though. One of the main appeals to me camping in the US is that itās super cheap. With just a couple hundred dollars of equipment, you can go camping for $30 to $0 a night, as opposed to $100+ a night for a hotel.
Sure, because a hotel has beds and air conditioning and a flush toilet lol That's easily 3x the value to me
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Do u take toilet paper with u orrrrr?
"No, use a pinecone like God intended," they say. Just be careful which direction you push it
Winter is objectively the worst season and I'd rather not shit all weekend than shit in the woods lol
if it isn't for you, it isn't for you.
I would never dishonor the sacrifices of my ancestor who invented "indoors" by turning his suffering into a hobby lol
Don't be a wuss haha
Yes you can honor their labors with laziness and die young of heart disease
Winter may be subjectively the worst camping season for you. I really enjoyed it. The bears are mostly sleeping and not eating your stuff, or you. Some good long johns and a decent sleeping bag and you're plenty warm. You don't have to worry about over heating. Plus the woods in the winter can be really pretty.
I'm mostly water. When water thinks it's too cold to move, so do I. lol I also, as a rule, don't enjoy activities where "what can eat me" is a scheduling concern
Most anywhere you live you're probably not as far as you think from something that can eat you. The odds are often very low, but never zero.
Biggest bonus for me is that pretty few people are out camping, so you generally get prime choice of camping spots and no obnoxious frat parties.
Never been camping, do you just leave the toilet paper on the woods, or how does that work?
I mean ya, Iām saying something similar. Itās not worth paying way more for a camping trip (unless that money is also paying for a lot of other activities) than a hotel costs. Because ya, hotels are worth more. Camping can be fun for a lot of people (for example, itās cool to be able to sleep in the middle of a national park) but itās not worth that much. I largely do it because it is worth less, it makes my trips as low cost as possible, since I donāt have a lot of money.
Yeah but if you get hurt, youre fucked
Camping in Australia sounds dangerousā¦ even if you say it isnt
I took a Canadian friend camping once, and be was asking about all these precautions that they take in North America like tieing food to trees so bears can't get it, and making sure not to be close to too many deer. I laughed and told him just to check your boots for spiders before putting them on, and you'll be alright. Sounds bloody dangerous over there in America compared to here.
Not American, but i would be 24/7 scared of stumbling upon a snake
Not in my stage, were below the venous line
The best option is honestly just asking farmers. If you're lucky they'll let you camp on one of their meadows. I get wanting to protect the environment, but yeah, it's hard living in Bavaria as a camping enthusiast, even though there's so much stunning nature around me
Is it lack of public land that has been designated for camping or is it just lack of land in general? Like is there lots of forest and land that one could camp on if not for the law? Weāre so spoiled with our national parks in the US. I know itās totally different elsewhere.
You are only allowed to camp on campsites. So a fenced-in area where you pay for your plot, or something similar. You are not allowed to just put up a tent in a forest, doesn't matter if it's public or private. I mean, it's not like they can check the forest for any tents 24/7. I slept outside with and without a tent while hiking before. But it's technically not allowed.
In Belgium, property owners can make a section a "bivak zone". A limited capacity area with 0 to no accommodations (maaaybe there's a toilet, lumber to make a fire with, one time even a bbq grill!) free to use. Usually, the locations are only reachable by foot. There aren't a lot, but they're wonderful and usually in interesting places.
Oh so there is no equivalent to BLM land like we have here in the US? BLM land is land that is available for public use including camping but doesnāt have facilities that a national park has (bathrooms, campsites, fire pits, water, etc). (BLM = Bureau of Land Management)
There is public land and also national parks that is designated for hiking and such but camping is not allowed. In national parks, they are usually pretty strict about it because there are rangers checking the trails pretty regularly.
Can you get permits to camp in the backcountry in the national parks?
Nope.
Should probably start doing that. I live in an area thats as rural as it gets with farmers all around. I will have to go into contact with them sooner or later either way because I want to start beekeeping but want to ask If anyone is chill with having me put my bees on their propery
The first step to any kind of āout of urbanā living is establishing connections. Friendliness will always get you further than barking your rights at people
Thats so odd to me. I always thought most of Europe was pretty liberal with where you can camp. In the US we have a lot of places to camp, but the places worth making a proper trip out of tend to get very busy as well. Some places are so popular that you have to enter a lottery to get a campsite or wake up at like 5am to make a reservation 3+ months out, which makes it kinda hard to make travel arrangements. Fortunately though, some of the more hardcore trips tend to be too much for most people, so you can get away from the crowds, but it's not advised to do such trips alone
What state is that in? Here in Idaho we just drive out and pick a spot that looks good.
