People & Attutudes Tent verses Caravan

davkar · Senior Member

People & Attutudes Tent verses Caravan

BobnBev · Senior Member

Very true Davkar, Funny when you think back, Our first travels were in a "vangard station wagon" and it had a bail of straw for a matress spread out.... it slept well. if you are cold straw is one of the best things to sleep on. Then we had this ser.one landy and a carapark van. big heavy thing, but well made. towed it from Melbourne to Bowen then all the way to carnarvon wa.and back. when the nulla was dirt... we did have a 12-12 tent at one stage.. And had it flatened by a willy willy... Thats it wont bore you with any more, but its like you say. When we were in tassie , it was raining cats and dogs .A young couple were wet and cold packing up. looks like they had had enough. we asked them in wet as they were ,diesel heater,cake and hot milo made them smile... its easy to be nice ..
thank you for makeing us think back...Bob n Bev

Dougie · Veteran Member

Know exactly what you mean Davkar & BobnBev. Our first unit was also a Series 2 Land Rover Motorhome that someone had laboured to get together, & no doubt spent a fair amount of money doing it, & our first trip up through Flinders & the old Ghan railway line to Alice earned us scorn by all those who looked at the "unit" saying, "you're game in that".
We had many memorable long trips in the old "Landy" before upgrading, but the comments were always the same where ever we stopped.
Now the $100k plus caravan & turbo tugs still look down on everyone not up to their standard it seems.
I have the money to do the same but I refuse to join the class distinction & follow the "Joneses" for the sake of impressions & oneupmanship, so for each his own I say, & I will talk to anyone, no matter what rig they choose to travel in.

valnrob · Guru

It doesn't matter what form of camping you do, whether swag only, tent, camper, caravan, bus, motor home etc etc etc, we all here doing the same thing.......enjoying ourselves. The mode may be different but the outcome the same. Enjoy whatever form you take and don't let snobbishness deter you.

cheers

Vic · Guru

I have tented in the past but in general found others ok whatever they were in, I recall one even gave me a fish once. However that was a long time ago and the upmarket rigs were not around then.

I always talk to anyone whatever mode of accomodation they are using, usually you will find the "snobs" would be snobs anyway (read not sociable) irrespective of their rigs. Come across a few of those from time to time, but in the minority thank goodness.

jonathan · Guru

.. I simply couldn't care less about the difference ..

Beth54 · Guru

jonathan wrote:
.. I simply couldn't care less about the difference ..

Me either..

Cruising Granny · Guru

I couldn't care less either. Just doin' it is the bottom line.
However, I have felt the snobbery of some motorhome owners who think they're a step above the "trailer set".
Some fifth-wheelers have also presented that sort of snobbery, new vans toward older, smaller vans etc.
They're easy to ignore among all the other happy campers in swags, tents, camper vans, caravans, motor homes or wheelers, old or new.
I chat to anyone who stands still long enough, and if even they don't appear to be standing still. Nah! Well, I hope I'm not that bad. But I have been know to talk an ear or two off. Sorry about that folks.
I think we should all hold our heads high for our achievements in life, to get this far, to be doing whatever we're doing.
Sharing it both ways is the bonus.

Pejay · Guru

We also started off with a second-hand camper trailer - which we still have before upgrading to our second-hand caravan for 'touring'. We have kept the camper trailer for when we go on our off-road adventures to Cameron's Corner and Cape York - places we cannot take our caravan.

When it's all said and done who cares, we all enjoy ourselves no matter what mode of accomodation we have! On our trips this year with our van, we have found that those in Motorhomes are the ones that can't or won't give you a wave as we travel - some vannies really get excited when you acknowledge them with a wave.

Gerty Dancer · Guru

I just cant be bothered with snobs... if people's self-esteem demands that they have to look down on others to make themselves feel better, then they must be pretty weak IMHO!

JRH · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
I just cant be bothered with snobs... if people's self-esteem demands that they have to look down on others to make themselves feel better, then they must be pretty weak IMHO!

I agree 100% with Gert

Onedodger · Guru

jonathan wrote:
.. I simply couldn't care less about the difference ..

Me too.

Although we have a van that has all the mod cons , shower, tut, washing machine etc we still tent it when we want to see those places that only can be assessed by 4wd. smile

We also treat anyone in a tent the same as any other traveller and hope that they join in happy hour. biggrin

Because we too started with a small tent and worked our way up as cash permitted.

Cheers Dodg.

Helena · Guru

As long as you are happy with what you have why bother what other people think just get out there and enjoy that is the whole object of camping surely Helena.

jimricho · Guru

This topic seems to stick its head up out of the ground (as it were) from time to time... I wonder if sometimes some people see snobbery where it doesn't exist. I've tent camped, tent-trailer camped and now camper-trailer camp(?). Always a modest setup and can't say I've noticed any real snobbery. Not all people are gregarious and those travelling in groups usually like to do their happy hour thing together. I've often been invited to join others at happy hour, some of whom have much more up-market rigs than my little Goldstream.

