Rant: My uncle called my fancy tent a 'glorified plastic bag'

Last weekend my uncle Dave came over to borrow my air mattress. He saw my new 4-season tent set up in the garage and just laughed. He said back in 1992 he used a canvas tarp and a rope for 3 weeks straight in the Smokies and never had issues. It hit different because he's not wrong about some things. My tent weighs 8 pounds and cost me $350, his whole setup was like 15 bucks at a surplus store. I started thinking about how gear has changed but the basics are still the same. Has anyone else had an older relative make you feel like you're overcomplicating camping?

2 comments

2 Comments

casey_torres6014d ago

Glorified plastic bag" got me good. I used to be all about buying the newest, lightest gear too. My old man never let me forget he camped with a wool blanket and a poncho for years. Then last spring I took my nice tent out and the zipper jammed on day one. I ended up sleeping under a tarp I had in the truck bed for the rest of the trip. That was the moment it clicked for me. He was right that the basics really are the same, a dry place to sleep and something warm to put over you. Sometimes we get so caught up in the fancy stuff we forget the simple things work just fine.

the_abby14d ago

Nah, hold up. You slept under a tarp in your truck bed for the rest of the trip? That's wild. I would have just gone home. Can't imagine roughing it like that after a nice tent failed. Props to you for sticking it out though. Your dad must be proud. That's some real old-school perseverance right there.