Has Camping Changed !!

[6knights]

Sorry the photos didn't work.................ok now they have

[bunyip]

timetogo,

Wonderfully beautiful place you have there.

Bunyip

[bert56]

I'm prepared to camp the old fashion way. I've seen a cape guide take his electric frypan when he goes camping, (not mentioning any names).

fire to cook on .
beer in the esky.
sleep in the car or on the ground.



Bert

[Teabag]

We have just reverted back to the old way of just a tent though still use 12v fridge and 12v LED lighting instead of gas lantern or a Tilley lantern of years past. It is one of the best things we have done. Quicker set up and pack up, no trailer to tow which can be a pain and the real feel of camping. It's fantastic.....

[LB]

camping used to mean a cheap holiday, now there are so many must haves (well we think there must haves until we put them on Ebay 2 years later) that it can become more expensive then a road trip with motels.

The one thing I don't understand it the amount of money people will spend to camp at caravan parks a guy at work spent close to $250 for 3 nights for his family to camp down near kiama over easter. He said it was great that they had a pool and a playground.

We spent less than a $100 for 5 nights at Wyangala Dam. We had a much bigger pool(The Dam) and a playground. Plus we had lots of tracks for Bunyip to take all the kids on       bumby drive.

LB

[Patt31]

I still have my tent, but have the CT and also a vintage caravan, but prefer the CT and love getting go to the remote places where we see very few people but get back to nature.

My back doesnt like tenting anymore, hence the preference for the CT. We only use the caravan for visitors or to go to caravan parks for short times (hate detest crowds) hence it gets little use. (hhhmmmm thought here, sell it extra funds for trip  )

We are taking the CT around oz next year, so I suppose we will get to see how much we dont need longest trip in it has been 8 weeks, so 52 weeks will be interesting as cant just pop back home to get what we need or forgot.

I remember when we were young going camping in the old a frame 2 man tents with blow up air mattresses and waking up in the morning to being serenaded by cows and putting my foot right in a hot one when exiting the tent. ahhhh the good old days. 4 kids and 2 adults in 2 tents. One happy family. Cooking by the camp fire, no fancy stoves or cooking equipment, basic food, basic equipment, but gosh I love my CT and all that it contains especially the loo

[speewa158]

This is an interestin g question . Recently at our Mitchels Crossing catch up we watched as the little swaggers interacted when they 1st met . t was showing each other their games machines & then a big yarn about what was cool & what was not . Sadely the power ran out in the games  " What do we do now  ". Then as 1 they discovered MUD & WATER , what more could you ask for . Kids using there minds to amuse themselves .  Now its " Dad  when can we go again  /
Yes camping has changed & the teckno stuff is totaly up to yourself as to how much or little you want . Really its Bums on seats by campfires either alone or in a huge group , As long as you enjoy 

[MarkVS]

I don't think my camping, in essence, has changed that much..except that even though I have more 'high tech' stuff, I actually have more time camping.

Most of the stuff we have, allows us to setup and pack away MUCH quicker than what it used to when I was younger. (camper unfolds instead of pitching a tent, fridge esky is there rather than having to travel and buy ice or make ice blocks, and have a bigger esky to fit it etc etc).  It is lighter, more robust, more practical and allows us to enjoy where we are a lot more.  And I can get out more often as it is pre-packed and almost ready to go. When I was young, our family only went on school holidays/long weekends and spent ages getting our stuff together to go away. 

So I think it has changed..but in a lot of ways, to make it easier and more enjoyable.

MarkVS

[bunyip]

(hate detest crowds)

I'm with you Patt31. Hows the serenity

[Woodsie]

Oh well, at the end of the day we are all "Living the dream".....and we all dream differently, but the basics are all the same

[WaituiRob]

I heard today about a caravan park on the NSW South Coast that is developing another 10 acres for " tent camping only " Each site will have it`s own generator  The owner saw the idea in the good ole U.S.A and thinks it will be a hit here ! Certainly not my idea of getting away from it all.

  Robyn.

[JethroT]

Our camping has definitely changed, I have to buy a bigger inverter to run the Espresso machine.

Regards

[Memem284]

We used to camp in the car as kids when we lived on the West Coast. Mum would sleep across the front seat, big sister across the back seat, youngest 2 (including me) would sleep in the back on the Holden station wagon and Dad would sleep under the car with the dog.

But the fishing was great!

Now we have a Jayco Eagle but still love to get away.

