Resort at Paws Up, Montana
"Glamping" Gives New Meaning to the Great Outdoors
Ladies, you know who you are. I’m talking to those of you who exude style by day, and if you had to, you could walk a mile uphill and even catch fish while wearing your Jimmy Choos. Not that you would, of course. You’re resourceful enough to handle “roughing it” with the boys, and if you were going to pitch a tent and go camping, you would do it with a sense of style. Who would expect anything less from you?
Due to the tight economy, campgrounds across the country have seen an increase in rentals up over 5% this past year. The cheap overnight fees charged by state parks, combined with the fact that the investment in a tent will last you for many years, has made sleeping under the stars suddenly chic. But admittedly, sleeping on the ground, using an outhouse, and having no bathing facilities may not be for everyone.
Glamorous camping, currently referred to as “glamping”, has swept the country as the latest trend for the weekend warrior/fashionista set. Haven’t heard of it? Trust me, just Google the word and you’ll see that “glamping” has caught on all over Europe, Thailand, and even Africa for over a decade now.
Clayoquot Wilderness Resort, British Columbia
There are now many campgrounds springing up all over the U.S. where you can stay and expect luxury amenities such as private bathroom and shower facilities. Even New York State Parks are jumping on the bandwagon by offering “Furnished Tent Sites” which come complete with a roomy canvas tent with large screened windows, beds, pillows and bedding, a nightstand, table and chairs, and a large cooler. Elsewhere, some extreme “Glampsites” such as Clayoquot Wilderness Resort in British Colombia, and the Resort at Paws Up in Montana even go as far as providing butlers who will build your campfire, maids who will turn on the heat in your tent at night, hot tubs, gourmet meals, antiques, spa treatments, luxury soaps and cigars. Camping like this is not going to earn you any merit badges, and could cost you up to $10,000 per week.
For those of us who don’t exactly picture ourselves in the woods living like Mr. and Mrs. Thurston Howell III, camping can still resemble the kind of family vacations we used to take before we cared that there was no outlet for our flatiron, with just a few shall we say, upgrades?
Intrigued by the idea and up for the challenge, I decided that although it’s been many years since camping with the Girl Scouts, I would pick up some supplies and “pimp my tent”. First stop, the sporting goods store to pick up a tent. My thoughts were that since I wasn’t going to be carrying this thing on my back for miles, I would get a tent that could accommodate more people than were actually going to be sleeping in it. Who couldn’t use some extra space, right? Next stop, over to Pier One. I had this crazy idea that giving my tent a theme would make it more luxurious, and not as “campy?” I decided on Moroccan, so I picked up a rug, some throw pillows, throw blankets and even a couple of lanterns for outside. Please note! Candles near a tent can be dangerous, so I stuck strings of battery powered twinkle lights I had lying around from Christmas inside each lantern. It gave off just the right glow to find our tent after wandering in from the campfire at night. Putting up the tent in my backyard beforehand gave me an opportunity to not only “stage” the tent, but it made me realize that although indoor plumbing was not an option, setting up a washroom/changing room was a definite possibility since I had the space, and a much needed luxury. In the middle of the tent, I hung two shower curtains complete with hooks from a hula-hoop and mounted it to the ceiling with clamps so that I could get cleaned up and changed with some privacy. Behind the shower curtains, I added a small table with a drawer to store toiletries. On top of the table I put a large basin for water, a toothbrush holder, and a small tabletop mirror. I could open the shower curtains so that they draped to each side, framing the table. On either side of the tent we were able to inflate two queen-sized air mattresses, upon which we layered the 30-degree sleeping bags with the blankets and pillows. A cozy rug to stand on went in the middle of the room in front of the table, and then we added a basket with some towels and washcloths. Bringing a 5-gallon water with a spigot filled with boiling water provided us with hot water to wash up with for the entire night and the next morning. We were able to wash up and brush our teeth in the privacy of our own clean tent. Outside, we hung the lanterns from shepard’s hooks and added an outdoor rug at the entrance to our tent. This sounds like a lot of equipment to bring, but it all didn’t take up that much space in our vehicle, and was actually quick and easy to set up once we got there. Needless to say, people walked by all day to check out our “posh” accommodations.
Marataba Safari Company, Africa
Keeping with the elegant theme, don’t forget to pack your iPod and dock with a great camping playlist so no one feels compelled to break out the guitar and regale you with an acoustic “Kumbaya” around the campfire. Packing the cooler with cheeses, crusty bread, wine, and gourmet ingredients for upscale S’mores can add to the evening’s ambiance. As for dinner, it’s amazing what you can cook over one of those camp stoves, or the park’s charcoal grill. Think outside of the box, and you can dine in sophistication even in the middle of nowhere, or realistically, about a hundred yards from the park entrance.
The thought of camping does not have to evoke memories of bug-bites, sleeping on a hard floor and not having hot water. Whether you can pony up for the high-end camping resorts, or you use your style and creativity to create your own little oasis in the woods, big girl camping can be even more fun than you had as a kid, not to mention the bragging rights you get to own afterwards! But please, do yourself a favor and leave the stilettos at home.
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