Firefly · Guru

Can't say we have seen a lot of it either Jim, been pretty good really. But we haven't been out there a lot, the first time we tented it and were too quiet to really socialise. Now we are pretty easy going but have found everybody pretty good really. smile

glassies · Guru

my first camping trip was to the gulf of carp and i had a two year old on board ,in an old series 2 landrover we did the trip no worries and we only had a tent
i put that tent up every night and down ,cooked washed by hand had a ball that was our first trip, later on we upgraded to a nissan patrol and bought a
pop top jayco only because i was the only one out of everybody that took a child with us and it made it damn hard at times ,simply because these people
drove all day from barely sun up to sun down in that time i had to get out of the car when we stopped keep a 2 year old happy get everything together
cook clean up you name it i did it ,then next day same again, one of the times we did 10,000 klms in 3 weeks .

Mind you at the time i had a pretty lazy partner ,things have changed in my life now ,kids have left home ive got a man that is the most amazing man
and i cant wait to do this with him and show him australia ,

Popeye · Senior Member

I do not talk to snobs

pricey43 · Guru

When I see a tent camp or a basic set up, it makes me appreciate what we have progressed to. But in the same breath I think 'Good on them. They're out and experiencing everything we are.' If we can all share our experiences its amazing what extra knowledge we reap.

jimricho · Guru

Popeye wrote:
I do not talk to snobs

Snob! wink

blaze · Guru

Had a young couple staying here in a tent for 3 months, used to often sit and have a yarn with them when I did my security walk, did tell them once that tents had thin walls. They have now headed to perth, then bali for a month and then will continue their 2 year aussie trip. Me, well I will talk to any one be it a caravaner, 5th wheeler or a swaggie, even talk to them strange people that live in houses and dont travel. Guess that means I dont prejudge any body and will talk to any body, Bit of a suprise but I learn new stuff ever day
cheers
blaze

DellieMay · Senior Member

We, too,started in a tent..progressed to a camper trailer..progressed to our caravan. We had a blast in every stage of our progression. We did experience snobbery on two occasions that I remember.. Once in Karumba Qld. Travelling with friends, we pulled into the c/p, dusty and dirty after coming over the dirt coastal route from Roper bar. All others in the park had lovely caravans, clean 4b's { I counted 69}..and here we were..in filthy trailers. Boy, were we looked at!!! I just thought to myself how lucky we were, as we had seen so much more of that part of the country than they had. The second time was at El Questro. We were camped on the river with about 200 other campers, loving it, but we campers were not allowed to go to El Questo itself. You had to pay $1,600 a night to go there, but what floored me was, the "guests" from the homestead came to the river and joined all of us at night. We had the best time for $25 a night. Might add we still have out tent, our camper trailer too, as we're hoping our kids and grandkids will use them one day and join us.
Have enjoyed every leg of our journey, and probably will have a mobile home when we feel the need to.

ChiChi1 · Guru

Have tented it for over 30yrs. Kids and dogs and all. Even out bush in south west Qld. But... travelling alone with a furry friend it just isn't practical for me to camp. Had to upgrade to a reliable van. and that is the only reason I'm still not camping. So no I don't look down on people whose rigs are not fancy to me its a matter of what is practical for the individual. I think camping with family and friends is a lot more friendly as opposed to shutting yourself away in a van once it gets dark.

pws25 · Senior Member

Mornin, If ya enjoy people comin & talkin to you ,travel in my set up! GREAT conversation 'starter'
In brissy at the moment waitin for the weather to improve b 4 headin nth..cya

Zoomtopz · Guru

My 1st vehicular camping arrangement was a frame & tarp on an old J1

Bedford , then I progressed to a crewcab J5 Bedford , mate I had heaps

of fun travelling with them trucks . Then I met Herself , kept the Beddies

& bought Old Inter . When I had to go to Siddelly a bit , I used to take my

tent & camp at th Emu Plains caravan park , th surprised looks , when

talking to people , that I was tenting & they saw me driving my Mercedes.

Mate , to me it don't matter if you are a derro or a queen , I treat you the

same . Just as a Person . Cause that is how I want You to treat moi

Richo

Dougie · Veteran Member

I can tell you are a bushie Zoomtopz. Onya mate!! Just think what the city slickers are missing.

lilly31 · Guru

yes dougie some city slicker (and i do say some so i wont get into trouble lol) have no idea of the peace and quiet they are missing the wounderful senery and all of our wildlife that is only found here in oz not to forget all the lovely people you can meet out there ..

gordon_adl · Senior Member

Just last week I was in william creek. Group of 20 blokes or so came in with their $180,000.00 vehicles (3 of them) and barged right in where we were camping. A few guys said they were going to set up their 'cots' under a covered area. We told them there were mice around there. They stated 'what would we know, we're just using tents' Couldn't believe the arrogance from them. Well we sure did laugh our arses off when he woke up in the middle of the night screaming because mice were running up and down his body and face.

We tent because we like it. We can afford a caravan or campervan but just don't want one yet. If anyone wants to snub us because we're in a tent, well then, stuff'em. I don't have time for morons.