Tent Nights
25 years of camping (1998-2022)
It started out as a curiosity and an interest in tent longevity. Tracking tent nights also seemed to be a worthy companion to the Banana Index. Over a 25 year period, we logged 2,598 tent nights, or over 100 tent nights a year. Camping can be in extraordinary places, but more often than not, it is simply enjoyable and provides access to the great outdoors.
2022 -94 Tent Nights
The Fly Creek tent saw some early, limited action. The Copper Spur tent spent a night out on the snow. The REI Half Dome made the trip down to Northern California. We picked up a replacement REI Half Dome tent in Oregon and later sold the original one. The new Half Dome saw action kayaking and on a BC interior trip. The Copper Spur served us well on the interior backpacking trips, though we decided to replace it with a newer model.
Denman Island in February
Circlet Lake in April
Gold Beach, California in April
Bob's Lake on Texada in May
Copeland Islands in May
Hardy Bay in June
Jedidiah Island, July
Vargas Island in July
Gwillim Lake, Valhalla in August
Murtle Lake, Wells Gray in August
Wavey Ridge, Wells Gray in August
At the high tide level in September
2021 - 100 Tent Nights
Early kayak camping in Desolation Sound in April was followed by paddling near Tofino, then the Broken Group Islands when it reopened mid-June. God's Pocket especially Browning Passage kept us cool during the heat wave of late June 2021. We squeezed in an early Broughton's kayak trip and kept to little paddled areas. In September, the fires and smoke on the mainland had abated and we headed east for some hiking including the Bugaboos and Wells Gray.. Bike-packing trips on the island had kept the Fly Creek tent busy through the summer and it came out again on a sage brush bike tour in late September. The rains arrived early in 2021 and we took off for 5 weeks on a desert hiking tour in Arizona and California. We rented a car but brought our own tents. The Copper Spur tent (back-packing) saw more service than previous years.
Texada in April
Copeland Islands in April
Camping along Elk river
June: on the way to the Broken Group of Islands
Hardy Bay was in the lee of the NW wind on our way to God's Pocket
July visit to Amor lake
Camping at 2060m on summit of Kings Peak
Pocklinghorne island is in the northern area of the Broughton Archipelago.
Bugaboo glacier and Howser Spire from above the Applebee Campground
Return to the Grand Canyon
Arizona Trail south of Superior
Joshua Tree National Park
2020- 72 Tent Nights
We had tent nights in Oman during February. In March, Covid-19 rolled in and we beetled home from Sri Lanka. Covid measures largely confined us to beautiful British Colombia. We made some classic kayak tours; Discovery Islands, North Brooks, Nuchatlitz, Redondo loop, Bunsby Islands, Broughton Archipelago. Glenn did some bike-packing including in the South Chilcotins on the mainland.
Camping at Wadi Damm, Oman with a small tent purchased at a Lulu Hypermarket.
Camping above Al Hamra was one of our beautiful tent sites in Oman.
Fransisco Island is a good place to see the currents of Hole-in-the-Wall, Discovery Islands
Kayaking Nuchatlitz was sometimes challenged by stiff winds
Bike-packing Texada in July
We camped on Rugged Point beach on our return from the Bunsby Islands
Kayak camping on Sophia Island, Johnstone Strait
Main Lake, Quadra Island after a Discovery Islands paddle in October
Halloween in the Eldred Valley, Sunshine Coast
2019 - 55 Tent Nights
Our Spring Japan cycling trip delayed tenting in 2019. Gail came out to the island and we set up camp at Green Point in the Pacific Rim National Reserve (Tofino). We made our third kayak visit to the BC Central Coast. Later in the summer, we did some hiking in the Coast Mountains (Garibaldi, Ape Lake, Tweedsmuir and South Chilcotins). We managed an off-season, late September kayak trip to the Broken Group Islands.
Late May on Crest Mountain, Strathcona Park
Setting up the Half Dome with Gail at Green Point, Pacific Rim, BC
We set the tarp up for shade at this Jervis Inlet beach camp.
Camping with Peter and his Hubba Hubba tent above Elk Pass mid-June.
Late June on the Central Coast, BC
Camping at superb Ape lake
2018 - 56 Tent Nights
Spring kayaking was ideal in the Gulf islands. We made our Second Central Coast kayak trip with a focus on snorkeling. We organized the Turner Lakes fly-in canoe trip, however, the balance of our Caribou trip was delayed to another year because of forest fires & smoke. Although we did a fair amount of hiking in Chile and Argentina we did it without a tent. The follow-on trip to the Falklands and South Georgia had us sleeping in a berth every night.
