WHY YOU SHOULD GO CAMPINGINSTEAD OF GLAMPING
By Guy Sagi
The flicker of a campfire, star-filled nights and theability to unplug, unwind and regroup draws people outdoors. Getting away fromit all is the tired cliché, but it falls short of conveying the true magnetismof Mother Nature’s spectacular show and the multitude of pursuits she eagerlyhosts.
Camping is one of them, although opinions are sharplydivided on what “camping” really means, or the number of creature comforts allowedbefore a campsite qualifies as a pop-up Airbnb. In 2016, the word glamping—alreadyin wide use to describe the luxury trend—was added to the Oxford Dictionary. Two years later, Merriam-Webster followed suit.
Many outdoorsmen have yet to find the officialboundary separating camping from glamping. It’s elusive, although most agreethe former yields more physical and mental benefits than the latter.
Camping also offers a connection to a bygone era, whenskill and craftsmanship were valued over hype, and products wore the qualityto survive abuse, play a role in indelible memories and earn heirloom stature. Theteam here at Cole Wheeler understands a thing or two about that, and we believeyour next outing should be camping, not glamping.
Camping or Glamping?
It’s often difficult to tell which of these pursuitsan outdoor enthusiast has sworn allegiance to. Some—due to age, physicallimitations, family obligations or other factors—routinely harness theadvantages of modern convenience when they go camping. They’re not considered card-carryingglampers unless they knowingly going overboard just because they can.
There are, however, distinct characteristics unique tomembers of each tribe. Many of them are holdovers from the era in which ErnestHemingway and Robert Ruark wrote about the romance of African safaris. Theirpassionate prose helped spawn a luxury industry, one that specialized in thecomfort and indulgence that attracted well-to-do world travelers—with orwithout a gun—and birthed an early form of glamping.
Gear designed for camping provides reliable comfort in the backcountry.
Clients on those trips never drove a stake, struggledto put up a tent or cooked a meal. Everything was ready when they arrived. co*cktailhours on the plains of Africa often included hair-raising tales of leopards visitingnightly to snack on a servant or two. Today’s version is a wide-screen TV,sometimes mounted on an RV exterior, playing “The Ghost and the Darkness” witha wet bar nearby.
Membership Traits
Today’sextreme glampers check into cabins or established wall-tent camps that are fullyclimate controlled, with laundry service and pool. A full-amenity commercialcampground or a large inventory of effort-saving gear are acceptablesubstitutes.
Campers, on the other hand, immerse themselves in the adventure.Whether arriving in a 45-foot motorhome, or pitching a tent in a remote area,they savor the experience, and take pride in meeting challenges.
One group loves the sound of rain on a tent ortrailer, the other drowns it out by turning up a surround-sound system. It’seither bright lights burning into the night or time spent waiting for the nextfalling star to wish upon.
There are no dues, secret handshakes or graduationceremonies, so most participants have no idea where their current allegiance resides.Thankfully, nearly everyone who overnights outdoors falls somewhere between thetwo.
History of “Camping”
Packingthe bare essentials, traveling to a destination and—time willing—putting up arudimentary shelter to overnight was a matter of survival for early man.Finding food was the primary motivation, but it wasn’t long before exploration,contact with others and even trade became catalysts.
The word “camping” first came into use sometime in the1600s, but its big break came in 1869. That’s when author William HenryHarrison Murray’s book, Camp Life in theAdirondacks, spellbound readers with tales of trips to relatively remote regionsof upstate New York. By the time it was in its 10th printing, thousands wereflocking to the area and elsewhere.
Camping became a big pastime in the United Statesafterward, with an approach that clearly separated it from the woodsmen,trappers and hunters who had been doing much the same for centuries. Theiroutings were business. This newfangled, sleeping-under-the-stars fad was insteada pleasant vacation from work.
