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These 19 Vintage Camping Photos Will Bring Back Memories Of A Simpler Time

This post was updated on March 15th, 2024

Did you know that you can take your old photographic slides and convert them into digital images? A few years ago my family converted all our old 35 mm slides into digital files. Digital images are much easier to store (you can upload them to a free cloud storage service like Dropbox for example) and you don’t have to worry about losing slides or having the image quality get worse over time.

Yolanda took old slides of her family’s camping trips and uploaded them to the photo-sharing site Flickr. You’ll get a glimpse into the camping life of 1960s and 70s Canada.

Her family camped with the Oshawa Mugups, part of the now-defunct NCHA (National Campers & Hikers Association).

Oshawa Mugups
Yolanda

Large meet-ups like this were common back then.

Mugups Convention
Yolanda
Camping in 1969
Yolanda

Gathering for a meal in autumn, 1971.

Huge picnic table
Yolanda

Representing the Oshawa Mugups and Canada at the 1972 NCHA convention in Indiana.

Camping convention
Yolanda

Roasting hotdogs in the early 70s, with a Pepsi in hand.

Roasting hotdogs in 1972
Yolanda

“Only if you sit…”

Feeding dog
Yolanda

Yolanda’s dad turned this delivery truck into a homemade RV in 1970.

DIY RV delivery truck
Yolanda

Yolanda said,

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My father turned an old delivery truck into this RV and we had a ball with it for a few years and put a lot of miles on it.

And the camper was still in use five years later in 1975 (although the kids have grown up).

Rice Lake camping
Yolanda

1969 camping get together. Looks like a semi-official meeting, don’t forget your vest!

Camping get together
Yolanda

“Put on your earmuffs son.”

Earmuffs
Yolanda

Campground birthday party in August, 1969.

Camping birthday party
Yolanda
Birthday party at campground
Yolanda

Group photo of the kids earlier that summer. Who remembers those black inner tubes in the background?

Photo at campground
Yolanda

Passing of a trophy at the 1971 NCHA Convention.

Passing of trophy
Yolanda

Now that’s a bonfire.

Bonfire
Yolanda

I’d eat what he’s making.

Camp cook
Yolanda

The best way to get around the campground.

Campground transportation
Yolanda

And when it’s time to leave, there’s always the accordion to sing your camping blues away.

Playing accordion at campsite
Yolanda

Seeing photos like these make me think of all the fun times my family has had camping. I wonder what it will feel like to look back thirty years from now at photos taken today?

Learn more about the history of the NCHA and the current FCRV.




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