Friday Five: Camping!

It's that time again! Yaaaay! Let's look at five different styles of camping. I am not a nature lover, and I can count the times I've camped on one hand, I have absolutely no business writing this. However, I am well trained in the art of gazing out car windows at vehicles in holiday traffic and also junior certified in tv episodes about camping. Let's do this!

1. TENT

Pro: Stealth- You can store a tent in a lot of places like the back of a Mini Cooper or a Motorcycle!
Pro: Convenience- You can tent camp just about anywhere.
Pro: Affordable- A trailer can be thousands of dollars. A tent might set you back $100.
Con: Weather- Tents are the lightweight jacket of camping. They block wind and rain but you might wake up flipped over and in a puddle.
Con: Set up- The set up of a tent can truly test the relationship you have with your fellow camper(s).
 Con: Security- A tent is pretty useless in bear country.
2. TEARDROP TRAILER
Pro: You look Awesome- So classic and stylish
 Pro: Lightweight- Can be towed by anything

Pro: Heat- If one body can fill up most of the cubic space in the trailer that makes it easy to stay warm.

Con: Tiny- You have to go outside to do everything except sleep- Let's face it, if you're camping in the Pacific Northwest, the only guaranteed nice summer days are the 5th of July and the first day of school. Chances are you're going to encounter some rain. Since the teardrop trailer's kitchen is in the back, you're cooking in the rain.
Con: Tiny- Can't store much in a teardrop trailer Con: Tiny- The teardrop trailer is not a family camper.
3. POP-UP TRAILER

Pro: Space saving design- Aerodynamic on the road, roomy in the campsite.
Pro: Easy hauler- (Again, I'm not a camper and I think the last time I was in a pop-up trailer was probably in grade school and the "camping" consisted of spending the night in the pop-up trailer in a buddy's driveway.) I see a lot of pop-up trailers on the road and their tow vehicles are not limited to trucks.

Pro: Keeps cool- The mesh "walls" keep the it cool.
Con: Stability- It is essentially a tent on wheels (see cons of tent above).
Con: Privacy- Don't forget about the mesh "walls." Even curtains can't block all noise and shadows.
If you can see out, we can see in

Con: Keeps cool- Pacific Northwest rain isn't really a warm rain.
 4. Fifth Wheel

Pro: Detachable- Once you're set up and camping you have a vehicle with which to travel about the area.

Pro: Self-contained- At this juncture we reach the point where we are now able to do everything indoors! Cooking, eating, bathing, and all the other things you can't do in a tent or a pop-up you can now do in your 5th wheel camper! Oh the convenience!!
 Pro: Lingo- Now you can get into deep conversations with your camping buddies and use words like "pop-outs," "dualies," and "awnings."
 Con: Towing- Lots of weight, fuel and traffic
Con: Location- Camping is limited to certain campsites that can accommodate such a monstrosity. Con: Is it really camping? Is it?! Is it REALLY camping?!
5. Class A RV

Pro: Convenience- It's a house on wheels and it's a tour bus c'mon! At this point, you're rollin' like a rock star

Pro: Towing- Again, you can tow a vehicle for day trips. Cool!

Pro: Socialization- There is an entire sub-culture of "rv-ers" that you will be surrounded by, meeting, getting to know, and who will happily embrace you into their fold.

 Con: Fuel- You very well may have to take out a loan to afford the fuel to go "camping" in this behemoth.

 

Con: Again, is it really camping or is it "second home-ing"? If I had to choose, this is about as close to camping as I'd get. I like camping with my own bathroom and shower, tv, fridge, stove and recliner.

Con: Socialization- There is an entire sub-culture of "rv-ers" that you will be surrounded by, meeting, getting to know, and who will happily embrace you into their fold.

 I feel we've just scratched the surface! I didn't get to the yurt, Airstream, truck camper or the semi camper...perhaps there will have to be a second installment...