I never thought I'd see the day but here I am, 70 years old, withered and about to go camping again. Will it be for the last time? No idea, I suppose it depends on site fees and my health.
For this adventure I've bought the Gouyu inflatable tent from Amazon as it was on special at under 200 notes and has just 10 pegs to worry about and is a decent size. 10' x 6'6" with good headroom, skylight windows and two doors. Test pitch took under 10 mins single handed. Here's what it looks like, I'll add my own photo later.
Now forget about basic camping, I'm for creature comforts so will be on a Norfolk Holiday Park with the added benefits of shower/toilet block, pub, pool, nearby shops and cafe.
Also being September, prices are more favorable at 50 quid for 4 nights electric pitch for two adults and a dog. WIFI is included and hopefully not too many kids around.
As my car is compact, I need to be frugal on what I take with me so I won't be bothering with cooking gear, the savings on the pitch will go towards eating out. A carton of my Shiraz will be with me in the tent to enjoy as I sit in my new very comfy chair, as will a low wattage kettle, biscuits and of course a fan heater with thermostat should the nights get chilly.
Any others out there still under canvas, love to hear from you.
------------- Knowledge is recognising that a tomato is a fruit: experience is not putting it in a fruit salad.
We were away for the weekend in July and pitched next to a couple who were into their 70s. They had everything including a kitchen sink in the form of a washing up bowl and stand! They had been on the site for two weeks.
The back story was however sad in that they had had a caravan for years, but despite being in a supposedly secure yard it was stolen and they didn't have the funds to replace it, so it was back to tenting.
They had so much stuff - full car, roof box and trailer - that it took them half a day to pack it away.
Theoretically yes, I still tent camp in my 70's. Theoretically because I bought a new tent a couple of years back on equal share with a pal to do our fairly regular trek with a 'group of lads' (no one's been a 'lad' for many decades and way back in last century!!!) to the Le Mans 24 Hr motor race in France, where we camp on a pop-up site within the confines of the race circuit.
Life decided it didn't want us to do this at last attempt, as without much warning gave pal stage 4 Bowel Cancer and stuck him in hospital for some time. Thankfully after much Chemotherapy and MAJOR surgery and a few 'wobbles' where we said 'farewell' 'cos it looked like the end, he's on the rebound, but our camping trips were not on whilst he was seriously ill, so 'new and unused tent' has remained precisely that for a couple of years now! Maybe one day, next year is being talked about!
Got to admit 'old age' is over taking many of our group! One of our group decided a few years back that his tenting days were over because of dodgy hips, then he died very suddenly at 67 this year. Another one at 69 had heart problems and needed open heart surgery, recovery ruled out camping for a year. The 'baby' at 55 of our group seems in OK nick, but his wife isn't, so he struggles to find the opportunity these days! I'm the dinosaur of the group and hailed as the fittest of the lot! … there are days I would contest that notion!
Personally (solo, not with a group), I gave up on tents about 9 years ago, when I decided crawling round on the floor to sleep, fighting wet canvas up AND down, struggling to dry a soggy tent at home before packing away in storage, was all a bit much for an old git, so raised the standards with a nice top end 4 berth caravan!
No real aversion to camping in a tent, and still not beyond me, but there has to be GOOD reason to do it, taking my caravan to Le Mans race is just too expensive for the little benefit it brings on a truly bare bones pitch, we'd need to buy 3 pitches to fit caravan and tow car (as opposed for 1 for tent and car), have no EHU, no real convenient fresh water source, no CDP save hopefully lift a manhole cover and dump there, so the caravan, especially with the hefty ferry cost and extra fuel towing it as well, was an inconvenience rather than an asset over a tent in those circumstances, so that's a good reason, and tents it was.
TBH, I've got the whole caravan towing and pitching thing off to a fine art these days, and especially with my old dog along with me, can't think of many times a tent would bring benefit over it, and cost of caravan use over tent is not enough reason to swing that towards a tent.
So still a theoretical tent camper, spirits willing. Reality may prove otherwise!
Although I used to camp in a tent in my youth and my 20s, I've been a dedicated caravanner for nearly 50 years - back in 2018 I booked a family "lads" trip in the caravan to the Dunsfold air show for myself, my son, and my two grandsons but poor health led DVLA to revoke my licence on medical grounds so we used their frame tent instead - it was a revelation, with an air bed to sleep on and room to stand up, nothing like the camping I remember.
There's pro's and con's for the different methods of camping, I've tried most but always come back to the tent.
