Inspired by a friends current vacation
Have fun, Jon <3
Edit: I sometimes keep forgetting the meme communities on Lemmy are incapable of taking things as the joke they are. Y'all worry too much about taking shit seriously. Chill out lol
Skill issue
I say the same thing when people say they don't enjoy taxidermy because of the dead animal aspect.
Go to bed earlier
Never leave your tent open longer than the time necessary to get in or out of it.
Store your equipment in sealed containers when not in use (make sure to wash and dry it first!)
Self-inflating sleeping pad + better tent location solves the painful and damp sleeping conditions.
You can have an equally bad time staying at a hotel, if you do it wrong too.
This entire post reads "I don't know how to camp/go backpacking.
Get yourself a travel air mattress or sleeping pad, probably a better sleeping bag. Solves the lack of sleep and sore back.
Get a proper tent that's water proof and learn how to set it up properly so water doesn't pool under it. Make sure the vents have good mosquito netting to keep bugs our, and never have the entry unzipped a second longer than it takes to get in and out of.
For the mice, don't have food in unsealed containers and if you're in bear country you should be hanging a bear bag at least 100 feet (30m~ ) from you campsite, make sure cook wear and utensils are all properly cleaned too. Some newer tents even have a pouch built in near the door to seal a bag into, minimizing the chance of something deciding to make it a new home.
I hang my food and cooking kit even when I am not in bear country because I don't want a raccoon to destroy hundreds of dollars in gear.
If you are bringing an air mattress, you're probably car camping and may be able to leave the food / cooler in the trunk.
Once in Missouri I went camping with my parents and they love to cook at camp Tons of chopping boards, utensils, etc were left out overnight, which attracted dozens of raccoons. They had the coolers secure but it was still wild to see. Rookie mistake from people who actually have a lot of experience.
Also, hammock camping can be very comfortable if you have an under quilt and tarp
Someone wasn't in the scouts.
Seriously. Mice? Are they homeless?
I wouldn't want to camp either if I was the kind of person who doesn't plan ahead and also crumbles at the slightest inconveinience, I don't want people like that camping with me either so go ahead and stay home please and thank you.
Yeah, I have a wonderful time camping, but it’s because I’m experienced enough to know what to pack. If it’s cold, a small cot (to get you off of the cold hard ground) and foam sleeping pad (to insulate your underside) will do wonders. Or if it’s hot, just string a bug net over a hammock, and you’ll sleep cool and breezy.
Also, don’t underestimate the value of a good solid meal. Some of my best meals have been made in the middle of fucking nowhere, with nothing but a Dutch oven, my pocket knife, and a campfire. It’s hard to feel upset about camping when you’re noshing on the best bowl of soup you’ve ever had.
Ok I will thanks
You sound like enjoyable company.
I am if you’re not whining. I’m an absolute peach.
Which camper hurt you? You're through the entire comments with a massive chip on your shoulder lol
You know who isn't enjoyable company? The fucking idiot who made the original post.
I used to hate camping for this reason.
Then I learned how to set up a hammock. It's (roughly) the same amount of effort to set up, but I actually sleep better than in a bed.
Switching to hammocking made a huge difference for me!
Eventually I did the AT and hammocked almost every night. Only drawback was leaving my pack outside overnight and picking off the spiders and insects in the am.
You mean picking the spiders from you or from your backpack?
I case of the former, there are mosquito nets for hammocks. I use them when I go wild camping with my hammock almost every time.
I'm case of the later, maybe putting on the rain protection might help, as you can pull it off and give it a good shaking in the morning.
I use a portable cot with a mattress pad, it's quite comfy =)
I love my backpacking cot, sets up in like 2 minutes and I'm off the ground and can lay comfortably anywhere, I like to lay by the fire before bed at night, it's perfect.
Tangentially related: setting up hammocks in my living room was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. It’s so comfortable.
Tell your friend to gitgud
I love camping, and have had some great trips in the rain. Can be very comfy even with a backpack setup if you know what you're doing.
That being said, this is hilarious.
