Glamping = glamorous camping.
Not everyone is a fan of backcountry camping. It’s not easy to hike to your destination with a heavy pack. Once you get there, you may realize you left something a few miles away in your car. How inconvenient. For those who enjoy getting outside with some of your city life comforts, glamping is for you.
People have different definitions of camping. For one person, it may mean multiple days or months of traveling with their pack and wearing the same grody outfit every day.
For another person, it may mean taking their family or friends (who don’t camp much) out on a weekend trip to a park where they have set up campsites for everyone side by side. And RVs galore. This kind of “camping” requires less work, but hey, if that’s what you enjoy doing, then do it.
What are the advantages of glamping?
-- Quick and easy camping.
-- Access to your car if you forget anything.
-- Running water and bathroom.
-- You want to be outside but not far from your car.
-- You want to recharge your phone.
-- Hiking with a full pack to your campsite is not for you.
-- If it gets too cold, you can just sleep in your car.
Here are some tips for glamping in case you have never gone or want to make your experience more enjoyable. This isn’t a list of everything you need -- just some tips that could help. Glamping can be a good introduction to backcountry camping. It’s very different but may prepare or inspire you in some ways to get out on a longer expedition.
1. Don’t leave your cooler or food out at night for the critters to get to.
2. Pack your toiletries separately. It’s annoying to rummage through your stuff trying to find everything.
3. Use a headlamp. You could make it with a flashlight, but having a headlamp makes everything a whole lot easier and is hands-free. You can get one at REI.com.
4. Use the red light setting on your headlamp. If you are trying to read outside with the normal setting, bugs will fly all up in your face. The red light setting is perfect for reading, writing in a journal, or brushing your teeth outside.
5. Have a water jug or two to fill up. It’s good to have for filling up water bottles, washing your dishes, or brushing your teeth.
6. If you really want to make it glamorous, bring a tablecloth if there are picnic tables. Sometimes the picnic tables are gross, and a tablecloth can be a nice addition.
7. If you’re going to a national park, make a reservation ahead of time online. A lot of campsites get filled up during busy times like Spring Break.
8. Bring your own pillow or extra blankets, because you have room for it in your car! Throw in those extra layers too.
9. Bring chairs. I recommend a Crazy Creek, because it is small and awesome.
10. Bring a thermarest/sleeping pad for under your sleeping bag. This isn’t the same as an air mattress, but it’s pretty great for camping. It makes sleeping on the ground more comfortable.
11. Eat like you would at home! If you don’t want to deal with the grill, invest in a Whisperlite stove. I recommend the MSR PocketRocket Backpacking Stove. Only $39.95! It is a reliable, small stove that will boil some water or help make you a tasty five-star meal.
Now that you know what you’re doing, go get your glamping on.
