posted by familycampman on Aug 23
I recently participated in a somewhat animated debate over at thatscamping.com
regarding WiFi at the campground. As you know I’m a believer that camping is a time to help gain peace of mind, but many can’t seem to go offline even for a weekend. The demands of one’s work is definitely a real reason to stay online, but I’m a believer that something much more significant is going on. The Web and more specifically – the development of Web 2.0 and social networking has made it harder and harder to unplug. Folks no longer are just going online to check e-mail. Social communities are exploding in popularity. We are blogging, twittering and messaging in Facebook. Some sites such as Outdoorzy.com (for which I’m an active member) specialize in the outdoors, but ironically enough these sites actually are keeping people attached more to their computers. I’m just as guilty as anyone. I blog, comment and post everyday. Every night my eyes burn feel the burn after 10+ hours looking at my laptop screen.
To add more to my angst is the fact that I’ve started to allow my 6 year old son to go online and play some online games. One one hand I think going online at his age is necessary so he can begin to relate to world around him, but when he goes online his little mind tunes out everything else. His mind is being absorbed into the Web and everything around him disappears. He’s becoming assimilated into the Web 2.0 world. My battle to get him to love camping and the outdoors has a new enemy – The Web.
I do think this is a battle that can be won. We need to turn the Web and it’s addictive elements into our ally. Use it to learn and get tips that’ll make camping more interesting 
for our children. If we as parents can keep interacting and learning from each other, our children will remain interested and still beg to go camping every year. For example, one of the members at thatscamping.com brings a telescope on their camping trips so they can marvel at the stars. This is the type of activity that’s educational, fun and could give the Web a run for its money. Another fun activity I recently read about (sadly, I forget where) was playing with a glow-in-the-dark frisbee at night. By interacting in camping forums, chats and blogs, you can also learn which campgrounds are the best for children and have activities designed for the entire family.
In summary, the Web 2.0 is a great thing if used correctly. If we can embrace enough so that helps make our time outdoors more fun then then our online and offline lives can live in perfect harmony.
Thanks again for listening to my mindless rambling. Feel free to comment and give me any interesting ideas that you’ve used to make camping more fun for your family.
Eric
posted by familycampman on Aug 17
Creating memories is what camping is all about. I’m 33 years old and I get flashbacks of my old family camping trips all the time. For example, I get camping memories while I’m in my wife’s car and we’re listening to her radio stations
. You see, she love 80s soft rock and it is within minutes I’m saying that a certain song is “Camping Music”. The definition of “Camping Music” is essentially any 80s soft rock that I remember being played on my parents’ crappy old radio they always brought on our camping trips. Usually it’s something along the lines of “Dancing on the Ceiling” from Lionel Ritchie or the “Every Breath You Take” from The Police. There are plenty of more songs that fit the bill, but they’re so bad I think I’ve subconsciously blocked them from my short-term memory.
Another favorite camping memory is one closest to my heart – bacon. My dad used to 
buy a gigantic slab of uncut bacon and then hand cut the slices so that they’d be so thick you’d have to eat them with a knife and fork. I don’t have any clue why he did this for camping trips, but it is something I’ll forever relate to camping and a tradition that I’ll pass on to my children as well.
I think that every family should try to do unique activities and traditions on their family camping trips. You’ll be surprised what your kids remember. I’m sure my parents are quite surprised that the most commonly talked about childhood camping memories are those of ultra-thick bacon slices and bad songs by Lionel Ritchie while the memories of my dad struggling to setup our old Coleman cabin tent after dark are rarely mentioned.
Alright folks, now get off the computer and go create some memories for your kids. Don’t forget to bring extra bacon for yourselves.
Eric
posted by familycampman on Aug 13
Everyone’s life is full of clutter. Whether it is the physical clutter of your home or the mental
clutter from the constant barrage of media, there is no doubt that you’re a victim of it in one way or another. This is what attracts me to camping. It is probably the only type of vacation where fewer activities is actually better.
Here are some tips that I have to help your next camping trip clear out the clutter that is in your mind:
- Turn off the cell phone – It probably won’t work, but bring it anyway in case of emergencies.
- Ditch the laptop – Good camp sites don’t have wireless Internet.
- Leave the TV at home- Judge Judy will be on when you return.
- Get up early – An early morning at the campsite is easily one of the most peaceful moments, plus it’s likely you’ll see some wildlife.
- Go simple on meals – Either prepare your meals before you leave or go simple (Hot Dogs, PB&J, etc.)
- Don’t stay too long – Whiny kids and tired spouses who are anxious to leave could nullify the cleansing effects of the entire trip
I’m sure there are a lot more tips out there that more hardy outdoorzy folks would suggest but I think if you follow these 6, you’ll find your mind in a better place during your next camping trip.
Talk to you all later
Eric aka familycampman
