Camping versus glamping

[SusanBoyd]

In case you are wondering what glamping is, it’s a compound word combined by “glamorous” and “camping”. So basically, glamping is a kind of fancy camping. Has anyone experienced these 2 types of camping before? Would you mind sharing your experience in the comment?

[balzaccom]

we car camp. We backpack and camp. Sometimes it seems like car camping is glamping, but not in the way you mean. Sure, we may drink a nice wine at dinner, but we're not roasting lamb chops on the grill, serving cocktails before dinner, or eating four course meals. We're still camping in a small van.

[John Harper]

Whether backpacking or truck camping, I have always lived a glamorous life. Does that count?

John

[dave54]

We use our RV as a base camp. So after a day exploring, we come home to a hot shower, cold beer in the refrigerator, and a real bed.

Purists turn up their nose at calling an RV 'camping'. I don't care what they think. I don't go camping to meet other people's definitions.

[Jimr]

The only difference between camping and glamping for me is the queen size blowup mattress in the Bellagio (3 man REI half dome from the mid '80's) and lots of blankets. When you have a 1 ft high blowup mattress, you need more blankets under you than over you because you have 1 ft of ambient temperature air under you.

[rlown]

I live in a 27' RV so I guess I'm glamping all the time. It is pretty cool.

[Harlen]

We took a stab at crude "glamping" last summer in Canada

We had high hopes of new luxury in our camping, what with the ice-chest contents, and a big bed in our van. It is ironic that for me, it was less glam. and more spam. I was forever knocking over cups and bottles balanced on the mattrees, and unlike in the Sierra dirt, I had to clean up my messes. And that ice-chest which I had such high hopes for was more often filled with meltwater, with wilted lettuces, and soggy sandwiches that looked and tasted like dishwater sponges. I did have a few more items of clothing to choose from, but that just meant more dirty clothes to wash, since the pubic could see me now and then. Unlike John Harper, esquire, I don't take evening wear, shoe polish, fancy hats, and cravats on my backpacking trips, so I don't warsh at all in the mountains (sorry WD).

So, though we loved our time in the van, we were less glamorous than ever. Wandering into gas stations in my green pajamas and goofy slippers-- I'm sure I looked like a knob.... while in the Sierras at least I'm wearing boots!

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[Gogd]

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[Gogd]

Glamping -someone else does all of the work: planning, provisioning, outfitting, driving, cooking and camp chores, and unpacking and cleaning once back home. My wife lovers to glamp; I am her someone... If you are not the glamper, you are not glamping.

Camping
IMO there are four categories of camping:

1. Expeditionary picnicing (aka car glamping). Due to the amount of gear, a truck or van is the mode of transportation. Normally a campground serves as the base of operation. Shelter is a large cabin tent with stand up head room. Sleeping is on a large futon, Bathing is done with heated water in a porta-shower or mason's tub, or in coin operated amenities of deluxe campgrounds. Whatever kitchen wares necessary to prepare what's on the menu are packed. Meals are deluxe feasts, cooked over wood fire or atop a 2-burner propane stove. Several ice chests, some with ice keep the bevies cold and veggies fresh, and one with dry ice keeps the meats frozen. Comfortable seating for lounging around the fire pit, while enjoying quality adult bevies.
2. Gourmet Backpacking. Everything used is carried in on one's back to the base camp. Most of the food are fresh items, and the kitchen wares somewhat more extensive than what you normally pack for a hike. Quality adult bevies are available and the meals are deluxe. We've enjoyed lamb racks, roasted duck and turkey, scallops, rib eye steak and prime rib roast, just to name a few entrées. The packs are heavy! I've beasted 90+ pound packs into the remote high desert, and in the Sierra to Lake 7 of NF Big Pine Creek, Dusy Basin, and Granite Park.
3. "Normal" backpacking. This one needs little explanation. I bring somewhat more gear than others (e.g more socks & undies, bulk water storage, dining fly and other community gear, etc), so I usually have the heaviest pack. I've learned how to provision with dehydrated and freeze dried items and spice kit, such that my friends consider the dining experience better than many restaurants.
4. Hard core trekking. Often referred to as UL camping, but I associate UL hiking with on-trail thru hikers. I'll use more sturdy footwear, packs shelters, and a warmer sleeping bag than thru hikers. My summer treks are XC venues similar to sections of the Roper Route. HST has lots of TRs by similar minded trekkers. But most of my trekking is done in the fourth season. Other than personal base weight items, winter trekking is not very UL, as the weight of shovels, axes, crampons, technical gear and ropes quickly adds up. Trekking to me is always XC, and may entail some mountaineering or high altitude objectives. Minimal comforts are considered, but safety always emphasized - we are prepared for whatever nature throws at us, albeit frequently are not enjoying the moment. We bring enough clothing and tools to weather evenings out in the open without a shelter or sleep system, in case a summit push is purposely planned accordingly, but also because sh_ _ happens.

Gourmet Backpacking Images (We like to eat good!)

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About RVing.
It is not camping, it is RVing. What makes it camping? Hanging around a fire pit, BBQing and roasting marshmallows? Heck, people do that in their backyards, back home. RVing has more in common with occupying a single-wide out behind the farm house, or living in a trailer park out in the forest than any form of camping. You are living in a furnished, hard walled shelter with a hard floor, often equipped with a plumbed sink, shower and toilet. Most include an electric generator, technologies that heat and cool the interior spaces, frequently equipped with a satellite link, and often tied into electrical and plumbing hookups. And more! If all of this can be considered camping, then I guess house boating on Lake Tahoe and staying a mountain cabin are also forms of camping. Fine if one likes RVing. VAYP (vacation as you please). But let's be real, RVing, house boating, and cabin rentals are not camping. Just saying...

Ed

[balzaccom]

Hmmm. I am going to add a category between Ed's 1 and 2. MAybe 1A?

We car camp in a 17 year-old Ford E-350 van. It has a bed in the back where we sleep in sleeping bags. The "kitchen" is a table that folds out of the back of the bed, where we can set up a one-burner stove if it's not raining. No fridge, only an ice-chest that fits between the front seats. WE usually have backpacking food for meals, except maybe a salad for dinner if we can find a store nearby. No toilet--we either use the campground pit toilet, or, if we are boondocking, we have a shovel for a cathole. We have a solar shower that we've used about twice, otherwise we either do a sponge bath or buy a shower at a KAO or truck stop about every four days. There is plenty of room for our backpacks, which is a good thing because we often use this van as a basecamp between backpacking trips.

Sometimes we stay in civilized campgrounds like state or national parks, but plenty of nights are spend in BLM campgrounds or boondocking.

And yes, I guess our van qualifies as an RV--but not by Ed's definition.

A photo: https://photos.app.goo.gl/e4eGhJmSKgLXJdnF8