Don't worry K. you go ahead and buy a tent because whilst the logic of purchasing something that may only be used a few times may not make sense, what you are buying is an experience that is well worth the $$. Last night I had to book flights, hire car and accommodation in Newcastle for a quick 4 day Easter trip to see my Dad for his 70th Birthday which happens to fall over the Easter period. The trip is likely to cost around $1,800 plus food, etc. Which is about par for any time we travel up there so no big deal. For that I get to park in the country's most expensive airport car park, wait 15 mins for the bus to collect us and 10 mins to travel the 1km to the airport lounge. Then I get to face the utter chaos that is JetStar Melbourne check-in - 50 min queues, self-serve kiosks that don't work properly, etc. Then line up for up to 10 mins to get through security, wait 50 mins for my flight to board, battle for some overhead cabin space to put my computer as most tight-wads don't pay for the $17 per person extra baggage fee, wait for my bags to come out at the other end, wait for my Hertz Hire car, drive to the Hotel, probably wait to check-in and hopefully the room is OK for our stay and we are not subjected to constant false alarm fire evacuations like last time. Of course, then I have to repeat the almost same procedure to return. 10 hrs of less than relaxing time spent commuting. Yep, a few hundred $$ for a Tent, the fun you can have surviving in a camping environment, the peace, relaxation and tranquility is absolutely priceless compared to staying in hotel rooms and battling traffic, parking, airports, etc.
