Article
written by Emma Johnson from OuterOptics

When
you hear the word “camping,” what do you think about?

1. Pleasant
   nights spent singing and toasting marshmallows around the campfire.
   
2. 
   Pitching a tent as you hike your way
   towards a rock face you want to scale.
   
3. Exploring
   the dark, cold outdoors with your night
   vision goggles
   

All
the above answers are correct. Camping can mean many different things
depending on the person who is thinking about it. In all the
excitement of packing your camping kit into the car and heading off
into the wild, it’s sometimes easy to forget that camping in
Western civilization, and the U.S. and Canada in particular, has a
rich and interesting history.

Thomas
Hiram Holding

The
word camping is loosely defined by
dictionaries as taking up temporary residence in the outdoors. If it
wasn’t for T.H. Holding and his wildlife loving family, 77 million
U.S. residents and 14 million Canadians wouldn’t make up the 65% of
households that enjoy camping in those countries today. 1

Thomas
Hiram Holding (1844 – 1930) loved to set up a tent, sleep, and cook
in the Great Outdoors all over the world. What made this such an
unusual pastime is Holding did it for pleasure, and not necessity. It
was one of the first recorded instances of someone choosing this form
of vacation in the modern world. He even gave the activity a certain
cachet of excitement and adventure; people living out their lives in
the blossoming urban landscapes sat up and took notice.

When
camping lost its rough, homeless image, something only to be done by
transients, soldiers, and naturists, it quickly became a standard
holidaying option for many people. Also there’s some facts about
camping that you might not be aware of.

The
History of Camping in Canada & the U.S.

Folks
had been camping outdoors for recreational purposes in North America
since the 1870s, but it was Holding who brought it into the
mainstream. He founded the world’s first camping club in 1901.

Holding
was inspired by the wide, sweeping North American landscapes he had
experienced as a boy, crossing the prairies in a wagon train with his
parents. By middle age, he was touring Great Britain with a tent
strapped to his bicycle, bringing his family and friends with him.
This was the type of vacation that could be enjoyed by anyone for
very little financial outlay.

After
the Boy Scouts spread from Great Britain to North America, people of
all ages began to embrace the activities of hiking and camping. Since
the turn of the 20th
century, traveling by
horseback, canoe, or on foot and setting up camp somewhere had been
growing in popularity in the west, however, there was no official
camping organization there yet.

With the
end of WW2 in 1945, there was an increase in the amount of free time
and motor vehicle sales. This made traveling to designated camping
spots along the Appalachian Trail or similar outdoor exploration a
fun way to spend the weekend or school holidays.

What
Came Before Camping?

Early
humans decided to move out of caves when the ice sheets began to
disappear around 40,000 BCE. They lived in shelters and tents
instead, because it made sense on two levels:

• Who
  would want to stay in a cave on a beautiful summer’s day?
  
• Hunting
  and gathering required mobility to follow the herds.
  

Simple,
temporary structures became early human’s first attempt at
constructing a house suitable for nomadic life and tracking game.
This would have been the main style of shelter used by the first
people who crossed the Beringian Land Bridge connecting Asia and
North America.

The
short-term, movable summer homes used 12,000 years ago comprised of
hides sewn together and stretched over wooden poles (the ground would
have been dug away slightly underneath first). Ancient Europeans used
mammoth bones as structural tent supports thousands of years ago, and
this basic method of construction has never gone out of style since
then. Wooly mammoths may no longer roam the open grass plains of
North America, but the tent structure formed by their tusks is still
with us today.

Prehistory
of Camping in North America

Dotted
around the continental U.S. today are indications of human’s
living, hunting, and eating outdoors. They are called the
Paleo-Indian Clovis culture. The first evidence of tipi or teepee
tents have been dated back to around 10,000 BCE.

Lavvu
vs. Tipi vs. Yurt

Because
extreme Northern civilizations used the same shaped tents: Lapland
Sámi and the Lavvu; Cree Native Americans and the Tipi; Mongols and
the Yurt (Ger); there has been a lot of speculation as to who came up
with the idea first. It can be safe to say that no one culture
originated such a useful temporary accommodation solution. 2

What
Will Come After Camping?

Camping is
in the top vacation options people under 30 choose in North America
today. This is helping to make it the number one activity of choice
in that age group, according to data collected by the KOA
(Kampgrounds of America) in 2018/2019.

Camping
households have grown by a significant 7 million in the U.S. since
2014. The number of people who go camping more than 3 times a year,
has risen by a whopping 72% from 2015 to 2019. Millennial consumers
are influencing the way camping will look in the future.

The high
demand for camping has not only reshaped entire industries who cater
towards it, but given rise to a whole new spectrum of vacation
options.

Glamping:
Next Level Camping

Also known
as luxury or modern camping, glamping
is the eco-conscious, 5-star answer to camping outdoors. It focuses
on getting guests outside and into an environment that amps up the
amenities, while reducing waste and blatant consumerism.

Glamping is
all about breathtaking views, incredible structures, and interesting
vistas on one side and exclusive treats on the other. It’s the
lavish accommodation sector getting a piece of the camping pie, while
still paying lip service to recycling and ecological awareness.

Think Henry
VIII on the Field of the Cloth of Gold, not Goldfield Campgrounds
near Goldfield, Nevada.

What is
the Difference Between Hiking, Backpacking, & Trekking?

Hiking:
While many people think of hiking as a pleasant stroll in the
woodlands near your home, hiking is defined as a long, walking tour.
It usually follows a pre-determined man-made pathway or trail. If it
takes longer than one day or requires you to take a backpack with
you, then it is redefined as…

Backpacking:
The popular outdoor activity of backpacking means “everything you
need is carried on your back.” This includes your gas stove, pans,
noodles, sleeping bag, and tent.
Sometimes a backpacker will move
off designated pathways, and into remote terrain.

Trekking:
A word with South African Afrikaans origins, trekking means one stage
or leg of a journey that requires camping between each stage. Horses
or other pack animals can be used to porter equipment.

Camping
Essentials

When Benton
MacKaye first thought of creating the Appalachian Trail, he had a
grand vision of cottages with iron cast stoves, piles of wood, and
matches at every trail stop, not to mention outdoor privies and water
pumps. It did not come to pass, unfortunately.

Instead,
the AT has mostly 3-sided windbreaker “cabins” and water is
accessed from nearby springs and streams. Shelter is one of the main
requirements of camping happiness and contentment. In random order
after shelter comes fire, water, food, and a sleeping bag. Everything
else is considered additional baggage according to survivalists and
hardcore campers.

The
Camping Industry

According
to statista.com, the camping and RV industry generated nearly 3
billion USD in the U.S. in 2017. The biggest spend was on backpacks
and sleeping bags.

Wholesale
tents and other camping shelters sales amounted to 338.3 million USD.
Fueled lanterns came in top as the camping equipment item that is
replaced the most. And 59% of Americans made their primary camping
accommodation choice a tent. These stats give a good indication of
how obsessed with camping North America has become.

From the
Bedouin tents in the Sahara, to the Eureka Draw-Tite and Timberline
tents of the 60s and 70s, camping and the wonderfully innovative
equipment that goes with it, has become the fabric of our society and
culture across North America.

References:

1
https://business.financialpost.com/pmn/press-releases-pmn/business-wire-news-releases-pmn/canadian-campers-intend-to-increase-camping-trips-in-2018

2 http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/dieda/anthro/architecture.htm

END

See also: Be a Campfire Master – How to Build 5 Reliable Fire Types

AND at: https://www.overlandsite.com/overlanding/romantic-camping-ideas/