As a former boy scout, my least favorite kind of person to go camping with is anyone who never bothered to figure out how any of their gear works. They inevitably show up in the dark and gripe about stuff like it’s in Swedish Ikea directions format, start off the first day grumpy as hell cause they froze their asses off on the hard ground and didn’t get any sleep. What’s worse is this turns them against the prospect of ever visiting the outdoors again and they leave the gear to rot in their garage instead of donating it to someone more responsible and with a more enthusiastic joie de vivre than them, namely small, poor children.
IKEA instructions are clear, concise, and complete. A better comparison would be Chinese flatpack trash from Wayfair with poorly photocopied diagrams, inscrutable Engrish, and missing steps.
I use IKEA directions as a barometer for basic problem solving skills. They’re designed to use universal symbols and no wording so anyone can follow them. If you can’t follow those directions, well… It’s not the instructions that are the problem.
Very precise. I do technical drawings for fabricators and Ikea is the sort of gold standard, for exploded assemblies views anyhow. What I was getting at was another layer of insufferability which is the people that complain about instructions which can’t be any more clear, just because they are bellyachers.
If you can’t figure out how to build a tent (in the dark or not), camping clearly is not for you, or anything that requires the mental capability of an adult for that matter. That shit really is not hard.
Most the time, you don’t even need to stake it, just throw in the weight of your gear, especially if you grab a reasonably unexposed site and the weather is optimal. Nowadays, some tents are like two poles that snap together automatically. But if you’re a grump in the dark, it’s a living hell.
That’s a lost cause. You’re trying to wrangle a sail in the wind. And then what? You’re going to sleep in there? Might as well be trying to carry around sheets of plywood.
Once I got it hammered in it was a glorious spot of calm, though it took 30 minutes and some help. One or two guys said fuck it and stacked bags to block the wind and just slept in the open behind them. Can’t fault them.
As a former scout myself, I am perfectly fine with just a sleeping bag on the ground unless it is likely to precipitate in any way. But I could also build a simple shelter using materials from around the area if I really had to.
This is exactly the reason I bought a car that can fit an inflatable mattress in the back.
Because I won’t let details like a lack of preparation stop me! I’ve prepared for that!
The ones doing this usually are not having fun and quite often ruining the mood for people around them. Bright lights everywhere, shining head lamps in the faces of sites around, loud, grumpy. Often I help them out simply so I can go back to my campfire in peace.
As a former boy scout, my least favorite kind of person to go camping with is anyone who never bothered to figure out how any of their gear works. They inevitably show up in the dark and gripe about stuff like it’s in Swedish Ikea directions format, start off the first day grumpy as hell cause they froze their asses off on the hard ground and didn’t get any sleep. What’s worse is this turns them against the prospect of ever visiting the outdoors again and they leave the gear to rot in their garage instead of donating it to someone more responsible and with a more enthusiastic joie de vivre than them, namely small, poor children.
People who don’t ever use their toys prior to executing the camping trip are probably amateurs in more ways than just camping.
IKEA instructions are clear, concise, and complete. A better comparison would be Chinese flatpack trash from Wayfair with poorly photocopied diagrams, inscrutable Engrish, and missing steps.
I learned to cherish IKEA instructions after my first and last experience with those.
I use IKEA directions as a barometer for basic problem solving skills. They’re designed to use universal symbols and no wording so anyone can follow them. If you can’t follow those directions, well… It’s not the instructions that are the problem.
Now I want to interview candidates with IKEA products.
Very precise. I do technical drawings for fabricators and Ikea is the sort of gold standard, for exploded assemblies views anyhow. What I was getting at was another layer of insufferability which is the people that complain about instructions which can’t be any more clear, just because they are bellyachers.
Based off my limited experience, Wayfair furniture is intentionally designed to be as frustrating as possible to assemble.
If you can’t figure out how to build a tent (in the dark or not), camping clearly is not for you, or anything that requires the mental capability of an adult for that matter. That shit really is not hard.
Seriously. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered anything more complex than: extendo poles make X, tent clips go on X, stake into ground.
Most the time, you don’t even need to stake it, just throw in the weight of your gear, especially if you grab a reasonably unexposed site and the weather is optimal. Nowadays, some tents are like two poles that snap together automatically. But if you’re a grump in the dark, it’s a living hell.
Dark isn’t too bad if you’re familiar with the tent but I once tried to assemble one in 30-40mph winds and that was a special kind of suffering.
That’s a lost cause. You’re trying to wrangle a sail in the wind. And then what? You’re going to sleep in there? Might as well be trying to carry around sheets of plywood.
Once I got it hammered in it was a glorious spot of calm, though it took 30 minutes and some help. One or two guys said fuck it and stacked bags to block the wind and just slept in the open behind them. Can’t fault them.
Ah, that’s a relief.
Like I said, small, poor children. Being an adult is not required. Just a good, fun attitude, with a willingness to learn.
As a former scout myself, I am perfectly fine with just a sleeping bag on the ground unless it is likely to precipitate in any way. But I could also build a simple shelter using materials from around the area if I really had to.
In North Ontario, the black flies want to know your next campsite location.
Could you build a waterproof shelter using found materials?
Rope and plastic sheeting would be a minimum requirement for me.
Yes, but the difficulty would depend on the region. Somewhere with big fat palm leaves? No problem. A pine forest? That’s gonna take some effort.
Yeah I got really hooked on falling asleep around the campfire.
This is exactly the reason I bought a car that can fit an inflatable mattress in the back.
Because I won’t let details like a lack of preparation stop me! I’ve prepared for that!
Car camping like that is the best!
Dang, you have a lot of prejudices against me. And they’re all wrong. What’s fun about knowing how stuff works, finding it out is the adventure!
You sound like an exception, then.
The ones doing this usually are not having fun and quite often ruining the mood for people around them. Bright lights everywhere, shining head lamps in the faces of sites around, loud, grumpy. Often I help them out simply so I can go back to my campfire in peace.