Tolerate of Camping Music?

[renodesertfox]

Howdy,
Relaxing outdoors is one of the great benefits of camping, but sometimes the peace is disrupted by noisy neighbors in the next campsite. RVs running their generators and air conditioners are one thing, and it can be tolerated most times, but how about the campers who bring along portable music to play at the campsite? If their player is no louder than quiet it's ok right, but just because there is no quite time during the daylight hours do you think that other campers should be respectful of others and keep their music on the down low? And how would you handle the situation that your next door camper has his Led Zeplin or Mozart blasting? Food for thought and thanks for looking. What do you think?:eek:

[Bigdog57]

First offence - I ask them to turn it down.
Second offense - I complain to the ranger or camp host.

Since I lost a lot of my high-freq hearing from my days of working around jet engines, I seem to be very sensitive to that low ground-thumping noise called "rap" and "hip-hop". Can't stand it - I find it literally painfull.
If they didn't cut it down - I'd have to leave........ :(

[Sford13]

Not sure how I would handle this one. Definitely something I don't ever want to be guilty of. But if it was very bad I think I would be more apt to go to the ranger or camp hosts rather than personally confronting someone. You never know what people will do these days.

[AdamGOGC]

I remember quite well the time that we camped at a site that was located on top of a large hill (they called it a mountain, but we all know there are no mountains in WI). It had an amazing view of the valley below. We had our fire going and we were sitting in our camp chairs overlooking the beautiful scenery. Then the campers next to us turned on the Packer game on the radio nice and loud. Don't get me wrong, I support the Packers, but when I'm out camping, I like to enjoy the sounds of nature. If I wanted to listen to music, the radio, or TV, I could do that at home!

It's true that there is no ordinance at the campsite saying that campers need to keep quiet all day long, but I think there are some unwritten rules that are just good common sense. Being considerate of the other campers around you is one of them. I never know what is going to bother my camping neighbors, but I try to avoid doing anything that I know would bother me. In the rare case we do have music playing I would keep it quiet enough so as to not bother others. It's just good camping etiquette.

Adam
www.getoutandgocamping.com

[Sford13]

Well Adam I think you hit the nail on the head. It is a lack of respect and a lack of etiquette. Seems to be everywhere not just the campground. Golf courses and other places like that are seeing a lot of new people that just don't get it. If everyone thought of those around them first boy would our state parks be much better.

[Bigdog57]

Just that! Too many new campers seem to think they can bring all their home stuff with them. Stereos, TVs, musical instruments...... having someone 'serenading' the entire camp, drunken and badly, at 3AM, is just too danged much! :mad:

Not just the young ones - some older campers lack consideration for others too. One reason I search out camping spots in 'the back forty'.

[camo]

Find the main breaker and give it a flip. Myself, I just don't camp where the crowds go. Them big expensive RV's don't go offroad. I look at my map for campgrounds out in the National Park and steer clear of them and pick out a less populated place to camp with no hook ups.

[Bigdog57]

Many campgrounds down here keep the RVs and tenters in separate sections. Weird thing is, the RVs are usually closest to the bath house - don't they have their OWN facilities!? :rolleyes:

I try to take a spot in the far back of the tenting area - most folks try to get a spot closest to the bath house. I'll toddle off into the trees....... :D

[njcamping]

Bigdog,

I'm with you...I would much rather camp as far away from the masses as I can and then just deal with a longer what to the restroom. This way I can have some peace and quiet and not deal with the crying babies, drunken idiots, too loud music and the inevitable drunken argument at 3am.

A couple of years ago my wife and I instituted a rule that if it had batteries or a power cord attached to it then it stayed in the car and was only for the ride to/from. Initially my kids freaked but after the second or third camping trip they said that they actually like it better this way!

Sincerely,

Eric

-------------------------

NJ Campgrounds

[AdamGOGC]

A couple of years ago my wife and I instituted a rule that if it had batteries or a power cord attached to it then it stayed in the car and was only for the ride to/from. Initially my kids freaked but after the second or third camping trip they said that they actually like it better this way!

Eric, what an awesome idea! I think that is definitely a practice that all of us should experience once in a while. It's also a good way for kids to realize that they can still have fun without all the technology. I actually have to remind myself of that once in a while.

[renodesertfox]

We, bride and I, now prefer dispersed camping or if we hit an organized cg it's way off season so we don't have to worry about anyone's noise. Even if some places have fire restrictions, those are lifted for our favorite season: winter. The best time to experience a National Park or forest is when there are no other campers around. We have snow camped and love it, but one must be prepared. Yosemite, Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, even Joshua Tree or the Grand Canyon is best visited in the early months of winter or very early spring. What drove me to seek dispersed sites are the times of "quiet", then that gentle hum of someone's generator. Banging on doors and complaining are no longer nightly activities that I look forward too. Where we go is usually very quiet and if we happen on some other camper, we both know the reason we disperse camp and respect the night.

[camo]

Some of them RV generators can get loud. I was sleeping fine one night until someone fired up their generator. Sounded like someone was mowing the grass. As long as they were comfortable and had a good nights sleep is all that matters I guess.

[Bigdog57]

I guess if I was cooped up in a tin hotbox I'd need to run the genny for AC too. Or maybe they had a bunch of electronical 'toys' to keep powered........

[Sford13]

Really have not had the too loud of music issue. There was one time we could hear a neighboring sites music but it was during the early evening and was off by time to hit the sack.

However it was the exact same trip that we were in a dead sleep at the break of dawn. When some idiot fired up his Harley and went thru the campground. Boy how I wished I had strung a clothes line across the road. And I am a nice person really. But he came from the RV section of the park so go figure.

[renodesertfox]

Yep Sford13 I agree there...those loud mufflers on bikes and trucks and driving through a tent campground during "quiet" hours is really disturbing. I'll hold the other end of the clothes line. Even here in the city, right across the street from us is a guy who loves bikes. All hours he is running his bikes and works on others. That's another reason why we try and disperse camp as often as possible to escape the noise. Even his friends have louder mufflers, actually, maybe no mufflers. I guess that is why I like Big Dog as a camper. Sure he has a MC bike, but he lives way on the other side of this continent and so that's okay. Hey, no offence BD, if you read this. :D