What is U-haul Camping?

The other day there was a post by another blogger about what type of camping they do. It was an interesting and read and like most things you can categorize camping differently. This author's approach was more about camping lifestyle categories. I would've probably used a different way to categorize camping, but I like the idea of "rural camping" that the author portrayed." Now I'm comfortable with many types of camping even though the rest of my family isn't. As I thought about it more, I realized that most commonly there are three ways to categorize camping: amount of time spent, type of shelter, location.

Amount of Time Spent

So most commonly, you probably hear of campers divided into one of 3 groups:

• Weekenders - People like us that may take an occasional week long trip. Mostly we do weekends or long weekends amounting to 2-4 nights at a time. 
• Snowbirds - People who have a camper and move south for the winter. They typically spend a month or more at each campground and go around from one to the next for several months between Dec and March. These folks typically come from up north down to the south to avoid the cold and bad weather hoping for a milder climate.
• Full-timers - People who live almost exclusively out of their camper. They may visit family or friends sometimes but they typically move from campground to campground all year long. A lot of full-timers do "snowbird" in the south but they don't go home when the ice/snow melts. 

Type of Shelter

My Hammock Camping Setup

The other common category is based on the type of shelter and loosely around location too.

• Tent - Typically includes tent, hammock, or tarp. (I'm including ultra-light hiking/camping here)
• Camper - Typically involves Popups and Travel Trailers 
• RVing - Mostly bigger Motorhomes and 5th wheels and maybe some large Travel Trailers

Location

• Backcountry - These folks typically hike or boat or ride (horse, bike, 4-wheeler) into a remote area and camp. For shelter they carry with them either a lightweight tent, hammock, or tarp.
• Car Campers - Typically involve a campsite and a tent setup near the vehicle. Can involve camping in vans too. Frequently at campgrounds but not always.
• Boondocking - Typically a camper or RV in places that don't have hookups and are not a designated campsite with a nice pad, fire ring, or picnic table.
• Campground - Camping in a designated campground with sites and hookups. 

And you thought you just wanted to go camping. It's good to remember all these differences since what I think of isn't necessarily what you think of. My idea of camping is almost all of the above. The one thing that is not my style is RV'ing. Don't get me wrong. If you want to give up your house and hit the road that's great. Especially if you like to travel and give back by volunteering at different places. But if you have an RV and a house, well that just makes your RV a condo on wheels to me. Not really camping. 

I've done backpacking, tent (car camping), and now camping with a travel trailer. I really do like them all. Right now the U-haul meets a great need for our family. When the kids are older we may add a tent back in to the equation. I'll probably take them backpacking when they're old enough also. I want them to experience all the differences (ok well not the RV with the big screen TV's and leather recliners). 

So what is our type of camping? To me it's getting out there with the family. Changing up your environment and working with what you have. Meeting new people. Having great meals. Sitting around a campfire relaxing and telling stories/jokes. It's an opportunity to show my kids the great world we live in and take them to places I may not otherwise be able to take them. It's learning about history, nature, and science. Most importantly, it's about making memories as a family.

Why do you camp (or want to)?