Glamorous Camping – A DIY Experience

This year in February for my birthday I asked my husband to take me “GLAMPing” or Glamorous Camping. I dreamed of a tent outfitted with comfortable linens, luxurious amenities, and a view of the stars. We love hiking and spending time outdoors, but I don’t love bugs, leaky tents, and smelly sleeping bags. More and more people are starting to apply the techniques of the high-end GLAMPing resorts to their everyday campsites, making the outdoors a little more luxurious and comfortable. That’s where I found myself; for the cost of a glamping experience within a 6-hour drive, I could create my own set up that we could take over and over. So that’s what I set out to do.

Ideally, I wanted to purchase a bell tent, however, my husband wasn’t ready to drop $750+ on a tent without putting this exercise in GLAMPing to the test first. We agreed to a year of GLAMPing in a paired down environment for a year and if we enjoy it, we can get the bell tent. So, for now, I have a traditional 17×15 hexagon pop up tent. I choose that size and shape because it is the closest footprint to the bell tent I ultimately want so whatever I get to outfit it, will work the same in the bell tent. I found a beautiful bedding set on sale to fit our queen-sized, self-inflatable mattress. Yes, my mattress does have a headboard, GLAMPing is all about being a little extra. Thinking about dual-purpose furniture, I chose two Better Homes & Gardens baskets to use for carrying our gear into the tent and to flip over and use as nightstands while we’re camping. I also picked up some other more practical things like a griddle and portable air conditioner that can elevate the experience from primitive camping.

Then I set my sights on small ways I could really transform the tent from “comfortable tent” to that “GLAMPing” level luxury feeling. I bought a plush bath rug for either side of the bed. I strung up thin copper wired solar-powered lights that give a twinkle effect when you close up the tent at night and offer a romantic glow. I use several flameless candles from the dollar tree on our nightstands for setting a relaxing mood as well. Couldn’t get away without some sweet outdoor string lights and a pole to set them up with for the “porch” too.

So I bought all the things and as it turns out, GLAMPing is an absolute joy. It was worth all the pennies spent. And I’ve gone on to shop some serious clearance stales to add a large indoor/outdoor rug, a flushing portable potty and a pop-up tent for it, a hammock chair, and a little fireplace. I’m currently watching the sales for an inverter generator so we can fully go off-grid. We’ve gone on to buy a cargo trailer to house and carry all of our glamping gear as well… Boy, my husband didn’t know what he was getting himself into. I’m telling you though, there is nothing that stills my soul and quiets all the stresses of motherhood quite like waking up with a view of Lake Claiborne when it’s cool outside (and when it’s hot too – that’s what the portable AC is for). It’s become our favorite staycation for reconnecting with each other also.

Here are some of my favorite GLAMPing purchases so far:

• My Tent – it’s really easy to put up and has tons of space inside. Also, love that it has a removable roof for stargazing when weather permits.
• My queen-sized airbed w/ headboard.
• You may also want to grab some of these sheet holders because I’ll be the first to admit the headboard makes it hard to get the fitted sheets to really stay in place.
• The plush bath rugs for either side of the bed really give a luxurious, glam feel.
• Portable Air-Con – not negotiable in this Louisiana heat.
• Solar Powered string lights – hung up inside the tent and never removed thanks to the thin wire they’re strung on.
• Edison Bulb outdoor string lights that we typically wrap around the tent and then hang from this pole to create a “porch” and give us light outside the tent.

Do you enjoy camping also? Would you ever go GLAMPing? Do you have a favorite camping spot or tool that you can’t live without? I’d love to know all about it!