Top Reasons Why Your Wife/Girlfriend or Family Do Not Go On Trips with You?
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shortbus4x4
Expedition Leader
Bathrooms, showers, and long driving times are what my wife has issues with. Luckily you can find quite a few campgrounds that have showers and good bathrooms. For some reason she feels the need to style her hair no matter the location or who else is around.
Boy did I have me a winner!!! She loved pretty much everything out doors, drove a Cherokee (lifted/tires) her Dad drove an Xterra (shrockworks, tires, lift: Which is how I ended up meeting her) Got them both out wheeling with me a few times. Couple day trips to a local off road park. Did a weekend trip to Rausch Creek!! Tent camping, fires, cooking out side. All though they did have a nice bath house complete with showers and flushable toilets. Her whole family came along, she drove with me it was a great time! Never got to do a long expedition type trip but I think she would of enjoyed it. Not sure how I would of sold her on the no shower/toilets though. She loved driving though, but never got behind the wheel even though I offered a bunch of times. Unfortunately things didn't work out..
Patiently waiting, while I'm stuck on my rear diff. What a trooper! I'm under the X trying to figure out how to get unstuck without breaking anything.
Showing her some 3 wheel action!
Her Dad's Xterra (w/bumper) Mine's the other white one.
Patiently waiting, while I'm stuck on my rear diff. What a trooper! I'm under the X trying to figure out how to get unstuck without breaking anything.
Showing her some 3 wheel action!
Her Dad's Xterra (w/bumper) Mine's the other white one.
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this
she doesn't like using ANY toilet that isn't home... she will use public ones after a couple days unwillingly LOL, but doesn't want anything to do with a porta potty, I have one (had it before I met her) and she says no way. She doesn't want to go in our tent or camper (if we were to get a camper).
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Mamontof
Explorer
Only in over night standing my ex have her reasons as : Luck of comfort of sleep (size of bed ) , no shower as elephant in a lake before go to bed and in the morning , toilet comfort , AC in summer and heat in winter , luck of room change a close .
Typical ...reasons of comfort
Only if we have a "Travel van" ...with all service inn , she well be only travel except time to make money to travel even more :smiley_drive:
Typical ...reasons of comfort
Only if we have a "Travel van" ...with all service inn , she well be only travel except time to make money to travel even more :smiley_drive:
Scoutman
Explorer
The quickest way for me to loose my wife's interest on trips is sitting in the vehicle. When we go 4 wheeling there can be a lot of down time either bs'ing or fixing someone's broke rig. She has her own Jeeps and sometimes drives, but for the most part I do unless she wants to. She usually wants me to drive the really tough stuff as that's just not her thing.
Camping, she's awesome! Would rather use the woods than go to a campground dirty bathroom. Has no problems with showering in the wilds or taking sponge baths. We've backpacked for a week at at time with no showers, tent camped in 12* weather, and ran adventure rallies together (I drove, she navigated). We've even primitive camped 8.5 months preggers! :Wow1:
We're a great team and for that I'm lucky (married for 10 years now).
These days with a 3 year old son and a 3 month old daughter, things have slowed down a bit. We still get out there but it's not as frequent as I'd like mainly cause of all the prep and planning that comes with little ones. It'll get better and I'm excited about the possibilities.
Camping, she's awesome! Would rather use the woods than go to a campground dirty bathroom. Has no problems with showering in the wilds or taking sponge baths. We've backpacked for a week at at time with no showers, tent camped in 12* weather, and ran adventure rallies together (I drove, she navigated). We've even primitive camped 8.5 months preggers! :Wow1:
We're a great team and for that I'm lucky (married for 10 years now).
These days with a 3 year old son and a 3 month old daughter, things have slowed down a bit. We still get out there but it's not as frequent as I'd like mainly cause of all the prep and planning that comes with little ones. It'll get better and I'm excited about the possibilities.
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Mamontof
Explorer
What Man do not know hay to cook :Wow1:, hay to hell people catch a woman ?
Simple start cook in a camp site , and at night you not a lone :elkgrin::ylsmoke:
They way to heavy to live
CanuckMariner/Nomad
Love having fun 😊 in the 🌞 by the ⛵ and the ⏳
Interesting topic Mark. My or rather her top ten reasons:
Soon she will be retiring and I hope then she will at least try a day trip first, say lunch and dinner on the trail. Then try an overnighter, then maybe a weekend. If this goes well, then might hook up with a few couples and try it for a weekend with more women on the trip and just some easy trails.
