The four types of fun are a great way to describe outdoor experiences.  These are based on how fun something is at the time and if it makes a good story later.  

I had never heard of these four types of fun until some friends of ours from Alaska were visiting.  They explained the four types of fun to us while we were on a multi-day walk along New Zealand’s Abel Tasman Track.  The first time I heard these types of fun I loved them.  I love how well they explain the nuances of fun that we have when we are exploring nature.

The Four Types Of Fun Take Into Account Your Enjoyment In The Moment & In The Future

When you think about how much fun something is you can’t just think about how much fun it is at the time you are doing it.  You also need to think about how much fun it is to talk about or think about it in the future.  In other words, does it make a good story to tell and laugh about?

Somethings may be a lot of fun when you are doing them, but they don’t make a good story.  Or they just aren’t something that is fun to remember doing.

On the other hand, some things may not be fun at the time, but they are fun to talk and laugh about later.

I want to put in a side note here on these four types of fun.  There are many different versions of these types of fun, some of which only include three and others four.  I find that these four most accurately reflect reality and that all ‘fun’ experiences can fit into one of these categories.

Type 1 Fun – Always Fun

This is something that is fun at the moment and is also fun to talk about later.

For example, hiking New Zealand’s Routeburn Track in perfect weather with amazing views was super fun at the time and fun to talk about now.

Type 2 Fun – Fun At The Time, But Not A Good Story

Type 2 fun is maybe less meaningful fun than Type 1 because it is fun at the time, but not in the future.  This type of fun is not something that you talk with friends in the future about because it just doesn’t make a good story.

An example of Type 2 fun may be a nice hike along one of your favorite trails that you’ve done lots of times.  It is fun at the time, but you wouldn’t talk about it or remember it specifically because nothing special happened that time to make it stand out from the many other times you’ve done it.

Another example of Type 2 fun is another good day of skiing at your local ski field.  Again, it is fun at the time, but nothing special happened that day, just another fun day on the mountain.

Type 3 Fun – Not Fun At The Time, But A Fun/Great Story

This is the kind of fun that most people that spend a lot of time in the outdoors can relate to.  If you spend enough time outside then you will inevitably end up with some of this type of fun.  It is not fun at the time, but it makes a great story and is fun to laugh about later.

I bet you have had some times when you were hiking and got caught in a rainstorm (like we did on the Milford Track) or had some other bad experience that was memorable.

One time we were camping in Central Utah near Robbers Roost Canyon.  We left our tent for the day to hike down into the canyon and when we returned later that day our tent was destroyed and full of sand due to the crazy winds!  Finding our tent like that wasn’t much fun at the time, but it’s fun to talk about and remember now.

Type 4 Fun – Never Fun

This kind of ‘fun’ is pretty straightforward.  It is never fun – not at the time and it isn’t fun to talk about or think about later.

Interestingly, I’m having a hard time thinking of a good example of an experience I’ve had that is type 4 fun.  I can think of lots of type 3 fun, but this one is much harder.  Maybe I’ve just completely blocked them out or tried to forget about those experiences that were type 4 fun.

An example would be a long day hiking up a mountain in awful weather where you get soaking wet and cold.  Your goal is the summit, but you don’t make it and have to return to your car defeated, wet, and cold.