We used to roll up in the tarp. Sure is a great way to block wind and retain body heat. Never had a tent until I was 28 years old. wife and I made the first one with a Frostline kit. I've spent some wet nights, but usually stayed dry enough to avoid hypothermia with rain jacket and pants, and tarp. Now I'm a geezer, but try to stay as true to the spirit of make-do as I can. DMc ---- John Rodgers <inua@CHARTER.NET> wrote: > In my camping beginning, a blanket on a pile of leaves or grass was bed > enough, and under the stars was ok for a tent - but for wet weather. > For that I spent many a night under a simple rain tarp made from clear > polyethelyne with silver duct tape on certain points to provide anchor > points for tie-tabs. Some of my most pleasant memories are about camping > in the woods under such, with rain falling. > > John Rodgers > Clayartist and Moldmaker > 88'GL VW Bus Driver > Chelsea, AL > Http://www.moldhaus.com > > > On 6/9/2010 11:18 AM, mark drillock wrote: > > Why do so many here seem to think that how they live and do things is > > the only ideal and anything different is verging on evil? > > > > The "majority of humanity" does without a lot of things you have, is > > that really the standard you wish applied to yourself or only to those > > you deem your lessers at camp? > > > > Camping in a Vanagon of any sort is far above where I and many others > > started out. A knapsack and blanket was all I needed 40 years ago when I > > was 16. I later moved on in stages to bike camping, motorcycle camping, > > car camping, and now van camping. At what point did I go wrong? How do I > > reverse the effects of aging so I can sleep on the bare ground again? > > > > I have seen people be happy with almost nothing at camp, as well as > > others that were content with far more than I would even want. The point > > is to go places and do things with a smile in your heart. Build a wall > > of smug superiority around your heart instead if you must but please > > leave it off the Vanagon list as we are a diverse bunch with varying > > ways of doing things, evolving at our own pace. > > > > Mark > > > > Don Hanson wrote: > >> Yeah, "camping" in a Westie....that's really what is called > >> "car-camping" > >> . When you pull your vehicle right up to a picnic table and live out of > >> it...that is "car camping". > >> > >> If you spend most of your time inside, in your air conditioning, > >> I'd say > >> you aren't camping anymore, you are "RV-ing" I'd be really put off > >> if some > >> Westie spied us in a formal campground and "camped" next door > >> (because we > >> are Vanagon folks, too) and then they fired up a generator to run > >> their air > >> conditioner and watch videos and run the microwave...etc etc. > >> > >> I don't really get the point of driving to some semi-remote > >> "campsite" > >> only to spend the whole time "indoors"...especially indoors in a > >> Vanagon..You may as well stay home indoors or bring a "real" RV, one > >> with a > >> couple of pop-out rooms and some TVs and stuff.. > >> > >> Doesn't the majority of humanity do ok without AC? > >> > >> Don Hanson > >> > >> > >> > > > > -- David McNeely |
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