Integrating my wife.....

[korisu56]

Wife a creature comforts person. She is a city girl and has slowly started to enjoy camping as an activity. I want to get her into the long trips but am looking for advice as I have slowly and successfully gotten this far an don't want to mess it up now.

Got her into camping by getting her hooked onto REI. She gets happy when she has to buy layers for the weather and stuff like that. When we get to the campsite, I do most of the heavy lifting stuff (collecting/cutting wood, building fire and camp) and she cooks. Perfectly fine with me as long as we're out in the sticks and she's enjoying it.

 

[taco2go]

Good on ya! :camping:
To seal the deal- Wake up early and watch a quiet sunrise together, piping hot, flavorful cup of coffee in hand.

 

[overlander]

single most important recommendation. Do it before you have kids. She needs to "like" camping by then. the complications and demands from the mother of camping with infants/toddlers can not be overstated.

two deployments to Iraq sucked up all my pre-kid time for setting these conditions, and now I'm digging in sand trying to get the family energized with two toddlers.

 

[Errant]

Make sure she's comfortable sleeping, and get her a shower and maybe even porta potty. Those are usually the biggies for most girls. Also find a nice kitchen setup, since she enjoys doing the cooking. Take her shopping at REI, if you've got one local, so that she can get a good look at all that's available.

 

[Rexsname]

x2 on the shower and porta john.

REX

 

[overlander]

x3 on shower and porta john. my wife can go one night without a shower before she starts getting uncomfortable.

I have the PETT system with the Outback privy tent, and that alone has changed family camping from a no to a yes.

 

[barlowrs]

Tips from getting my "city girl"friend to go with me.....

1. A WARM sleeping bag (you know women are ALWAYS cold, mine has been asking for a tent heater in addition to her 0 deg bag and blankets we use, even though its only like 50 deg..haha)
2. A COMFORTABLE place to sleep (mine uses an REI comfort cot, she loves it)
3. If you want her out in the dirt more than 2 days. a Shower is a must (we have solar shower).
4. Dont expect her to look as kindly on digging a hole as we do, a PETT is probably a good idea (I am trying to get mine to accept digging holes though, I dont want to carry those bags in my rig..haha)
5. A privacy room to shower, etc in.

Its nice to be able to take your sig other out on trips and have them participate in something that means so much to all of us in our lives. Good luck

 

[expedition4x4]

12v hot water heaters are pretty nice coupled with an under truck water tank and a privacy shower, city girls!

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

My wife being a country girl... may enjoy camping more than me. I can say that some of my worse nights sleep (or lack there of) have been in a tent. Other than that, I love being out and about, its the sleeping part that gets me.

The only problem we face when camping is the personal hygiene. My wife wears contacts and i've got to be sure we have plenty of clean water and the ability for her to wash her hands and get the contacts out and such.

We also went like 3 days without shower while in Colorado. Was rather chilly and didnt have a good way to wash up.

 

[java]

Tips from getting my "city girl"friend to go with me.....

1. A WARM sleeping bag (you know women are ALWAYS cold, mine has been asking for a tent heater in addition to her 0 deg bag and blankets we use, even though its only like 50 deg..haha)

my wife has a -20 bag, she loves it! and as my old synthetic bag gets older i want one too!

but also, you can get sleeping bags with left and right zippers, thats what we have. zip them together for one big bag! :wings:


completely aggree about getting used to camping BEFORE kids. the little one just makes everything way more stressful and complicated.

my wife is awesome though, she can go weeks with out a shower and is happy to be dirty sitting by a fire.

 

[LaOutbackTrail]

but also, you can get sleeping bags with left and right zippers, thats what we have. zip them together for one big bag! :wings:

Another great point. A double sleeping bag is awesome!

 

[overlander]

4. Dont expect her to look as kindly on digging a hole as we do, a PETT is probably a good idea (I am trying to get mine to accept digging holes though, I dont want to carry those bags in my rig..haha)

That's the real benefit of carrying a spare on the hood. It's a trash carrier!

 

[rusty_tlc]

GUYS: A big ammo can is great to act as a secondary containment for PETT or other personal waste bags. We had a primary containment failure in Saline Valley (the worst washboard on the planet) and it was not pleasant. Ammo cans are 100% hermetic, no leaks, no spills, no odors.


A small RV is one of the best investment you can make if you want your SO to enjoy camping. Our little 8' pop-up tent trailer makes camping much more enjoyable for my wife and thereby for me. If we go for more than three nights we always plan a campground with showers into our route. Sometimes we even schedule a hotel night. On a side note I can set up and break camp faster with our tent trailer than I can with a ground tent.

My advice after 30 years of marriage; it all about compromise.

 

[bigwapitijohnny]

Keep it up...

Trekker Fold-A-Privy, Pett toilet, Zodi hot shower system, Comfy cot, Warm sleeping bag, BREAKFAST IN BED with a bouquet of wild flowers (make sure it's not golden rod or ragweed:snorkel:...), PETT bags go into a trash bag in the Trasharoo...Keep up the good work! :victory:

Got my 'Winnebago campin' wife to go camping with these things mentioned above...she even brags now to her friends that she has her own toilet / showering facility...

Regards,

BWJ

 

[Uncle Roger]

single most important recommendation. Do it before you have kids. She needs to "like" camping by then. the complications and demands from the mother of camping with infants/toddlers can not be overstated.

This is a good suggestion, but if you can't make that work (i.e., too late), go camping with a couple other families. The kids will have a blast running around together and you don't have to entertain them as much. Just make sure (if you're the nervous type) that at least one parent is keeping an eye on them so they don't fall off a mountain or something. It makes life so much easier.

Also, we met a family who brought along an extra, old tent just for the kids to play in. Didn't matter if they got it dirty or knocked it down, that's what it was for. (I'd love to find one of those spring steel pop-open tents cheap just for that!)