I made two mistakes with her in my early years with her. I took her camping when we fist started dating and I wanted to do a climb on a local hill here. She was on her own for the day and that didn't go over well. Also she had to help carry some of the weight to get to the base of the couloir to make the ascent. That no doubt didn't help, but I pack much lighter when I am on my own and a much quicker hike. So that didn't help at all. My bad!
I took her sailing off the Malacca Straits when we lived over seas. Just a single mast/sail on a 12 foot skiff out for a wee sail for the afternoon. Little did we know that a slight squall was brewing and we got caught in it. yes we got wet and it took a bit of time to bail and sail our way back to port. Nothing serious but the experience was enough so that we didn't by that yacht and sail around the world. My bad again!
So, I have realized that this isn't going to happen fast, so I am biding my time until she retires and we move south closer to the sun, sand fun and deserts. Will keep you posted on my progress, as that time nears.:costumed-smiley-007
My or rather her top ten reasons:- As you know we Canucks have to travel a great distance to get to the deserts, so that eats up quite a bit of vacation time. She only has 3 weeks a year and saves some for an annual mother/daughter trip with her mom and sister. She is also an international figure skating judge so uses some of her time for events, like US/Canadian National Championships, or Mexico, etc.
- You may well ask, why not camp closer to home? She says too many bugs, mud, cool dreary days in the mountains. A lot of trails close to home have been closed for various reasons, so the outings are limited. Camping at a camp ground just doesn't do it for me, I like the primitive.
- My wife too is a sun and desert lover, so that's a good thing, but alas they are 2-3 days away - one way! - so that eats up a week or so just getting there and back.
- She said she couldn't go days without a shower, so I got a shower (Helton), works great and fast once we are finished with a day of trailing and also water for cleaning.
- She said she was not interested as I had no toilet, so I got a toilet and one of those spring loaded stalls that triples for a shower/changing room/toilet.
- Then she said the truck was too small to sleep in, so I got a RTT knowing full well she would not want to sleep on the ground.
- She asked how do you cook as you can only eat hot dogs, etc. so long before you need to change your diet, so I got a stove (Cobb) and I got a separate pocket rocket like stove just to heat water for cleaning, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc.
- She is a fair weather girl and I cannot control the weather, so that's a point, eh?
- women in general I have found, except for you lucky few, tend to want to have things like their kitchen at home. Meals are at certain times of the day and if you miss 'em, that's not good!
- My wife is not found of eating on the fly in the cab of the rig, nor driving long distances with out a coffee, snack break every couple of hours. This can eat into quality trail time, no?
Soon she will be retiring and I hope then she will at least try a day trip first, say lunch and dinner on the trail. Then try an overnighter, then maybe a weekend. If this goes well, then might hook up with a few couples and try it for a weekend with more women on the trip and just some easy trails.
I made two mistakes with her in my early years with her. I took her camping when we fist started dating and I wanted to do a climb on a local hill here. She was on her own for the day and that didn't go over well. Also she had to help carry some of the weight to get to the base of the couloir to make the ascent. That no doubt didn't help, but I pack much lighter when I am on my own and a much quicker hike. So that didn't help at all. My bad!
I took her sailing off the Malacca Straits when we lived over seas. Just a single mast/sail on a 12 foot skiff out for a wee sail for the afternoon. Little did we know that a slight squall was brewing and we got caught in it. yes we got wet and it took a bit of time to bail and sail our way back to port. Nothing serious but the experience was enough so that we didn't by that yacht and sail around the world. My bad again!
So, I have realized that this isn't going to happen fast, so I am biding my time until she retires and we move south closer to the sun, sand fun and deserts. Will keep you posted on my progress, as that time nears.:costumed-smiley-007
Harald Hansen
Explorer
My wife won't go since she's pregnant! :wings: Other than that she's game. She even battles her car sickness for our sakes (she drives or at least sits up front all the time. AC also helps if she's feeling nauseus.)
ccarm
Adventurer
One of the biggest things is getting her to be involved. Overland/backcountry trips rock when you are driving or navigating; but, when you are just sitting in the passenger side doing nothing and being jostled around it can get pretty dull. Teach her to drive, have her navigate. All of these things help me to get my girlfriend/other friends into the wild, and we always come back with a batter connection and stories because of it.
Being cold outside during the winter or sleeping at 10,000 feet.
I bought two boxes of Hotties. ( Those things that heat up when you open them ) One size attach's to your socks and some you can put in your pockets. That has worked so far as her fingers and toes used to get cold no matter what she wore.
As for toilet, the wag bags and a five gallon pail work fine during the summer months. I just cut the top off a cheap HD toilet seat to put on top of the pail.
