Derek Neary
Northern News Services

Fort Simpson (July 22/05) - Raquel Cli-Michaud loves to lie in her tent and listen to the patter of rain.

Ivan Simons is more comforted by the whirring of the air conditioning in his opulent recreational vehicle.

Camping can be a real back-to-nature experience.

Alternatively, it can be a matter of replicating all the conveniences of home while on the road.

For Cli-Michaud, staying in a tent is an integral part of getting away from it all.

"It's more (about) enjoying the fullness of the outdoors. You can't take an RV out in the back country to go hiking," she said.

"I kind of like the serenity of being in a tent... You get the freshness of the rain, the smell."

Not only that, she welcomes the challenging conditions in the wild.

Firewood needs be gathered, a place to wash must be located.

"You have to work that much more to make it comfortable for yourself, so you feel more fulfilled by the end of your trip," said Cli-Michaud.

Simons and his wife, Senga, have gone camping in a tent - been there, done that, he said.

All the comforts

Over the years, they graduated to a small tent trailer, then to a fifth wheel.

In 1999, the Simons family purchased a luxurious 38-foot Monaco Dynasty recreational vehicle. It sleeps six, in perfect cosiness.

The stunning rig is outfitted with a fridge, a shower, a washer and dryer, a stove, a convection oven, a VCR/DVD player, two televisions and leather interior.

It is equipped with a 10,000 watt diesel generator and the vehicle can also store 8,000 lbs of cargo.

"You've got everything at home," said Simons, adding that when the water, propane and diesel fuel tanks are all topped up he can go about seven days without having to worry about anything.

Of course a good tent will only cost you a few hundred dollars, whereas an RV can run into the hundreds of thousands, possibly even requiring a mortgage, just like a home.

But would Simons ever sleep in a tent again?

Sure, if he's hunting, but on vacation only "if there was absolutely no other choice," he said, grinning.