Many RVers were tent campers before buying their first RV. It’s the natural progression in the camping world, isn’t it? Many people go from tent, to pop-up trailer, to RV (if there were a camper evolution diagram, that’s probably what it would look like).
Before you bought your first RV, did you tent camp? If yes, what made you decide to make the switch and buy an RV? If you had to go back to tent camping now, would you? Please tell us in the comments below.
And if you have a few minutes, read the history of tent campers. It’s interesting!
So the list starts with old time tent camping (coleman stoves and laterns using white gas), Motorcycle pulling a small clamshell trailer for tent camping, small trailer, then three Motorhomes up to the current Class C. I have not had a 5th Wheel or a Class A.
Yes, after retiring I wanted to spend winters in Florida. The first winter I tent camped for two months and the sun ruined that $400 tent. The next winter I went for three months and bought a second tent and used $100 worth of tarps to protect the tent. It was a lot of work but the tent survived. I then decided it was time for a travel trailer.
Did tent camping in the mid to late 70’s in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan at the mouth of the Two Heart River where it’s said Hemingway fished at some point. Didn’t camp again until 2019 when we got a small travel trailer.
We used a tent for a few years after we married in 1993. But we were really just traveling so I hated that after having to make breakfast and breaking camp it was already mid-morning. We started taking grand kids along but stayed in motels not a tent. Once we had four of them with us it was the wife who said maybe we should get an RV. I could barely contain my enthusiasm.
I started tent camping on my motorcycle 30 years ago. Everything was packed on the bike. Needless to say it was a small one person tent. I then bought a pop up camper to pull behind the bike. My wife then joined me. We did this for over 20 years.
We now own a toy hauler, no way the bike was staying at home. We still have the pop up and use it for weekend trips. We both enjoy ‘roughing’ it, but not for extended trips.
Back in the late 1940’s, I spent a lot of time camping at a lot my dad owned on the Buchannan river in WV in a tent and then the Boy Scouts. Still used a tent on the UP of Michigan when I was stationed there in the USAF and in Japan until 1973 was married and had two boys and a girl. We bought an 18 foot travel trailer living in South Carolina. Great time with the children and then we moved to Florida and now had another girl and we were living in the TT waiting to close on our house.
Came across a used Class A. Meanwhile the boys were getting old enough for the scouts and guess who got wrangled into becoming scoutmaster. Back to tents. Now with all the kids grown we travel in our Diesel Pusher. At 79, I love the one button set up.
Oh my. The memories. A bright orange pup tent and red sleeping bag strapped to the sissy bar on my bike. Find a campground, quickly set up camp, then back to the nearest store for beer, ice, and other nutrition. Trying not to laugh too loud or wake the other campers. When we get together now, the topic of Sugarloaf Campground, near Leadville, CO, frequently comes up, where we woke up to everything covered in about 3 inches of snow. Tents, bikes, everything covered in snow. And that’s in July. I could go on about other adventures, but my wife sometimes reads RVTravel.
😆 —Diane at RVtravel.com
1. Tent camping
2. Car camping (when day trips got a little too adventurous)
3. Cargo van (not conversion) camping
4. Travel trailer pulled by small pickup
5. Fifth wheel and bigger pickup
6. Bigger fifth wheel and dually
7. Truck camper on dually
8. Now, Class A diesel, Gracie, for the rest of our years… classic condo on wheels
9. Plus pickup toad with bed topper for quick overnights away from Gracie.
Never (not yet?!): Class B or Class C
I tent camped back in the 60’s with my parents. They eventually went to a Hi-Lo, then a TT.
In “78 I got my wife and kids started in a pop-up. Our last pop-up had a bathroom and shower. After the kids were out of camping we went to a TT.
We started out with a pup tent with which we hitchhiked around Europe in the early 70s. When we came home, we soon upgraded to a 5 x 7 tent and traveled the US. It wasn’t until the 80s that we upgraded further to a 2 room 8 x 12 tent . We graduated to a pop-up in 2000 for a 6 week cross-country trip, and then in 2013 to a trailer. After the trailer, we figured we’d try motorhome travel in 2015. At this point, we look at our RV as our rolling home, not as a camper, because in no way are we camping.
After having slept in a WWII umbrella tent, lying on the ground, as a child,my idea of roughing it, as an adult became motel 6. A couple of retro trailers was a little bit better, but a new 30 foot RV is now the gold standard.
I’ve tented or car’ed it but my wife hasn’t. We’ve RVed for 45 years now.
I started by sleeping in the back of my truck on a piece of foam. Later on I slept in a two horse trailer. My big step was a pop up camper. And no, these old bones would never revert to tent camping
Tent in 70’s, including 3 years in Europe. Pop-up tent trailer. small hard side trailer, many years later, classic GMC Class A, now Class B+.
