When I go on an outdoor adventure, every once in a while I like to rough it. It makes me feel like a survivalist. It makes me feel like I can handle any situation that is thrown at me. The minimalist code to the outdoors views high tech gadgets and comfort items as not necessary. Things like camping chairs and butane stoves and GPSs are not needed to get by in the wild. Now that’s all fine and dandy for someone like Bear Grylls, who routinely goes into the wild with basically only a knife and the clothes on his back. Like I said, every once in a while I like to ‘rough it,’ which to me means camping in a tent rather than in a camper.
The majority of times that I enjoy the great outdoors, I like to really ‘enjoy’ them. I like to focus on the activities, like fishing, hunting, hiking, rafting, and rock climbing. If I am not comfortable, then I end up focussing on why I’m miserable. There are a lot of elitist outdoorsmen out there that proclaim that too much luxury or comfort takes away from the experience. That argument is fine, but I believe in enjoying the outdoors in comfort because it allows me to actually enjoy them.
Comfort items that I like to bring usually includes my camper. A camper to me is the ultimate in outdoor comfort. I can sleep in a real bed, take a real shower, cook a meal in a real kitchen, and even watch tv. What more could I ask for? I always bring heavy duty camping chairs, as they allow comfort around the campfire at night.
I don’t always use a camper. If I decide to camp with a tent, then I will bring along one of my Coleman tents to get me through the night.