The Nichols family feels just as at home underneath a shade tree, sitting in their camp chairs around a warm fire at a state park, as they do in their rural Russellville home.
They bring plenty of books and food. It's being together in a beautiful setting that makes their weekend campouts like home.
"The point is we are some place other than home," said older son Caleb.
Most recently, they took their home-away-from-home to Johnson Shut-ins, which Mom Heidi called "an amusement park made by God."
"The first time I saw it, I was pretty impressed," Caleb added.
It's a unique experience to walk a trail outside a camper's front door to go kayaking or tubing.
"We always see what we can do while we're there," Heidi said.
However, not having an agenda makes camping more relaxing, added Dad Mike.
At their permanent home, chores and animals need to be kept up with, and jobs and homework place their own demands.
"Camping gets us away from everyday life," Caleb said.
But with Missouri weather, the Nichols also bring contingency entertainment for rainy days - books, games, toys and portable movie players.
"We do love our little camper," Heidi said. "When we get there, everybody has a job in setup."
They've had this camper since traveling to Smokey Mountain National Park when Caleb was 18 months old. Younger son Campbell's first camping experience was at Roaring River State Park before he could walk.
Caleb loves to set up his dad's old army hammock, despite having a run-in with a poisonous spider one summer.
And Heidi has her own special chair: "It's got to have comfort if I'm going to sit in it for two weeks," she said.
It's not all simplicity and beauty. They've had to run for cover during a straight-line wind event, have had rattlesnakes too close for comfort and have even climbed out of a tree only to watch a bear climb out of the same tree a few minutes later.
The Nichols keep to the state and national parks, finding them to be well-maintained with a similiar level of expectation for their neighbors.
"Everybody is friendly; and if you need something, others are willing to help," Mike said.
In addition to taking the comforts of home with them, the camper allows the family to "see something cool for a cheap price," Mike noted.
But the vacation experience is different than staying in a hotel.
"You live in that environment you're trying to see, like watching the sun go down in Mesa Verde or waking up to the mountains," Heidi said.
Similar to other vacation methods, securing a camp site and visiting locations at the right time of year takes planning, reservations and preparation.
The Nichols family stores most of its camping essentials in the camper, so packing up is easier.
Many public parks have campsites online to choose from. The Nichols prefer a site under a shade tree with electricity and a little distance between them and the next campsite.
Marshmallows and Jiffy Pop are always on the menu, as is Mom's Mountain Man breakfast casserole and Dad's grilling.
"We've experienced major life events while camping," Heidi said. "No matter what they do or how old they are, this is something that ties us together as a family."