# What was your first camper?



## ctfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

We started out camping in a huge 2 room canvas tent, but finally the parents upgraded when I was around 10 or so. They bought an 80 something model Shasta that I recall being 13 foot or so long. It was enough room to sleep and thats about it  but somehow we managed to sleep 4 in their. I remember it had what appeared to be wings on the roof rear of the camper. I will have to try to find a picture of it, its pretty funny.


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## grace (Nov 16, 2007)

Our first time we went camping we had a tent. We went camping with it for a few years. It had room for all of us, but it was tight quarters. The camper bus came when we were a little older. Most of the time it was enjoyable. The only place I didn't want to go was East River Every summer my Dad would take us there. I hated it because it was a very log hike in the woods. Usually the river was flooded. Finally he quit.:thumbup1:


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## antigua (Dec 17, 2007)

As a kid my dad took me camping in a tent once. When Michelle and I were teenagers we camped in a tent and it was fun. We camped for a few years but got sick of sleeping on the ground. We haven't camped in years until Emily, 3 years old at the time, saw a show on TV called Little Bear and father bear and little bear went camping. She bugged me for weeks after that to take her camping and then Michelle got in on it with her. We still had the tent in the basement . I thought about it for a while but I really didn't want sleep on the ground. I was being teamed up on and Michelle said stop being a baby and she was going to make reservations. As I remember she was the one who complained about tent camping the most which she conveniently doesn’t remember!!!! SO I showed them both. I went out and bought or family first camper. A popup tent trailer Bonair 800. It had two beds.......Off the ground. I win!  And They got to go camping. Ever sense then we've been hooked.


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## glfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

Growing up in Minnesota, we tent camped alot, till I was about 6 years old. When we started going out west we actually rented pop up tent campers. My parents liked the Coleman brand. The reason we rented a pop up tent trailor is that we stayed in the tent when we camped in MN, but my mother is very afraid of snakes (the poisonous kind) and since there are rattlesnakes out west she said she was not sleeping on the ground!


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## mailfire99 (Nov 16, 2007)

We also started out tent camping, then moved up to a popup trailer, coleman I believe it was. Wasnt that big, but we didnt care, we werent in it much more than to sleep.


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## cassiem (Nov 16, 2007)

We never made it to the camper, we have been tent campers tried and true. We are still considering an upgrade now, but we are more than OK with tent camping. Nothing like a canvas tent smell and a cup of coffee around the campfire in the mornings.


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## glfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

I think that is great you are still tent camping it. I agree the smell of canvas and coffee is great. I brings back some good memories for me.


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## roadhouse (Feb 29, 2008)

I never camped until I met my wife 14 years ago. She had Coleman 2 room tent we used, old school one with aluminum poles. Then we got a three room Greatland tent when we started having kids. Outgrew that with 4 kids so we bought a 10x18 Quest tent. 

I do miss sleeping in a tent, I actually think I got better sleep in a tent than in our camper.

I need to get a smaller two person tent. I have a few Jeeping trips planned that wont involve out camper.


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## ctfortner (Nov 16, 2007)

Welcome to the site roadhouse!

I bet yall did outgrow that pretty quick with 4 youngins. We keep a tent on hand too, for those "non camper" trips. We dont use it as much now, but we still have one.


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## kiteri (Jan 12, 2008)

We want a hybrid SO bad!!!!!!! I was "this close" to picking one up in Detroit back in November because the price seemed right... but the sellers were being very finicky about what they would except as payment.... CASH ONLY!!! This raised the big red flag!

I am sorta glad we didn't get it now... I can't imagine towing the thing this summer at $4 a gallon for gas! We have decided to rent the rustic cabins at all the parks we are going to when the weather is still too cold for tents, and stay in tents the rest of the time!

I am a little green with envy of all you guys' campers... but in the nicest way!!!!:rolling-eyes:


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## roadhouse (Feb 29, 2008)

ctfortner said:


> Welcome to the site roadhouse!
> 
> I bet yall did outgrow that pretty quick with 4 youngins. We keep a tent on hand too, for those "non camper" trips. We dont use it as much now, but we still have one.


Thank you.....I'm still not sure if our 30' TT is big enough for 6 of us:smack-head:


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## mailfire99 (Nov 16, 2007)

You could always get a little teardrop to pull behind the big rig. Kids could sleep there


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## dianen (Feb 12, 2008)

After we got rid of the tent we had a little 17 foot camper...it was old ..all orange and brown....the toilet moved when you sat down..never did trust it except for emergencies..and then you had this little foot pump to get water....2 little burners for a stove..no furnace...and a pump for water in the kitchen too....we just parked it and spent every weekend in it for 3 yrs. I dont think we ever had to recharge the battery..there was only 2 lights that it operated and that was it.


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## terri01p (Mar 14, 2008)

:icon_smile_pu_close Our first camper was back in 1982, we bought a COX tent camper used for 300.00, oh that was some good times.


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## happiestcamper (Mar 6, 2008)

Parents weren't into camping, but when I joined Boy Scouts, I was hooked.

Me and the Mrs. tent camped for years. After one trip to the mountains (had a 3 year old and 1 year old boy by then) where it rained almost the whole week, I started putting my eyes out for a pop up. Then I saw where our local dealer had a 2000 hybrid (Keystone Cabana - you can see it here My Camper) that they had never sold (this was in 2002). Since a top of the line pop up was ~$13k at the time, and this one had more features for under $9k, it wasn't too hard to make up my mind.

Now that they boys are 10 & 8 and the daughter is 5, it still fits well, but I can see us outgrowing it in a few years. Next one won't be a hybrid - you might as well still be in a tent from the outside noise. Got my eye on a 2007 Class C they haven't sold yet - we'll see.

Still get plenty of tent camping in with both boys being in Cub Scouts.


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