Kayak camping on Prevost Island near Saltspring Island
Island 145, Central BC Coast
Flower Ridge, Strathcona Park
Long drop at Kidney Lake campsite, Turner Lakes canoe trip
Central Turner Lake campsite with smoke haze
McCall flats Recreation site near Bella Coola. We had a couple of grizzlies visit.
Camping at Ruth Masters Lake, Strathcona Park
Johnstone Strait sunset, late September
It was a cold night on the summit of Kings Peak in October
2017 - 39 Tent Nights
We hiked Malta and biked Italy in the Spring. The bulk of our summer tent nights were kayak camping including our first trip to Central BC Coast. In October, we flew out to the Indian Ocean (Mauritius, La Reunion and Seychelles). The slightly heavier, but much roomier Big Agnes Copper Spur backpacking tent relegated the Fly Creek to a one man tent usage.
Rum Island is close to the USA border.
On our first trip to the BC Central Coast (Triquet Island)
Camping on Comox Glacier
We have camped at this Swanson Island beach a couple of times.
Crest Mountain (Strathcona Park) is often done as a day trip, but it offers great camping.
Camping with the Copper Spur tent by Big Jim Lake, Strathcona Park, was a neat little spot.
2016 - 56 Tent Nights
We started the multi-day kayak season in April in the Broken Group Islands. Bike touring, a couple of coastal tracks (Juan de Fuca Trail & Nootka Trail) and a number of kayak trips kept the tents out in the summer months. Our overnight kayak camping went into early October with a our paddle trip in Tonga.
Sunrise on Clarke Island, Broken Group Islands
Cycling in the San Juan Islands of Washington state
Our first kayak trip to God's Pocket, North Vancouver Island
Calvin Falls on the Nootka Trail
Kayak camping on Rendezvous Islands
We tented five nights on our Tonga kayak trip.
2015 - 90 Tent Nights
The ski season was a dud and we started the multi-day kayak season in early March. We did not bring a tent on our 5 week bike trip through Cuba (March-April). We put our newly acquired Big Agnes Copper Spur tent to use during the summer (it was roomier, slightly heavier than the Fly Creek) for back-packing trips on Vancouver Island. We camped through the last half of September in northern Newfoundland and extended the camping season with a 5 week trip to the Baha towards the end of the year.
Nissen Bight on the north coast of Vancouver Island
Camping on Schoen lake, Vancouver Island
Return to White Cliff islet, Broughton Archipelago
Tarnside on the Rees Ridge, Strathcona Park
Green Point, Gros Morne NP, Newfoundland
Kayak camping on Isla Danzante, Baha, Mexico
2014 - 71 Tent Nights
Our arsenal of tents pressed on in 2014 with another Spring trip to southern Utah. We acquired touring sea kayaks so we could explore our region by land and sea and we did a return hike of the West Coast Trail. In November, we made a superb nine day independent kayak/snorkel trip in Palau, Micronesia.
Camping with Bob & Carol in the Maze District, Canyonlands NP
Checking out Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Camping below Mt Albert Edward, Strathcona Park
North Coast trail (Cape Sutil), Vancouver Island.
Camping below Comox Glacier on the Iceberg Peak hike
White Cliff islets in the Broughton Archipelago.
Kayaking Discovery Islands
Sandbag lake below Mt Myra, Strathcona Park
Kayak camping in Palau with a rental tent
2013 - 89 Tent Nights
Tent nights picked up in 2013 with a southern Utah trip in the Spring, Vancouver Island exploration and a beguiling Florida visit late in the year. The Big Agnes Fly Creek and REI Half Dome lumbered on, supplemented by a large 3-person tent for car camping.
Camping In Strathcona Park in March
Camping at the Fins in the Maze district of Canyonlands NP
Setting up camp at Bedwell Lake, Strathcona Park
Base camp for a hike up the Comox Glacier
Campsite on Long Island in the Florida Keys
We used Rainbow Springs State Park as base for snorkelling with manatees,
2012 - 29 Tent Nights
We settled into Vancouver Island in 2012 and spent much of the summer getting acquainted with our new surroundings. We made a road trip through Washington State to Alberta and later to the Olympics to Seattle. The Big Agnes Fly Creek and REI Half Dome did light duties reaching a paltry 29 tent nights. We travelled without a tent to Mexico and Belize at the end of the year. We divested some of our tents that had seen good lives.
Mineral seeking goats stayed close to our campsite in the Enchantments.
The road bikes and the REI Half Dome saw some of the Sunshine Coast (camping at Lund).
Evening meal preparation with Mt Olympus as backdrop, middle of September.
