Transition to Luxury Camping
We have young kids and enjoy tent camping but set up time and clean up can be a hassle. For all you camper folks out there, at what point did you cave in and finally buy a camper. I feel that I am still young enough to tolerate rustic camping but now that we are starting to go more frequently, seems it would be a whole lot easier to just hook up and go.
I fully understand your mindset and yes, at some point the work it takes to be a tent camper does become a challenge. My honey and I met at this nude resort and did tent camp during the good weather for the first few years, but eventually we got more settled on the idea of moving to the nude resort permanently, bypassing the whole camper thing. Not everyone can get away with such a drastic choice, of course. When we were both meeting here and setting up camp early on, the pleasure of set up while naked made up for the work of it. Break down sucked no matter what, knowing we had to get ready to go back to the fake world outside the resort gates. But now it's all good! We met here in 2013 and moved into our park model in 2020.
For us it was our crazy busy schedules. If we get a free couple of days we can be on the road in less than an hour. We no longer have to worry about the weather. And on longer trips we can just pull into a parking lot and spend the night. The one nice thing about nudist resorts is they normally do not fill up as fast as textile campgrounds. And the people are a lot more friendlier.
The last time we tent camped nude was when my wife and I attended the Naturist Society's Western Gathering in 1994 at Swallows Sun Island Club near San Diego. After that her idea of tent camping was Motel 6! Last year we finally got a nice class A motorhome and love it!
at what point did you cave in and finally buy a camper.
I'm at that point now.
Actually I'm past the 100% tent camping stage and have been van camping for awhile now. Basically sleeping in the van and retreating there in bad weather. Still cook, shower, and live mostly outside though, like a tent camper would. I even still set up a tent most times just to store stuff and make more space in the van.
I don't want to tow a large camper though. So I've been looking at small campers like Casita and Scamp etc and even Aframe campers like A-liner. I keep changing my mind back and forth though and haven't settled on anything yet. One thing I like about the camper van is I like to tow a small boat (trailer) and that eliminates the small camper idea. I'd have to give up the boat if I tow a camper, but maybe I'll just alternate. Take the boat sometimes and the camper at others. I dunno. But if anyone has ideas or suggestions or things to consider about any of this stuff, I'm all ears.
I have seen several folks with larger canoes & kayaks attached to the rear of campers; would that be a possibility?
Like a little train?? I've seen that but I've never tried it. I do put canoes and kayaks on top of the van. But the small boats I tow are anywhere from 500lbs to 1500lbs. Like a little outboard skiff or a small sailboat like Flying Scot or Mariner etc. Too much to put on top of the van or a camper. Granted, there are lots of places I wouldn't take a boat. Problem is, sometimes when I head out, I'll end up who knows where and ending up wishing I'd brought something I didn't. lol!
I once tried using my Mariner (it has a cuddy cabin with bunks) as a camper but some camp grounds don't allow that. I have NO clue why not.
I understand now. I was thinking of the smaller canoes & kayaks that are mounted upright on the rear. The ones I have seen are sticking straight up; that would never work for any type of small boat. Good luck on figuring that one out. You might share it with us when you find an answer.
You might share it with us when you find an answer.
I'll definitely do that. And there are answers to be had but involve more than I want to tackle. Might work for somebody else though. For example a motor home or a large pickup with a slide in camper could tow a boat. But at this point I'm trying to simplify my life. Or at least stop complicating it lol!
We began with tent camping and did that for several years. Never had camping accommodations (tent, tent trailers, travel trailers or motorhomes). My dad always had them and allowed us to borrow them whenever we wanted to. He always got the equipment back in better shape than he gave it to us.
When we were in our late twenties, he bought a tent trailer and we used that periodically. He then went through a travel trailer phase and had 3 of those. We used them as well and then in 2004 he bought a brand new motorhome. He passed in 2019. Prior to his passing, we bought his motorhome because we were using it more than he was. We've made it our own and my wife won't camp any other way. She's done with real camping and will only glamp. I am going back in time and will tent camp, on an air mattress while on an overlanding trip with guys I used to work with. I'll have to see how it goes with doing that after all these years.
When I met my wife, I had a small (30') cabin cruiser on Lake Michigan. Spending the weekend on the boat was similar to glamping. Sometimes, we'd take tents and spend time at a nearby nude campground.
2 years ago, we decided to sell the boat and buy a fifth-wheel. It's been a great transition from boating to land yachting, and we're loving nude resorts and campgrounds!
Thanks everyone for the responses. We are in the same situation as some on you when it comes to the boat situation and parents owning a motor home. My parents have offered up their glamp mobile but we have not yet shared our new nudist lifestyle with them and there is no way I could get away with them not knowing where we are staying. We also have a boat and now the wife is talking about her getting a new truck so that one of us can pull the camper and the other can pull the boat. I see this getting really expensive real quick. I have yet to see a nudist resort (near us) on a lake big enough for a boat our size so I think I can talk her into putting that new truck on hold. I hope.
So for now I guess its the tent life for us but will have to keep my eyes open for good deals. Thinking about this in advance also gives me enough time to check out other peoples campers to help figure out which one would work best for us and what cool little modifications people make. I definitely know I would like to fashion some sort of outdoor shower on the side or back. Maybe they already make one that comes with a pop out shower head. Guess I'll find out in due time...
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