Gun Sales

RV vs. Tent Camping

Whether you are an RV or tent camper is a matter of personal choice. Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. My parents were avid sportsmen and began carrying me along from the age of 2. We never had the luxury of a tent or RV, but roughed it on open ground or the cab and bed of the truck. It is where I learned to love camping under the stars.

Camping out to recharge, as well as in hunting camp has remained a part of my life ever since. Having camped in both tent and travel trailer, I prefer camping in tents. I like being close to the sounds of nature at night, and prefer to leave the rain canopy off where I have a view of the stars through the roof. In the following we will look at the advantages and disadvantages of each based upon my own opinion and 50 plus years of camping under the stars of wild America (and a few state and national parks).

The Advantages of RV Camping

 

• An RV is self-contained with all of the comforts of home. Refrigeration keeps everything cold with no need for frequent trips to buy ice for the cooler.
• Provides protection from the weather, including from extreme heat and cold.
• No put up or take down time, except to roll in awnings if any.
• Increased safety from potentially dangerous wildlife, and humans.

Disadvantages to RV Camping

• Park and location is determined by your vehicle, its size and the hookups you use. Parking locations are often denatured and unattractive. The opportunities for wilderness camping are far less than with a tent.
• RV camping parks can be expensive ranging from $15 to $60 per night.
• Because everything is in the RV you may not spend as much time outside. Sleeping under the stars is limited to a small skylight view if available.
• Owning an RV is expensive, you pay separate insurance, tag, maintenance, service and repair. Not to mention operating an RV is expensive. Regardless of if it is a motorhome or a pull-behind the gas bill is going to be a real drain on the checkbook.
• Bathrooms are often super crowded, a tub bath may require you to have the skills of a contortionist, but you can soak your feet in the tub, brush your teeth in the sink all while sitting on the toilet. Larger is available-you get what you pay for.
• Sewage requires approved site dumping, propane tanks replenishing, if water hookup isn’t available water storage may require refilling for long trips. Don’t haul excess water, the extra weight will increase fuel usage.
• You can buy a house for what some motor homes cost.

The Advantages of Tent Camping

• The campgrounds are located in a natural and sometimes pleasant environment.
• Except for when sleeping you are outside all the time, using a campfire.
• Campsites for tents are inexpensive and range from free to about $25 per night.
• Traveling is cheap without all of the additional gas an RV requires.
• Most campgrounds offer comfort stations with shower, bathroom and laundry facilities. Some campsites offer electricity, enabling you to operate a fan when the weather is hot and humid.
• Tents enable wilderness camping and the full nature experience. Small tents can be backpacked for miles into pure nature.

The Disadvantages of Tent Camping

• Rain, cold and heat can make tents unpleasant. Be sure your tent has a rain shield to enable windows to be opened when you are stuck inside a hot tent due to rain. Ensure your tent is large enough; a crowded tent can cause occupants to end up against the sides, causing moisture and leakage at the contact point.
• Getting dressed can be difficult in a small tent. Choose a tall tent unless it’s for backpacking long distances, in that case smaller is better.
• Tents take time to set up and take down. I always first inspect the ground for stones that keep you awake all night. As an added measure I use an earth mat under my sleeping bag.
• In wilderness areas you can’t always find the perfect spot. Most tents have tarps for flooring and they allow sleeping bags to slide. If you are set up on an incline due to lack of a more suitable spot you can begin the night on one side of the tent and end up on the other. Rubberized bottoms are available, but usually cost more, the reduced slippage is well worth it.
• Safety can potentially be an issue with tents. The material will not prevent aggressors from entering, whether human or animal.
• Sparks from a fire can burn a hole in tents. Locate your tent well away from fires and sparks as well as chained dogs.
• It is completely unsafe to use heaters in tents. Many campers have died from carbon monoxide poisoning due to the use of a fossil-fueled heater inside the tent. If you can’t handle the cold-stay home or buy/rent an RV.
• Food and supplies must be brought in. If the location is a wilderness area miles from the road you may want to limit yourself to dehydrated foods-and what you can catch or hunt. I camp near spring water and carry a small water purifier that filters 99.9% contaminants and can produce a gallon a day. Field tests kits aren’t a bad idea to check the water at a site if you plan to filter all water.

Unless I am in bear or cougar country, my choice is a tent so far into the wilderness that the only two-legged I am likely to see is Sasquatch. With the rain flap off and millions of stars glittering overhead I can sleep as at no other time.

The campfire and the night sounds of the local wildlife lull me into a relaxation that I can obtain nowhere else. This is my down time, my vacation from the sounds, hurry and flurry of society. Nature is my healer and when I enter the wooded mountains I have come home. It doesn’t get any better than this.

GrabAGun provides tents and camping supplies for your next getaway into nature. As America’s fastest growing online gun shop we have new stock arriving daily, and offer pistols for sale, shotguns for sale, rifles including the AR-15 for sale, the AK-47 for sale as well as a huge inventory of other guns for sale. In addition to gun sales we offer gun parts and accessories, gun safes and much more located online for your shopping from pleasure.