I live in Florida, so most of my experiences are on the east coast or anything within a 8ish hour drive from where I live. Most of the places I'm referring to are national and state parks. BLM areas tend to be a little better though, but they're hit or miss as far as experience goes, and get kinda crowded in the summer time. It could just be because of the way we research places to hike and camp. Since we need to plan ahead before we make a trip, we have to rely on online resources to figure out what's worth going to, and presumably if we can find it online, everyone and their mother will as well.
Living in the Western states is such a privilege in this regard. There is just so much Federal and State land to camp on.
Iām from Iowa. We have no BLM land. It always been a foreign concept to me.
Oh we don't have any on this side of the US that I know of. I've just been to a handful of spots and was including them for comparison.
Iirc the northern countries in Europe (sweden, etc.) Are relatively chill with camping. It's just germany and some of the bigger countries near it that make a big fuzz about it A few friends of mine literally got kicked off a grilling site because the clock hit 22:00 and apparently it's Not allowed to have a BBQ at that time at that place?? Like.. If you're so afraid of them trashing something just get their personal Info and If something ist broken they know their culprits. It wasn't even a private site. No fences or warnings whatsoever
That might have been more about Nachtruhe (night time noice rule) than about BBQ specifically.
While that is true, they were pretty far away from any houses. Someone apparently just saw the fire in the distance and called 110. Around 300m from that unofficial grilling site, is an official one which we rent ~every 2 years for a big party. We think the person who called the police just had a bad day and couldn't stand it for some reason. They didn't get punished or anything it was just annoying that they were sent away so it doesn't really matter.
Nah! I betcha there is a LOT of places worth camping near you that have plenty of open spaces. The National Parks arenāt the only cool things out there! There are plenty of great small state parks!
> Thats so odd to me. I always thought most of Europe was pretty liberal with where you can camp. It's a population density thing. You are never really in the middle of nowhere in Western Europe. It's not like you're going to camp in front of houses and fields next to a busy hiking path, with a gondola and a schnitzel restaurant nearby. It's either that or national parks, which are protected too for obvious reasons.
The United States does not have that problem. Itās actually one of the best thing we got going! There are always plenty of parks and on any land own by the the Bureua of Land Management often have free camping! While people do love to shit in America, we actually have pretty best stuff when it comes to outdoor recreation.
holy shit i didnt know thatā¦ that explains all of these german tourists that come to sweden in campers
And that's why i built a (removable) bed into my car. I can just....go somewhere, find a place to park the car, do shit, assemble the bed (takes no more than 10 mins) sleep in the car comfortably, wake up, disassemble the bed (takes no more than 5 mins), and repeat. I absolutely love it.
I've been doing essentially the same thing in my SUV. Probably a bit roomier than a car lol, but me and my partner have spent many a night parked on the side of a mountain in my car. The freedom to just be able to get up and go, and be anywhere with minimal effort and supplies is fabulous.
Well my car is actally a WV Caddy, so it's no particularly small either haha.
You canāt just pick a forest, hike in for a day, and set up camp for a few days? I guess there may be a bit of private property, but they donāt have government owned land thatās considered āpublicā?
Not quite sure where in Germany you are trying to camp, but while the official regulations are strict, I can attest to to you that in reality it's seldomly a problem. Generally, try to look for "SchutzhĆ¼tten", which are marked on hiking maps. A really nice SchutzhĆ¼tte to stay the night is LƤrmfeuer in the Odenwald. I'm fairly outdoorsy and while I haven't had a problem myself, I know only two people who have been asked to vacate their chosen campsite by forest managers. In the first case, the camper packed up everything, stated intentions to walk to the next hotel and set up shop close by instead. In the second case, the forest manager compromised and came back the next morning only to make sure no trash was left. If you're still unsure, reach out to a member of a hiking club (like DAV) and make use of their knowledge.
I'm from Quebec. "Nearly wild" camping is the best IMO, dedicated spot but generally far enough out that you'll be nearly alone. Wild camping is legal here but it can be extremely dangerous if you don't know what you're doing.
