What Ever Happened To "Roughing It"?

[SilvrSurfr]

Seven years ago, I used to "rough" it. Every year I would take my two sons on a canoe trip in the Adirondacks. The first trip, we carried over 400 lbs. of gear. The next year, it was 200 lbs. of gear. By 2014, we were down to 75 lbs. of gear for three people to camp 5 days in the wilderness. That doesn't make me feel "effete" at all - it makes me feel 325 lbs. lighter!

As for Dinty Moore Beef Stew, it used to taste good. Now, I find it inedible.

Ingredients: Beef Stock, Beef, Potatoes, Carrots, Contains 2% or less of Beef Fat, Corn Flour, Textured Vegetable Protein (Soy Flour, Caramel Color), Salt, Tomato Paste, Modified Cornstarch, Potato Starch, Mushroom Extract (Mushrooms, Maltodextrin), Caramel Color, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate, Sugar, Flavoring.
Soy ingredients present

[Flash Grundelore]

SilvrSurfr~~ you are right as rain on the Dinty-Moore.
Like so many things, it has been "NEW AND IMPROVED" right into dogfood... and only if you don't like that dog.

[DannyII]

As a kid in the 70's we pretty smoothed it then, too. I had a old cabin tent that just held our two Army surplus cots that I found at a garage sale for $2 each. I still remember tying my over-loaded old radio flyer wagon loaded with all of our gear to the sissy bar of my Huffy All pro bike and biking out of the neighborhood and through the woods to the river.

At 10 years old, my cousin and I would fish all night, by ourselves. Our Coleman lantern the only light we had, no headlamps, or even flashlights. We even figured out that after your cast your catfish rig, if you put the rod end in the middle leg cutout of the cot, and wrapped the line around your thumb, you could sleep until you got a bite. Reel it in, put it on the stringer if it was a keeper, bait up, cast, go back to bed. Great times!

[Chesapeake]

SilvrSurfr~~ you are right as rain on the Dinty-Moore.
Like so many things, it has been "NEW AND IMPROVED" right into dogfood... and only if you don't like that dog.

+1 on that! A lot of things that have been " improved" don't come close lol. While Mtn. House may be a step up from the can, some of them aren't that edible either. That's exactly why I try to find a healthy balance between being comfortable at all cost, and a more bushcraft style of camp. Some things are fine just the way they are and while its good to keep and use certain skills, things like our hammocks, quilts, tarps and synthetics are much improved over gear of the past I think. Ive had my share of sore ribs, stiff necks,achy backs and cold damp nights in a tent to never want to go back now that I hang lol. But I still carry a good Morakniv when I hike even tho its "heavy".

[trouthunter]

Hi Flash,

I understand where you're coming from, a lot of my fondest memories from my youth involved "roughing it".

I would tend to think that roughing it is what you do until you acquire a bit of outdoor living skills and experience. At least that was my journey. If I want to be miserable I would stay home! Haha.

[Mogollon Monster]

if I wanted to be uncomfortable and grumpy, I'd spend the night with my in-laws. Camping recharges my batteries. Being uncomfortable is like have a phone charger that is on it's last leg. It charges a little - then stops and you have to jiggle the cord to get it to charge again. It's annoying.

[Rifleman]

You certainly have a point Flash. We should be cautious about recommending the cuben tarp and ultralight everything to someone who is taking their first camping trip. However, I am with the rest of the crowd in that I go to the woods to enjoy myself, not to see how much misery I can endure without dying. I usually enjoy myself more when I can travel light and comfortably. Any time in the bush helps to improve our "bushcraft" skills, just in case we ever need them. Your point is well taken.

[oldgringo]

For years, my "cook kit" consisted of a can opener, a pot lifter, and a spoon. Soup du jour. Only more recently did I learn of BPA.

[MoeTCrow]

I don't care what it is, when you first start out you are roughing it. As you gain experience you make it easier. My old man got this house on wheels. He calls it camping. My brother fills up his pickup truck and still sleeps on the ground (well on a queen sized blow up mattress). I want to get as small and as light as I can. All 3 of us have decades of experience, all go a different way that makes us happy. And all 3 of us thinks our way is best for us.

And it doesn't have to be expensive, perhaps you remove something you don't need ( do you need a fork if you have a spoon and knife?) perhaps you replace something with a lighter cheaper version (white gas stove for a coke can stove) and perhaps you do find something that you just want and spend the money on it.

Figure out your style and instead of playing the latest phone game when you are waiting for something, think about how you can make your next trip better, what you can try out, what you don't need. Only the lucky few get to camp more than plan...

And to keep it forum appropriate, I figured out long ago a hammock and tarp always beats just a tarp for me.

[AdventureMyk]

Its all about having fun and playing like a kid for me. Car camping? Very rare but don't care what I bring. Motorcycle? I bring a lot less, about the same as backpacking since I usually ride off road (creeks, mud, jumps, etc) to get there. Kayak? I can bring a lot more than the bike if I choose to or go with the basics. My 17' boats don't seem to care even if I pack them full.

Once in a while I will bring both tent and hammocks and set up both as I like to play with the gear. Mood, companion, and weather dictates which I sleep in. Solo or bike and probably the hammock. It doesn't have to be rough to be fun.