11 x 11 umbrella tent in 1960, still have the tent. Popup trailer in 1968-1981, our kids slept in the tent. 33 ft TT, 2012 to who know when. Between 1982 and 2011 lived summers on a 28 ft boat, considered that camping on the water.
I answered no because I have not camped in a tent as an adult. I did as a youth when I was in the Boy Scouts.
Started as backpackers, then family campers in a small dome tent. Our daughter’s first camping trip came at 2 months. Later we got a used small pickup (Datsun) camper. Then tent trailer, then “learner” Class A (that’s a story of its own), then a newer nicer Class A, then a new Class A, which is now 10 years old.
I remember heading to an RV in 2006 after tent camping for over 20 years after in 2005 we had a disasterous tent camping experience. Now after 15 years in an RV? Never will go back. My mother and I loved tent camping but after getting the RV? She said we should have done this years ago. Going to miss her.
Does sleeping in a shelter half stamped US Army count?
Started in the Boy Scouts in the 50’s with heavy as lead canvas “baker” tents. Then had a back packers tent for my Chicago to San Fran bicycle trip YEARS later. Then a pop up to go camping with the kids. When the last kid left we gave him the tent and bought our first trailer. Never looked back.
started out in in pup tent, (well actually, just a sleeping bag on the ground was 1st…). That was in the early seventies.
My first husband and I honeymooned to Yellowstone in a tent, sleeping bags and 2 blankets and froze our butts off! Bought a pickup camper/truck combo with two kids. Now have a 35′ 5th wheel with 3 slides and 2 big dogs with husband #2 after our first foray with a 27′ TT no slides. Completely happy!!
tent before marriage and for a couple years into marriage. then a travel trailer, back to a tent, then a pop up. we are now back to travel trailer with a slide and we both love it. if given a choice however, my husband would be in a tent in a heartbeat. he even takes weekend trips alone (winter, spring, summer and fall) and camps in his tent. seriously now, he enjoys the snow/winter tenting (something is not right here)!
This reads much like me and my hubby. He’d rather tent and loves winter camping. Need to get these boys’ heads checked!!!
Pup Tent, Boy Scout 4 man tent, Family size tent for the family, Pop up trailer, 25 foot trailer, 32 foot trailer and then in 1964 a 22 foot motor home followed by 5 newer and larger motor homes, a fifth wheel and now a 1996 37 foot Holiday Rambler Imperial. I bought the HR in 1999 and it is the best unit I have ever owned. I was a Army helicopter pilot and during the Viet Nam era we moved about every 9 months and the RV was the way to travel and to be sure that we would have a place to live until we could find a house at the new duty station.
We tent camped on BLM next to RMNP. It was amazing.. our last tent camp was Door County. We were deluged with severe weather and rain. I decided we needed at minimal, a pop-up. While looking, we drifted into huge fifth wheels. Within 18 months we had sold everything, moved into our first fiver and travelled east-west and north-south. Montana 2 slide 32 foot. We’ve upgraded to a newer K Z 38 foot 4 slide. We’re retired now. We often talk and remember our days camping across Canada, throught-out Maine, Rocky Mountains, national parks and many more. May will be 16 years on the road. What a life.
Backpacker for years, but the thought of hiking up a switchback for miles carrying 35 lbs of supplies lost it’s rugged charm about 35 yrs ago!
My previous RV was a backpack. For the past two and half years have enjoyed fulltiming in our 2006 Fleetwood Providence.😷🚍👍🌴🌵
Tent camping/backpacking, tarps or just under the stars, those were the days! Did a lot of camping at the lakes on an air mattress in the bed of the pickup. Then found a Palamino pop-up truck camper. All that time towing my boat. Then moved up to my first Travel Trailer. Have had several after that, never owned a motor home. Always felt they were too limiting.
I have conversed with folks who keep changing RV’s to find the perfect one. Too many of us have forgotten the rules in backpacking to minimize what we bring with us, we have too much stuff in our RV’s.
(I say this with humor) NEVAH!
The idea is that there is no need to sacrifice just because we are RV’ers. There is great enjoyment and satisfaction to engineering and finding exceptional solutions. Minimize if necessary, but finding a way to provide or accomplish a need or desire is a lot of fun. (Like A/C, heat, cell signal-safety issues at a minimum, and many, many others)
nope. had enough of tents when i was in scouts.
Almost 20 years ago we went from 3 tents to a 40′ diesel pusher that now has over 120k miles and we still use today.
Went “camping” with friends once, but never again. In-laws had gone that route before moving to 5th wheel RVs. Spent several weekends with them before getting the RV “bug” myself.