And at least you have enough unsolicited advice to make it more comfortable if you want to go again 😅
Most of these can honestly be solved by getting a hammock with an integrated bug net, an underquilt and a tarp if it's raining. You can get like all of that for ~$200 brand new that's half decent. Onewind makes some pretty alright stuff for the money.
I don't think I'm ever sleeping on the ground if I ever get a chance.
So many fragile campers in the comments. It's ok if people don't like your hobby. They might not find it worth the time, money, and effort to "get good". You don't have to defend the things you like from people who aren't into it.
I would normally agree with you on the “get good” sentiment being obnoxious to deal with but…. nature doesn’t fuck around. People who go into the wilderness unprepared can and do die.
It’s not just bears and starvation that can kill you. You can get sick, get infections, get poisoned, get frostbite, hypothermia, heat stroke, and many other afflictions that will either ruin your trip, ruin your life, or kill you if you’re unlucky enough. Even just something as simple as scraping your knee on a rock can give you a staph infection that costs you your leg, a risk that can be averted just by wearing a pair of jeans when walking in the woods.
But besides all that: camping is way more enjoyable when you do some basic research, make a plan, and do the basic preparations you need for the plan to be successful. If you’re not willing to do that then you probably shouldn’t go camping in the first place!
It's also entirely reasonable for people to roast you and tell you to git gud when you make a whole ass post about it though. Right?
It's like those posts about turning 30 and your body falling apart immediately. No, you're probably doing something very wrong, that's not normal. We can point you in the right direction and you can choose to ignore it, that's fine. Nobody's really being fragile here.
Right, it's just as silly when I do it as all the commenters come in to defend camping.
Not when everything OP mentioned is lack of skills. One thing is to not like camping other is doing it completely wrong..
Oh wow, you're really passionate about not liking camping.
When I was like 7-9 I went on a "camping" trip with my football/soccer team.
Really, we were just putting up tents on the field we usually practiced at after some very tame river rafting.
It was the first time I was away from my parents. And I was inconsolable. I cried most of the night. To the point the supervisors offered to call my parents so I could talk to them. (And mobile phoning someone back then was not cheap),
In the end I just cried myself empty.
Because I was asleep so late, I slept into the morning and my "tent mates" pulled down the tent around me while I was sleeping.
So I woke up in drizzling rain, lying in my sleeping bag on a thin plastic sheet with no tent around me. While all my "friends" were in the club house having breakfast.
I did not stay in the soccer club long after that.
The only thing I really struggle with is shitting in the woods. Everything else is manageable.
More fiber.
Also, if you wait long enough, it won't be a struggle.
Depending on how far you need to travel, just bring a 5 gallon bucket with a hole cut in the bottom. Flip it over and shit through the hole. Portable toilet.
all of that and yet somehow i feel better than ever
It's definitely an experience rather than a vacation sort of thing. I like it
I hated camping as a child because I had no say in where, when, or for how long. As an adult I'm not camping alone as a woman. My husband would just die in the wilderness, it's not kind to a guy with cerebral palsy.
I enjoy it even when it's not wilderness camping-- drive up to a site with a level of facilities you're comfortable with (toilet, sinks, etc), have a little bbq, do some stargazing, sleep with some nature sounds, drive home. I know those kinds of places aren't near everyone but camping doesn't have to be bushwhacking or backpacking.
This is why you day hike and sleep in a hotel.
You wouldn't have made it though the paleolithic era bro. You don't have the survival instincts ᵃⁿᵈ ᵃˡˢᵒ ᶦᵗ ˡᵃˢᵗᵉᵈ ˡᶦᵏᵉ ³ ᵐᶦˡˡᶦᵒⁿ ʸᵉᵃʳˢ ᵒʳ ˢᵒᵐᵉᵗʰᶦⁿᵍ ᵃⁿᵈ ⁿᵒᵇᵒᵈʸ ʰᵃˢ ᵉᵛᵉʳ ˡᶦᵛᵉᵈ ᶠᵒʳ ᵗʰᵃᵗ ˡᵒⁿᵍ ˢᵒ ᶠᵃʳ
I dunno, I like my chances. Been living so far and the trend is continuing in the right direction to survive that long
I said so far cause I think that in like 150 years science will have advanced enough to make the quadrillionaire oligarchs undying and unkillable
I detest camping. I've camped in a number of places and it has never been good. I don't care if it's the rolling Mongolian steppe greeting me in the morning, it's still horrible.
