Does everyone hate cleaning the camping gear as much as I do? I realize as I write this that it is a super self-absorbed first world problem, but I have such a strong resistance to it.
Somehow, it always goes like this. I wake up in camp, start packing everything up and nothing ever shakes out. In Florida there is always mud. Even when it is dry, the mud fairy visits every night and helps things stick to the bottom, side and even top of your tent, ground cover and anywhere else humidity can reach.
So then it’s time to gather up all of the mud soaked tarps and tents and roll them in such a way as to keep all of the mud in the center and still be clean enough to throw in the dry sack. It’s important that as the day goes on the moisture that you have collected is baking on the back of the motorcycle.
The ride home is where I typically am riding like a bat out of hell trying to get back as quickly as possible. Eventually I make it home and start to get all the gear off of the bike. Sun burnt and road weary I try and take care of all the consumables and stinky clothes. After I get most things back where they belong it catches my eye.
It is then that I have to make a choice: start the gruelling task of spraying down and drying out the tent and tarp, or hide it in the corner and kick the can down the road. I inevitably decide to avoid the hard work and go on to something else only to find a slight mildew waiting for me later.
I clean it, but I still dread it the whole time. So, is it just me? What is your friction point with camping? Leave a comment and let me know!
