My childhood is full of fun memories: family vacations, backyard cookouts, and weekends at my grandparents’ lake cottage. Every year or two, we would take a vacation to a major destination. Disney, Myrtle Beach, New York, Minnesota, Wisconsin Dells. None of these trips hold more of a place in my heart than those covered in canvas. That’s right! Those weekends spent at a local campground with my mother, father, brother, and I all crammed into an old canvas tent are the best. We would load our swimming suits, sleeping bags, bug spray, marshmallows, hot dogs, and our old canvas military tent into the back of the wood-sided station wagon and head to a local campground. We knew there were two days of swimming, fishing, and smores ahead of us.
Each day full of swimming and fishing, the hours seemed to go on forever. An evening of fresh-caught fish for dinner and smores by the campfire would only be outdone the next morning by the smell of bacon and eggs. When not in or on the water, our days consisted of hikes through the woods, my brother and I built forts in the trees and met new best friends. Mom sat in the sun reading a book, and dad keeping the fire going and worms on our hooks.
The common thread that holds all these memories together is the smell of canvas. Today we have campers and RV’s of all different shapes and sizes. We have nylon tents that pop open with a shake, but nothing beats that old canvas tent. It would take all four of us two hours to set it up. Each morning, we would rub the inside of the tent and watch the dew seep in much to dad’s dismay. During the day, it would be 120 degrees inside, but it didn’t matter. We still went in for a nap or a card game. Nothing beats the smell of that old canvas tent.
It’s not important where you camp or whether you’re in a trailer or a tent. What’s important is that you camp. Take your kids camping and teach them about nature. Teach them how to fish and hike. Show them how to enjoy the great outdoors.
Make memories!
John Jambor
Head of Marketing Truma North America
