by David Richardson

Created on: May 12, 2010

I am not sure who would answer on any side of this question without a hint of agreement for the other side.  My family and I absolutely love camping and do a lot of it,.  The outdoors and wilderness are rather abundant here in Southern Alberta Canada.  We started camping in a tent just my wife and I,  We enjoyed getting that close to nature, also camping in fairly remote area's has a certain appeal to some.  As with life, things change our first child was born and the tent no longer sufficient to house a young child with us.

So after numerous nights of cold, damp sleep and to many mornings trying to cook in the cool air  we decided to try a trailer.  Oh yeah now we could enjoy the outdoors with our children at any age and almost anywhere.  Our first trailer was nothing to write about, a small 14 ft unit with a bed, a bunk, a small sink, and stove, no heater but still much warmer and dryer then a tent.  Now we have a much larger and very well equipped unit, but we still call it camping.

The debate boils down to individual needs and wants from the camping experience.  Tents bring you closer to your surroundings sometimes closer then you want.  Teaching children how to pitch a tent and light a fire for heat and cooking are essential to the bonding that I believe most kids are loosing with all the technology around and available in most RVs.  I have taken my pre-teen children tenting.

I enjoy using our RV as it is always ready to go.  Less packing required, less set up required when we arrive at our destination.  Which contrary to popular belief is not always a campground with full service hook ups.  We like to rough it in a loose sense of the term.  Having a warm water tight shelter to sleep in or hide out from the ever changing elements in the area we live in is a nice change from the tent. 

Note to all we have tents in out RV that we do use occasionally for an overnight hike into the bush away from the world.  Times that we will never forget, returning to the RV can sometimes be a relief.

Please don't mumble to your friends as we pull into the campsite saying that's not camping, In my mind I am not at home I am with the ones I love and in nature where I wish I could stay.  To me that is the camping experience no matter how you spend your sleep time.  We all play the same during the day.

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