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Simply spending the night in a tent made of canvas or nylon with no electricity or heat; save for perhaps a sleeping bag, is not "roughing it." Many others who have written to this topic have pointed out that each person will have his or her own definition of just what "roughing it" is. Therefore, rather than rehashing all of the variables that have already been discussed, this article is intended to tell it like it is.

We live in the 21st century. Unless we belong to some remote culture that lives in the same manner as it has for hundreds or thousands of years, nobody really "roughs it" anymore. Let's look at camping. While it's true that we may have nothing but a tent to shelter ourselves fronm the elements, we are still just a few hours at most, and more likely a few minutes away from civilization as we know it. Furthermore, we probably drove ourselves in that car or sport utility vehicle to get to where we are. Assuming your chosen means of transportation wasn't depleted of fuel along the way, you still have access to the nearest grocery store, telephone, computer, or even that bathroom or shower with running water. Even if you arrived on foot, you had to come frome somewhere, right? The point? Wherever your location may be, it is halfway from where you began; undoubtedly with all the creature comforts one could ask for.

We have highways and Interstates now. Even in desolate places such as the plains of Montana, we can instantly communicate with those in more populated areas. The generations of today have no idea of what "roughing it" is. Compare people living now to someone on horseback in the 19th century, trotting along a trail at a pace of 20-30 miles a day and then stopping to sleep against a rock under the stars. There were no Coleman propane stoves to heat that cup of coffee or saucepan of beans. You had to light a fire. Then you had to hope that wild animals or hostile human inhabitants nearby didn't invade your campsite. There were no ice coolers. Instead, these people had to find a water source; either a river, creek, or lake. They had to eat perishable food quickly before it spoiled. Those who didn't carry what they ate had to hunt for it. When nature called, the outdoors was their toilet. As for cleaning up afterwards? They used whatever could be found.

Airstream trailers and gigantic Class A motorhomes are certainly nice in comparison, but pitching a tent at a KOA campground or state park is hardly what one should call "roughing it." If you really wish to witness someone in this century who truly "roughs it," tune in to the Discovery Channel and watch a show called Survivor Man, starring Les Stroud. This is what "roughing it" is all about!

Learn more about this author, Patrick Sills.
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