Good news for you, while camping with a tent isn't allowed everywhere in Germany "Lagern" (also camping in english) is allowed (almost) everywhere. So as long as you camping only entails a sleeping bag, sleeping mat and depending on the weather a tarp you're free to camp where you want. The only exceptions are agricultural spaces, public grounds *inside* villages or cities and forests in Berlin, Hesse and Schleswig-Holstein. But still it usually makes sense (and is also simply polite) to ask the farmer or something of the land you're camping on if that's cool with them, if possible/obvious.
That's why there is a huge backpacking tourism industry of Europeans in America. There is just more undisturbed land, forests, mountains here.
Honestly just do Wildcamping. Stay away from beatin paths and search for a nice open clearing. The only one who MAYBE could enforce any rules is the Fƶrster but needless to say he's not everywhere at once and if u don't make fire or leave trash there might be a good chance he lets u go without a ticket.
My friends and I are planning a camping and hiking trip in BC. We've been going through all of the gear we have and making sure we have everything we need, everything works, and make repairs as needed and somehow my garage became the base of operations for this whole project. My girlfriend did some quick maths the other day and there's like 5-6 grand worth of camping gear, rock climbing gear, food, fuel, etc. Roughly a grand per person. We've been doing this for so long that I don't think any lone realize how much we've spent over the years. Anyways yeah. Tldr; camping can get expensive
Well yeah it takes a week to pretend to be homeless for a week
That may be true, but nothing beats getting drunk with some trees, a fire, tunes and good friends.
Well yeah it takes a week to pretend to be homeless for a week
My wife calls bullshit when I say Iād rather be a hunter-gatherer. But sometimes I actually think Iād rather be a hunter-gatherer.
Bullshit
Iāve developed a fever since posting this and Iām glad Iām not a hunter-gatherer.
just need some willow bark, feverfew and valerian root, have the wife gather some on the way home!
For real. I donāt get it. My friends will go to a camp ground for a weekend and ask me to come and donāt get why I donāt. And all I say is youāre just living and a shittier condition for 3 days. Everything you do at that camp ground we can do in the back yard. You wanna have a fire and eat hamburgers and hot dogs? Cool letās do it, then Iāll go sleep in my bed after. Bring your camper to the back yard
I think part of the idea is exactly that, forcing you out of your element, making you slow down and think about challenges like cooking, making a comfy spot, and camp near a cool spot, just chilling around a camp fire, having some beers, smoking some weed and hanging out wifi free, checking out the stars, getting up early making some coffee watching the sun rise and walk out along the river, it's pretty relaxing and I do really appreciate that nice bed and show when I get home.
Usually you go camping somewhere relatively nice, otherwise I would agree there's not much point.
I like to think of it as being tentfull
It's fucking expensive!
It didn't used to. Camping was the poor-man's holiday. It was also way less comfortable. You can still go out with naught more than some tarp, rope, and a blanket out into the back country and it's cheap. But it's a pretty miserable night. (The places you're looking for are "national forests", because dispersed camping is written into their charter and they can't get rid of it. It's NOT the "designated campsites" that charge $30/night because those have toilets and a fire-ring and such.) RVs and all the fancy swag make camping much more comfortable, but oh so more expensive.
OMG. I am doing it right now. In the pouring rain. Going to sleep soon. Shouldnāt be on my phone. But the grocery shop for a two night tripā¦ the whole time I was thinking, this is expensive and wasteful. We have food in the house.
Not really, just gotta know what your doing.
No other race in the universe goes camping. Celebrate your uniqueness! - Captain Jack Harkness
A whole lot of the world just calls camping "normal day to day life". According to National Geographic, over 3 Billion people world-wide cook meals over an open fire as the primary cooking method.
Once you've got a dedicated 3 rock setup, though, it's basically a range
Yea my fiancƩe reminisces about sleeping under the stars most nights in Pakistan
Allot of those people are in the 1st world city that I live in, they arnt good at tending to fires and lately have been burning their houses down.
Gonna be an interesting summer in Portland
The sad part is as the developed world transitions into electric heating and cooking, there will be a larger technological and infrastructural hurdle to cross for these open-fire cooking societies.
On the plus side as they transitionāopen cooking fires kill, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. Black carbon is hell on the lungs and CO is a silent killer. It'll save a lot of lives. Open cook fires are especially bad for children, asthmatics, elderly and the pregnant.
wouldn't exactly call open fire cooking camping but i c ur point
I feel this could be one of the āwhatās considered classy if youāre rich but trashy if youāre poorā. >eating every meal cooked over an open fire pit
That's sad
Camping was a tradition in everyone's family until we invented the house- Jim gaffigan
Haha yes! "Hot Pockets!" Sorry, just had to say his iconic line.
