Slow Mornings, Walk-Arounds & Duct Tape: What Retired Veterans Really Do At Camp
While it might look like obsessive behavior to an outsider, the meticulous maintenance that retired military veterans camping put into their equipment is actually a mix of deeply ingrained habits, practical wisdom and stress relief. In the military, equipment maintenance isn’t optional, it’s a matter of survival and discipline. Service members are trained to care for our equipment. Survival often depends on planning and special attention given to camping gear, rifles and vehicles because equipment failure in the field has (severe consequences).
There is a distinct rhythm to a campsite when you’re sharing it with a crew of retired veterans. If you’ve ever rolled into a campground next to a group of retired vets, you might expect strict reveille at 0500, hospital corners on sleeping bags and a tactical briefing before anyone goes fishing. Spoiler alert, you’d be wrong. Active duty life was about speed, precision and hurry up to wait, retirement camp life is the exact opposite. We’ve earned the right to slow down. Trust me, I take full advantage of it now. Camping involves taking my sweet time, inspecting things that don’t need inspecting and fixing stuff that ain’t actually broken.