My parents always had an RV. To me it felt like I was just taking a smaller “home” and still not really enjoying the outdoor elements. Sometimes those outdoor elements are a little more than pleasant but I enjoy the challenge of making the experience still fun even when mother nature has other plans 
We bought a tent that attaches to the truck so we have some flexibility in being attached to the truck or free standing but the size of the tent means we are in a campground or somewhere we can drive in at minimum. I dont think we would ever be RV folks but my husband will not tent camp with us so we have considered getting a small pull behind camper just so he can be included in some of the camping trips.
We started our tent camping with an original 2 man A-frame type tent. Once the kids started coming with us we moved to an8 man tent. That was great. We all had room and enjoyed every camping trip. Kids were growing up so we moved back down to a 2 man tent. That worked well but we wanted to get deeper in the woods so now we have a truck tent. If we can get the truck in, we can camp.
The convenience and cost of tent camping is right for us. Currently 58 and still love looking at the stars at night.
I vote tent camping!
Scott E. Fowler
Can I just say yes?
Simply put, I absolutely LOVE tent camping, but age, marriage, and some medical issues make RV camping a much more attractive way to camp. HOWEVER, having said all that, newer tent gear is dissolving the age / medial reasons (instant setup tents, portable battery / power packs to run medical equipment) and private dedicated sanitary facilities removed my wifes objections (Ensuite tent, hot shower, port o potty).
My wife honestly wants us in a 40+ foot fifth wheeler. IF I had all the $$ in the world, I would still keep fixing up my old 4x4 and keep going with the tenting gear, or rig up a truck bed camper, and get a better generator so we can get off grid for longer. The places I want to go and see, no fifth wheel can get anywhere near…
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This is excellent. I agree 100% and it’s a really great perspective. We have thought about moving up a teardrop but the cost vs how often it would get used. Even if we did 10 trips in the summer, which would be aggressive, it still might now weigh out. Thank you for this!
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The forum wouldn’t let me edit my answer. So here is another one, a bit more detailed info…
Years ago, when I was in college, I had an old VW Westfalia camper van that I drove to the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Lake Mead, Crater Lake, Well pretty much everywhere from Las Cruces to just shy of Portland Or. I swapped a junk yard bug engine into it and kept going until I decided I was done with it. It was tiny, the bed was honestly too small for 2 skinny people, there was no built in stove, the port o potty was in a rather revealing location, and there was nothing resembling real comfort in that thing. What it had going for it was it was super cheap on gas, was brain dead simple to keep running, and I could just chug along until I found a wide enough, level enough spot to park for the night on trips around the west while I was in college.
I do not miss it.
Don’t get me wrong, I do miss having a capable camper that gave me 25mpg sure, but it also couldn’t pass itself, and was generally speaking, nothing more than a bed and a couple of cabinets on wheels. The only reason for the pop top I am sure was to give you room to stand up when it rained.
I have rented Pop up campers, Class Cs, Class As, and one very funky Class B Dodge…
Were I single I would happily cruise around in the no real room it in VW camper van for the rest of my days, but I have someone else to consider, and to be blunt, even at that, unless I somehow landed a late 80s Vanagon Westfalia Syncro, there is no way I could get where I like to go in a VW van…
So I spend more for gas. And yes, I could get a pop up truck camper that works with a half ton, get the stove, AC, Fridge etc… But every bit of that, the stoves are wonky IMHO, the furnaces suck battery down way too fast, the fridges are a joke, and, well that leaves the AC, okay that’s fine.
The fact that both my wife and I are big people means the weight issues with overcab sleepers are a concern, dinette booths are a no go, and… well you should be starting to get the idea.
To get the level of comfort we can and do achieve with our tenting equipment you would need to basically have a 30+ foot motorhome custom designed and built just for couples. And the first time I turn off pavement and on to the deep sand road at Padre Island National Seashore, and I am dead in the water. Or when we want to shimmy between the trees in the forests in Arkansas, nope, no joy there…
So long story, tenting gives me a camping experience no other form of camping can give me.
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I tent camp for the options on locations that you can get to. Plus, it feels more like “camping”. RV’s are great, no doubt about it, but the only thing with many campgrounds is the RV’s are situated too close together. It’s like you’re in a trailer park. I like to camp to have some space and enjoy the group I’m with.
Hi there! I’ve been interested in camping since I was a kid. On school vacations, we often went on hikes, which require careful preparation. Since then, I plan my camping trip in detail so that I get the most out of my organized vacation. Beach tent always helps me to receive the best comfort in such vacations.
Tent camping is - unequivocally - my favorite (and only) way to camp. In fact, I don’t think sleeping in an RV counts as really camping.
There’s something about being so close to nature: sleeping on the ground, seeing the stars above your head (my tent has one of those peel back roof covers which I absolutely love), feeling the wind all around you, hearing the snap of a twig under a paw or hoof, cooking your own food over a fire (versus warming it up in a microwave), etc. that connects me to nature.
After all, isn’t that what camping is all about? Connecting to nature?
The thought of bringing all the creature comforts of home with me to go camping feels like I would somehow be circumventing what I am trying to achieve in the first place.
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I enjoy being closer to nature and giving up some of the technology/creature comforts for older, simpler ways - at least temporarily until we return home.
I know this OPINION is JUST FOR ME - so don’t hate me or let this comment make you crazy - but personally I never liked the idea of carrying my privately-owned “hotel room” around on my back while travelling. Different strokes for different folks.
I tried a travel trailer (did not work well off road).
Tried modified, for ground clearance, pop-ups; they can work OK in moderate terrain.
Looked hard at RVs but they have all of the disadvantages that I don’t like (have also stayed in hotels , pretty much the same and often cheaper and you don’t have to clean/straighten up).
Camped in SUVs, Vans and pickups with and without slide in campers…
I like tents; they give me the freedom to camp in relatively extreme terrain (far from the rat race/mobile parks/civilization) while providing enough protection from the elements and ease of transport. Tents allow me to use a cot (hammocks make my back complain/hurt me).
When the bears run through camp (afraid of being eaten) and the deer stop at the edge to check it/us out; I know why I tent camp.
Enjoy!