Cost plays a big part, and regardless of the pulling power of a tow car, the mpg takes a huge dive when towing and tolls and ferry charges are more. There's the storage of a caravan/trailer to consider when not in use and the yearly habitation checks should you be that way inclined.
We travelled to the Loire Valley with a tunnel tent, as everything fitted inside the hatchback, we were able to get there much quicker using less fuel than if we had towed.
Going back to my early days, we found there was a 'them and us' between lowly tenters and the more 'well to do' caravanners, even on a site, 'never the twain should meet' was definitely the rule.
In later years I progressed to a caravan myself however the class distinction still remained between those owning the latest models and us in preloved vans...even to the point where some sites had a caravan age restriction and (according to a site warden friend) introduced higher tariffs to ensure 'a better quality clientele'.
My American hard top folding campers attracted interest from all types and was often a talking point being half caravan half tent, one with a massive awning.
The one thing I found with tenters that never seemed to change over the years is the camaraderie, always welcoming and ready to help each other.
I'm sure should I encounter difficulties pitching this time, there will be someone to help.
Should this turn out to be my last outing, at least the tent will make a nice summerhouse for the garden.
------------- Knowledge is recognising that a tomato is a fruit: experience is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Must admit I gave up tenting years ago when my daughter came along. Coping with a baby in a tent in a down-pour was no fun at all! That daughter is now 51 and a grandmother. We bought an old caravan and life on-site changed dramatically. Things were so much more convenient despite no on-board toilet or electricity. Still, the gas lights provided some warmth.
Now, decades on, we still have an old caravan although not the same one. We are now in our late 70s and definitely couldn't cope with a tent, especially in the rain. We would find it more of an endurance test than a holiday. We don't go abroad with our old outfit though, if we go abroad at all it's a flight and hotel.
So far it seem all replies are about caravanning rather than tenting.
Why do I not caravan you may ask. Well, other than the logistical reasons as mentioned in my last post, I find with my 'arthur-itus', too difficult to get in and out with the steps. Far easier to walk into a tent with no difference in the floor height. As for rain, it's the same whatever you camp in, just sounds more comforting when tapping on a tent. There's the added bonus of not worrying if water is seeping under the skin rotting the wood of the caravan.
Then there's the setting up. With this tent being inflated in 2 minutes, it can be ready to use by the time a caravan is unhitched, steadies down and connected. Pegging can be at my convenience and even then only takes another 2 minutes.
Never mind the posh fixed bed vans, dropping the table to make up the beds is a pain, and the reverse in the morning is just as bad. The tent has the bed ready in seconds. Packing up can be almost as fast, pull the plug and it drops ready to roll up. There's no comparison between the tents of old and today.
From memory, packing a caravan awning in the wet can be a nightmare.
With today's tent materials, a quick shake and the tent is almost dry.
Post last edited on 27/08/2026 13:37:39
------------- Knowledge is recognising that a tomato is a fruit: experience is not putting it in a fruit salad.
During the freak wind of 2004 in Cornwall, I forgot about camping when the storm hit just as I started to pitch. I saw plenty of caravans on their sides too, and not just on the site. I stayed in a chained down static instead. Common sense :)
------------- Knowledge is recognising that a tomato is a fruit: experience is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Hillwalking with tent - those days are over due to the ski knee. We still have our Cabanon Pyramide & I would go back to it if we were somewhere for a good week (to offset the time putting up & taking down) & there were no local buses & the roads were narrow - ie a narrow car would be better than a wider MH. But maybe we’d self cater…
We got the A-S Clubman MH after a frustrating week touring N Ireland in the tent, as it rained most days, we had a 12 week springer puppy & we had to put newspapers down in the awning to soak up the wet, plus the heavy wet tent down & back up.
But at a site recently, I saw an elderly chap on his own, with a roof tent, one of the ones that springs open & has a built in side awning for sitting out. He must have been spry to use the ladder, but I could see that option appealing to the moderately fit who are not challenged by 0300 trips down to the site loo or the in the awning.
If we all find what best suits our (many & varied) preferences, let’s hope we all keep fit & healthy to enjoy our trips away.
I still like the tent for backpacking & trips away & despite having a fully equipped campervan I'm happy to kip on the floor of a simple Kangoo swb van with a portapotti by my head. Mind I'm pushing 65 so relatively young on this forum.
