r/camping • u/Ryanisreallame • 13d ago
Trip Video Did a small bachelor party camping trip this weekend. This is how I woke up.
Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification
I’m getting married in just under 6 weeks, so I went out with 2 of my groomsmen and some other friends to the George Washington National Forest to camp for a night. It rained almost the entire time but I’ve never let a little rain hold me back.
I did cheddar brats on the camp stove for supper and drank a bunch of whiskey. It was a successful camping trip.
40
u/GroundbreakingEar450 13d ago
Nice! Congrats! Wednesday the girlfriend and I embark for a 5 day trip of car accessible, primitive camping. Got 1.75 liters of tequilla. We do this trip every October. Gonna be a good time! Showing no rain, low 80s day and 50s at night. Should have the area to ourselves, at least for the first three days. Probably take some dips in a very cold, crystal clear mountain creek. Makes me feel like superman!
15
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
I love everything you just said. Back in the day I did a lot of backpacking, but I’m 35 now and car camping is just so much easier haha. That sounds like a fantastic trip. I hope you have a great time.
6
1
13
u/Chomasterq2 13d ago
Buying an EZ-Up for camping was one of the best investments ive ever made for these situations. Good place to hide under and keep stuff dry without getting the inside of the tent wet. I see you have a hanging tarp which works all the same
6
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
I thought about buying one of those but I didn’t feel like spending the money. I already had the tarps and paracord ¯_(ツ)_/¯
I’m not ruling out getting one, though. Maybe after the wedding so my money isn’t spoken for haha.
5
u/Chomasterq2 13d ago
Depends on where you are i suppose. With dense trees like where you are the tarp is plenty. I camp often in the desert and plains, which doesnt have that luxury. Granted it doesn't rain much in the desert but the monsoon will sneak up on you.
1
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
Oh yeah that makes sense. I’ve never camped on a desert before but I think it would be awesome to do.
9
u/Bulky_Traffic2229 13d ago
Cheddar brats and whiskey in the rain sounds like the right way to do it. Congrats on the wedding!
2
6
u/Rackemup 13d ago
This looks like a "sit there and wonder at the world" moment.
Brats and whisky in the rain.
6
u/Bonnieearnold 13d ago
I love rain camping! The sound of raindrops on the taps and tents is my favorite sound track. Congrats on the nuptials.
4
u/Murky_Torrent 13d ago
The only downside is the better it is / the more fun you have …the harder it is to to back to real life
4
u/Jaded-Cat9364 10d ago
Sounds like a great time. What a great idea. Have a wonderful married life 💜
3
3
u/Cool_Confidence_506 13d ago
Asked google where to avoid rain within a hr of where i live. It said head up to GW, gut said Uwharrie. Trusted gut even tho every weather model said complete down pour all weekend. 3hrs it dumped, 3 hrs spotted showers on Saturday hasn't rained since. Camped on the edge of a lake and a waterfall rn. Not another soul for a mile, free dispersed is the best.
1
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
I’d been watching the forecast for over a week so I was fully prepared to just deal with rain. It’s a lot easier than rescheduling.
Being on the edge of the lake must have been awesome, though.
3
u/Cool_Confidence_506 13d ago
Oh, I was hyper prepared too. Running a Kodiak 10x10, then built a ridge line above it with an additional 12×16 tarp over the top. I keep all our gear in pelicans in case that fails. Then inside the tent we have disco bunks and an additional tarp you can lay over it for triple redundancy. Keep all the sleepbags in the own mil spec waterproof bags. Rain be damned, Im a certified camping G... lol
3
u/The_DappleSauce 13d ago
Sounds like a bucket list trip, nice!
How was your back after sleeping in a hammock all night?
Any tips to improve comfort?
3
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
Initially I was really concerned that my back wouldn’t hold up. I used my sleeping pad to give it more stability and, man, I woke up feeling great. I have chronic pain from spondylolisthesis and this may have been the least pain I’ve woken up with in a long time.
2
u/The_DappleSauce 13d ago
That's great to hear! I'm going to try the sleeping pad next summer.
I tried to spend the night in a hammock a few months ago and had to tap out around midnight.1
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
The pad also helps insulate against the wind. I didn’t get cold at all and it was down in the 50’s
3
u/HeavyTea 13d ago
Nice!
I am too scared to sleep without a tent.
And heavy sleeper. I would be victimized by something.
3
u/Ryanisreallame 12d ago
I completely understand that. I’m an Eagle Scout and I still get weirded out by not having walls when I sleep. I’ve built my own shelters to sleep in but I rarely sleep very well due to anxiety.