[DannyG]

Our camping has changed from before we had kids to 20 odd years later our kids are almost at the age where they wont come any more so a lot has changed between those two dates.

We started out with a cheap 2 man tent that was funny to watch us put up when we first started going out together, to the bigger 'family' tents when the kids come along to a camper trailer today.

I guess as time goes on we could afford more or better gear, we learnt what was good or bad or suited our needs better making plenty of mistakes along the way.

The basic idea behind camping has always been the same for us though. We are not wealthy people by any means and never will be so for us 'camping' is a way of having a break/holiday that we can afford.

Sure we have done the hotel room thing in the past in surfers paradise for instance and yes everyone thoroughly enjoyed it but when you look at the money spent to spend a week or so doing such a holiday it is an extravagance for us.

So over the years being able to pack up the camping gear and head to the bush/beach or where ever for a few days is a very cheap get away in comparison.

We have this burning desire to spend as much quality time with our kids as possible before they are too old to want to come with us. 1 and 1/2 of them are already too old the other 2 and 1/2 are getting to see more of Australia than either my wife or I ever did as kids.

So No in the sense of what it is all about has not changed but for the sake of this topic yes it has changed a lot over the years.......we are not getting younger either

The humble beginnings before kids......late 80's I think


After the kids come along....we didn't have much but it was all we could afford


Family holidays with tents still but more mod cons etc.......


And of course today with almost every luxury you could want while 'camping'    

[Kit_e_kat9]

Oh well, at the end of the day we are all "Living the dream".....and we all dream differently, but the basics are all the same

"Getting the Hell Outta Dodge" is the only basic I can see here.    

Kit_e
Coffee Machines / Generators / Comfy Beds / Shower Systems / Televisons / Pay TV / Audio System ... Next they'll be wanting to bring the shopping centre    

[Nomad]

The humble beginnings before kids......late 80's I think

Is that a HJ V8?
Niiiiice...............

[6knights]

Is that a HJ V8?
Niiiiice...............

I was eyeing off that as well , back when they made cars with character

[GeeTee]

Go the Kingswood wagon

[hargs]

Very jealous of those that went camping as kids.....my old man didn't believe in holidays at all, I was 18 before I even went on one !!!!! Not one family holiday ever, think my dad may have regretted it a bit when he was 93 and in a nursing home with lots of time to think, so I needed to learn how to do it ........
I guess that was the case for a lot of farm kids.......but as our own kids got older we had a few camping trips and I was hooked !!

Now have a CT..........and love it.

[peanut2]

The things I don't miss from the camping of old - was putting a new mantle in the gas light everytime we wanted to use it (didn't take much of a knock to kill them) and the other thing was buying ice for the esky. 

I love my generator and fridge and plug in lights.


Peanut

[bunyip]

Peanut2,

I have one more trip with the gas lanterns and mantles, thinking of still taking one light with us when we get the CT so that we can move it near the fire. One of the people we camp with loves to knit by the fireplace.

I don't miss putitng up the dining fly tarp with all the poles and ropes. We got a 6x3 gazebo a few years back and it makes life so much easier. When it rains as we setup we get the gazebo up and slide the trailer under it to keep everything dry.

Bunyip 

[Paul (SA)]

Camping will always change - it is the one constant.

Like most things, technology and innovation evolves, regulation comes and hopefully goes and the experiences you had in years gone by will always be different than what is experienced today.

It's how we are as human beings.

Twenty years ago who would have conceived the GPS, smart phones and laptops we have now and here we are in 2012 and we can't be without them.

Don't be disappointed in change, just be grateful for what you have experienced in the past.....

[DannyG]

Is that a HJ V8?
Niiiiice...............

Yeh mate it wasnt mine but an old classic none the less. I am a Ford man but over the years had a few Holdens I loved. My HJ 253 was unkillable

And at the risk of hijacking the thread here is a 308 Stato I used to own in my mullet days LOL (we used to sleep in it....to keep it on topic!)

[Bird]

I think its interesting people complain about their cars/trailer weighing so much...

... then you see them for hours non stop pulling out things of their car/trailers... even Shit like rear projection TV's, microwaves, DVD players, dryers, you name it...

no idea why you've run out of room in your B double.

[Redback]

I've been camping for over 40yrs and never had a generator, maybe I'm doing it wrong

I think I have only used one once, that was on the MySwag Gulf trip, Yogi helped me out, (thanks mate your a champ)annoyed my so much I didn't use it again, just worked around the problem.

Baz.