Camping Life – Hardware and Software

First the camping hardware: So far so good. Really. The biggest challenge for us has, on and off, been the strong Patagonian wind. The rooftop tent has stood its test – it sounds like it is going to fly away but so far it has stayed intact and in place (and we’ve in fact heard stories about peoples’ tents blowing away….). So, equipment-wise, except for the difficulty of finding suitable camping gas bottles (we finally got the right type in a camping equipment store in Puerto Natales and then bought extra supplies which hopefully will last for the rest of our expedition. But for the next expedition, the camping/cooking equipment needs to be improved by using gas-bottles which are easier to replace and with a sturdier method (screw on rather than push-on) of connecting the gas-bottles to the stove.       

And then on the software, meaning people, side: In fact, camping life is like a small society exposed to constant immigration. A campground is in flux – it is dynamic, always changing, always new neighbors and new faces around you. This considered, it is naturally not utopic, and far from perfect and hardly any type of society or collective is. It is, however, normally a society with clear norms (usually dictated by some kind of “management or administration”) and often pinned on a bulletin board close to the check-in desk. These norms are usually common sense – don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you. And, in a camping context, these norms are commonly followed (at least in this neck of the woods) by most campers. Because it makes sense to behave well – it’s in everyone’s interest.

And, come to think about it, that’s really a unique phenomenon – few other dynamic and constantly changing societies on this planet function as well as a campsite. Is it because it’s a temporary visit, or is it because it (usually), is in a remote location and that it’s in everyone’s clear personal interest to be decent and behave well?  

The contrast to the usually more or less egocentric and sometimes competitive and problematic urban life is both notable and interesting.  

A reflection on navigation, internet-, phone connections and communication may later be added as a separate post. These issues have been a constant challenge and thus worth dwelling on.