According to this North American Camping Report, about 4.7 million households in 2020 had at least some level of exposure to glamping.
This number is only expected to rise in 2022, and in the coming years.
But what attracts potential outdoor enthusiasts to the notion of glamping? Why do they prefer camping in teepees as opposed to traditional tents?
In this article we aim to find out!
What does it mean to go glamping?
At its core, glamping is luxury camping, with added amenities and services in the middle of nature, but in an environment of comfort similar to what you'd find in a hotel or Airbnb.
When glamping you could expect the following amenities:
- Comfortable bed
- WIFI
- Kitchenette
- Spacious living quarters
- Electricity
- Toiletries
Ultimately, the amenities that you experience will vary depending on the glamping experience you book. Some are extreme while others try to keep it as traditional as possible.
What is glamping Vs camping?
To best understand the differences we decided to create an easy to read table which highlights all the main differences between camping and glamping:
| Camping | Glamping | |
| Housing | Tent | Yurt or similar |
| Bed | Sleeping bag | Queen size bed |
| Restroom | Public toilets | Private toilet |
| Cooking | Open fire | BBQ facilities |
| Shower | Public showers | Private showers |
| Temperature | Open tent flap | Air conditioner |
| Water | River water | Filtered water |
| Neighbours | You never know | You never know |
| Storage | Store in car/cooler | Built in storage/fridge |
Now of course the table above is not absolute. Not all camping experiences will see to it that you need to collect water from the river in order to drink. In fact, many campsites have the facilities you'd come to expect at home, except that is more than likely public facilities for everyone to share.
The purpose of the table above was to just give you an idea how the two camping types differ.
What food should you bring glamping?
This list if very relative, as we all prefer different types of food. With this in mind we thought to keep it short and sweet, rather to inspire you so to speak.
- Wine (remember the bottle opener)
- Beer
- Filter coffee
- Health bars
- Fruits
- Dried fruit
- Packaged soups
- Canned everything
- Noodles
- Marshmallows
What should you pack for your glamping trip?
Pretty much all the basic amenities on your trip will be supplied. Think of it like this, what do you take with you when you book an Airbnb? You certainly don't pack a tent or a sleeping bag.
The same goes for your glamping experience, your host should supply everything you may need. So at the end of the day, the things you bring with you are extra items unique to you.
The list below aims to help inspire you, to give you ideas on what to take along with you on your glamping trip.
1. Hammock
First things first, it doesn't matter whether you are camping or glamping, a hammock is a necessity. There is nothing more comfortable than gently swinging between two trees whilst reading a book.
There are all sorts of hammocks on the commercial market but we recommend one made from parachute material, also try get a double hammock if possible. This way, if you have a partner who would like to join you, you can make it happen.
2. Fairy lights
Once again, solar lights or fairy lights are magical no matter what sort of trip you are on. If you book a glamping accommodation through Airbnb though, make sure that they haven't already supplied the fairly lights. If they haven't, bring them along. You wont regret it.
3. Projector
This is a little trick we thought to share with our readers. Projectors may have been invented way back in 1895 (shout out to Woodville Latham and his sons Otway and Gray) however it is no less cool today.
If you are booking a teepee glamping accommodation or an RV, you may find yourself with the perfect backdrop, allowing your projector the most ideal object to shine on.
How you may come to power this projector can be found at point number 7 on our glamping packing list.
4. Candles
Like fairy lights, candles can make any environment romantic, especially if that environment has RV backdrop lit up by a projector in the middle of nature.
When it comes to candles though, you need to be a little more careful than with fairly lights. Especially if there is a little breeze out.
Candles sealed in glass jars make the perfect alternative to fairly lights if you are not able to get your hands on them.
5. Bicycles
If you aim to get out of the comfort of your yurt or RV to do a little bit of exploring, then make sure to bring a mountain bicycle. In our opinion, there is no better way to explore your immediate surroundings than on a bicycle equipped for the outdoors. If you plan to do this, make sure the location you aim to glamp at has trails for mountain bikes, you don't want to lug around extra luggage for no reason.
6. Portable Power Station
Last but not least, whats a glamping trip without your portable solar generator?
A solar generator, for example our EB55 or EB3A is perfect for shorter glamping trips. If you plan on glamping for longer and need to power more devices such as your drone or laptop, then bringing along our AC200P would be a smart choice.
Final thoughts
If it wasn't obvious before, it may be so now. You will use your portable solar generator to power your projector and any other appliance you want to use outside of your glamping accommodation.
We hope our glamping packing list comes in handy for you.
We urge our readers who have used a Bluetti portable solar generator while glamping, to share their experience with us on our social media pages. We would love to hear from you!
