My wife and I took off yesterday afternoon to a local state park. We bought a small airstream last spring. I got to pull out the banjo and play by the fire! It’s everything I hoped. Evenings after dishes are clean with clear skies and a fire are the best. I have a couple of songs now and dozens of riffs and exercises and I could play in the sling chair. I brought the case and a heavy padded festival blanket and a very stout stand to give it every protection I could. I was extremely intentional about setting it down, knowing where it was and keeping it in the case or right next to me because the last thing I wanted to hear was a loud clang.
I have this hiking staff that I bought years ago to take hiking and it was made by a craftsman in Florida. It’s a bamboo staff about an inch and a half in diameter but it has a flute carved in it and on the bottom is a reversible spike that screws into a nut. You can jam it into the ground and the top has a ball style compas but beneath it is a mount for a camera or phone for a selfie. I had the thing jammed into the ground on a scout backapackign trip with my son’s troop and I watched in horror as it fell over right in front of me hitting a rock exactly in the right spot to destroy the flute part. I actually didn’t play the flute but while backpacking there was always someone who could.
Anyway, while camping I have my own uber care process for overprotecting the banjo.
But it was totally worth it to be out there and playing! This was my goal! Now if I could just figure out how to backpack with it.
Went camping once and found some other pickers there. Had our own little festival!
The joy that comes from taking most banjos outdoors outweighs any risk of harm to the instrument. Maybe not for a 5K+ instrument, but plenty to be had for <$1K that make great companions. As the old joke goes, the biggest danger is that someone breaks into your tent or camper and throws three more banjos in :-)
I always took my Stelling camping with us. We used to sit out in picking chairs (no arms) and pick and sing. Sometimes we'd get an audience, sometimes someone would ask to join us and occasionally we'd find some bluergrass types to really have a jam with. I always had the banjo in my lap when outside. Never sat it down unless I took it in the motorhome and put it in its case.
I agree, camping out, sitting around the campfire and picking and grinning is very satisfying and fun.
My banjos always sound better outdoors.
I always bring mine. This one is with my son camping in the Westy out in the Barstow desert under the stars.
Glad things went well, John. 
Mine are seasoned campers.* A year [or maybe 2?] back I got 2-for-the-price-of-one at Winnipegosis, MB.
* with a renovated 75ish SurfSide trailer. ... camping? ... low level glamping? .... ???
Edited by - Owen on 04/27/2025 12:38:55
In the early 90s my cousin and I picked a lot of little country churches/fairs and so on. We had our banjo at Custom Fretted instruments have it worked on by the owner Jim Grainger. Who was kind enough to loan us his personal banjo , I believe it was early 60s mastertone . Long story short. That same night during practice we took a coffee break , when we came back in the living room what did we behold ? The neck broken in half of Mr Graingers banjo, that he so kindly let us borrow. The next day we drove back to Mr Graingers , head hanging low. We confessed to what happened. Although no one ever took responsibility for it my cousin and I took the blame. After a long hard stare from him he said… No problem ,it fell over in college and broke back in the 60s. He assured us he could fix it with no problem. Whew ! Thanks Jim Grainger . rip
I usually throw a coupla’ fiddles in the fire too just to help things sound even better.
Edited by - cevant on 04/27/2025 13:58:00
I really enjoyed it! That’s definitely why I’m learning banjo. Mine wasn’t a 10k instrument but it’s quite valuable to me so I’m protecting it.
Bud spray and possibly sunscreen do not play well with lacquer finishes.
quote:
Originally posted by Banner BlueBud spray and possibly sunscreen do not play well with lacquer finishes.
I gave a banjo a speed neck finish once after using bug spray. Lacquer just started coming right off.
I didn’t think about that! One time in grad school I needed a positive pressure chamber for an early prototype test. I had a piece of hardware called a dessicator which is essentially a plastic bowl with a lid and a groove around then lip where the lid matches the bottom. The groove contains an O ring. The thing is supposed to be a vacuum chamber for drying chemicals or storing them without much oxygen and this one was plastic instead of glass and gave me the flexibility to test a prototype with. But I cleaned it first with water and soap then with acetone. I didn’t realize that the lid was acrylic and the acetone completely melted the lid. In a minute or less the thing had been destroyed.
I could see myself doing the same thjng with my banjo finish and bug spray or sunscreen. Good point.
