Car camping

[Silverlion]

Just curious how many of you do or don't car camp. What are your reasons? Personal preference? Crowds? You like the peace and quiet of getting out there? Thru hiker?
I mostly car camp, but in more remote areas in the forest. Some are really tough to get the 4x4 Suburban in to. If I go alone, I like to hike in a little(foot problems have prevented me from longer hikes, now on the mend). If the whole family goes, providing I can manage to convince the wife to go, we end up at a campground with facilities...and people. Not what I like, but it's a compromise to get the whole family out and away from the TV.
I have a lot of creature comforts that I take with me while car camping. Call me spoiled, but ...ok, I'm spoiled. I also like to fish when I camp. Kind of goes hand in hand for me. I rough it when I have to hike a little though. No way I'm making 10 trips to pack all that crap in for a few nights of comfort.

I only ask because a lot of people are strongly opposed to even the thought of car camping.

[Raul Perez]

I voted sometimes. I honestly try not to as I really like the ability to go where I want and camp where I want with my hammock. Most car camping grounds dont allow hammocking at the sites. I found a few but since the scenery is crap it's not really worth it to me unless my buddies (who dont hike) want a camp out for the weekend.

[fred1diver]

for me it really all depends on a few factors, solo or with the boy, simply camping or combining with other activity (diving or traveling)
and of course where I go!!!

[pizza]

I don't very often anymore because I prefer to backpack into remote sites and not be in a noisy campground.

[canoebie]

Car camping for me is fun if I am able to find remote areas to do so. Michigan has many state forest campgrounds that are quiet and relatively wild. Outhouses and pitcher pumps. State parks on the other hand with electricity and shower houses are filled with big RV's and lots of people, remind me of camping ghettos.

I will sometimes make the sacrifice of the parks for a special attraction like a great beach on lake michigan. Most times I seek the 10-15 site state forest campgrounds and do day hikes, fish, etc. Car camping can be fun cuz I just throw stuff in, not worried about careful packing, etc. Can be quick, spontaneous, and just an excuse to get out a bit without extensive planning.

[mitmax]

i love to car camp in early spring prior to snow melt for backpacking. we enjoy grand camp fires, bringing wood in, which makes for amazing cooking. we sit/talk, read, day hike, cook/eat, enjoy a beer. never has it been in a campground or around other people. remote and wild. oregon is great for that : )

can't register on the poll for i believe it represents campgrounds. yet car camping is a treat which i enjoy and look forward to. backpacking is my passion.

[Cannibal]

I have friends that like to camp, but they hate to hike so I spend more time in formal campgrounds during the 'nice' months than I'd like to. Still good times to be had, just have to be had in a more civilized manner.

The other time I use campgrounds, and I do this a lot, is when I just want to sleep out of the reach of city lights during the winter. Many campgrounds out here are closed for winter, but there are plenty that remain 'open' year round. Facilities are generally more sparse, but it's legal camping...for a fee. IMO, this is the best place to run initial cold weather tests. All things considered, it represents a practical and safe approach since I get real weather and setup conditions, but maintain a very simple bail-out plan; walk twenty feet to truck, turn on heater.

Plus, this is the nice part, the campgrounds are empty during the winter. I've seen maybe 6 other souls on probably 25-30 winter campground trips.

[Ewker]

right now more car camping, in the summer kayak camping or backpacking

[Sarae]

Most of my trips are backpacking. I love getting away from the crowds and experiencing places that relatively few people see. Car camping is definitely fun, though. Being able to break out the dutch oven and cast iron skillets for campfire cooking is the best treat ever!

[Silverlion]

As far as the poll goes, just car camping in general. Doesn't have to be campgrounds. I hate campgrounds. Just a necessary evil when the wife comes along.