How to camp when you hate camping - Our Campfire Unplugged

We all know the old saying, “Never say never.” This could not be more true when it comes to camping for me! I had never been camping when we bought our RV! Spending time outdoors is amazing, but I like the comfort of my bed, a temperature-controlled environment, a clean bathroom, no bugs, and internet! I know I am not the only one! So, how do I love to camp then?

A Comfortable Bed

Our first night in our camper was fun but our mattresses were so hard that no one slept well! The kid’s bunk beds had a 2 inch foam mattress. As you can imagine, this was not comfortable for them either! This was quickly the first thing we changed. We have a Tempur-Pedic Mattress at home so we bought a Tempur-Pedic mattress topper for our queen size RV bed. This worked out well for us for several years but as our trips got longer, we needed something better. We aren’t getting any younger and we were waking up with sore backs and hips! We replaced the entire mattress with the same Tempur-Pedic mattress we have at home. This made sleeping so much more comfortable!

For the bunk beds, we added a thick foam mattress topper. RV bunk beds are the same length as regular twin beds but they are a little narrower than standard twin beds. We bought a queen topper and cut it in half and added it to the foam mattress already there. This helped tremendously!

We also use the same sheets we have on our beds at home. Making this space as much like our bedrooms at home has helped all four of us sleep comfortably on our trips.

Temperature Controlled Environment

I am a fair weather fan. I love to cheer my kids on or cheer my favorite team on if the weather if perfect, not too hot, not too cold, no rain, not too sunny! Just call me Goldilocks, I like things just right. We learned in our first RV that the air conditioner worked great but there was only one vent for the heat… in the kitchen. Our first cold weather trip was very cold! We learned to keep extra blankets in the camper and on our beds. We also bought a small electric heater. This was perfect to warm up our small space at night or in the mornings. We also kept a radiator style heater in the kids bedroom when it was cold. We felt like this was a safe option overnight.

Our Fifth Wheel is 50 amp and has two air conditioner units. And it has vents that run to each bedroom and bathroom when the furnace is used. It is so much warmer in this camper! But let’s be real, heating your camper with propane is expensive and runs constantly. We utilize our electric fireplace often. It warms up our small space in no time! Life is so much better when you are not sweating or shivering while camping!

A Clean Bathroom

We bought our first RV during Covid so having a bathroom was very important to us. And let’s be honest, some bath houses at campgrounds are not very nice or clean! Others are impeccably clean! Our water heater is tiny in our camper so it can take awhile if all four of us need to shower even if we take a quick shower. We definitely utilize bath houses, but it is nice to be able to use our bathroom in the middle of the night if needed. And who wants to walk to the bath house when it is pouring rain or cold or simply every time you need to go?

Bugs

There is nothing worse than trying to sleep and the feeling of bugs crawling on you! I would never be able to sleep in a tent! There are times of the year and locations that bugs can be bad but surprisingly, it is not nearly as bad as we expected. Of course we use bug spray and bug bands when we hike if needed but I hate putting on bug spray if I have showered and am clean. I just feel sticky again. We love our Thermocell. It works great by creating a “bubble” around us. Sometimes we use a Katchy indoors. It never fails that when a light is on in the RV and the door does not close fast enough that bugs fly as fast as they can to get in! The Katchy works great for this issue! There are times when we just decide to spend time inside our camper and not deal with the bugs too. There are choices when you travel with your home!

No internet

Let’s be real, we love being disconnected but connected at the same time. Many campgrounds have Wifi but we found that it is not very fast and makes surfing the internet less than enjoyable! We have tried a Verizon Mifi, an internet booster, and finally “settled” on Starlink. It runs about $150 a month after the initial expense but the internet is fast and we rarely run into problems. This makes staying connected when we want, a possibility, and being able to work on the road. The set up is fast and simple, all you need is a north facing sky.

The Fun Stuff

Enough of the bad stuff, let’s discuss the fun stuff! Our family enjoys getting away together. We always say “We need to go here or go there,” but life happens and getting away doesn’t happen! Having a RV almost forces you to make plans to use it. It makes us book a campground monthly, thus we are traveling once a month or more. We have traveled to so many places I never dreamed I would go or even want to go. Sometimes these campgrounds are 30 minutes from home, other times they are several hours away. I am so thankful for the experiences in these places and being able to show my kids how beautiful our state and our country is!

We slow down and enjoy the outdoors together. The TV is off, the screens are off, the kids are out of their rooms. We spend time together and mostly enjoy each other’s company, sometimes more than others! Sitting around the campfire laughing and singing songs together is amazing. We would never do that at home! Game playing is huge at the campground. We enjoy outdoor and indoor games. Our favorites are Ladder Ball, Yardzee, Trekking the National Parks, Uno, Left, Right, Center, and so many more. This brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.

There is something about sitting around the campfire that makes us happy. Hearing our kids talk about their favorite memories ever on a camping trip makes our hearts smile. We have such a small part of time with our kids and while many times it is difficult, our time away together makes more memories than I could have ever hoped for.

So throw on some bug spray, turn on your Thermocell and explore our beautiful country!

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