Controversial Clicky

amandasw

because apparently this is a really 'hot button topic' with the people I know.

ETA: for the purposes of this poll, camping is being somewhere in nature where you are not staying in a permanent building (i.e. a cabin) - so it could be tent camping or I guess if you have a motor home, tent trailer etc.  And obviously backpacking is included.  I realize for the 'purists' this is including a lot of things, sorry :P

[Poll]

karimychel

Are you saying any kind of camping? Or just tent camping? Or just car camping? Cabin camping?

Is it considered camping if there is electricity and running water? 

* I ask this in all honesty, since I've moved to Seattle, I've found that what some people consider camping here is not what we consider camping in AK*  

amandasw

karimychel:

Are you saying any kind of camping? Or just tent camping? Or just car camping? Cabin camping?

Is it considered camping if there is electricity and running water? 

* I ask this in all honesty, since I've moved to Seattle, I've found that what some people consider camping here is not what we consider camping in AK*  

I realize that I guess there is some variability (since I have also been told about this recently, lol), I'll clarify above.  Also, I will discuss my thoughts later

jennlin

i chose "now and then", which is 2-3 times a year....which is no water, no electricity, in a tent, out of my car. 

hike-in camping i've only done once in my life and i loved it. i want to do more.

i don't really do camping with water (state park) or electricity (cabin).....if i do that, it's once every other year or less. 

karimychel

I voted now and then. We have not camped since moving here. But DH and I camped just about every weekend in the summer when living in Alaska. 

 

karimychel

And for the record - an old sh!tty cabin with no running water or electricity or heat (though it may be considered a permanent building!) is considered camping WAY more than a motor home/camper that has all the luxuries of home! 

KST_

I only do car camping, not healthy enough for backpacking and I don't consider cabins "camping" but "going to a cabin".   We go on one camping trip a year. I can only semi-rough it...I'm fine with no running water but there has GOT to be a porta-potty or something. I don't have the balance or desire to poo in the woods.

jennlin

KST_:

I can only semi-rough it...I'm fine with no running water but there has GOT to be a porta-potty or something. I don't have the balance or desire to poo in the woods.

i hate porta potties. i'd rather poo by myself in hole i dug, rather than poop in someone elses hole, ontop of some elses poop.

picksthemusic

This needed an SS.

I LOVE camping - but have no gear. DH hates camping, so that'll never happen with him. We did a pre-marital counseling retreat in the woods (we had cabins to stay in) and I think he would have run back home or to a hotel if he could have. He hated it.

But me? I love sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmallows, singing Kumbaya, all of it. I just wish I'd married someone who liked it just as much. Of course, since I love DH and all, I think I'll keep him.

amandasw

picksthemusic:

This needed an SS.

I LOVE camping - but have no gear. DH hates camping, so that'll never happen with him. We did a pre-marital counseling retreat in the woods (we had cabins to stay in) and I think he would have run back home or to a hotel if he could have. He hated it.

But me? I love sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmallows, singing Kumbaya, all of it. I just wish I'd married someone who liked it just as much. Of course, since I love DH and all, I think I'll keep him.

I can add a SS if you want!  I guess the question is, do you go camping now though?   Let me know if you voted yet.

picksthemusic

amandasw:

picksthemusic:

This needed an SS.

I LOVE camping - but have no gear. DH hates camping, so that'll never happen with him. We did a pre-marital counseling retreat in the woods (we had cabins to stay in) and I think he would have run back home or to a hotel if he could have. He hated it.

But me? I love sleeping in a tent, roasting marshmallows, singing Kumbaya, all of it. I just wish I'd married someone who liked it just as much. Of course, since I love DH and all, I think I'll keep him.

I can add a SS if you want!  I guess the question is, do you go camping now though?   Let me know if you voted yet.

I did, I just said "now and then" because it's true. I've done cabin camping with a friend just last year (which I know doesn't count for your poll, but I'd still go even if DH didn't).

amandasw

My answer: my mom grew up camping and hated it (traumatized by driving in a car for hours with both parents smoking and windows rolled up) and my dad grew up overseas so he didn't go camping.  We tried it once when I was young and it was sort of a failure.  My family's idea of vacation was having new cultural or historical experiences, which I now value.  I don't hate camping and actually can adapt to pretty much any experience, I just choose to put my money/time towards things that aren't camping gear.

This came up because my classmates wanted to go camping before the retreat, so we went Sunday night - tent next to car in a state park that had bathrooms, so call it what you want.  Anyway, it's spread through the department like wildfire that as a Seattle native I haven't camped much and have little interest in it.  I had a drunk faculty member 'arguing' with me during the party at 1am, lol.  I'm just ambivalent which somehow makes people super annoyed, like religion or something.  I'm girly, but I'm not prissy (which maybe people are assuming?) and was fine camping, it's just not how I want to spend my time/money usually.  And I managed to find the one AK man who also isn't into camping

karimychel

Alright Amanda - spill it! Let's here about this camping retreat. 

jennlin

picks--since you love camping so much, you should come with h &i! we have extra stuff! we love camping so much, and we try to convince people to go all the time...the only thing our non-camping friends need to bring with them is their own blankets, pillows, etc. we have air mattress, tent, chairs, everything else you might need . and there are *lots* of kids in the group we go with...so when babygirl gets to a year or so..she came come play!

karimychel

Amanda - your DH really should take you to Alaska. You'd be shocked at how many people grew up there or have lived there for years and have no interest in camping. My SIL grew up in AK and she went camping for the first time in her late 20's. 

