In or out - What's your style ?

We as old people are in people. We use or camper as a base station for our explorations. Not crazy about smoke, love fresh air and quiet.

 

It really depends on why we are out. If we are touring/traveling then we are typically gone most of the time and our time at the site is largely spent inside. It’s actually why we bought the rig we currently have. But if it’s just a weekend trip or a local camping trip then most of MY time is spent outside, she prefers to be inside these days.

As for the campfire scene, I love a good campfire but don’t really enjoy them all that much alone. I also don’t enjoy them on 80+ degree nights, so if we are out during those times you won’t see me have one. That said, we are more spring/fall campers so we frequently have fires during those times.


As for cooking, I absolutely hate cooking inside and will cook outside every chance I get, whether on my campchef or over the fire. She prefers to cook inside

 

I’m an out. My camper is home base for my hiking trips. A place to get clean and comfortable after a long hike. A comfortable place to nap before I set out again. Although lately my long hiking days are over. I still spend the time outdoors. I cook and clean outdoors. Sit under the awning or in the hammock reading a book. Walk the campground and just enjoy what Mother Nature offers. Then again I live near the city, where car noises are usually more prevalent than birds. I go camping to get a break from all that. Although there are some trips where the bugs are relentless or the weather downright awful I stay inside all day and thankful for a clean, dry, and relatively bug free place to go.

 

Out. We spend very little time inside. I’m usually fishing all day and as crazy as is sounds it doesn’t rain where we camp except for the occasional thunderstorm. We always have a campfire and generally cook on it as well.

 

I prefer to nap, cook, and eat breakfast inside. No hookups or showers where we camp so we do personal hygiene stuff in popup too.

I wouldn't mind cooking outside but I don't like hauling all the stuff back and forth.

 

My popup is a tent in a box on wheels. It's for sleeping.

 

I am an out complete with a campfire. If I wanted to be an in, I would stay at home

 

Put me down in the Out column. We went from a tent to a Pup to a 32-foot TT. The TT has a lot of advantages and creature comforts that we take advantage of -- bigger fridge with a real freezer, stove with oven (DW really likes these along with the bathroom), television and a queen size bed that may be more comfortable than our bed at home.

But the reason we camp is to enjoy the great outdoors. I like to fish and people watch mostly. I've said it before that I've wasted an extraordinary amount of time sitting in a lawn chair snoozing or just watching the goings-on in the campground or on the lake and I've loved every minute.

 

When I'm in camp I'm outside unless I am sleeping or the weather is too bad. My style is a little different in that I use the camper as a base camp and then drive to places to hike and take pictures. 20 US National Parks and 15 Canadian national parks so far. hoffsalinertravels.net

 

Like most so far, I’m an outer by and large. My typical camping mission is to support some other activity, like fishing in the hills or crabbing on the coast, so I’m likely not at my trailer during the day. I cook outside for the most part, but I also get some use out of the inside stove, mostly for coffee water.

 

Everyone has their on idea and a lot of the outside things depend on the weather and do not forget the darn bugs and of course AGE too . Some of us switch back and forth, some to stay outside most of the time and some go just for the relaxation, peace and quiet.

 

We're in the "it depends" category, although we cook inside more than we ever expected to do. Partly that's because, now that we have a small travel trailer, the fridge, sink (we didn't have that or running water in either pup), stove, and food supplies are all handy within a few feet. Unlike the awnings on our popups, the one on the TT is pretty useless to shelter an outside kitchen setup. If it's raining, the only place sure to be out of the rain is the doorstep, and about 2' to the rear of it. We need to buy new rain/sun shelters for this coming season, after our two showed their age in a windstorm over Thanksgiving and one wind wall shredded out. Sun is at least as much of an issue for us as rain, but most of the time we're pretty OK for bugs. We have a screen house we use occasionally but is not very wind stable for the types of winds we can routinely experience in some places.
I'm determined to do more baking on some trips, and 2 out of our 3 top of stove oven equivalents need to be used outside.
Our season is longer than it was with the ground tents, and even the popups, plus we'll risk worse weather (up to a point) than we did with tents and pups. We'll sit outside when it's nice, but have no hesitation at sitting inside - there's a nice window next to the table where we sit. I also sit wherever I'm most comfortable when I can, so am inside more than I expected to be - but at least I have a good view from that window, and out the open door, weather permitting.

