Loud Music at Camp?

[OldButStillJeeping]

Just looking for responses to those who care to share.
I'm leaving California soon, and this is one of the smaller reasons why.
Bought a SoundboKs last year. But not for the reason one might think.

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[Gladijave]

I went camping once and happened to be next to a college reunion group. They kept playing the top hits from the late 90s (I’m assuming when they were all in school together), and I could not believe how annoying it got, lol! I’ve camped next to bikers and metal heads, basic rockers, and country music folk, and none annoyed me near as much as the Chumbawamba crowd. I don’t mind that same music in other situations, but camping was a whole different scenario, not sure why.

But they turned it all off at night, and all was well. No hard feelings, and it was nice knowing they were having a blast.

I try to psych myself up for the camping experience I’m likely to have, and I don’t go camping on the weekend if I could potentially go during the week instead, to avoid the crowds. So, if I’m in a group campground, I try and put myself in party mode, and expect that people around me are ready to have fun. The only things that phases me then are loud music after 10 or 11 and revved atvs or dirt bikes zipping close to our camp site.

But the only reasons I go to closely packed group camp sites are because they have excellent river access, or there’s nothing else. Otherwise, I’d try and find something a little more sparse.

 

[IamAlan]

It depends on the camp, I guess. The Ohio Jeep Fest is this weekend, there is a huge camp ground at the fairgrounds, and I guarantee the music will be cranked until the wee hours, or until the cops get called, whichever comes first.

 

[Tiny]

Shared responsibility some. Know where you are camping and who might be around. If taking your family, look for a family friendly place. However, if I were to be getting festive and I see others around winding down, I will be respectful and not ruin their experience. Especially with kids. I want them to enjoy the outdoors and want to keep getting out there.

 

[Awhitebuff]

I get annoyed by different types of so called music. So if it's music I would like I would be fine. It should still be turned down after dark and off by a certain time. Really though I would rather not be camped near people in general. Not a big fan of the human race.

 

[kevman65]

Rally's are a different story, especially if the Rally has the entire campgrounds. Expect loud music and drunken exuberance at those.

Regular campground, keep the music down, it's not all about you. Keep the loud obnoxious discussions down, the kids there don't need to hear it.
Yeah, late teens and early twenties I was the guy with the boom box blaring. I was set straight ( my Dad ) and I understand. People go to campgrounds to get away from the noise and the rat race.

 

[Munkey Boy]

Don't care about the music, I get what I expect. Crowded camp site, expect it to be loud. If you expect otherwise, then you're fooling yourself (like those that buy a house next to an airport then complain about the planes.) If I'm going full bore isolationist, I expect it to be silent. I prefer the latter. Only thing that I really find annoying is a beater generator plugging away at 3600 rpm all night to power some AC unit, that ain't camping IMO. All I truly care about is that EVERYONE clean up afterwards; ALWAYS leave the place better than how you found it.

 

[Higher_Ground]

I have been guilty of making noise late, but not directly. Usually just talking too loudly and not playing music. I pick campsites where there will (hopefully) not be anyone else around.

That being said, I have never really had a quite night outside. I am bringing ear plugs next time I go camping.

The absolute worst night I had noise wise was camping next to a river. We got there first, I just want to point that out. But those dang Canadian Geese would not shut up all night long. They must have just graduated, because they partied until about 4 am. Then the mess the next morning...

 

[GOCAMPN]

I agree with others that it varies with the environment. The Jeep show with campground (Bantam, Ohio Jeep Fest, etc) are more like 3-day parties.

If you are at a typical camping area where the next family is 20 ft or 100 ft away, I would personally stick with moderate music at day then quieter music at night.

My favorite way to camp is to park somewhere (legally lol) hike into to woods along the Appalachian Trail for example, and be the only campers for miles. In that case, we don't even bring music. That's just good old fashioned chats about the younger days while we enjoy food and campfire.

 

[TJDave]

I enjoy the sounds of nature. I enjoy music also. I've installed a subwoofer in our motorhome. I like the sounds of people having a good time. I'd rather hear neighbors music than them yelling at each other and/or their kids.
I would rather music be off or down low after 10pm. I'm not going to tell anyone I don't know what to do. But, if their music is keeping me awake after 10pm, I can shake the campground with mine! I've never had to do that yet, but I am ready!

 

[brianinca]

It's one of my LEAST favorite things about the OHV areas that California curates. Outstanding public play areas undermined by thoughtless mooks with no manners.

Fortunately there is plenty of dispersed camping in the NF and BLM areas of CA, not as good as AZ but darned good.

I backpacked for decades and then car camped, I mean, overlanded, to get OUT of the urban noise environment. Our travel trailer makes for a different experience in many ways, but loud music is not part of our travel recipe - ours or anyone else's!

Just looking for responses to those who care to share.
I'm leaving California soon, and this is one of the smaller reasons why.
Bought a SoundboKs last year. But not for the reason one might think.

 

[stingrey]

Why disturb other campers. If you like to listen to music, it's easy to set a volume for you to hear it with out potentially bothering others.
If you are camping that close to others then it could help to say hi and get to know them a little bit anyway. This could help in many ways, besides music levels, such as emergencies.

 

[OldButStillJeeping]

I'm seriously impressed with the votes so far. The hooligans aren't as rampant as I thought.

All it takes is one asshat to screw up everyone else's camping trip.

 

[JoeyD]

That is partly, in my experience, forum websites over Facebook groups for example are a different type of people. Probably a different age group too that help set a tone. I have a lot of hobbies and have joined a lot of forums/reddit/FBgroups/etc and forums are usually the most grounded. Not all of them but usually it depends, I expect local groups to be a little more clicky we all do it.

I just left the Gladiator FB group because it was nothing but trolls, ask a simple straight forward questions and get 100 shit replies and a couple of maybe accurate ones. Super toxic, I don't need that in my life.

That said. I agree it's all situational, like others my friends and I tend to enjoy talking long into the night and often loudly and we have had people complain. Usually we are quiet after that. Some people get up very early to hike, drive, or leave and want to get to sleep early. I guess I was taught that when in the presence of others you need to think of them too. Not everybody thinks that way.

But as others have said it you're at a giant party expect there to be music. If I showed up to a camp ground full of people at a rally event I wouldn't expect them to turn down their music and shut up, I'd either hang or leave.

I'm seriously impressed with the votes so far. The hooligans aren't as rampant as I thought.

All it takes is one asshat to screw up everyone else's camping trip.

 

[Haley]

But as others have said it you're at a giant party expect there to be music. If I showed up to a camp ground full of people at a rally event I wouldn't expect them to turn down their music and shut up, I'd either hang or leave.

Funny story - the fam and I went on a 10 day Western states RV tour, stopping outside Yosemite one night at a state park campground. There was a huge motorcycle rally there, we had no idea obviously after making the plans from out of state. It was everything you'd imagine, and we almost packed up and left thinking we were never going to get to sleep once quiet hours came.

By 9pm they were all in their tents, snoring and farting just like anyone else. We still tried to leave pretty early the next day, so we wouldn't have to try fighting that RV through a mess of motorcycles.

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