robing wrote:Serious question. I've done a few tours now with camping gear. I like the idea of camping - it's cheap or even free, gives you freedom. But in practice I don't really enjoy it. It's uncomfortable, often noisy, too hot/ too cold, midges, mosquitoes, no fun in the wet, etc. I just wonder sometimes if it's worth the hassle of carrying all that extra weight, setting up and taking down your tent etc. In some places a hostel or cheap hotel may not cost that much more.
On my longer tours in the UK and abroad I always carried camping gear as I enjoyed - as you say - the freedom it affords. Downside is of course the weight of having to carry all the gear so I made sure I used it most of the time. Every few days I would 'treat myself' and find lodgings in order to have a good wash of myself and gear. One of the most memorable was staying in a beach hotel in Washington State where a scene from the film An Officer and a Gentleman was filmed. It had a jacuzzi out on the balcony and a bed with a massage facility...both totally wasted on me. I like a bit of luxury now and again but do prefer camping especially when the weather is fair. Weekends away in Scotland were always spent wild camping or staying in a bothy.
It wasn't until I got married that my nights under the stars became less frequent. The wife found life without the comforts of home a bit too much especially the lack of a hair dryer.
I much prefer wild camping and would rather pay for a B&B than pay to stay in a camping site.