by Daniel J. Gansle

Created on: November 21, 2008

I have fond memories of camping out as a young boy with my father in the crisp coolness of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park. I can still hear the mosquitos buzzing around the tent screens trying to get in; the peaceful chirping of cicadas, locusts, and crickets; and the occasional rustling in the woods that signaled some forest creature trying to find a nocturnal treat.

One year my father decided to take us on a "real man's" camping excursion to Matthew's Arm, a primitive campground within the park with no concessions, no showers, and gravel pads for campsites. Our days were spent hiking, fishing, and canoeing with an occasional evening park program. One program in particular taught us how to search for owl pellets, or owl poop for lack of a better word, which proved the existence of an owl in any particular spot. Owl pellets contain small fragments of bone from the owl's ingestion of small rodents.

I am convinced that the best camping experience is tent camping. It's the only way to go. Sure you can kick up your feet in that comfy RV and watch reruns of King of the Hill or Seinfeld, or maybe even your favorite movie in the DVD player. You can be relatively bug-free and sleep in your cushy RV bed. You can have your own personal bathroom 2 feet away from you, and your own kitchen, and living room area. But what you won't get is the unforgettable, character-building experience of tent camping and communing with nature on a level you may never have the chance to experience again.

With tent camping, learning is half the fun. You are challenged to put up a tent; provide yourself with bedding; plan how you will light your campsite; and plan your meals. Then you go out to your local camping, sports, or hardware store and purchase camping supplies such as portable stoves, pots and pans, utensils, lanterns, flashlights, matches, coolers, tents, sleeping bags, air compressors, air beds, and of course, the makings for smores.

Tent camping also provides a much stronger family bonding experience. You have to work together to get things done camp cooking, the washing of the dishes, blowing up of air mattresses, setting up of the tent, lighting of campfires, lighting lanterns, and watching for curious raccoons. In an RV, everything is already prepared. Convenient, yes; but this sort of "prepackaged" approach isn't as effective at creating lasting memories or fomenting bonding between family members forced to cooperate with each other.

Indeed, the nocturnal sounds of the forest, the dewey sweetness of the crisp evening air wafting through tent screens, the bonding of family, the cementing of memories, and the close communion with nature are best experienced through tent camping.

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