How did you start out camping?

[bentjm]

I started in 1966 when I was five. My parents, brother, and me in a 8 x 10 Coleman canvas tent that leaked if you touched the walls when they were wet. Had canvas blow up mattresses that leaked out overnight. Had a Coleman white gas lantern and cookstove that I still have in my possession.

These days I go "camping" in my houseboat or my RV.

[GFC]

My first wife and I lived in MI and "camped" across eastern Canada in the back of our Pontiac station wagon. That was in 1968. We did a few trips around MI then decided to buy a tent. Before we could buy one Uncle Sam came knocking on my door.

In 1970 I was shipped to Anchorage. We camped all over AK in a large tent with walls and a floor. It was like heaven.

In about 1980 I bought a 1946 Kit trailer that I towed all over the PNW. I took a "men only" trip every year with my boys and hit all the national parks and several state parks with that old trailer. One of our favorite memories was at Fishing Bridge campground at Yellowstone. I was cooking dinner and apparently a Bison decided to come by to see what smelled so good. He bumped his head up against the open doorway to see inside. Scared the devil out of the boys for a few minutes before he wandered away.

In the early 90's I bought a 19' Kit trailer and we camped every summer in that for about 10 years.

Then I got into boating and that became our summer activity. Started with a 20', then a 33' then a 55'. Sorta like buying RV's--they just keep getting bigger.

[HighDesert]

early sixties in Boy scouts, then tent camping, married and tent trailer, then slide in for truck, the TT, then back to slide in, then 4, 5th wheel units, then a class C and now a Class A.

[garry1p]

OP here I suspected there would not be a lot of "Well we got out of bed today and decided to buy an RV".
As myself almost all of us worked our way up from a tent through various types of campers while many others starting in scouts or parents at an early age.
Enjoyed the many stories.

[Rob_M]

Originally Posted by Rob_M

Started as a pre-teen with a sleeping bag on the ground behind our house in rural Missouri waking up wet with dew. Then building a lean-to in the woods on the farm behind us, listening to the coyotes in the distance telling ghost stories with my friends. Burning whatever we could kill for food over a campfire.
Fast forward to Texas young adults tent-camping and partying by lake Travis... then married and tent camping with our young kids and in-laws on air mattresses in camp grounds in Tennessee (which didn’t make much sense to me because our property was more secluded than a busy campground lol).
Then to a pop up with our teenage kids usually by a lake, with our small ski-boat beached close by.
Then spending weekends actually on the lake in the cuddy-cabins of our various boats, which we still do on occasion.
Fast forward to our kids are now grown and we spent their inheritance on a Class-A DP. We love being self contained and able to boondock on the beach or in the desert or in the forest or yes even in a busy campground parked next to our best friends and fellow empty nesters.
And the kids even show up sometimes.

Found this pic from the mid-80’s tent camping and partying at Paleface park Lake Travis. Me and my gal now wife 36 years so far...guess I’ll keep her. Nice mullet huh? Lol

[RayChez1]

My wife and I started camping after we had our two kids. We bought us a truck and then I bought a overhead camper. I figured it was the best thing for raising kids, show them other things in life besides living in a city. So we would take off to the high sierras and camp out, fish and showed them how much fun it was to do this. We also bought a day cruiser boat and a nine man tent and we would go up the Colorado river find us a nice sandy beach and set up a tent and camp out on the beach. Lots of good times. Then after the kids left wife and i started looking for the bigger coaches class A. But really that is more like taking the house with you. It is a different kind of camping, but then again we are older and like the softer beds etc etc.

[arcaguy]

The first camping trip I remember was to Rocky Mountain National Park, probably in 1959 or early sixties when I was 5 or so years old. It was in a 9x9 canvas tent packed in the trunk of a car. A couple of years later my parents bought a 9x18 canvas tent from Sears which we used for several years. From there it was on to a 1960s Cox pop-up camper which I just gave to my daughter last year. It's a little long in the tooth but still serviceable. Heck I even used it for my honeymoon 19 years ago. From there I down sized to a Kelty tent that would fit on the back of my motorcycle and have been using that since. I am currently in the market for a Nexus Wraith 35W so if anyone has a nice clean one for sale please let me know. Once I get the coach I plan on going full time.

