I appreciate all the responses and various perspectives. After 50+ years of camping/canoe camping this trend is new to me and three different groups I have tripped with in recent years.
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Happy National Pickle Day! 🥒
Another new camping trend - individual tents
- Thread starter jdeerfoot
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Perhaps the single tent issue is simply or mostly a function of how large a group one paddles with, how much community sharing that group does, and how interested one is in those community activities.
Many of us trip primarily solo, and even when tripping in a group, choose to travel self-sufficiently. I, for example, carry the same things in my canoe whether I'm solo or in a group. That is, I remain completely self-sufficient, carrying all my own gear, food and shelter.
I would find it very physically and psychologically uncomfortable to sleep in a tent with another person, and I generally want nothing to do with shared cooking and other camp chores because I'm frequently on my own preferred diet and have little to no interest in many camp activities, such as processing wood, washing dishes, drinking booze, smoking dope, playing instruments, singing, or wasting my time (in my opinion) on almost anything other than paddling.
I can see sharing tents if one is in a big group and tent space is severely limited on the camp site. I've never been faced with those two scenarios simultaneously, and would almost surely opt not to participate in a trip where I thought those scenarios were likely. Other paddlers obviously do and presumably enjoy it. Different strokes.
I'd never heard of "personal space" until well into adulthood, but I guess it's been around long before anthropologist Edward T. Hall who developed the theory of proxemics, observing in the 50s and 60s the distance people maintained with each other, and found that different cultures percieve personal space differently. Also it seems individuals choose this space based on factors like prior experience, cultural background, and the kind of relationship they have with the others. I think we all encounter this and are an active participant wherever we go, including canoe tripping.
From Proxemics ~ Psychology Today
What is intimate space?
Our romantic partners, family members, and closest friends are allowed within this space of 0-18 inches. Familiar touch is part of this proximity; the space is close enough to whisper in another’s ear and smell that person’s scent. We become extremely uncomfortable when this space is breached by people outside our inner circle.
What is personal space?
This is generally called the personal space bubble. At this range of 18 inches to 4 feet, we are close but not that close; we can reach over and pat the other person’s back. This space is known as friendly but not intimate. We are in this space when we must speak privately with another person, and the outer limit of this zone is acceptable in close business relationships.
What is social space?
Casual acquaintance and most professional interactions remain within the 4-10 foot boundary. We can’t touch others at this distance, and it is a safe gap to conduct more formal exchanges. The small classroom setting is a good example of a 4-to-10 foot social space, where students are close enough to get to know their teachers.
What is public space?
Shopping malls, city sidewalks, and airports are planned with this distance requirement. This range is also used in public speaking, giving a formality to the communication delivered. This type of space does not require eye contact or any personal contact, whatsoever.
From Proxemics ~ Psychology Today
What is intimate space?
Our romantic partners, family members, and closest friends are allowed within this space of 0-18 inches. Familiar touch is part of this proximity; the space is close enough to whisper in another’s ear and smell that person’s scent. We become extremely uncomfortable when this space is breached by people outside our inner circle.
What is personal space?
This is generally called the personal space bubble. At this range of 18 inches to 4 feet, we are close but not that close; we can reach over and pat the other person’s back. This space is known as friendly but not intimate. We are in this space when we must speak privately with another person, and the outer limit of this zone is acceptable in close business relationships.
What is social space?
Casual acquaintance and most professional interactions remain within the 4-10 foot boundary. We can’t touch others at this distance, and it is a safe gap to conduct more formal exchanges. The small classroom setting is a good example of a 4-to-10 foot social space, where students are close enough to get to know their teachers.
What is public space?
Shopping malls, city sidewalks, and airports are planned with this distance requirement. This range is also used in public speaking, giving a formality to the communication delivered. This type of space does not require eye contact or any personal contact, whatsoever.
I agree and this is my mode also. On the Yukon Y1K we each (all 7 of us voyageur canoe paddlers) carried our own gear and tents, except the two ladies who share their one tent. Women appear to be more comfortable at such sharing than men usually are. Team food was preplanned in mass to be prepared, heated, and eaten while still underway while continuing paddling.
When I do lean2Rescue group volunteer work jobs in the Adirondacks, each person does their own fully solo thing, including meals and tenting, unless, as is sometimes common, one guy or another brings steaks (sometimes venison) or pork from his farm to BBQ in shared common with everyone. Even though we are working to build a leanto shelter, most often it is either not yet erected or clean (from sawdust and tools) for sleeping until we are ready to depart.
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