To my mind, the measure of a shrewd camper (and a proper gentleman!) is the ability to hike or bike to a restaurant for dinner. Leave rough dining to the bears.
I think, psychologically, a lot of this mindset comes from my time in the Navy (the quality of the food having gained some level of wider infamy of late, I would take any chance I could to dine off the ship), my time at military school (where escaping from post to eat an unauthorized meal, or really do anything, out in town was a serious offense and known colloquially as “running the block”), and before that my time in the Boy Scouts (where I might have dreamed of doing such a thing, if only I had the nerve—and the cash).
So really, my whole life has led me to this point. I am constitutionally incapable of “roughing it” for dinner if better options are available. I owe it to my younger self to take what opportunities I can to dine in comfort.
I’m 65 and still backpack. Prolly getting a class B RV custom build real soon.
When backpacking in the US, hell no. Who wants to hike for a mile or three with at least one direction uphill to get to a restaurant? I like to cook on the trail vs pouring boiling water into a dehydrated meal, even if that means bringing a little more weight in the form of a fry pan, fuel, maple syrup, pancakes, etc. Japanese curry in camp after a day on the trail is the BOMB. Of course, some caveats:
You’re somewhere in Europe with “hut-to-hut” hiking aka the Dolomites, where you cross multiple mountain lodges with great food, fresh pastries, cold beer, wine cellars, etc
I usually take a Trader Joe’s frozen Indian meal for the first dinner, and reheat that over my stove
It would also take away from the reward meal. Too easy to spend hours on the trail every day debating with yourself and/or hiking buddies for the first meal you will have back in civilization. That can involve a long ass drive from the trailhead to the ‘perfect’ first meal after being on the trail for a few nights or longer. [There are legendary bakeries and other eateries either on a trail like the Pacific Crest Trail, or a very short walk, or in the resupply town but I don’t think that counts.]
car camping - why not if it’s convenient? And if you’re going with newbies, maybe a big mac is what they need to make it an enjoyable week. No need to be a stoic.
That is like that TV show “Alone”, where the contestants are allowed to bring something like 10 items for survival, but the rules include no fuel, no lighters, no matches, no bug spray, no sunscreen, no electronics, no map (!!!), no fishing rods, no food (except for emergency rations), you get the idea. People have been pulled out due to starvation, and even the winners lost a lot of weight.
I’ve done my share of backpacking but haven’t been on any trails that have any kind of restaurants nearby. I’m not morally opposed to eating out when backpacking,
With my family, we car camp, and we cook, but mostly because I’d rather not spend the time going somewhere.
Ooh, forgot about that. Our first night on Alta Via 1 our hut had a fancy chef and a glorious meal, with nice wines on offer as well. Other nights were basic fare, typically everyone getting the same group meal. When we hut-to-hut hiked in Iceland and NZ we carried all our food and cooked using their kitchens. But in Italy, Switzerland, and New Hampshire the huts provide meals. Sometimes it’s included in the lodging, other times it’s an add on and you’re welcome to cook your own.
IMHO if we are talking about a public nature park, they should not let anyone build anything, much less a private business like a restaurant (NB which also requires deliveries, water, electricity, waste, telecomms, etc.)
In some cases the lodge may pre-date the park.
Park friends’ groups often run firewood and ice sales though not food in my experience.
I’m not sure about beach concession stands – could be private.
I often camp near bike trails, and take said trails into town for lunch.
Governor Dodge → Dodgeville or Gooseberry Falls → Silver Bay or
one of the campgrounds in the Northern Highlands / American Legion State Forest → Boulder Junction
I agree for actual wilderness, but even Pukaskwa National Park’s backpack sites have a bear box and an outhouse (well, one for a group of sites) – not to mention bridges
Used to stop at a restaurant for breakfast on the way to the campground (car camping). And, depending on where we went, we’d often stop at a certain restaurant because they had the best blackberry pie. It could be during the camping trip, or on the way back. We were in the water every day (brrr), so we weren’t that ripe.
But we’d normally do the opposite - lobster and steak at the campsite.
They do bring ferro “flint” fire starters, which for long term are better than matches. They can bring food, but not enough for two months- just enough for a day or so. Bug spray can sometimes attract bears.
Alone is just about the only real survival show, and the ten items are the sort of limit a prepared hunter or backpacker would normally find themselves with- sleeping bag, knife , axe or saw, some fishing line and hooks, a pot, etc.
When we go to a state park to camp we often find people camping on an island that you can only get to by boat. Usually they have kayaked over, dragging a small trailer of sorts behind the kayak with equipment and food. You’re not supposed to camp on the island, but I can see the attraction. You really have to choose what you take very carefully. They have a regular campsite, they are just looking for a little more challenge.
If the park rangers catch them, they will be banned.
Decades ago, I camped with friends in upstate New York on island campsites on a smallish lake. Yes, we had to bring everything we needed over on our canoes, but there was also no danger from bears.
This thread reminds me of when I was into non-technical mountain climbing when I lived in Tokyo. There are a number of peaks about 3,000 meters, and typically you climb most of the way the first day, camp overnight and then do the summit in the early morning.
There are huts where you can stay and they have dinner and breakfast, but apparently some places also allow you to stay at the campground and order dinner as well.
We didn’t, but if I were to go back in time I would, especially since that was when I was married to my ex-wife and she just wasn’t fit enough to carry that much gear.
Of course, going back in time to go on a camping trip with my wife could likely cause issues with my current wife, so I’ll skip that . . .
I think this may be standard in National Parks, or at least in part of the national parks where a permit is required (and paid for)? FWIW, all of the official camp sites (not a lot) on the Mt Rainier Wonderland Trail (94 miles and +/-20,000 feet) have bear poles for hanging food and anything scented. Most, maybe all of the sites, had outhouses. Some bridges but there were also some very dodgy crossings, most notably the Carbon Glacier river. Washes out every spring, have to cross a few logs, and you can clearly hear massive boulders colliding in the water.
Long time RV campers here. We frequently visit restaurants or get delivered meals when first arriving somewhere. In the summertime after arriving at the site, we turn on the A/Cs and then head to a restaurant for dinner - allowing the RV to cool off for a few hours before bed. Fancy RV parks often have pretty nice restaurants and we frequent them as well.
For that matter, we occasionally stay in hotels on long trips. Multiple weeks of sharing space with kids can get stressful, so we “move out” for a few days and leave the RV on the edge of the lot to fend for itself (the fridge can run on internal power for weeks). The kids get their own adjacent room, and we get a few days of relaxation and restaurant meals.
