Novice campers on a trend to tents

By Helena Oliviero

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Carmen Sechrist wanted to celebrate her 27th birthday in style in Savannah. But springing for a vacation seemed out of reach — unless she and her husband could dramatically cut the cost.

Determined to travel to the coast, the Sechrists hashed out a plan: Spend the first night camping at a state park. On day two, fold up the tent and check into a cushy riverside hotel.

With a borrowed tent and a rented propane stove, the Atlanta couple began their Savannah adventure at Fort McAllister State Park, bordering Redbird Creek and home to vestiges of the Civil War. The campsite cost just $25, about a $200 savings on lodging. They saved more by dining on hot dogs and apple slices by their campfire.

Roughing it was romantic, but a mixed experience.

“We built a campfire, marveled at the Spanish moss hanging from every tree branch, watched boys catch crabs in the river that flowed alongside the park,” said Carmen Sechrist, who works as a blogger. “But we also doused ourselves in bug spray, slept on the unforgiving ground, and collected pollen on every surface imaginable until our shoes were coated in a neon yellow dust.”

But the Sechrists survived. In doing so, they became part of a growing trend of novices staking out their places in America’s campgrounds. Once the preserve of nature lovers, camping might even be getting a little hip — not so much because more Americans want to catch fireflies or big fish, but because eliminating hotel costs, breakfast buffets and pricey sightseeing can make a vacation relatively cheap. And for some seeking to satisfy the travel bug, pitching a tent beats staying home.

The number of people camping in the U.S. rose by 7 percent between 2007 and 2008, and there are now an estimated 33.7 million campers nationwide (defined as the number of people who camped at least once during the year), according to a study by the Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association.

SGMA spokesman Mike May said the camping trend is driven by a financial compromise between going on a traditional vacation (ie., going to a resort) and an at-home “staycation.” He said camping’s economical price tag is surely part of the appeal. But he also believes sleeping under the stars is surging in popularity because it’s a great way to unplug from our increasingly electronic lifestyle.

Campgrounds filling up

The campground at Stone Mountain Park, which is privately managed and includes a pool and shuttle service to nearby attractions, had a record-setting year in 2009 and is on track for another strong year, according to Michael Dombrowski, the park’s director. Revenue in 2009 was up 26 percent over the previous year, he said.

Last year, the park capitalized on the trend of newbie campers by launching a program called “Ready, Set, Camp!”

For a $99 fee, campers find tents and pads set up when they arrive. The tent then goes home with campers to be used for future camping excursions.

Kampgrounds of America (KOA), a campsite chain with eight campgrounds in Georgia, is also enjoying a recession-fueled bump. Its reservation rate suggests occupancy this summer will be up 8 percent compared to last summer, according to KOA spokesman Mike Gast.

REI, the outdoor equipment company, said local and national sales of sleeping bags and tents are up this season — particularly those of larger tents designed for families. In Atlanta, family tent sales were up 60 percent during the first five months of the year compared to the same time period in 2008, according to Rick Meade, REI’s product manager for sleeping bags and tents.

Bucking this trend are Georgia’s state parks, which have seen a slight dip in overall occupancy rates, from 33 percent in 2007 and 2008 to 31 percent in 2009. (Many state park campsites are full or near capacity during weekends and summer months, but the overall rate drops due to vacancies during weekdays and winter months).

Cheap, close to home

On a recent late spring Saturday, Stone Mountain campground, home to 431 campsites hugging a man-made lake and a swimming pool, was bustling.

The affordability factor is what lured Sal Aguilar and his family — wife Claudia, and their two sons, 4-year-old Abram and 2-year-old Alan — to the park.

Aguilar, who works for a tree-removal company that’s suffering in the slumping economy, said Disney World wasn’t an option. He liked the idea of exposing his children to camping, but wanted to do it close to home in a setting that felt more like a family resort than an Outward Bound experience.

So he opted for Stone Mountain’s $149 camping package. Just 30 miles from their Smyrna home, the Aguilars had a camping experience that included tent lodging, tickets to Stone Mountain amusement park, a bundle of firewood and four free Icees at the country store. They were getting ready for “Ride the Ducks,” the amphibious vehicle tour of the park complete with kazoo-like quackers. That night, they would watch the laser show.

For him, Aguilar said, the camping itself was less than idyllic.

“With young kids, you can’t sit and relax completely. There’s poison ivy. There’s the water right there,” he said. “And last night, I just couldn’t get comfortable. But the kids slept great.”

But as his children scampered along the water’s edge, giggling under a canopy of hickory and pine trees, Aguilar couldn’t help but smile.

“If this was a few years ago, we would go somewhere far away. But here we are in Stone Mountain, and you know what? It’s OK,” he said.

Recession-proof fun

Other families look for more rustic, no-frills camping.

The Sutton family of Johns Creek turns to camping on a regular basis for quality family time that fits nicely into their budget. Since 2006, the family of four has camped out more than a dozen times. Once the recession hit, mom Pam Sutton said, the family started paying more attention to spending, but they didn’t have to skimp on their go-to family getaways.