My mom will go camping with us but we tease her for being high maintenance. She *will* use an out house if forced to - she prefers to have facilities. My dad bought an old cabin - no running water, no heat, no electricity, basically looks like a shed - and she's never slept in it.  Dad ended up going back out and buying a small camper where mom can have her electricity, watch her laptop before bed and have a ice cold diet pepsi from the fridge in the morning. 

 

amandasw

karimychel:

Amanda - your DH really should take you to Alaska. You'd be shocked at how many people grew up there or have lived there for years and have no interest in camping. My SIL grew up in AK and she went camping for the first time in her late 20's. 

we've been a couple of times actually.  H didn't grow up camping, although his dad likes fishing and shooting guns, so I guess he has done some other outdoorsy things (and I've tried them too when I was there).  AK is super pretty, but a little too 'small town' for me (he grew up in Anchorage). 

jennlin

kari--you should come with us, too, since you haven't gone since you've moved. but h and i don't plan on going back until sept next year and maybe even may of 2013 because of baby. the group we go with have all brought their kids since the kids were 5 mos, 6 mos, 7 mos, 9 mos, and the "oldest" of the babies first times was 13 months. we'll be at 7 months, so we'll see what happens!

jennuinne

I never go now, haven't since high school.  But, I grew up camping (often w/ a motor home, but also have stayed in tents).  I love it, but DH has never been and thinks it's crazy.  Maybe we'll go eventually.

karimychel

jennlin:

kari--you should come with us, too, since you haven't gone since you've moved. but h and i don't plan on going back until sept next year and maybe even may of 2013 because of baby. the group we go with have all brought their kids since the kids were 5 mos, 6 mos, 7 mos, 9 mos, and the "oldest" of the babies first times was 13 months. we'll be at 7 months, so we'll see what happens!

Sounds fun! We'll see how it goes - we might not be in Seattle then and/or I might be the one KU at that point.  

karimychel

amandasw:

karimychel:

Amanda - your DH really should take you to Alaska. You'd be shocked at how many people grew up there or have lived there for years and have no interest in camping. My SIL grew up in AK and she went camping for the first time in her late 20's. 

we've been a couple of times actually.  H didn't grow up camping, although his dad likes fishing and shooting guns, so I guess he has done some other outdoorsy things (and I've tried them too when I was there).  AK is super pretty, but a little too 'small town' for me (he grew up in Anchorage). 

Yes - Anchorage is small town - that's why I ran as soon as I possibly could  

jennlin

karimychel:

Sounds fun! We'll see how it goes - we might not be in Seattle then and/or I might be the one KU at that point.  

i went when i was KTFU, and one of the others went when she was 8 months i think? totally doable. but if you're not in seattle, that's another story!

karimychel

jennlin:

karimychel:

Sounds fun! We'll see how it goes - we might not be in Seattle then and/or I might be the one KU at that point.  

i went when i was KTFU, and one of the others went when she was 8 months i think? totally doable. but if you're not in seattle, that's another story!

Perhaps your crowd is tamer than our usual crowd - there is no way I'd be KTFU and go camping and I'd be the only sober one in the crowd.  

jennlin

karimychel:

jennlin:

karimychel:

Sounds fun! We'll see how it goes - we might not be in Seattle then and/or I might be the one KU at that point.  

i went when i was KTFU, and one of the others went when she was 8 months i think? totally doable. but if you're not in seattle, that's another story!

Perhaps your crowd is tamer than our usual crowd - there is no way I'd be KTFU and go camping and I'd be the only sober one in the crowd.  

hahahahahaha actually our crowd is the same. it's hard to not drink with them, but it's only for a limited time

mgoss228

The closest I've been to camping is passing out drunk in the Gorge's camping grounds during DMB weekend (I was with DH and was safe), and I don't really consider that camping so I voted no camping and no desire to ever camp.

The only thing that would get to me to out to the woods would be a Zombie Apocalypse

ImRene

I've gone camping several times as a kid, and even in my early 20's.  But the older I got, the less I enjoy it.  Pretending I'm homeless isn't so fun for me. 

koosh ball

DH hates the outdoors/camping and refuses to go. Kind of a bummer but kind of not also.

mrandmrsbrist

When I was younger, my family went at least four times during the summer. I loved it! H has never been camping. He's slept in a tent at a get together thing out of town, but he's never camped just to camp. We went over Labor Day and I think I've got him hooked.

merrileekate

We're now-and-thens. I grew up in a family where "camping" was a term used to describe having to stay at the Holiday Inn instead of the Hyatt, so my first camping trip was a couple of summers ago. I married an eagle scout, and while he's not insistent that we go camping all the time, we seem to have found a happy medium. We went 3 times this summer. I've grown to really enjoy it, provided there's an air mattress in our tent and actual bathrooms (NOT porta potties!). We've gone both with friends and just H and I. H used to backpack and camp that way, but he says he's over ever wanting to do that again and it doesn't sound so great to me, so we'll stick with just car camping.

MiniSteph

I'm more of the great indoors kind of person. I like being able to control the temperature (for the most part) and have four solid walls.

I'm not the biggest fan of nature. That's ok, more camping for those who like it!

sarack

jennlin:

KST_:

I can only semi-rough it...I'm fine with no running water but there has GOT to be a porta-potty or something. I don't have the balance or desire to poo in the woods.

i hate porta potties. i'd rather poo by myself in hole i dug, rather than poop in someone elses hole, ontop of some elses poop.