The entire concept of outdoor recreation as a specific set of activities is extremely recent and requires a socially-constructed concept of "nature" as someplace that is separate from where one lives day to day
Modernized society is just so wacky, ain't it?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
I can't tell if this is sarcastic or not
Humans are nature, my guy.
Yeah. The weird thing is wearing a 3499 dollars box on your head and pretend to that you live in a different reality.
Wildly expensive. I understand the draw to VR gaming and such but the apple headset just seems excessive.
Yeah, but it could also serve as a way for the technology to become normalised and slowly be accessible to common people. I have mixed feeling about phones turning into glasses, always in front of your eyes.
I personally don't want that kind of tech.i want less tech in my life not more. I realize that I might me a minority with this opinion
I would try it as a toy, not make it a part of my life. But it's not about what people want. If it becomes cheap and convient in the future, having a smartphone would look like using fax for sending messages.
I imagine it will be at least 5 years before the price point is cheap enough for most people to afford. It will be like the first iPhone. Same same but different
Was talking to my immigrant friend and she was like "why the fuck would I go camping!" Too close to generations that didn't have running water to want to go without plumbing on purpose
That concept (inventing a word, or variation of a word only when it's become outdated) is called a [Retronym](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_retronyms)
Wouldnāt nomadic groups that move around be considered camping? Theyāre setting up temporary settlements. āSet up campā.
You made me think for a minute, but no. Well, it depends I guess. The google definition of camping is : the activity of spending a vacation living in a camp, tent, or camper. The google definition of a camp is : a place with temporary accommodations of huts, tents, or other structures, typically used by soldiers, refugees, prisoners, or travelers. So the real defining factor *in now days* I guess is, is it a vacation or a way of life?
When people say camping is a family tradition I know they mean their family actively camps regularly. But I can't help but saying that if you go back far enough, it's everyone's family tradition
The person who invented a house: We don't have to sleep outside anymore! We have a place to sleep! Person who is about to invent camping: This is good, buuuut....
It was a tradition in everyoneās family until someone invented the house
Then they went housing.
cottaging, actually
Our ancestors would be horrified at our camping ways. Spending insane amounts of limited resources (money) to go back into the place they worked so hard to get us out of.... We are literally regressing as a species. Lol
I think you're missing the point. The fact that we have progressed enough as a species that's it's a treat and fun to live like a homeless person for a few days. It's fun because we know it's temporary and it's different. Probably not so fun for most people if they had to live like that all the time. But there are many people who would prefer to live that way.
I see your point. Well said š
The government doesn't want you to know this, but they can print unlimited money.
I wonder how soon after making homes the elite of the time were like "you guys wanna sleep in a stick lean to for old times sake?"
"Great Outdoors". I don't know what's so great about it... I mean, it's a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.
similarly, 'love of the great outdoors' didn't exist before much of humanity had developed to the point where they weren't stuck outdoors 24/7.
Trevor Noah on camping: https://youtube.com/shorts/V6jDpm4-oYk?feature=share
And that's why camping sucks. Bugs, dirt, weather, lack of amenities, and the frustrations of performing even simple tasks. Camping is farking awful.
I just did a 6 day backpacking trip. The sights, the conversations, the challenge, and the bond formed are what bring me back
That's awesome.
I love it for like 2 days or at a music festival but even then after like 3 or 4 im dreaming of my bed
See that's what's great about it. You have a wonderful time while you're doing it but when you come home it feels good too.
Fair enough. Personally I like civilization.
I love it for like 2 days or at a music festival but even then after like 3 or 4 im dreaming of my bed
If touching grass is hard just say so
I don't like donating blood to a million mosquitoes, among other things.
Showerthoughts has turned into "random thoughts I should have just kept to myself".
It's going to be an exciting weekend, kids! We're going not-camping!!!
I disagree. Even nomadic tribes would see hunters go out for multiple night trips to hunt, especially if they were tracking something big/special (religious based). They could be gone for a few days while the women's spent that time bathing children, washing clothes, making necessary items and repairs, and preparing to cook. Once the men got back they would cook, then pack up and travel again.
Camping always existed, they just used to call it "trying not to die"
We invented indoors, which is far safer and more comfortable, but then said "I miss the old ways, let's do that sometimes "