Camping or not? Is the weight worth it?

[LouMelini]

I also became a septuagenarian earlier this year

[staehpj1]

I actually exaggerated I am not official until next month.

[hikerjer]

"I also became a septuagenarian earlier this year."

"I actually exaggerated I am not official until next month."

You're both young whippersnappers.Time to grow up.

[BikeliciousBabe]

I love to camp but can afford to spend an occasional night in a motel/hotel. I only do it ocasionally when I feel I realy need to - whether from weather, exhaustion, the need to cleanup or just from feeling the need for a little decadence.

And sometimes the camping option(s) are not nice. I have been to Butte, MT three times. Have always gotten a room in the historic section of town because the KOA (only game in town) is not great for tent camping. While it appears it has undergone improvements since I was last in town 5 years ago, it is still located next to to I-90/I-5 and fronted by a fairly busy road. Tent sites have no shade from what I have read. And the walk to the historic district doesn't look all that nice. In contrast, the motor lodge portion of the Hotel Finlen is in the historic district. Basic, but nice, and not super expensive.

[staehpj1]

And sometimes the camping option(s) are not nice. I have been to Butte, MT three times. Have always gotten a room in the historic section of town because the KOA (only game in town) is not great for tent camping.

Yeah, in places where an RV park is the only option that is often the case.  RV parks and KOA vary widely though and some can actually be quite nice.  Also in bigger towns and cities there just may not really be any campgrounds at all so it may be improvised camping or no camping.  I am less inclined to improvised camp in cities, so may get a room there.

[BikeliciousBabe]

RV parks and KOA vary widely though and some can actually be quite nice.

so true. I can recall staying at 5 different KOAs. The one outside of Whitefish, MT was ok but needed a facelift. The St. Mary, MT one was also ok, but the ground squirrel burrows littered throughout the tent camping field posed a risk of ankle injury. Westhampton, MA was relatively small, and quiet in September, but seemed to have only one true tent site, which I had reserved ahead of time.  The Missoula KOA is, despite its size, actually quite nice. They run a tight ship there and have security patrols because of its location. I have started 4 tours there and ended 2 there. The hot tubs (no children allowed) are a nice amenity. The one near Hill City, SD was a zoo. Really crowded. No shade at any of the tent sites. At night the hot tub/pool was filled with mostly drunks.

This place is probably the most tricked out private campground I even stayed at while touring alone. It's located on the Atlantic Coast route:

https://www.loneoakcampsites.com/

The place is like a city in itself, complete with a bar. First time I stayed there was in '99. I paid close to $30, which was a lot back then. The cheapest site is now $53 with no hook-ups. I was there on a Saturday night in September. The place was jumping, in part because they were having an end of season party that included a dance for teenagers.

Stayed there again in the mid-2010s on a September Sunday. Much mellower as seasonal people headed home for the upcoming week. When I called before the trip to ask about the need for reservations the woman I spoke with told me there was a cyclist discount and that I wouldn't need a reservation. I think I paid $25 for the night.

Another crazy place was in ME, near the end of my Northern Tier group trip. The ride leader notes described the place as "Combat camping at its finest." I am pretty sure this is the place:

https://lakepemaquid.com/

[HikeBikeCook]

I lived a mile West of Lone Oaks and worked about a mile East of it for several years. The AT used to run not to far from there and the are some excellent camp spots in state forests through out the entire area. Canaan Mountain is (was?) home the the Yale School of Forestry. I grew up two towns south in Cornwall. Everywhere you went was either a mile of climbing to get there or a mile of climbing to get back 

[Westinghouse]

All my bicycle touring consisted in mostly camping, with intermittent stays in motels. Carrying the camping gear is worth it. One night camping saves $37.00 to $60.00 which goes a long way for expenses on the road. I used paid camp sites only a very few times in 35,000 miles of bicycle touring in 19 countries. I save. This is what I have done. I have completely outfitted a bike, got the panniers, used low-end components and completed tours of 3000 and 4000 miles for less overall costs than some people pay just for the bicycle. Within certain limits, bicycle touring can cost as much or as little as you want to spend. Camping is one way to reduce monetary costs. To me the weight is worth it.

[ray b]

To me the weight is worth it.

Odd - I agree with everything said in this thread.

I'll note that if you have the resources, it doesn't take much weight to have the capacity to camp.

Although my first bike trip with friends at age 14 involved strapping my dad's 15-pound Ted Williams (Sears) sleeping bag and a $9 inflatable tube tent onto a Pletscher rack, my first real kit a couple years later in 1973, was a 2-pound Sierra Designs down bag and a North Face bivouac cover (breathable side down and waterproof side up if it rained) strapped to a support that literally hooked onto my stays above the brake.

A little older and with better resources, I now have a 2-pound,-2 man tent, 1-pound comforter, and 1-pound pad I pretty much take on every multi-day trip, whether I plan on sleeping out or not.

One never knows when the opportunity to shower, swim, and camp for free in a community park will shorten their day.