The Different Types of Camping I’ve Experienced

When I was younger I thought camping was just sleeping in a tent at a campground. But, over the years, I’ve been able to find more adventures and have been able to explore many different types of camping. Here’s what I’ve experienced so far.

Tent camping 

The tried and true form of camping. I have so many fond memories of tent camping. Waking up and having my morning cup of coffee by the fire. Watching friends and family roll out of their tents as the world begins to wake up. Climbing back in at night with the smell of campfire covering my clothes. 

Tent camping has always been a great family camping experience. All you really need for tent camping is a tent, but we’ve always filled our vehicle to the brim with camping gear every time we’ve gone. Because tent camping is so common, it’s pretty easy to find a good camping spot and to find all the supplies you need. 

Just remember to check the weather before you leave if you can!

Hmmm… I wonder how many people have memories of their fathers struggling to set up a camping tent.  

Backpacking

I’ve been on many backpacking camping trips and they are always best alone or with a really good friend. Some of the most important things I’ve learned about backpack camping is:

• You learn really quickly what’s a camping necessity after having to carry it all on your back.
• Planning is super important.
• Make sure to bring waterproofing materials (even if it’s not calling for rain)
• Having good hiking shoes is not optional.

I do not recommend backpack camping for beginner campers. It’s easy to survive backpacking but the best experiences I’ve had always have come after I’ve learned to be prepared. 

Survivalist camping

Survivalist camping is not for the faint of heart or for the novice camper. It’s all about being self-sufficient and surviving from the land. I’m sure me like many others, got their interest peaked from the many survival camping shows. 

Survival camping means having to trap, fish, hunt or forage for food. It also means avoiding dangerous wild animals and knowing how to fix an injury.

Personally, I’m still not ready for a full on survival camping experience. My experience was with a very small group and a guide. It was great being able to put to test all my experiences knowing I had a guide in case things really did get bad. One day I hope to go out on my own.

Winter camping

I’m not a huge fan of the cold, but there is something beautiful and exhilarating about winter camping. It provides a much more peaceful experience than you’ll experience in the summer months. There’s no bugs, or crowds to annoy you. It’s silent and peaceful as even most animals aren’t around. 

Plus, winter camping allows for all those fun winter activities that you don’t get to enjoy in the summer like snowshoeing and seeing frozen waterfalls. 

You can winter camp in a tent, cabin or even just a hammock (make sure to have a subzero hammock). My personal favorite is cabin camping because it usually means there’s a hot tub involved! 

Primitive camping

Primitive camping is camping without modern comforts. When we’ve gone primitive camping we’ve had to kiss electricity running water and our cell phones good bye for a few days.

The best part of primitive camping is connecting with nature. It’s just you, and nature. It’s a good reminder of simpler (and slightly tougher) times. 

The worst part for me is the lack of running water. Which isn’t too bad in itself until you need to use the restroom. 

RV camping

If you camp often then it doesn’t take long until you start eyeballing RVs. RV camping is a lot like tent camping, just a tad bit more comfortable. 

There’s plenty of camping areas for RV camping but I try to avoid the RV camps. My preference is to have the full on normal campaign experience, but as I’ve gotten older, I think it’s nice to have a bed at the end of the night that doesn’t kill your back.

Glamping

I never knew camping could feel so luxurious until I went glamping. Many avid campers look down on glamping, but honestly you have to think about it as its own adventure. Glamping is an especially fun experience with friends or a significant other because it allows you to be out in nature but be in total comfort. 

I still haven’t had the opportunity to try one of those treetop glamping experiences with the outdoor showers and full kitchens. But it’s on the bucket list.

Overlanding

Most who go overlanding camping want to find themselves. It’s similar to camping and hiking in that you’re out in the wilderness camping but, it’s not so much about the camping as it is the journey.

In my experience with overlanding, it’s been about self searching while traveling to a destination. You’ll see many beautiful things on your journey, have lots of long periods of quiet time and because of the effort that goes into it, you will likely see things you’ll never see again. 

Re-enactment or historic camping

We have some local groups that do re-enactments and historic camping every year. It’s a fun experience to see how people survived in various times. It’s a fun experience tasting historic meals created with the technology of that day. 

At one historic camping experience we were able to create our own arrows and practice shooting them with bows. 

These are fun camping trips with kids even if you only stick around for one night.

Backyard camping

One of the funnest ways I’ve experienced camping is in my own backyard! We’ve had date night camping with snacks, wine and movies in our backyard. We’ve pretended like we were far from home other nights.

The best part of camping in your backyard is you get to decide how primitive of an experience you want to have. Plus it’s great if you forget something on your campaign trip and you don’t have to drive 30 minutes away! 

Through all of my experiences, I would have to say that my favorite type of camping is whatever camping involves friends and a campfire.