As for sleeping at high elevations would need to bring oxygen. Fine during the day, but come time to go to bed and it's hard to relax when your hyperventilating.
I bought two boxes of Hotties. ( Those things that heat up when you open them ) One size attach's to your socks and some you can put in your pockets. That has worked so far as her fingers and toes used to get cold no matter what she wore.
As for toilet, the wag bags and a five gallon pail work fine during the summer months. I just cut the top off a cheap HD toilet seat to put on top of the pail.
As for sleeping at high elevations would need to bring oxygen. Fine during the day, but come time to go to bed and it's hard to relax when your hyperventilating.
Keep it Interesting for all
Keeping it interesting for all is what has worked for me. Of course getting some basics that make it comfortable for her like a RTT, Ref., on board hot water shower and a fun kitchen.
My wife and 6 year old now enjoys getting out. We fly fish with my son, take turns mountainbiking while the other takes down camp and drove till they caught up, I always bring our climbing gear, swimming gear, day packs, and snow gear.
Guess, we also live in a wonderful part of the country where it can snow anytime of the year.
Keeping it interesting for all is what has worked for me. Of course getting some basics that make it comfortable for her like a RTT, Ref., on board hot water shower and a fun kitchen.
My wife and 6 year old now enjoys getting out. We fly fish with my son, take turns mountainbiking while the other takes down camp and drove till they caught up, I always bring our climbing gear, swimming gear, day packs, and snow gear.
Guess, we also live in a wonderful part of the country where it can snow anytime of the year.
My wife will pee in the woods but poopin' in a bucket..., well...
So the bathroom issue, cold, heat and boredom in the passenger's seat.
My son its boredom, my duaghter it boredom and the bathroom issue.
My wife was sportier when she was younger, but now she can create an unreasonable fear in her mind, but quick. Her four useless, boring, do nothing sisters and their usless, do nothing, boring husbands/ex-husbands don't help either.
Her current phobia is black bears. We have them in western MD but your more likely to be donked over the head by a falling limb than see a bear in daytime (unless maybe you're looking for one.)
To overcome the objections this summer, I'm having a tear drop built with a RTT on top to accomodate my whole family, with heat and hot water too. And I'll make sure there is a swim, hike or some fishing during the day to avoid the boredom of just riding.
For the bathroom issue, a pop up "shower room" and this:
Almost like home, and it seal tightly (I'll use the treated waste bags for easier clean up, but this thing actually has a pump out!
JPK
So the bathroom issue, cold, heat and boredom in the passenger's seat.
My son its boredom, my duaghter it boredom and the bathroom issue.
My wife was sportier when she was younger, but now she can create an unreasonable fear in her mind, but quick. Her four useless, boring, do nothing sisters and their usless, do nothing, boring husbands/ex-husbands don't help either.
Her current phobia is black bears. We have them in western MD but your more likely to be donked over the head by a falling limb than see a bear in daytime (unless maybe you're looking for one.)
To overcome the objections this summer, I'm having a tear drop built with a RTT on top to accomodate my whole family, with heat and hot water too. And I'll make sure there is a swim, hike or some fishing during the day to avoid the boredom of just riding.
For the bathroom issue, a pop up "shower room" and this:
Almost like home, and it seal tightly (I'll use the treated waste bags for easier clean up, but this thing actually has a pump out!
JPK
kids
She will go in the woods, travel/hike & paddle for days, sleep in the vehicle, sleep in a tent, sleep with out a tent, go with out a shower for days and days, bath in glacier fed river/lake, snar rabbits for food (I have to kill them) :Wow1:.....but if our little girls are not happy and we do not have what it takes to make them happy she would say "nop". Here is the problem...."fix it". Only happened a couple times and it was around keeping the girls warm. At 4 and 6 they get cold easy. The most important thing to her is keeping our little girls comfortable which comes down to tempature. I heavilly modified a Chalet Arrow into a "Off Road Arrow" and it keeps the girls warm:victory:. Keeps them all happy for now:camping: .
She will go in the woods, travel/hike & paddle for days, sleep in the vehicle, sleep in a tent, sleep with out a tent, go with out a shower for days and days, bath in glacier fed river/lake, snar rabbits for food (I have to kill them) :Wow1:.....but if our little girls are not happy and we do not have what it takes to make them happy she would say "nop". Here is the problem...."fix it"
. Only happened a couple times and it was around keeping the girls warm. At 4 and 6 they get cold easy. The most important thing to her is keeping our little girls comfortable which comes down to tempature. I heavilly modified a Chalet Arrow into a "Off Road Arrow" and it keeps the girls warm:victory:. Keeps them all happy for now:camping: .