Camping: Which Style is Best for you

If you are new to camping or are thinking about taking this activity up then I say what took you so long.  Camping is a great way to enjoy the great outdoors and everything the environment has to offer.  The best part is there are many levels of variety to camping and there is certainly one that fits your level and your needs.

The first thing you need to ask yourself is what exactly is the reason for you to go, or start going if you have never done it?  If you are an absolute beginner and have never gone before, I recommend going with someone that has.  Not to say that you won’t be able to handle camping without them, but going with someone that has some experience will fill in the blanks, so to speak, of things you might miss or forget to bring.

Like I said previously, there are a few ways you can enjoy camping.  You can go tent camping, sleep in a cabin or rent an RV.  All three ways are fine and it really depends on your personal preference.  If you are feeling really adventurous you can sleep under the stars, but I don’t recommend that to anybody who is just beginning so I won’t address it here in this particular article.

Tent camping is one of the most common ways to go camping although in recent years RV camping has had a serious boost to its popularity, more on RV camping in a moment.  Basically you set up a ten on the ground, and that is where you will sleep.  Tents have a come a long way since I started camping some thirty years ago.  Today they are well water-proofed, have great ventilation and at the same time keep some warmth in.  They have all kinds of neat extras, such as pockets for your keys and other belongings, and small windows where you can put a cooler out front and grab that beer, er um, I mean water without having to leave the tent.  If you want to invest in something even more advanced, they have tens now that are like houses, called cabin tents.  In there they have heaters, fireplaces and some come even with full blow kitchens.  However, at what point is it no longer camping right?

Maybe the idea of sleeping close to the ground is not your sort of thing but you still want to be in the outdoors.  A cabin could be for you.  Constructed of cedar or pine timbers, cabins give you just enough space to sleep and change without making it feel like you are at home.  Although there are plenty of campgrounds out there that provide cabins that seem more like vacation homes, then structures set up for campers.  The choice is entirely up to you.  They are more expensive to rent than a traditional campsite that is meant for tents so expect to spend a little more than you first thought.

As mentioned earlier, RV camping has become very popular.  The reason being the cost for startup RVs has come way down, making them available to a larger group of consumers.  RVs can give you something as simple as a popup which is a place to sleep, to something as advanced as a complete living area with fireplace, kitchen, and a bathroom.  RVs can also be as inexpensive as a few hundred dollars used, up to the big bus monstrosities that cost over six hundred thousand dollars.  Many RVs give you the flexibility of going anywhere in the country and setting up a comfortable living space in the great outdoors.  You can hook them up to a campgrounds electric and water supply so you really will have the comforts of home.

These are just three ways you can jump into camping or expand your already growing knowledge of the subject.  I personally like tent camping, with a sleeping bag and a nice air mattress.  I get the feeling of being in the outdoors without killing my back on the hard ground.