2011 - 125 Tent Nights
The Big Agnes Fly Creek and REI Half Dome were kept busy. We spent over three months in New Zealand mostly tramping (hiking), followed by camping excursions in southern Utah. Glenn headed into the Canadian Rockies with Rob D for a few summer hikes. In the second half of October, we visited the Oregon coast. We left the tent behind for our winter trip to South East Asia.
The Cape Reinga tramp (north tip of the North Island) featured long beach walks and camps water sources.
Queen Charlotte Track was the first tramp of the trip on the North Island of NZ:(Davis Bay).
Camping in Eglington Valley, on the road to Milford Sound was a lovely spot other than the sand flies.
Escalante in southern Utah has some terrific canyon hikes.
Random camping upper Siffleur River in the Pipestone Pass area
The Oregon state park campgrounds were quiet for tenters in October.
2010 - 80 Tent Nights
2010 included camping in the South West USA, walking the English coasts, a Norwegian visit, trekking in Ladakh and Arizona in the winter. We purchased an REI Half Dome tent and a lightweight Big Agnes Fly Creek. The Fly Creek was good choice for extended trips when we were not camping every night.
We toured the California deserts. This was in the Kofa mountains, AZ near the California border.
The Half Dome made the trip down to the Grand Canyon.
Britain offers some excellent coastal walking. This was a wild camp north of Sands End, Whitby.
Some of our Norwegian campsites
We mostly stayed in homes while in Ladakh, except for the supported Ladakh Haute Route
Over the years , we have made a number of trips to Organ Pipe National Monument (Alamo Canyon campsite in December).
2009 - 126 Tent Nights
2009 camp nights was a North American affair with a Spring trip to Southern Utah and Yellowstone followed by summer in the Yukon and Alaska. We wintered in Arizona. We used a variety of tents including the Marmot, a North Face tent and the Eureka with a new pole.
Drying our laundry at this free BLM campsite at the northern end of the AZT and near "The Wave"
Camping in Lower Muley Twist Canyon, Capitol Reef Utah:
Bison at Norris campground, Yellowstone
Kluane breakfast along the Slims River on the way to the Kaskawulsh Glacier, Yukon.
Our campsite next to the Shoup Glacier on a kayak trip from Valdez, Alaska.
We had evening visitors (grizzly sow and cubs) at this Toklat River campsite in Denali NP.
Early September at Cataract Pass in the White Goat Wilderness: (Cdn Rockies)
Camping in Monument Valley, early October.
Skunks are common evening visitors in Southern New Mexico
2008 - 185 Tent Nights
We camped the first four months in Australia and then pursued a number of European long distance trails in the summer. We travelled without a tent in South East Asia late in the year. We blew out a pole on the Eureka tent on Corsica and purchased a Marmot replacement in Nice.
The MSR tent did the trick for our Aussie back-packing trips (Tasmania SW Trail).
The blue "Kathmandu" tent wore out so we replaced it with another, but in red (Wynyard, Tasmania).
The GR20 on Corsica was a busy trail; 38 tents pitched up at Onda.
The southern end of the GR5 in southern France was quiet (Camp at Refuge des Merveilles )
The Chamonix area is beautiful (camp at lac des Chesierys)
We hiked back and forth between France and Spain. This was our first camp in the Spanish Pirineos.
2007 - 173 Tent Nights
Australia featured at both the beginning and end of 2007 as we returned to "Dusty", the ute, for a further six months in eastern Australia. We did some mid-year camping in the Canadian Rockies and had limited opportunities to camp on our Fijian sojourn.
April in southern NSW on the return journey to Sydney
We made a tour of the Canadian Rockies in May with Elise (Jasper campground)
Hiking the Great Divide on the Northover Ridge; the tiny specks between the lake and snow patch were our tents,.
We camped on this deserted island in the Yasawa Group, Fiji
Tarps were necessary for protection from bird droppings on Lady Musgrave Island.
The Eureka "frog" style tent made appearances on our return to Australia. Sea kayaking, Whitsunday Islands of Queensland.
2006 - 216 Tent Nights
"Dusty", our Toyota ute (pick-up) proved to be reliable and enabled our extensive Australian one year trip. Our Marmot tent wore out and we replaced it with a large "Kathmandu" brand tent.
South of Alice Springs at the Rainbow Valley Conservation Area
We used an MSR tent on the Jatbula Trail (Biddlecombe campsite)
Quobba in Western Australia offered excellent snorkelling.
Denham is near Monkey Mia and its bottlenose dolphins in Western Australia.
