Gone Camping
The outdoors is something every human on earth shares.
Wow. We all have something in common. Now, our perceptions and views on the outdoors range from -- living off grid and loving it, to nature and I co-exist but we certainly don’t spend copious amounts of time together. Despite the many differences of opinion, nature is still there for us. It has always been there for us. When we enjoy a sunset, hike to a snowy peak, ride our ponies up the draw or reel in the trophy bass, it all happens in the wide open spaces. The spaces where drawing in a breath of crisp air and hearing the rustle of the aspen leaves, brings a little sense of relaxation.
Packing up shop on a Friday afternoon and loading the pickup down with dutch ovens, bedrolls,Yeti coolers, teepee, GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts) and the Stihl chainsaw, ranks up there with the excitement that summer vacation brings to a 6th grade kid. Camping is about to commence. With over 77 million households in the U.S containing someone who enjoys camping, it’s pretty safe to say you aren’t the only one happy to be spending time in the outdoors.
Just like there are individuals who have varying levels of love for the outdoors, there are MANY different views on what qualifies as “camping”. In our family, camping is a loose term without a lot of definition. Basically it boils down to spending time in the woods somewhere with a lively fire, a couple bedrolls and sometimes a teepee, when we can keep ours around long enough! Somehow, our tipis never seem to stick around. They are a hot item and with my dad being my dad, they get traded. Traded for saddles, horses, silver or sold to a stray cowboy in need of a range teepee for the new cowboying job. Teepees come and go, in our family like food in the fridge. They never stick around long! Jokes about personalizing our teepee get thrown around a lot, because who besides my parents would want a tipi that said something like, “With love from Amy to Shane”?
Quality gear is always a necessity, for a lifestyle that often throws things in the bed of a pickup, sure to be covered in dust, hay remnants and probably rub shoulders with a rusty wrench. So we count on our canvas to do the job of keeping our beds clean and comfy. Most know that camping isn’t usually the cleanest of outdoor activities, especially with the dark brown soil that mountains usually have to offer.
Once we scope out the location for our weekend home, we pile out of the pickup and begin the unload. The dogs hop out and instantly begin sniffing around and mark our territory. The bedrolls get thrown on the ground and land with a soft bounce, the table is popped open and the kitchen box set up.
Our teepee, if we are so lucky to be in possession of one, gets rolled open, staked down and hoisted up by red poles. The yeti containing our food enters the campsite and then everyone synchronously seems to get hungry, so out comes the Stihl and dad gets some wood for our fire. Once we have a fire alive and colorful, mom and Isaac pull out a dutch oven with something delicious tucked inside and we are T-minus a couple stomach gurgles later, until dinner is ready.
Now this may seem like just your style of camping, or you may be wondering when the nylon tent and Oscar Myer hotdogs were going to arrive in the scenario I just painted. We definitely had our fair share of nights sleeping in nylon tents and sleeping bags, that just never seemed to offer the comfort we sought. Our family keeps things traditional, with gear that makes camping simple and authentic. You can’t go wrong with canvas under the stars, it simply is unmatched. Our canvas lasts generations, even in a rugged lifestyle. So next time you're looking for the directions to set up that nylon tent, just think about camping with J Bar D. It's simple, it's easy and J Bar D is stress free.
Always ready to camp,
Jessica