[chefred112]

absolutely loved reading the stories...I'm hoping to make great memories as well!

Started by tent camping with the boy scouts in the 70's and loved it. Then life got in the way, got married early in life had 2 kids then divorced. Fast forward a few years later and met my now best bud who re-introduced me to tent camping and having a boat and loved camping ever since. Met my now wife at a night club. She had never experienced camping before and our 1st date was tent camping with her and her best bud and me and my best bud. It opened a whole new world for her and she took hold and ran with it... we soon wanted to camp more then my best bud and we bought our 1st boat (when i knew she was the one ). We would take my 2 kids camping and life was good... the kids grew up and moved away and started families of their own. We had 2 more kids (now 13 an 5) and continued tent camping at least twice a month during the kid's summer vacations. We just decided a few months ago to move from Cali to NC by this time next year to be closer to my wife's sister and my oldest daughter's family (recently moved to SC). Didn't think of it at the time but one late night watching youtube vids i came across a family full timing it in a class A, then another and then came across all sorts of good folks doing it.... I though this is pretty interesting. I kinda threw it by DW just for the heck of it and all of a sudden she got excited (like our 1st date)...right away she talked about seeing the older kids and grandkids (now 7 of them) and making a journey of it on our way to NC... that was all she wrote, we spent the last couple months researching class A's figuring out our wants and needs...our 1st idea was something in the 26-32' ft range but as we researched further, to get the amenities and needs we preferred , the coach's got longer and longer. We scoured craigslist and rvtrader for that ONE coach. Every time we thought we found one, it just got sold. Last weekend we saw a potential one from cl an was on our way to see a 2nd one when we passed a dealer that had about 6 class A's on their lot. We thought it couldn't hurt to see them and reinforce our wants and needs visually. By now i knew I wanted a diesel pusher because i wanted to do more then just weekend camping and wanted to pull my expedition (saw another family on YT pulling an extended version). We also immediately fell in love with the Mountain Aire we stepped in as it checked off nearly all the checkmarks as well as being in great shape for a 2002. We went back a day later to close the deal.. i am picking her up Saturday after the dealer the dealer has a 3rd party do a once over inspection and detail. I look forward to sharing new life experiences with you all...

[Shutterbug57]

Originally Posted by chefred112

absolutely loved reading the stories...I'm hoping to make great memories as well!

Started by tent camping with the boy scouts in the 70's and loved it. Then life got in the way, got married early in life had 2 kids then divorced. Fast forward a few years later and met my now best bud who re-introduced me to tent camping and having a boat and loved camping ever since. Met my now wife at a night club. She had never experienced camping before and our 1st date was tent camping with her and her best bud and me and my best bud. It opened a whole new world for her and she took hold and ran with it... we soon wanted to camp more then my best bud and we bought our 1st boat (when i knew she was the one ). We would take my 2 kids camping and life was good... the kids grew up and moved away and started families of their own. We had 2 more kids (now 13 an 5) and continued tent camping at least twice a month during the kid's summer vacations. We just decided a few months ago to move from Cali to NC by this time next year to be closer to my wife's sister and my oldest daughter's family (recently moved to SC). Didn't think of it at the time but one late night watching youtube vids i came across a family full timing it in a class A, then another and then came across all sorts of good folks doing it.... I though this is pretty interesting. I kinda threw it by DW just for the heck of it and all of a sudden she got excited (like our 1st date)...right away she talked about seeing the older kids and grandkids (now 7 of them) and making a journey of it on our way to NC... that was all she wrote, we spent the last couple months researching class A's figuring out our wants and needs...our 1st idea was something in the 26-32' ft range but as we researched further, to get the amenities and needs we preferred , the coach's got longer and longer. We scoured craigslist and rvtrader for that ONE coach. Every time we thought we found one, it just got sold. Last weekend we saw a potential one from cl an was on our way to see a 2nd one when we passed a dealer that had about 6 class A's on their lot. We thought it couldn't hurt to see them and reinforce our wants and needs visually. By now i knew I wanted a diesel pusher because i wanted to do more then just weekend camping and wanted to pull my expedition (saw another family on YT pulling an extended version). We also immediately fell in love with the Mountain Aire we stepped in as it checked off nearly all the checkmarks as well as being in great shape for a 2002. We went back a day later to close the deal.. i am picking her up Saturday after the dealer the dealer has a 3rd party do a once over inspection and detail. I look forward to sharing new life experiences with you all...