Rise of Glamping
The glamping trend may have been popularized by authors with the means to visitremote places in exotic locations, but it started earlier. Luxury destinationswith separate cabins in scenic places have been around for years. Today you canenjoy extended stays in treehouses, floating Airbnb cottages, seaside retreatsand much more without ever making your bed.
Here in the United States, a different, mobileapproach became available in 1910, when the Pierce-ArrowTouring Landau premiered at Madison Square Garden. The same year similarlyspartan, vehicle-pulled camper trailers were introduced by Auto-Kamp Trailersand Los Angeles Trailer Works.
RVs, fifth wheels and bumper-pull versions of varioussizes and luxury followed. Retirees, who were finally able to travel at will,found it a great way to continue an outdoor lifestyle.
When the pandemic struck in 2020, they were joined bythousands eager to vacation where forests enforced social-distancing protocol. RVand camper sales boomed and most of the inexperienced newcomers quickly packed everymodern contrivance possible. Glamping’s membership swelled overnight when theyflooded campgrounds and spent more time with their eyes glued to a screen orinside than savoring Mother Nature’s splendor.
A rugged, multi-function knife is a must-have tool for camping.
How to Maximize Your Camping Experience
Camping—realcamping—is an investment that pays big dividends in memories, skills,confidence and knowledge about the world around us. It also presents theopportunity to breathe fresh air, unwind and exercise with purpose.
This doesn’t mean the new travel trailer needs to betraded in for a survivalknife, compass and MREs, though. Smallsteps are big when it comes to reducing dependence, especially regarding addictive,sometimes work-mandatory modern conveniences.
Ditch the wheezing propane fire pit for a realcampfire. That warm glow is magnetic for family and friends, hypnotic in danceand meditatively soothing. Chop your own wood or scrounge nearby kindling. Evenrudimentary knowledge on how to keep a flame alive is handy when the next bigstorm drops power lines for miles.
Lighting campfires in less-than-perfect conditions is made easier with a waterproof lighter.
Kill the lights, sit in the dark or lay on a picnictable and look up. That blanket of stars is almost invisible in a big city’slight pollution, but at most campsites the spectacle rivals that seen by thefirst man. It’s a humbling reminder of the universe in which we live, dauntingto think about the vastness of space and even offers some practicalapplications. Watch the Big Dipper and how it changes with each hour—in theNorthern Hemisphere, anyway. With some knowledge, it can be used as arudimentary nighttime clock.
Turn off the smartphone and take a hike, literally.It’s good cardio, but also a chance to explore, see things from a different angleand discover something new. It’s a confidence-building exercise that, doneright, heightens situational awareness. In town, those early warnings oftenkeep you and loved ones out of harm’s way, but it’s hard to see them with yournose focused on a phone’s display.
Learn navigation by heading off trail with a compass.The uneven terrain awakens muscles hibernated too long in an office chair orrecliner, and GPS isn’t infallible. That fact, and its unpredictability, wasmade obvious by the recent solar storm that blacked out navigation systems onfarm equipment across the Midwest.
Talk to fellow campers, even glampers. You may have toforce the latter group out of their cabin/trailer/tent, but it’s refreshing notto be wearing a rectangular screen on your cheek and ear during conversations.Done in a friendly manner, odds are good they’ll share tips or mention somethingworth seeing nearby.
Wake before sunriseand watch the wildlife come alive. Ditch the electric can opener. They don’twork in a power outage anyway.Cook over a fire, not the gas stove ormicrowave. When you’re ready, go remote, far away from established campgrounds.Decompress and thrive alone in nature’s playground. Experience the silence andsavor the solitude.
Camping cookware is a key ingredient for memorable fireside meals.
Get Out There
Byreducing reliance on electronics and modern convenience when camping, you gaina better understanding and appreciation of nature. The essentials learned andconfidence built will also be a great asset if the unthinkable happens,regardless of the situation’s duration.
Best of all, the memories outdoors, when unleashedfrom electronics and their false sense of security, are the kind that will lasta lifetime.
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