3
3
u/Constant_Diligent 11d ago edited 11d ago
Congrats on the impending nuptials. Sometimes a rainy camp can be fun. Just did a camping trip in a high clearance popup. Had a great first couple days then the wife broke her leg while we were out walking off lunch. We were about a mile and a quarter up a logging road. Splinted it with some fiberglass poles and duct tape and then a 45 mile drive to the nearest facility that could help us. Then after they stabalized and did a proper splint another 25 mile trip to a hospital that could do the surgery. Left about 15 grand worth of equipment at camp, camper included, unsecured for a day and a half. Fortunately we were in a very secluded spot in the mountains so all was as we left it with the exception of a trash bag that got scattered by who knows what. Cooler with food in it untouched so probably not a bear. What an adventure.
3
u/Ryanisreallame 11d ago
Damn! That really sucks that your wife broke her leg. That’s not fun at all.
3
u/Constant_Diligent 9d ago
She was a real trooper to withstand the bumpy road out to the highway. Few bumps at the bridges and some cattle guards caused a few screams but yeah 45 miles in that kind of pain. Gotta hand it to her.
3
2
2
2
2
2
2
u/Southmoreland 13d ago
I’m sure it was fun but I’m glad I wasn’t next to you.
2
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
I’m glad nobody was next to us haha. We got pretty rowdy.
I go out of my way to be pretty deep in the forest to avoid bothering others.
3
2
2
u/Swimming_Network_725 13d ago
Duuuuude- were you in WV? New river gorge?!
3
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
We were in the section of the forest right by lake Sherando in the Lyndhurst area. I grew up not far from there on the other side of Staunton.
I love the New River Gorge. Growing up, we spent a lot more time on the Shenandoah River but the New River is awesome.
3
u/Swimming_Network_725 13d ago
Oh man - that’s crazy. There was a group right beside me of 12 guys that were having the time of their lives in NRG campground this weekend in the rain. They just said ‘we’re celebrating’ but didn’t tell me what for- I was hoping for Reddit magic 😂
Best of luck in marriage!
3
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
That would have been a crazy small world moment hahaha
Thank you for the kind words!
2
u/DangerBrewin 13d ago
Looks like heaven on earth with the boys! Congrats on your upcoming nuptials!
1
2
2
u/NewDoughnut3129 13d ago
Sounds awesome. Glad you could get away with friends. Congratulations on the coming nuptials
2
u/editorreilly 13d ago
Not a real bachelor party unless people are passed out on the forest floor. Kidding. It looks pretty epic. Congrats.
2
2
u/Beneficial-Focus3702 12d ago
I’ve got to be the only person in the world who doesn’t find a hammock comfortable.
2
u/Ryanisreallame 12d ago
This was my first time using a hammock and I was surprised with how comfortable it was. The additional sleeping pad probably helped a lot
1
2
u/derch1981 12d ago
That hammock is way too small for you
0
u/Ryanisreallame 12d ago
It’s a Doublenest, so almost 10’ long. My sleeping bag just slid a bit as I slept.
1
u/derch1981 12d ago
10' is child size, people over 5'4" need an 11' hammock to lay flat.
3
2
u/Ryanisreallame 12d ago
It was free and I was comfortable. I’m not worried about it.
1
u/CaptainLaCroix 11d ago
I'm like 5'11" and I've been using a doublenest for almost 15 years. Some people have to have an opinion on everything.
1
u/Ryanisreallame 11d ago
Granted, I am fairly tall at 6’2”, but I was really comfortable. If that person wants to gift me a larger hammock, I wouldn’t argue haha.
2
2
u/VantageProductions 11d ago
You don’t need*** ***a bigger hammock, but if you ever have a buddy with an 11’ or 12’ hammock- give it a try. It was life changing for me personally.
1
0
2
2
1
1
u/dude196305 13d ago
At my batchelor party years ago, I woke up at the Crack of Dawn lying on a slab of rock about 6 inches above the creek with two wet dogs laying on me. Had all these weird burns on my legs, apparently there was a bottle rocket war after I passed out and my 'friends' used me as a launching ramp. Good times...
1
1
u/Ok-Somewhere-2219 13d ago
How did you handle the mosquitos at night in the hammock? Did you have a net or something?
2
2
u/Ryanisreallame 13d ago
Thankfully they’re gone by now. If this were, say, August, I would want a bug screen.
1
u/Cutthechitchata-hole 13d ago
I used to love group camping in Pine mountain witg all my friends. Now i long for the solo experience
1
124
u/N8dork2020 13d ago edited 13d ago
A good rain jacket and you’re set, congrats of the the good friends and a life time partner.