 

Our camper is for sleeping in or getting out of the weather. We removed our sink and stove (neither worked very well) since it was only in our way, and now we have more room. I don't mind using the campground facilities since we never camp where there aren't any. If a campgrounds facilities are not up to snuff we do not go there again. We love our meals cooked over the campfire but do cook on our tailgate grill. Most times when we are camping we are visiting some sort of park. In the evening we will sit around the campfire and toast marshmallows/make smores. Even when we are at my in-laws camp we are always outdoors (until the bugs come after me at which point I then retreat to the indoors).

 

I'm an Out. I go to escape the screens, the Television, work and all that. Mornings find me slowly sipping coffee and watching the most natural view from the campsite for birds and wildlife. Camp cooking is an exercise in minimalism. If it's not being cooked on a small charcoal grill, a backpacking stove (1-burner) is used. No running water in the pup or cooking facilities beyond a toaster oven. I challenge myself to see how little is necessary to make a nice meal.

Spend day time hiking, exploring the area and attractions, spending quality time with the dogs.
Roominess of the PUP is good for retiring early to read or sleep if a campfire isn't going. No crawling out necessary in the morning (like in a tent). I have even been known to backpack though, and love small but well-built gear. It's cool and I'm a gearhead.

 

Well, everybody uses RVs for different reasons. My wife and I seldom "camp" for camping's sake. In fact, we find that mostly boring. We do it on occasion, but we find that we take a walk or two, play with the dogs, then end up going inside and watching a movie or playing games. We will sit outside, and twice we used our outdoor speakers to play some music, and I will occasionally smoke a cigar and enjoy a gin and tonic outside if the bugs are tame.

But, we seldom camp in campgrounds with facilities, so the rig is our base for everything. I much prefer cooking indoors since I have the stove, sink and counter space inside. I do grill outside though. I do dishes in the sink (and did so in the PUP too).

We typically haul the rig somewhere to fish or hunt. So, we're normally "out" all day anyway and spend very little time "at camp". After a day fishing or hunting, we normally want to heat up some grub, peel out of sweaty clothes and just chill and watch TV or something. If we're not hunting, then we're likely playing tourist, and come back to the rig to relax. So, I usually tell folks I'm not "camping", I'm just a huge fan of mobile lodging. There's something uniquely awesome being utterly alone up at 4,000 feet and 35 degrees looking out at glaciers out my window, warm, sipping coffee and watching a movie... best apartment in the world to me.

 

We are definitely in the "out" category. Our tent on our little popup only accommodates a bed. The weather goes south we will watch a small handheld portable tv or stream tv if we have WIFI. If it's really bad weather we'll usually head out in the car and go exploring. If not it's under the canopy while it rains. All of the cooking and cleaning happens outdoors. That's why we have a tiny camper, it helps force us outdoors. We do mostly on grid camping so we have access to basic facilities as well.

 

I only sleep in the pop up. No blankets or mattress, just sleep on the plywood.

 

Out. I can sit around the camper and watch a fire in the backyard. If I drive 700 miles round trip we are enjoying something that cant be done at home.

Cooking: out. Why?: cooking inside creates greasy smoke that attracts dirt and smells. We only eat twice a day so if the morning meal gets rained out we "eat" coffee with butter, coconut oil and heavy cream. The mid day meal is eaten on the road, trail, etc

Some day I will be old and infirmed. If someone will raise my roof then i'll sit around the campground.

 

Another "it depends" but mostly out. We cook and eat outside, NEVER inside as we camp in bear country and it terrifies me. We even rig up the awning and dining shelter with a little tarp walkway if it is really bad weather. The tent trailer is for toting all the stuff and sleeping off the ground.
But we did have one unseasonable cold weekend where we played cards/games inside with the heater and it was so cozy and happy. We are usually just content to be with the kids with no distractions and no screens.