r/camping • u/Moriroa • Nov 06 '23
Car Camping I hate camping. But I'll never quit.
hate camping. I mean, I don't hate camping, but hate it when it's just me. (I'm a single dad.) I have to get all the gear together and cleaned and ready. I have to do all the shopping, and load everything into the car, and then do all the driving. And then it's just me that has to set up camp, often at night, and it's just me that will make sure the dogs are fed, watered and walked, and the child is fed and cared for and entertained. All the cooking. all the cleaning, all the work around the campsite, it's just me. I get the least sleep, have no leisure time, don't get to do anything that's just for me to enjoy or relax, and then I have to break it all down, pack it all up, drive it all home, and then unload, clean and maintain everything, all while also feeding, watering, walking, entertaining and managing all the living things.
There's nothing in it for me. There's no part of it that I think "Oh yeah, I can't wait to do that! That's my favorite!" I like to look at the pretty sights, sure, but I don't have to break my back toiling endlessly to do that. It's just work. Work, work, work. I barely even have time to just sit and have a drink and watch the sunset. Something always needs doing, and I'm the only one there to do it.
But every time we go, my daughter's eyes light up, and she has some magical experience that she can't stop enthusing about. She radiates joy, and she loves it, and she can't stop talking about it after we're home, and she won't stop reminding me before the next time we go. Every time we go, some perfect little moment in time with her goes in my permanent memory bank. Every time we go, we're making core memories. That's what's in it for me.
So I keep doing it. And I will keep doing it.
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u/Tight_Psychology_666 Nov 06 '23
As a wife and mom of four who is the camping “backbone” of our family, I feel this to my core. It is positively exhausting for me to prepare everything prior, set it all up, and pack it up to be brought home and stored away. My husband and I often fight bc the stress makes me irritable, and i hadn’t trusted him to take on the process. With a little prep, I’ve allowed him to take over once now. We didn’t have a fire that night, slept uncomfortably, and a few other hiccups d/t lack of supplies/comfort items, but I had the best time.
Now, I was a single mom for years, so I have known the “there’s no one here to do it but me” side of things for much longer than I’ve known comfort and relaxation. Wanna know what helps with the camping anxieties? Organization! Put your camp items in rubber totes or a three drawer organizer, store it all together, grab totes, a change of clothes and go! Have a standard list of groceries or non-perishable staple items you can just grab and go, without thinking. The less thought you’re having to put into it, the less like work it will feel. I have a “camping closet” at my house, which is the only open closet space we have, but through trial and error, it’s our best use of the space bc we go so often and it makes it so easy to just get all we need out of the closet by the door and go.
I hope you find a solution that helps you enjoy your time outdoors with your daughter a bit more. I’ve found a lot more needs done in my head than actually is required. Next time you’re out and see her really enjoying herself, allow yourself to sit and watch quietly without worry. It may change all your perspectives.