Camping without fear
Urbanites nostalgic about childhood camping trips — or wanting to try tent camping for the first time — are often intimidated by logistical challenges, such as figuring out where to go and what to bring, and anxieties about diving headlong into the unfamiliar wilderness.
Fear not. For those more accustomed to navigating subways than wooded trails, a wealth of online resources, a new generation of camping equipment and a national network of user-friendly campsites make reserving a place to pitch a tent no tougher than hailing a cab.
“The main misconception about camping is that it’s hard,” said Chuck Stark, a senior camping instructor at the REI Outdoor School in Chicago. “When you start planning, it’s actually really straightforward. The key is to keep it simple.”
The first step, he said, is to do a little homework and figure out where you’d like to go. “The Best in Tent Camping” book series (Menasha Ridge Press) reviews campsites in 30 states and is loaded with detailed ratings that can help you avoid blaring stereos, convoys of RVs, poor maintenance and concrete slab platforms. Many other local guides, both online and in print, are also available.
Next, identify what’s essential to your comfort. Maybe it’s back support (bring a cot). Or having separate tents for kids and parents. Or bringing s’mores. Or earplugs: The wilderness can be surprisingly noisy at night.
Before setting out, reserve a camping spot — ideally as early as nine months before. Luckily, the reservations process is now similar to that at a hotel — without the hefty price tag.
Perhaps the single most important resource for campers in the United States is the online reservation service ReserveAmerica.com, which includes campgrounds in state and national parks, as well as many run by regional agencies and some private companies.
The website, and a few others including smaller networks of campsites, features detailed maps of each site. You can reserve the precise spot where you’ll set up your tent, deciding how near or far you’d like to be from modern amenities and nearby trails, rivers or other features. Some areas can also be contacted directly.
Campsite fees are generally between $10 and $25 a night, depending on the park, amenities and season. Advance reservations, particularly for more coveted areas, are strongly recommended. If you’re flexible about dates and locations, though, many campsites can be reserved on shorter notice. The camping season generally runs from May to October.
In addition to offering some of the most stunning scenery around, many state and national parks now offer clean private showers and porcelain flush toilets, potable water and electrical outlets, playgrounds, boating, swimming and hiking. Firewood is often available for sale, and most individual campsites are equipped with picnic tables and fire rings. These campsites also offer the security of being regularly patrolled by rangers and, unlike at many big private campsites, RVs and mobile homes are limited and there are designated quiet hours.
“There’s a real movement underway to make the outdoors more relevant to city dwellers, and there are a growing number of partnerships between outdoors organizations and city communities,” said Melanie MacInnis, assistant director of the San Francisco-based Sierra Club Outdoors. The Sierra Club, which promotes the enjoyment, exploration and protection of the environment, has offices across the United States and offers classes and trips to teach beginners wilderness skills such as first aid, camping and hiking.
Outdoors groups say many states are working hard to upgrade their campsites.
For those still not quite ready to rough it in a tent, some campgrounds also feature cabins, which offer the joys of camping and gathering around a campfire with the convenience of beds, stoves and refrigerators, although many require a seven-day minimum stay.
But new camping gear has made tent camping easier than ever, and some major outdoors outfitting stores offer gear rentals, classes in camp cooking and basic camping, and group trips, as well as easy returns should you find your equipment isn’t quite what you’d hoped.
“Tents are way easier to set up than they used to be,” said Stark, the Chicago camping instructor. “When I was a kid we had a big canvas tent that was a real event to set up. Now better tents are lightweight with only a few flexible poles, and they are color-coded so it’s easier to figure out where things go.”
New creature comforts include double-decker cots (at least one model doubles as a couch), sleeping bags roomy enough for two, pop-up tents, small portable toilets, solar-powered phone chargers, and suitcase-size kitchens and camp furniture that would look as comfortable in a Manhattan studio apartment as in the great outdoors.
Some experts suggest starting out with just the basics: tent, sleeping bags and pads and essential cooking supplies. Many sporting goods stores and online sites have lists of what to bring, as do camping books and guides. Careful, organized packing at home definitely makes for a more relaxed and comfortable adventure.
“I think more and more people in cities are realizing that camping isn’t scary at all,” MacInnis said. “It is really a lot of fun, and the wilderness is much more accessible than you think.”