Camping - The Tent Way
October 9th, 2006 by Ian
Bobby and I go on a early camping trip with friends. I’ve been told that I really shouldn’t call these “camping” trips since we don’t really camp. We rent a cabin - a cabin that has beds, a bathroom, stove, oven, and tables. And the last time we went, the cabin even had a washer and dryer (it was more of a house than cabin). We like to think we are roughing it because our cell phones don’t get a signal and there is no internet access.
Well, this weekend Bobby and I are going to try real camping….in a tent! I was chatting with my friend Brian over the weekend and he was telling me about the backpacking trip he is going on this weekend. He and his boyfriend are packing up two packs and going on a multi-day hike where the camp along the way. Hearing about this got me excited about the idea of tent camping. I know I’m not ready for backpacking, but I think I could handle regular tent camping where you drive up to your campsite. This way I could take a cooler, portable stove, air mattress, etc. Plus, if anything is forgotten, the car is right there!
Since this our first foray into tent camping, we have none of the gear. Luckily, Bobby had the great idea of checking if REI rents out gear. Lo and behold they do! For only $60 we are getting a 4 person tent, two sleeping bags, two sleeping pads, and a portable stove. Cheaper than I expected. So if we like this whole tent camping thing, we can go invest in our our supplies. But if I decide it is a bit too rough for me, we won’t have wasted money on all the gear.
Speaking of gear, I loved walking around the camping section of REI. There are so many cool camping accessories. I could go wild buying stuff. They have water purifying systems, water bottles with purifiers in them, coffee presses that fit in your water bottle, collapsible pots/pans/plates/bowls, packs, games, electronics, and I can’t remember what else. I’m one of those people who loves a hobby partly because you get to buy all the accessories 
As you can tell, I’m pretty excited about this trip. I’m hoping I love it and this becomes something we do on a regular basis with the dogs. It seems like a cheap vacation that we can take with the dogs while enjoying nature and getting some exercise. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
*blink*
Do I know you?
I hope it suits you, because I like to occaisionally tent camp and if I can’t find more people to gang up on James, I’m afraid my dogs will never get the chance to experience it.