If there is no rain in the forcast I do not set up a tarp so I can watch the stars. A MP3 player with some good classical music is also a nice way to pass the time..
If there is no rain in the forcast I do not set up a tarp so I can watch the stars. A MP3 player with some good classical music is also a nice way to pass the time..
I am still 18 but with 52 years of experience !
I have to agree with much of what has been said with one caveat:
As an adult.
As an adult, I only go to the tent or hammock when I am ready to sleep. Otherwise, it is better to be out in the campsite, or at the fire, etc... This is as much a social thing as anything else. As adults we generally leave each other alone when in the tent, and the social life happens in the 'commmon' areas rather than our 'bedroom'.
That said, when I was a boy scout, the tent was our bedroom, and was considered a place away from the adults. However false, there was the feeling of privacy. Put 2-4 boys in a tent (or two with the ends put facing each other) and you had a little party room where you could giggle and talk about the stuff that you didn't want to say around the adults who were out by the fire. Magazines, cards, and snacks that we weren't supposed to have would come out, and juvenile activity would ensue. It never really occurred to us that the adults could hear every word we said, or even worse, that they could be standing right outside the tent listening to us and trying with all their might not to bust out laughing (not that I would ever do that now that I'm the adult...).
Now, if at all possible, I'll use the hammock with a tarp for my bedroom, and only plan to be there when I intend to be in bed. But for the boys, I could see the social aspect of a shared tent being a real part of the camping experience.
Don
+1. It's usually a big deal for me to get out - usually at least an hour's drive. It takes longer than I'm usually out to completely drop the city jitters but there's always transition time. I have a love/hate relationship with my superfly tarp - great for coverage/privacy but unless weather demands it - as soon as night falls one side gets flipped back or it goes back in the snakeskins cause that gets me feeling more claustrophobic than the net on my wbbb (which I haven't closed since August).
So far I've solo camped at campsites which have more drive-by visibility and access than I'm comfortable with so I often don't often have a campfire at night or keep lights on. Which eliminates doing much of anything. Which can make time go by very slowly - which can sometimes feel uncomfortable, but it's why I go. Because I tend to go to sleep earlier than usual, I often wake up in the middle of the night and take a walk.
I find that during the work life . . . there is never enough hours in a day . . .
When camping/hiking/what have you . . .
I am not to concerned with what to do . . . but sleep.
Bradley SaintJohn
Flat Bottom Canoe
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The Transition from Ground Sleeping to Hammocksis the Conversion from Agony To Ecstasy,and Curing Ground-In-somnia.
"Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show you great and mighty things . . ." Jeremiah 33:3
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Sitting by a campfire is just too obvious. Think about taking out a small light weight hobby. Whittling, Harmonica, Star maps, or keep a small piece of rope handy and practice tying knots you have trouble with.
Campfire, MP3 player & libations
It's only an addiction if you're trying to quit
I think with time you'll get used to not having the "security" of a tent. I used to be very attached to my tent. Then one summer my river buddy talked me into sleeping under the stars. It was uncomfortable at first, but once I got used to it, there was no going back. I spent almost every night that summer out of my tent, and I really hated putting up the tent when I needed to. I think the hammock is the best of both worlds.... comfort, partial enclosure, open air/or tarp coverage, and easy in & out without the annoying zipper or hunching over and crawling around on hands & knees.
KJ
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