Camping: The process in which rich people spend thousands of dollars to live like homeless people...
If you're talking about RVs and trailers and such, perhaps. But when I was a dirt poor college student, my girlfriend and I backpacked for 10 days in the Marble Mountain Wilderness. No tent, slept under the stars, and loved every bit of it. Perhaps more of us should experience sleeping without a roof over our heads?
When I last lived in the US, I slept in screen tent out by our horse pasture year around so I could watch meteors and keep up with night wildlife.
You don't have to be rich to go camping. Compared with golf and downhill skiing, hiking and backpacking are inexpensive.
I love hiking to alpine lakes surrounded by white glaciers and jagged mountain peaks. After dark, I look up and feel awed by the glowing Milky Way and billions of sparkling stars.
We all need more low-level ecstasy in our lives.
My last two backpacking trips:
Beautiful Necklace Valley, WA. 2018
Lake Caroline and Windy Pass, WA. 2016
My 1976 old tent never leaked. Recently, I got a lighter tent. Hope the new tent works as well.