I like floors.
Which is why I upgraded to an RV/Camper. The smallest, lightest I can find.
I don't mind being outside, cooking, eating, everything else. But I want a floor and a bed for sleeping, along with kind-of-solid walls.
I like to set my tent up in the lowest elevation spot I can find too.
I live in the PNW, it’s like nature conjures up rain clouds to place directly over any campsite. People here act like the rain makes it better and will tell you to bring your own blue skies, a blue tarp to hang over all your stuff
i stopped going camping when i moved away from home. good riddance.
I fucking hate camping so much
It's a meme but you just tickled my autism.
It gets better with every single trip. I remember my first wilderness backpacking. Horrible. No sleep. Anxiety. Sun stroke.
Hundreds of trips later I sleep out of my backpack than I do in my apartment in the city. Every time you go out you dial in your gear and strategy a little more.
The thing I hate the most is not being clean which is why I don't usually do more than 3 nights out there alone anymore. After several days of sweating I just stop having any sort of fun. And I'm a wimp for cold water and have no idea how these people are jumping into alpine lakes.
That said, though, I like your meme because it discourages other people to try it. It's hard enough to get permits for certain trails!
I like your meme because it discourages other people to try it.
Huh? You just said the meme is relatable and if you do go camping and this happens you could do a 'goddamn, I should've known'.
It's hard enough to get permits for certain trails!
Ah, so you're just selfish
Hoenstly, if youve ever seen a favourite spot or trail get absolutely overrun by instagram tourists and the general public youd understand that feeling.
Theres beautiful spots in the peak district that get so clogged up in the summer that youve got cars parked up and down every single road in a 10 mile radius.
Ive volunteered with groups that do weekly litter picks at some of these spots and trails and we'll often run out of bags.
I dont think its selfish to wish these spots just never got discovered by the public. As soon as one of these beauty spots gets big, its a losing battle against the general public and everyone who wants to make bank from them
People destroy nature, that's just sadly how it is
I hate camping too lol, but I like staying in nature in a little cabin or lodge haha
There's two types of camping: (1) outdoor camping, which is the shitty one ; and (2) indoor, which has pillow forts.
Homelessness, but fun.
Stealth camping is a real thing, where people try to scout spots to stay overnight without getting caught.
But unless it’s coming from a specific part of France, it’s just sparkling homelessness. It’s really just a bunch of rich dudes who like to cosplay as homeless.
Stealth camping is just recreational homelessness
Was your tent just a sheet over a single string?
If you’re in a hammock, a tarp overhead (and maybe a bug net around the hammock) is often all you need. You’re off the ground, so you don’t need to worry about water runoff. And sleeping in the open means there’s always a breeze to keep you cool, even on a warm rainy night. All the tarp does is keep the wet from hitting you in the face, and gravity keeps it off of everywhere else.
Jon suchs at camping LOL
For me, camping is fun the day after I get home and have already had a shower, a good sleep, and put everything away.
Putting stuff away is the worst part, especially if you have to air out wet tarps
Tarps, tent, flys, cleaning coolers and drying them too, re-packing everything in storage if camping isn’t a regular event…yeah. It’s fun, but there’s a reason it’s not super common for most people.
At least your friends weren't trampled by a moose.
Camping is a blast. Pair it with fishing for a really good time
That's why I bought a camper van.
Jon, Arbuckle?
This is a very inefficient method of telling everyone that you don't know how to camp for shit.
Yeah, you should definitely have a massive hangover in the morning, too
I don't understand drunk hangovers.
Drink water. Then you don't have hangovers. That's it.
People that don't enjoy sounding might not want to do it for reasons other than lack of skill. Same with camping.
Yeah, but if someone says "I hate sounding, stabbing myself in the balls sucks!" you'd have a pretty good idea that they are doing it wrong. There's a difference between "I hate activity, it's not for me" and "I hate activity, I actively participate in it in a way that is easily avoidable and will make me miserable." It's just a meme, let people discuss it lmao