Answered no, but I did once. I am not a “camper” camper. Trip to Yellowstone. Set up camp. Late afternoon, park ranger with bullhorn telling everyone there has been a grizzly coming into camps at night. Supposedly ripped the top off a convertible to get to an oil painting someone had bought. Store all your food, etc. Night came went to sleep. Well, no I didn’t. Moved to the van to sleep. Never really did. Kept hearing things. Real, who knows. That about cured me. And yes, you can camp where there are no grizzlies. As I said, just not a camper. Do love the peace and quiet and beauty of surroundings & night sky. Been to Yellowstone many times since & other national/state parks. Many places you can go in US and experience the same with the comforts of a motorhome.
When I got out of the Navy almost 55 years ago, I slept on the ground for several years. that changed one night when a side winder (rattle snake) came through camp, nuf for me, graduated to a army cot! After a couple of years of that I had a girl friend who wanted to go camping & well now I have a Diesel pusher. Great years of camping off road, no hook ups till about 3 years ago when we went to Alaska!
Snoopy
Yes. Back in the 70s and 80s, used to tow our jet boat From Palmer, Alaska to Circle City, Alaska where the road ended at the Yukon River. Would travel the Yukon to the Charlie River and spend a week or so up the Charlie with moose, bear, wolves, etc. Tenting was the name of the game during those trips. Of course those days we were much younger and while we loved the trips back then, we love our RV trips as much today! And sleeping on a nice comfy bed feels so good today!!
Still use a tent, except we upgraded to a roof top tent mounted on the Jeep so we can get to places the DP can’t.
Girl Scouts and a pop-up with my parents, tent camping with my boys when they were young and also on a few motorcycle trips. One motorcycle trip with horrible weather (torrential rains and winds) that resulted in a few days at a hotel we started talking about motorhomes (after all, we had been sprayed by them passing us all day). Katrina was the deciding factor. It’s hard to evacuate critters and older parents in a tent. Our first was a 28’ B which quickly became a 40’ DP followed by two 42’ and now our 45’. Love our coach and love being able to travel in comfort.
Family camping when I was a youngster, boy Scouts and in my young adulthood hunting and in the military. 84 I purchased my first 14′ TT without a bathroom then some years later to an 18′ with a bath. No more tents for this old man.
Diane MC’s story reminded me of my bear camping experience when I was six years old. Our family did a lot of tent camping. On one trip my dad and I decided to sleep outside and watch the stars. Because my brother was an infant my parents put a mattress in the back of the station wagon for my mom and brother.
At some point in the night my mom heard a noise, raised up to look out and to her horror saw a bear straddling me and sniffing my face. She knew she dared not call out and startle the bear and prayed I would not wake for the same reason.
Her prayer was answered but she sat up the rest of the night “guarding” the campsite.
7 years tent camping with our 3 kids, then bought a popup (almost the same as a tent) for 15 years before moving up to a travel trailer.
Until the old bones changed our minds, we preferred tents as they were easier to transport than a hard sided unit
Yes . A small tent good for two people,a pop up, a truck camper,a C motorhome,a fifth wheel and now back to a truck camper. Full circle almost.
Had a 4 person tent with blow up queen mattress fit perfect inside tent. Could really get back into mountains to camp for the weekends with wife, 2 kids, and dog. Now have 32 ft 5th wheel with all the luxury. Kinda miss the tent days but wife loves the 5th wheel!
Yes with an asterisk. I did a little bit of tent camping sort of on the side. I did take one trip around the country on a motorcycle and camped with a jungle hammock (preferable). But my outdoors background was mainly with sailboats.
We actually started with a VW Westfalia, sold it for a VW Thing and tent camped, then back to a newer VW Westfalia, On to other van conversions and finally to our Roadtrek.
My wife and I camped in a tent (or tent trailer) for 40 years in 43 different countries, all by motorcycle (except Australia) before going full time motorhome 3 years ago. We still have the bike but sold the tent trailer.
Our adventures can be viewed at http://www.bobkatsjaunt.com
For years we tent camped even backbacking in our younger days. The night the wind blew so hard it knocked down our tent & we had to boat back to our truck I said I am done…Love my camper!
We started in my in-laws TT, with them; then a 10×12 cabin tent with n our own in PA, NJ and KY. Then fast (slow) forward 40 years and we now own a 24.5 foot B+.
We tent camped almost every weekend when our kids were young. Then we bought a truck camper and camped in that until we became empty nesters. That camper sold me on never wanting to sleep on the ground again. Also, running water and a bathroom were a very nice perk too. Then we bought a big 5th wheel that we lived in while building our house. We camped in that for 5 years then downsized to a 20 foot Travel Trailer. I would never go back to camping in a tent. The trailer allows us to camp in any weather all year long and it is SO MUCH more comfortable!