They can set up their eight-person, dome-shaped tent in five minutes. They cook spaghetti, even cakes, over an open flame. Instead of plain marshmallows, they roast Peeps on a stick. And, after their first camping trip, they all got air mattresses to sleep on.

Pam Sutton said the back-to-basics trips provide much-needed breaks from today’s modern, technologically driven way of life.

“When we go camping there’s no TVs, no video games, no computers,” she said. “You take all of that stuff away and you are left with a family. And it’s OK to sit around a campfire for two hours and just talk.”

During an outing to Stephen C. Foster State Park along the Okefenokee Swamp, 11-year-old Boyd and 7-year-old Wesley spotted a baby red, black and yellow striped Scarlet King snake. At Victoria Bryant State Park, the kids spent hours watching thousands of tadpoles in a creek. At James H. (Sloppy) Floyd State Park, they visited the Echota Historic Site and learned about the Cherokee Indians there before they moved west on the “Trail of Tears.”

Pam Sutton said she loves to watch her sons — who are about five years apart — connect during camping trips and let their imaginations run free.

“I’ve brought a little box of Matchbox cars and they will find a creative way to build dirt piles and they are truly brothers,” she said. “The campsite is never more than $25 a night. We are not going to gift shop after gift shop like [at] Disney. ... We bring the food we would cook at home. There’s nothing that’s going to bust a budget.”

Still not for everyone

Looking back on their Savannah adventure, Carmen and Michael Sechrist said camping the first night allowed them to see some Civil War history they might otherwise have overlooked. But it also made them relish the luxuries of the River Street Inn, where they watched fireworks from their room the next night.

“When we came to our hotel room after sightseeing and I saw chocolate truffles on our bed, I thought, ‘This is more my style,’ ” Carmen said. “We learned we are not as outdoorsy as we thought.”

The Sutton family, by contrast, already has a spot at Victoria Bryant booked for August, but Pam Sutton suspects they’ll go camping on a whim before then. They have a map of Georgia’s state parks on the wall in their dining room.

“We have just fallen in love with camping,” she said. “Someone asked my 7-year-old son recently what he wanted to be when he grows up and he said, ‘A park ranger.’ And I was like, ‘Me, too!’ ”

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Tips for new campers

The outdoors experts at outfitter REI have lots of advice for families new to camping, including:

• Practice at home: If your kids are outdoor newbies, pitch a tent in the backyard or inside your home. Let the kids hang out and sleep in it so they become comfortable in it.
• Take a trial run: Before your overnighter, try a family day outing at a close-to-home park. Spend a half-day at a lakeshore or park and see how your kids react to extended outdoor excursions.
• Get kids involved: Give children the responsibility to pack their own gear at home (using a list you’ve created). A parent should double-check a child’s packing job before leaving home.
• Don’t forget: Make a list of everything you’ll need to take: utensils, coffee, toilet paper, bug spray, flashlight, toothbrush, etc. (For a complete checklist, go to www.rei.com/expertadvice or 
www.checklistforcamping.com.)
• Be organized: Establish fixed locations for important items so you’ll know where to find them.
• Bring bikes: Bikes are handy for getting around in a campground, so consider bringing a few along. Bikes keep kids entertained, too.
• Respect wildlife: Ask park rangers about wildlife activity in the area you are visiting. As the adult, you need to take the lead and understand any precautions necessary (such as proper food storage or how to react during an up-close encounter) for safely co-existing with wildlife. Educate your children about the importance of not feeding wild animals and treating wildlife with respect and caution.
• Be active, stay loose: Try to keep your kids active without following a regimented schedule. If they’re entertained by skipping rocks on the water, give them time to perfect the six-skip fling. Or try geocaching: A free, GPS-guided treasure hunt engages kids physically and mentally. Go to www.geocaching.com for more information and to see if any caches are hidden in the area you’ll be visiting.
• Exude a positive vibe: Family camping rule No. 1? Be prepared to cope with inconvenience. Everything is different from how it is at home. As an adult, you must lead by example with an upbeat, can-do attitude.

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Resources

You can find plenty of camping information online:

Campgrounds

• www.gastateparks.org: To review, reserve campsites at Georgia State Parks.
• www.koa.com: Kampgrounds of America site; chain has eight Georgia locations.
• www.stonemountainparkcampground.com: To review, reserve Stone Mountain Park’s campgrounds.

Equipment

• REI rents camping equipment, with tent rentals starting at $18 for members, $24 for non-members. Selection and availability varies, so call the store ahead of time.
• Many local universities, including Georgia Tech and Georgia State University, rent camping equipment to students, faculty and staff.

Education

• www.roadandtravel.com/adventuretravel/
 campingforfirsttimers.htm: Road & Travel magazine’s primer for beginners
• www.thecampingguy.com: A longtime camper and scoutmaster offers advice and tips.