The camping season is upon once again, some hardcore campers would say the season never ends, but I am a fair weather camper myself.
With this comes one of my favourite camping pastimes, watching fellow campers put their tents up.
It stars with the car slowly driving around the field to find the perfect spot, once located everyone jumps out having been compacted into a tin box for a number of hours with bags, covers, boxes and sometimes a dog for company. Then the fun starts, and its time to get the camping chair and a beer!
Just to be clear I am not a mean person and if I see people struggling I will offer to help, no one wants to see a marriage breakdown on the first day of a holiday because of a misbehaving piece of canvas.
Does anyone else enjoy watching fellow campers and what are your funny experiences.
I did see a young couple struggling to put up a tent while the baby cried in its pram. I went to help, it was a borrowed tent, and together we established that important poles were still with the lender. So she drove back to get the missing bag, while he stayed with the baby.
It’s caravan awnings we see people struggling with rather than tents, the initial start of threading it through the rail & someone getting buried under the canvas.
They were from London, the tent was still in it's box,they were struggling to tear off the Selotape.
It had been raining all day and once they got the tent out of it's bag they looked bedraggled and confused. We were in Normandy and there was no easy way to throw the tent back in the car and go home, I decided to help.
Their early teens son wanted to go swimming in the campsite pool, then he saw the sign saying he'd have to wear speedos, he never went swimming in that pool.
Not watching, but mostly listening... When I was camping on Arran years ago, it was a bit wet one evening so I snuggled down in my tent with a book. Three young men arrived when the light was fading and put on a performance worthy of a radio comedy as they tried to make sense of their tent and put it up without getting too wet. By the time they'd finished it was dark and I was wishing them elsewhere, but they sorted themselves out in the end!
------------- Always edited for sloppy typing - when I spot it!
Quote: Originally posted by Hedgehugger on 26/5/2024
Not watching, but mostly listening... When I was camping on Arran years ago, it was a bit wet one evening so I snuggled down in my tent with a book. Three young men arrived when the light was fading and put on a performance worthy of a radio comedy as they tried to make sense of their tent and put it up without getting too wet.
Sounds like the site at Lamlash? they’d have got the train down from Glasgow, got the last ferry & caught the bus around the island. That site is particularly popular with students at weekends, especially as it’s walking distance from the famous Drift Inn. The tent was probably too small for 3, but they wouldn’t have noticed after a few pints!
Part of the fun of camping for me is to watch fellow campers setting up their units.
Best ones are the ones with everyone involved, young and old.
Worst ones are the ones when one person is obviously more controlling and dictatorial, usually the male being rather mean and curt towards his female partner.
If I see anyone struggling, I would offer to help.
I still remember the time when I struggled to put up a canopy in the pouring rain in Glencoe C&CC in July 2012 (that was before I learnt how to do it using the ridge line method), and the hikers in the hut nearby watched and did not offer any help. I swore I would not let anyone struggle without offering to help after that.
While in Europe recently, I offered to help by providing an EHU extension lead to one couple, and to provide an extra guy rope and peg to hold down the top of a caravan awning that was flapping. I was pleased I was able to help with the spare equipment that I carry.
I tried not to intervene if there were more than one person setting up as I did not wish to get in the way.
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Reading these comments reminded of the time my friend borrowed my old tent, to make sure he knew what to do I did a dry run with him in his garden, but I got the impression he wasn't paying full attention.
Sure enough come his first day as the light was fading I got a video call from a very wet friend, wondering what was wrong with the tent and why it didn't look right. After a few shaky video trips around the tent I realised he had put the tent's flysheet up inside out! He spent the night in his van before putting it up properly the next day.
Yes, Fiona W, I believe it was. That was the only time I've been rained out of the tent; the water got in somehow and I had to go to Tourist Information and find a B&B for my last night. I enjoyed Arran though - it has a bit of everything, no wonder they call it 'Scotland in miniature'!
------------- Always edited for sloppy typing - when I spot it!
It is interesting to watch - and when striking the tent too (I'm a neat nerd). But, I wonder who has enjoyed (if that's the word) watching me put up the Estoril solo (and the B&B tent en route) whilst my OH just goes and gets his chair (his mind, not mine too) and sits to watch whilst I put it up. Same thing last year with a 2-nighter in the Monterey. He did do more initially although I did the bulk if he'd been driving: he's gone off camping and this has been his very adolescent form of acting out (he had to help strike the tent and pack after our final French camping trip as I'd injured my ribs on a zip line during a canyoning misadventure).
If anyone has watched my solo performance, I hope it was educational, informative and entertaining.
------------- Camping - emotional resilience in action, a triumph of hope over adversity and antidote to virtual reality.
Not a tent but I was sitting in my caravan one windy and rainy day in North Wales last year when a woman and a child pulled up on the pitch next to us, I was quite impressed as you don't see many women lone caravanning (obviously lone barring the child).
She unhitched the caravan and motor moved the caravan onto the pitch, then proceeded to loosen the jockey wheel, with the inevitable "thud" as the caravan nose dived into the ground, me and the other half went to help her (we offered first!) (jacked up the hitch before re-tightening the jockey wheel) clamp), she said she had borrowed her dad's caravan so I offered to help level it etc, as it was far from level, she declined and then became a bit arrogant and rude, so we left her to it.
Went back into the caravan and after a while we noticed that she was then trying to put her awning up (still windy) we were watching bits of the awning get blown onto the railway line and I didn't feel one bit guilty about it, the moral of the story is that people don't have to help you, when they do, treat them courteously
Couple in their late 20's(?).
She stood aside in her heels and ball gown (I kid you not!) with arms firmly folded and face firmly scowling, whilst he spent an hour putting up their 2/3man tent that just about reached waist height at its highest point.
Off they then scurried to the shower block, only to return with a fully inflated double air bed, that was approximately 2.7 times bigger than the tent doorway.
It was only about 30% inflated by the time they squeezed it through the door!
An hour of inactivity followed, before she hastened to lock herself in the car, despite his pleading and protestations.
It got dark with her still in the car.
There was no trace of them, their tent, nor their car, when I took my morning coffee outside at about 6am.
It seems they left in the night... but I've no idea whether they left together!
Quote: Originally posted by Mucker1884 on 30/7/2024
Couple in their late 20's(?).
She stood aside in her heels and ball gown (I kid you not!) with arms firmly folded and face firmly scowling, whilst he spent an hour putting up their 2/3man tent that just about reached waist height at its highest point.
Off they then scurried to the shower block, only to return with a fully inflated double air bed, that was approximately 2.7 times bigger than the tent doorway.
It was only about 30% inflated by the time they squeezed it through the door!
An hour of inactivity followed, before she hastened to lock herself in the car, despite his pleading and protestations.
It got dark with her still in the car.
There was no trace of them, their tent, nor their car, when I took my morning coffee outside at about 6am.
It seems they left in the night... but I've no idea whether they left together!
Not a site with no traffic between 23:00 to 07:00 rule then!
DK
------------- Apple The Campervan - A Van For Work, Rest & Play!
- 2027: ? NL+DE+FR
- 2026: FR+DE
- 2025: 17/77
'24: 10/49; '23: 9/47;'22: 8/46; '21: 9/34
* Ex-tenter
* Treat life events like a dog: if you can't eat it, play with it or hump it, p1$$ on it and walk away!
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Tent Watching
via mobile 25/5/2024 at 11:02am