I think 'horses for courses' comes into play with age and ability. I may still consider a tent and basic living standards in prime camping weather, but I've used the caravan in the foulest of weather in November in the Lake District, with biblical rain, sub zero temps etc., fully utilising the comfort of onboard toilet and shower, full kitchen to prep decent meals, and full heating to spend otherwise truly miserable cold wet cold days in absolute comfort - a tent would have been Hell, not to mention detrimental to health at an age where it's wise to take that into account! I also have an aging dog with me, so have to consider her needs as well.
I can use my caravan pretty much throughout the year in great comfort, but have no desire to suffer in a tent (I have suffered cold and extreme heat in a tent in the past!), so it keeps me 'camping' when I would otherwise not dream of doing so for no better reason than self preservation in my autumn years.
Nothing to be gained in proving I can (or only maybe!) survive against the harshest elements in a tent!
I've no wish to be anywhere other than home by my living fire when it's cold. For me, now a fair weather camper, my season runs from June to September, and of course never during late July and August.
I used to do all weathers in the sleeper cab of my truck all over Europe and the UK, no longer have I any interest in going too far from home, seen it all. I'd rather go half an hour up the road than sit stewing in traffic for hours on end.
If the weather turns too nasty...I can come home and pack the tent up later.
------------- Knowledge is recognising that a tomato is a fruit: experience is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Quote: Originally posted by starcraft on 28/8/2026
I've no wish to be anywhere other than home by my living fire when it's cold. For me, now a fair weather camper, my season runs from June to September, and of course never during late July and August.
I used to do all weathers in the sleeper cab of my truck all over Europe and the UK, no longer have I any interest in going too far from home, seen it all. I'd rather go half an hour up the road than sit stewing in traffic for hours on end.
If the weather turns too nasty...I can come home and pack the tent up later.
We are very much of the same mind now, even though we have a caravan. Only one place to be when it's cold and wet and that is home and indoors. Our season tends to be May to end of September, possiby a bit earlier in spring if the weather's fine. However, this year the caravan hasn't moved at all yet, although we do intend to go away soon. We've had two holidays this year so far though, one in a Hotel in Copenhagen and a week with my sister-in-law in her home in Cornwall. We went by train as I still have my retired-staff pass which covers us both. We also never go away during school holidays. We enjoyed tent camping when we were young, but not anymore.
Quote: Originally posted by starcraft on 28/8/2026
I've no wish to be anywhere other than home by my living fire when it's cold. For me, now a fair weather camper, my season runs from June to September, and of course never during late July and August.
I used to do all weathers in the sleeper cab of my truck all over Europe and the UK, no longer have I any interest in going too far from home, seen it all. I'd rather go half an hour up the road than sit stewing in traffic for hours on end.
If the weather turns too nasty...I can come home and pack the tent up later.
We are very much of the same mind now, even though we have a caravan. Only one place to be when it's cold and wet and that is home and indoors. Our season tends to be May to end of September, possiby a bit earlier in spring if the weather's fine. However, this year the caravan hasn't moved at all yet, although we do intend to go away soon. We've had two holidays this year so far though, one in a Hotel in Copenhagen and a week with my sister-in-law in her home in Cornwall. We went by train as I still have my retired-staff pass which covers us both. We also never go away during school holidays. We enjoyed tent camping when we were young, but not anymore.
The length of season does depend on the leisure activities when away - we're into birdwatching so the weather and length of daylight plays a big part in when we go and where. This to me is the essence of both caravanning and camping that people can do what they enjoy, when and where they enjoy it.
We've never caravanned in December/January but did have -12C temperatures on one trip where the site water supply froze but nowadays we only go away from March to November.
I got back into camping again when I was pushing 50; still physically fit and parents were okay to be left. My first tent I had to crawl into, the next two I had to stoop, and the last one I could walk into - rather like that old 'ascent of man' graphic!
I loved camping - not all the faff of setting up and taking down a wet tent now and again, admittedly, but just being there without all the domestic gubbins to deal with, admiring the view, listening to the birds etc. Mostly I solo camped, except for an occasional and delightful family camp with daughter and her family. The decision to stop camping came quite suddenly (see different thread 'Tentus fugit') but it just stopped being practical for me. I couldn't upgrade as I don't have the budget for a campervan or caravan. I took a lot of photographs so I have those to look back upon!
------------- Always edited for sloppy typing - when I spot it!
A day of all things motorhome and campervan. The show is held both in the main indoor arena and across the grounds. Catering, hot drinks and food options are available. Easy access to the site and free parking included. Win one of five pairs of day tickets
Topic: Pensioners under canvas
via mobile 27/8/2026 at 4:53pm