There were plenty of free campsites along the 1000km of gravel Great Central Road.
We backpacked the Thorsborne Trail on Hinchinbrook Island (4 nights)
2005 - 52 Tent Nights
We worked for the first 6 months of 2005 and enjoyed trips in the summer months in BC and Alberta before heading to South East Asia, without a tent.
On the Bowron Lakes circuit, BC
Over on Haida Gwaii, we kayaked for 2 weeks and did some hiking.
Heating up quesadillas while on a nine day hike in the Southesk Lake area of Jasper Park
2004 - 31 Tent Nights
We were working in 2004 and tent nights were limited to a meagre 31 with a modified Jasper North Boundary Trail trip accounting for almost half of the total.
We made an interesting trip into the northern part of Jasper Park. We hung our food every night.
Overnight trip to Dolomite Pass, Banff NP
Summers are short in the Canadian Rockies. Maligne Pass (Jasper) on Labour Day week-end.
2003 - 126 Tent Nights
We started out the year with a small tent for camping on Thai national park beaches. It would not have withstood much rain and it was warm with two people, so we brought the Marmot tent with us to Taman Negara, Malaysia for some hiking. The lion's share of 2003 tent nights were on the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in the small, "frog" style Eureka tent.
Koh Surin, Thailand had terrific snorkel trips that left from this beach each day.
Taratao Island, Thailand. We also camped on Rawi and the Similian islands.
Taman Negara, Malaysia was warm and humid. We didn't need to use the rain fly.
Sequoia National Park marked the southern end of the Sierra Nevada, California.
Dinner at Marie Lake in the Sierra Nevada, along the Pacific Crest Trail.
Camping on a ridge with a view of Lake Tahoe.
2002 - 188 Tent Nights
The Marmot tent served us well through Southern Africa though it was overshadowed by our 4X4 ("Persian God"). We saw a lot of South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and a part of Zimbabwe on that trip.
Molopo Game Reserve, south-eastern Kalahari (blue tarp on the tent for UV protection).
The gravel Namib desert was covered in mature grass after the summer rains.
We camped under a giant baobab tree on Kukoro Island, Botswana.
Hippos grazed around this Caprivi Strip camp at night.
Hundreds of moisture seeking bees invaded our upper Hartmann's Valley camp, Kaokoland, Namibia.
This was one of our last Kaokoland wild camps (Obias River ) before reaching Etosha National Park.
2001 - 104 Tent Nights
We camped a few tent nights in Mexico, but then spent the summer cycling in France and Luxembourg & Netherlands for a total of 104 tent nights mostly in a Marmot tent..
St Ignacio River, Copper Canyon
Camping south of the Loire Valley at Rosnay , France.
It was good riding in the Lot. This Figeac campground had a swimming pool, kitchen and a free wine & cheese evening for less than $10/night.
2000 - 110 Tent Nights
We entered the new millennium in New Zealand. 110 tent nights were largely on the South Island of NZ with the Sierra Designs tent, but we logged a number of tent nights in a North Face tent on our ride to Calgary via Salt Spring Island and the Cascades of Washington State. A small Eureka tent did the trick in the summer while in the Canadian Rockies.
Campsite weka
West Coast, South Island NZ
Invercargill, NZ's southern-most city
Ruckle Park, Saltspring Island
Rockport State Park, Washington
Brewster's Wall on 15 day Jasper hike
1999 - 146 Tent Nights
In 1999, we cycled/camped northern Italy, drove through Southern Africa, and over to Madagascar followed by New Zealand for more riding. Tent nights were a solid 146. We went with a 2 door Sierra Designs tent.
We stayed at campgrounds all through the Po Valley between Milan and Venice.
Namibian wild camps were miles from anywhere.
Elephants rolled through the Linyanti camp in Botswana
We slipped into Mozambique while hiking in the Chimanimani Mountains.
Kruger Park in South Africa offered affordable camping (this was at Shingwedzi.)
On our bike trip through Madagascar, we mostly stayed in hotels. This was a wild camp in the SW.
1998 - 185 Tent Nights
1998 was the first year that we tracked tent nights. We cycled in Europe from April to December (13 countries/12,000km) and tented a hefty 185 nights. We used a "frog" style Eureka tent.
France offered some excellent value municipal campgrounds
Watching the traffic flow by on the Mosel River, Germany
Our noisiest campground was in Slovakia where the disco thumped to 3:00a m.
Swiss campgrounds were of a high standard, though Zermatt was a notable exception.
French municipal campgrounds were often conveniently located in the centre of town.
Beatrix & Glenn comparing routes. on old-fashion paper maps.