by Todd Raubenolt

Created on: May 21, 2009

A beautiful burnt auburn sunset, a cool swift running stream, the smell of lilac in the air... and the sound of a generator? Sorry, you just can't get the true back to nature experience in an RV. The purpose of camping is to get away from the hustle, bustle and gadgetry of our current world and reconnect to nature. To expect to be able to succeed when you have a microwave, air conditioning and a TV on the other side of a fiberglass door is foolishness.

Today's recreational vehicles are literally rolling homes. Many people actually do live in them year round, moving from one campground to another. These things are magnificent behemoths and come with all the creature comforts. Refrigerators, leather couches, showers, satellite television and air conditioning. Why wouldn't you want to live in one? The problem is with all those distractions, how can you reasonably expect to reconnect with nature? Where is the escape from the hustle and bustle of modern life? Rhetorical questions, of course. You simply cannot achieve the same connection with nature in an RV as you can if you rough it in a tent.

Tent camping is pure and basic. You have just enough to ensure you will be protected from the elements. Everything else is between you and the trees. You have no choice but to stop and listen to the wind blowing though the leaves, watch the water as it rushes over stone, and close your eyes as you feel the sun warm your skin. When you are out in the woods in a tent, you connect with the world around you.

When you commit to tent camping you also open up vast tracts of land for exploration that are simply not available to RV campers. You are not limited to plots of campsites, sitting on top of each other with little more than a few trees and some scrub brush separating you and the other campers. With a tent and a backpack, the world is literally yours to explore. You can set off on a trail in any of our national parks or wilderness areas and find your own perfect spot. You may choose to camp near others, or opt to continue down the trail to find a solitary slice of wilderness. This kind of freedom is simply not available to the RV camper.

RV camping is a fine experience. You can have a fantastic time with your family and friends around a campfire and still catch your favorite show before you hit the shower and go to bed. What you will miss is that true immersion in nature. You simply cannot become more connected to the sights, sounds and smells around you then you can when tent camping. So get out there and become one with nature. When you do it, leave the rolling house behind and strap on a backpack - it's all you really need.

Learn more about this author, Todd Raubenolt.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.