Elevate an Ordinary Campsite to ‘Glamping’
01 Oct 2015
Fall is the perfect season to camp. Cool nights, warm days, fall foliage. Here are ways to elevate an ordinary campsite to “glamping” status.
By Eli Wallace There’s nothing quite as cozy as cuddling up at home during a bout of cooler temps. But with fall encroaching, there’s plenty of mountain activities calling us outside. The new way to have your cake and eat it too? Bring your home with you when you head for the hills.
Focus on Food
Chili, baked beans and burgers are fine, but they’ve been done. Adding glamour to food is easy and tasty, and all you’ll need is a grill, a frying pan and a cooler to turn yourself into a true wilderness gourmand. Get into it as much as you like—add some blue cheese into that burger, or scrap the classic camp fare entirely and replace it with elk steaks, fresh strawberry and spinach salad, and a bottle of red. Instead of chips and trail mix, snack on thin-sliced chorizo with stone-ground mustard, pita chips with hummus, or fresh fruit like berries. Watermelon and peaches are also great choices, as they’re tasty alone, in drinks and even grilled. Breakfast doesn’t have to be pancakes or bagels. Fill a cast-iron skillet with chopped potatoes and onions (these can be prepared ahead of time and put in a plastic container) and scramble with eggs over the campfire or grill. No skillet? No problem: Tin foil comes to the rescue and can be used for eggs, French toast and ground meats. Breakfast tacos, anyone?
Get Cozy
Let’s get real: Sleeping on the ground often means not sleeping at all. It’s colder than you expect out there, your lower back aches, and there seems to be a rock digging into your shoulder no matter which way you turn. There’s no shame in a proper camping pad. Even better is a tent large enough to also hold a blow-up camp mattress. Air-mattress technology has come leaps and bounds from the sad, waterbed-like experiences of the past, and certain camping mattresses now include air pumps that are compatible with your car’s cigarette lighter. While you’re packing a little extra, throw in a few more pillows, comforters and blankets and a battery-powered lamp, and you’ll be roughing it like a royal. If there’s room in the car, consider a portable speaker, a solar power cell and a hammock.Keep It Clean
Some of us revel in the grime of our own sweaty, unwashed bodies. The rest of us should figure out how to be less gross in the wilderness—and that’s where gadgetry comes in.
Little Details

Photos courtesy Dunton Hot Springs, Delmas-Lehman, Rebekah Hoffer, Amy Gosch, Hydro-Hammock