Congrats on the new rig. Be sure to have your Expedition outfit by a competent shop. Not sure of your year, but the newer Expeditions need to have a charge cable run from the coach connection to the battery. Failure to do so WILL result in a dead battery (at the least) after a few hours towing. We had such an experience with our 2019 Expedition Max - our battery was fried and needed a dealer to reset the computer system. NOTE: If you are not sure if this applies to your rig, call Demco and inquire. They know and will share this info.

Also, be sure the brake system you get is recommended by the manufacturer for a DP (air brake coach). The Demco Air Force One is a good system for a DP. The Demco Stay In Play Duo IS NOT recommended for air brake coaches, but for hydraulic brake coaches. The Duo will activate your toad brakes when the exhaust brake kicks in, which could be a big problem going down extended grades. The Air Force One only applies the toad brake when the coach brake pedal is used.

[Xmcdog]

About 1952 my brother and I camped in a tent in our back yard. Then Cub scouts. Then the army insisted that I camp in the strangest places.
Moved on to a soft top, a home made truck camper that Dad and I took to Alaska. A couple of TT 's in Australia and now a fifth. Planning on a DSDP next year or when life gets back to near normal. Then we will full time for a few years.

[armullis]

Tent Camping in Scouting, Grandparents had a pop-up and a motorhome. Mostly tenting until I bought my first travel trailer in 2007, and since then two Class A Gasers.

[chefred112]

Originally Posted by Shutterbug57

Congrats on the new rig. Be sure to have your Expedition outfit by a competent shop. Not sure of your year, but the newer Expeditions need to have a charge cable run from the coach connection to the battery. Failure to do so WILL result in a dead battery (at the least) after a few hours towing. We had such an experience with our 2019 Expedition Max - our battery was fried and needed a dealer to reset the computer system. NOTE: If you are not sure if this applies to your rig, call Demco and inquire. They know and will share this info.

Also, be sure the brake system you get is recommended by the manufacturer for a DP (air brake coach). The Demco Air Force One is a good system for a DP. The Demco Stay In Play Duo IS NOT recommended for air brake coaches, but for hydraulic brake coaches. The Duo will activate your toad brakes when the exhaust brake kicks in, which could be a big problem going down extended grades. The Air Force One only applies the toad brake when the coach brake pedal is used.

Thanks for this Shutterbug! I thought i was just gonna buy a hitch and flat mounts and call it good...I'll call around to rv shops and research this more...

thanks again...Fred

[Shutterbug57]

Originally Posted by chefred112

Thanks for this Shutterbug! I thought i was just gonna buy a hitch and flat mounts and call it good...I'll call around to rv shops and research this more...

thanks again...Fred

Our RV shop made a mess of the brake system install. After I sorted it all out, the preferred vendor was a trailer vendor. I asked Demco who they suggested in my area and the guy knew, without hesitation, so I went there for the fix to our issues. They were clearly competent and got the job done expeditiously.

[hewebb]

When I was growing up our family camped. Started with a tent first year then with a small trailer. When I got married (1961)we had a pop up trailer for a couple of years then I did not camp again until I retired (2007) and started RV'ing. Except for a few motorcycle trips with the guys where we slept in a tent.