I tent camped (or even without one) from age 11 (Boy Scouts) until age 55. That’s when my back told me that it was time to stop crawling in and out of a tent.
Yep, I tent camped for 44 years. But now have a 37 5ver. If I get to change rigs. It will be to a 4×4 Duramax crew cab dually. With a Host Mammoth truck camper.
Wife works in a hotel and I’m retired Navy, so we both were not inclined to ever be in a tent. Got the RV as a retirement gift for us, even though I had never had one before – and we got such a great deal on our 35ft Class A.
I tented for years – little pop ups you crawl into to big 4 room tents. I would mock my friends with campers, etc, and tell them that wasn’t camping. Lol. I was wrong!
My first trailer was 13 feet. I loved it. It got wrecked when someone backed into me. So I alternated between tenting again and sleeping in the back of my SUV for a few years until I found another light weight trailer.
I am never going back to a tent! Lol.
Yep, these young people don’t realize what their life and body will be like when they reach their 50s and 60s, and 70s.
I slept in a tent a few times when I was a a kid. Did some snowmobile camping in my 20s, sleeping in a lean-to. My girlfriend and I bought and fixed up an old motorhome in my mid 50s and I’ve been enjoying it ever since. Been having a lot of fun just locally boondocking during this pandemic.
My ex- and I camped in a tent many, many moons ago. The one thing I remember is setting up a canvas high wall tent in the rain…in the dark!! We had a good time in that tent but then moved on to a Starcraft popup. After that, a truck camper to take us and the horses to shows, then on to my current fifth wheel that I live in BUT I recently bought another popup to do some traveling in.
We actually lived 6 months in our tent in the mountains. Loved it.
We still tent camp. There are places you just don’t have room to park a trailer. Plus, tent camping tends to make you really plan ahead due to not being able to carry your whole life with you. You have to carry only what you absolutely need in comfort items, food and water. I love both though. Our camper is home made from a 1972 Chevy pickup truck bed converted to a trailer. Looking at upsizing though. Makes foul weather camping more enjoyable!
That just tells me you’re still young. Hope you’re saving your money for a better camper.
You won’t like sleeping in a tent when you’re in your 50s and older.
No, were 72 and we didn’t quit our jobs to play instead like so many millennials are doing now. We worked and saved and now we’re rich enough to not have to go back to a tent.
Millennials remind me of that old fable “The Ant & The Grasshopper”.
Millennials being the grasshopper.
Tent camped for many years as a teenager on fishing trip with friends. Spent a few nights sleeping either on or next to picnic tables as wind and rain would cause havoc with the tent. My wife, children and I tent camped for several years until our knees and backs couldn’t take it any longer. After becoming empty nesters we had a platform in back of pickup with a shell on it that we slept on. As we reach retirement age we decided to go to a MH. Loved most every minute of our camping adventure.
Absolutely! Backpacking w/ tent for years & years, a short stint of car camping, finally got a pop-up, then retired, went f/t in an Airstream for a year, now in 32’ Tiffin, still f/t going on 9 yrs now.
Started tent camping in 1974 with my ex and continued afterwards with friends. When I began dating my husband we too tent camped before buying a pop-up. We loved the pup-up and still reminisce fondly of our adventures. Next was a TT, followed by three fifth wheels. Nearly 38 years later we’re looking for our first MH that may be our last. Of course we said that three RV’s ago. 🙂
Yes. We gave up tenting after our second child. I got tired of middle of the night bathroom visits. We skipped the pop-up stage and bought the first trailer where my 6’4″ husband could sit on the toilet without hitting his knees on anything. 43 years later we have a 34′ fifth wheel but we still use a tent occasionally. We keep it in the storage bay with the rest of our backpacking gear.
Our first tent was from Sears, had a yellow top. When the sun came up in the morning it lot up in side like someone turned on the spotlights. DW also had a tipi, it was like building a house. Lot of room, lot of work.
My husband’s father was a Scout Master & so they did a lot of tent camping. But time came that sleeping on the ground became too difficult. We bought a used pop up camper & actually lived in it for over a month when we moved from the Midcoast to NE. Then we decied to Go West. Bought a small 25′ travel trailer. 4 years ago we decided we needed more space etc. We opted for a used 30′ that needed work, which my husband likes. He’s currently painting all the cabinets, doors, etc white. We are looking forward to enjoying it on our first 2021 excursion in April.
Started in an old Army tent, moved up to a Coleman tent, then to a Pop Up camper. Traveled across country in a 25′ travel trailer. Now own a used fixer upper 30′ travel trailer.