RSS
Twitter
Turn Down The TV, Please. We're Trying To Enjoy The Great Outdoors
from the times-change dept
I went camping a few times this summer and one thing that became clear very quickly is that people are increasingly dragging the great indoors with them to the great outdoors. While we were using tents and left our various gadgets at home, we were certainly in the minority in places we went camping. What's most interesting, though, is the article points out that it's not the younger generation that's driving this trend, but older campers who want to make sure they can email the grandkids while enjoying "the great outdoors," sitting comfortably in their air conditioned RV, complete with satellite television, DVD player and (of course) ubiquitous WiFi. There's nothing wrong with camping however you want to camp, of course (assuming you're not bugging anyone else), but at some point, people may question whether or not it's really "camping" anymore.
Reader Comments
(Flattened / Threaded)
Boredom Invites Trouble
But then, young kids who don't bring their gadgets will get bored, and make more dangerous excursions, climbing cliffs, wading through fast rivers.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Boredom Invites Trouble
are you an idiot?
"will get bored, and make more dangerous excursions"
good, that's what camping is for.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Boredom Invites Trouble
Yup, your attitude is how a lot of young people end up in a wheelchair for the rest of their lives, having mommy spoon-feed them.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Boredom Invites Trouble
Thats called a Darwin Award. If your kids are that stupid then maybe the gene pool will finally get cleansed.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Boredom Invites Trouble
Everybody knows that it is much safer to sit lazily around in front of the TV and computer getting fat.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Boredom Invites Trouble
dorpus, please provide news story links to these "a lot" that you speak of.
"A lot" certainly has NOT made an impact on all the people who have ever camped in the great outdoors at least once in their lifetime. If it did, than most would have those "fond" childhood memories of [insert friends name here] who has been seriously crippled, requiring them to be in a “wheelchair for the rest of their lives”
-Happy user
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Boredom Invites Trouble
If mommy and daddy do their jobs correctly this will not happen. Camping is a family/social activity. A kid that will fall off a cliff or drown in a river camping will get stuck in a sewer or swept into a storm drain in his own neighborhood because of a lack of parental oversight and control.
God you're an idiot, dorpus.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
No Subject Given
I once camped out in a thunder storm. It was out of control. 45 MPH winds and some heavy rain. All i had was a tent and a sleeping bag. It was fun as can be tho.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
YES it's annoying
Look at the 35,000 morons that go to Burning Man and claim they're self sufficient. There are literally ACRES of RVs, and there's an ice vendor and coffee shop in the center camp.
KOA has always been about "lite camping" anyway. I remember seeing RVs and TVs there years ago. It's still annoying. Those people that go to KOA or even the groomed state campgrounds aren't really 'camping' anyway.
I prefer to get out in the middle of nowhere with my 4x4 and enjoy the silence. The TV gets left at home. The computers stay at home. The cell phone is powered off and left in the car. It's nice to get away from people.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: YES it's annoying
with your 4x4...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: YES it's annoying
well he needs to get transported there...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: YES it's annoying
I usually hike out and find a good spot, set up camp, get out my propane stove, my lightweight cook gear, and a few bags of food. I grab my water bottle, boil some water, throw in some dried food, and I'm set for the night. Go on a hike, take some pictures with my digital camera, upload them with my Treo, and then put everything away, climb into my sleeping bag, and I'm set until morning.
Or, I go to summer camp, a week long excursion for the kids I'm in charge of, two months of making a tent your home for us on staff. We have our laptops, TVs, video games, espresso machines, everything we have at home (it is home for two months) all stuffed into some tents. It's a party every night!
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Evolution in Action
Re: But then, young kids who don't bring their gadgets will get bored, and make more dangerous excursions, climbing cliffs, wading through fast rivers.
No. Some will like camping. The rest will whine, "I'm bored. I wanna watch television. I wanna my playstation. I wanna go to my friend's party. You are always mean to me and I hate you." Possibly for hours. The bored ones are very unlikely to get off their fat asses and go wading though rivers. The risks come when they make friends and stop being bored.
The good news is that dorpus apparantly doesn't have kids.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
RVing for me
Blah, Blah, Blah ...
I'll take my 38 foot RV loaded to the gills with DVD, TV a full bathroom, microwave etc.
Those of you that claim I'm not camping are just pissed you can't afford my toys.
I still know how to rock climb, swim, etc & enjoy activities ... It's just I'm an American & I throughly relish the thought that if I choose, I can WiFi connect ot the internet @ the end of the day & check my email.
ha ha ...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: RVing for me
Nah you aren't camping...you just want that "mountain man" feeling but you are too wussy to actually camp.
What an RV is, is taking an appartment to a remote location, that's pretty much it. Its not camping.
Its like the "men" who buy an SUV thinking its a rugged 4X4 and feel manly about it...yet its never EVER been off the asphalt. Get over it.
There's nothing wrong with RVing, its very very comfy and enjoyable, but it ain't camping...not by a long shot.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: RVing for me
No, I'm not too "wussy" to camp.
Did it when I was in my teens.
Still enjoy the campfires & simple meals.
Don't miss the wet rainy tents or moldy sleeping bags that RVing affords me.
RVing is the best of both worlds ...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: RVing for me
RVing does not mean anyone is too "wussy" to camp.
What I meant, and perhaps I wasn't clear, was that any RVer who sits around and insists he's camping is a wuss at heart who needs the "camping" label to butch up his self image. Hence my comparison to city guys who spend big bucks for the biggest baddest 4X4 (or worse an SUV that looks like one) and never need or want to take it offroad.
Lets face it, there's NOTHING rugged about RVing, its an attempt at enjoying the outdoors in comfort, not being "one with nature" or anything.
And RVing is not camping, not by a long shot.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: RVing for me
Having been and done both camping and "RVing" i dont see how the two can even be compared. I loved holidays as a kid in both a tent and RV but they just aint the same thing and never will be.
I have toured america and canada with an RV and its a great way to get to see a country - no more then 3 days in each location is just enough to get the feel for each local area but leaves time to get a view of the country as a whole as you are almost alwasy on the move. Then theres the advantage of not having to pack/unpack each time you move on.
Camping however, especially at music festivals, is a totally different experience. The simple meals, basic facilities and a traditional friendly atmosphere are all part of the fun which never seems to come with a RV
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment