[M-technik-3]

My gal and I like to and last year we went twice but we took her 08 X3 with a medium sized roof box and we did not bring a kayak or any bicycles which limited us to Beach wandering PTown and a Hyannis which are towns on Cape Cod. We stay mid cape and had a great time.

The next time we stayed in Burlingame in RI where we went to Misquamicut beach everyday. We were debating on going to Up State NY as neither of us have been We want to bring our kayaks is Lake George a good place for it or is it all houses on the shoreline.

Our grand Daughter is 10 so she is still at the age were this type of stuff is fun for her.

I'm thinking two vehicles or renting a 4 door pick up for more space.

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

We want to bring our kayaks is Lake George a good place for it or is it all houses on the shoreline.

Much of the Lake George shoreline is "forever wild" and inaccessible by roads. There is a huge campground by the lake in Lake George Village, if that's your thing. Whenever I've gone camping up there, it was always tent camping with a motorboat on one of the state islands that are rental camp sites.

The nicest thing about Lake George is that it has the cleanest water in the country per reports, and you can drink it from a cup. It is deceivingly clear when you're navigating, such as seeing dead trees on the bottom of the lake at 50+ feet deep and assuming that you're in 1-2 feet of water.....

[MaxVO2]

Originally Posted by M-technik-3

My gal and I like to and last year we went twice but we took her 08 X3 with a medium sized roof box and we did not bring a kayak or any bicycles which limited us to Beach wandering PTown and a Hyannis which are towns on Cape Cod. We stay mid cape and had a great time.

The next time we stayed in Burlingame in RI where we went to Misquamicut beach everyday. We were debating on going to Up State NY as neither of us have been We want to bring our kayaks is Lake George a good place for it or is it all houses on the shoreline.

Our grand Daughter is 10 so she is still at the age were this type of stuff is fun for her.

I'm thinking two vehicles or renting a 4 door pick up for more space.

****I've back-packed and camped in Europe following the Tour de France before. The campgrounds on average are *much* nicer and better maintained than here in the states as so many people camp and do outdoorsy things in certain regions, particularly France, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in my experience.

I've camped a few times here in the States but most of the women I have dated here are more into "glamping" which usually means a Hilton or Marriott vs a Ritz Carlton....

I enjoy it - being outdoors, hiking, riding bikes, etc.. and don't really need very much. I'm kind of a minimalist and have basically brought a hammock, some clothing, utensils, a bit of food, water filter, etc...

[chassis]

I have done alot of camping over the years. Back yard, backpack, tent with car, camp = car, RVing. I like it and would like to do more. Lately it hasn't come to the top of the time/priority list; hope that changes.

[floridaorange]

I need to camp more with my kids. For sure.

Originally Posted by MaxVO2

****I've back-packed and camped in Europe following the Tour de France before. The campgrounds on average are *much* nicer and better maintained than here in the states as so many people camp and do outdoorsy things in certain regions, particularly France, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland in my experience.

I've camped a few times here in the States but most of the women I have dated here are more into "glamping" which usually means a Hilton or Marriott vs a Ritz Carlton....

I enjoy it - being outdoors, hiking, riding bikes, etc.. and don't really need very much. I'm kind of a minimalist and have basically brought a hammock, some clothing, utensils, a bit of food, water filter, etc...

Just out of curiosity where in the US have you camped?

The states offers places that are both stunning and very remote. If you chose to live out in some parts of california, nobody would even care or bother you. Not sure you can say the same thing about some of the places you mentioned in Europe, from what I've heard.

[GarySL]

29 days on the John Muir Trail (hike of a lifetime)

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by vreihen16

Much of the Lake George shoreline is "forever wild" and inaccessible by roads. There is a huge campground by the lake in Lake George Village, if that's your thing. Whenever I've gone camping up there, it was always tent camping with a motorboat on one of the state islands that are rental camp sites.

The nicest thing about Lake George is that it has the cleanest water in the country per reports, and you can drink it from a cup. It is deceivingly clear when you're navigating, such as seeing dead trees on the bottom of the lake at 50+ feet deep and assuming that you're in 1-2 feet of water.....

My folks took us camping there many years ago. I believe the campground was called Bolton's Landing. The Lake George area had a ton of attractions back then. I have no idea what it's like now.

[XutvJet]

I can't speak to places to camp in that part of the country, but I'm sure it's epic stuff.

With respect to taking two cars or renting a truck, and assuming you have the space, you might want to consider getting a small utility trailer that can handle highway speed to tow the kayaks. They're pretty cheap, especially if you find one on FB marketplace. Make sure it ain't stolen though

A 4 door full size truck doesn't have a big bed and the kayaks will largely be sitting outside the bed and right in the wind which could make handling spooky, or worse, jettison a kayak if it's not tied down super tight.

When my wife had a 2015 Outback, we routinely camped with our two kids for 5-7 days and drove 300-700+ miles to the location. We had a slim cargo carrier on top and then a tow hitch-mounted cargo rack on the back. We would also use the tow hitch to mount our bikes (3) and then one on top adjacent to the roof carrier if we wanted to take all the bikes. It had to be a shorter trip though since we couldn't take the cargo rack.

The key is buying good camping gear that can get somewhat compact and tools/things that have multiple uses. We like our stuff and comfort of home while camping, but we also learned that we were taking too much stuff or too much bulky stuff. Camping tech has come A LONG way in the last 15 years. Warm sleeping bags now squash down to a basketball size and tents are far more manageable and compact when packed down. I'm all about putting stuff on the outside of a vehicle rather than spending a ton of money on a larger vehicle when I'd only use that size for camping a few weeks out of the year.

I take my Cayman camping for days on end by myself. A standard size backpack, hiking boots, zip-in hammock and rain cover, small cooler, food, and maybe some firewood. Done. I also have a tent that can easily fit in the car too.

[MassWholeBimmer]

65 years old and have been camping/hiking since I was 13. Been to every National Park West of the Mississippi. A bit of bragging here.. have summited 46 of the 50 high points... On the to do list (probably never will.. except maybe Hawaii) is Hawaii, Alaska, Montana and Wyoming...

[spazzyfry123]

Yup.

Mine is predominately car camping. Have off-road vehicle, will travel.

[MaxVO2]

Originally Posted by floridaorange

I need to camp more with my kids. For sure.




Just out of curiosity where in the US have you camped?

The states offers places that are both stunning and very remote. If you chose to live out in some parts of california, nobody would even care or bother you. Not sure you can say the same thing about some of the places you mentioned in Europe, from what I've heard.

****I'm on the east coast and have camped in the White's Ferry area, as well as Front Royal Virginia (Skyline), also North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains, and a bit further south almost to Florida. Some campgrounds are very well maintained and others not so much.

Further up north on the Appalachian Trail (Pennsylvania area), the campgrounds are quite nice in many areas.

Guess it really depends on location. Europe is a different scene altogether in my experience as camping is very very popular there especially in the Alps and Pyrennees by the ski resorts.

Beautiful areas.

[3.0L]

We pulled our 2 tent-trailers a combined 32,000 miles when our kids were
growing up. We hit all of the western states and lower parts of Canada. I
seem to recall Nancy Green campgrounds in Canada that had free firewood
stacked near the picnic table.

We camped in designated and undesignated camp areas, along rivers, etc.
Memorable names include Ketchum, Crater Lake, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone,
Durango, Poudre River area, Big Meadow in the Sierras and on and on.

[Maynard]

It has been a while, but I used to do a lot in upstate NY. Used to be that the Adirondack Mountain Club had very extensive info on most of the peaks and campgrounds, with route info and hiking difficulty for the trails to all the peaks (and I think many of the lakes). If you want to get away from it all they would probably be better than Lake George.

And if you are in something fun to drive, you really owe it to yourself to run Rte 10 up from Johnstown to Piseco Lake. The northern half is some of the best driving the ADK has to offer.

[OtoPA]

Originally Posted by GarySL

29 days on the John Muir Trail (hike of a lifetime)

Nice pic! Passed that spot on way to top in '08, then '11. I bet the Muir trail was a grand trip. Lived in AZ for a while so it was easier to do GCNP rim2rim as leisurely 2-3 day hikes.

[antgenn]

We go to a couple of music fests in upstate NY every year and add a Harvest Host stop at finger lakes after to pick our favorite regional wines to replenish our year worth supply.
We also travel to Lewis, DE campsite 3-5 times a year for our anniversary, Labor day, Columbus Day.
We started those camping days staying in the tent, but I did not like the cold and lack of comfort, so I converted Sprinter van myself to get that minimum level of amenities I am comfortable with. We have water, toilet, sink, microwave, AC, solar and the 400 WH batteries bank. Sleeps 2 adults and 2 grandkids (in bunk bed). Is it "glamping"?

[vreihen16]

Originally Posted by antgenn

We started those camping days staying in the tent, but I did not like the cold and lack of comfort, so I converted Sprinter van myself to get that minimum level of amenities I am comfortable with. We have water, toilet, sink, microwave, AC, solar and the 400 WH batteries bank.

It's the only way to travel, and those Mercedes seats are unicorns for being comfortable for both my DW and I on 750+ mile days! No refrigerator?

Are you running the AC from shore power or the batteries? My napkin-math says that 400 Ah of batteries won't run an AC all night, and where we travel a roof fan isn't going to cut it most nights.....

[antgenn]

Are you running the AC from shore power or the batteries? My napkin-math says that 400 Ah of batteries won't run an AC all night, and where we travel a roof fan isn't going to cut it most nights.....[/QUOTE]

Oh, I forgot about refrigerator. We have 56 Qt that automatically switches between AC and DC. We have Nomadic AC on 12V circuit and it can run in eco mode for the whole night. When shore power is connected, there is no issue to run it round the clock. And I preserved the second seat row that is removable. I put it in when grandkids joining the trip.