When I was young that seem a needless frippery, but now that my age number starts with a “6”… yeah, inflatable mattress for the win.
Other than that, though, my recent trip to the Michigan UP (back in August) it was sleeping in a tent I put up myself, bringing water to the campsite, digging a “cat hole” latrine, cooking over a fire, etc. Alright, we also had a camp stove, which was handy the day it rained. And lots of DEET.
Since the 1970’s, if not before. My usual summer Girl Scout camp had those, although not quite as nice as what was shown up thread. We didn’t have a porch, for instance, and we had to build our own fires.
Does staying in restored vintage travel trailers count as glamping? I think the first one I stayed at was at the Shady Dell in Bisbee around 1998. Since then I’ve stayed in a dozen or so of various vintages and states of repair.
It was a cool and sometimes funky experience, but now that the concept has caught on they’ve become too expensive for me. Places like AutoCamp have become the equivalent of a luxury boutique hotel, with prices to match.
I was an assistant leader in my son’s Boy Scout Troop. We had camping trips in cabins (austere structures in Scout reservations), in fields in tents on the dirt, and at summer camp in “permanent” tents on raised wooden platforms.
All of them were some degree of uncomfortable, with hugely varying temperatures, marauding bugs, unavoidable dampness whenever it rained, and the occasional bear. It was awesome, and I wouldn’t trade those times for anything.
That said, I definitely see the appeal of glamping, especially at my advanced age. Having all the benefits of the wilderness with none of the drawbacks? Yeah, that could be fun. But if anyone glamping with me called it camping, I’d be the old fart shaking my head and telling them what real camping is.
For those not familiar with Japanese, this is katakana, used for transliteration of foreign words. In Japan, it is pronounced like “glamping”, with an accent. (Imagine “gramping-oo”) The final “u” is because most Japanese words end with a vowel.
I first heard about glamping about 20 years ago, on a British topical panel show I think, at about the same time I started hearing about Yurts. I’ve never done it, what little camping I’ve done has either been in a regular tiny two-person tent or a caravan.
I consider myself a “glamper” with my 30 year old camper because it has a fridge to keep the beer cold, propane to cook with, and water to wash up. It has a toilet and shower, but the water line broke and is capped off beyond the sink.
Seems pretty Ritzy to me! I pee outside at home, so that don’t confront!
I’ve heard about it but have never glamped. I definitely wouldn’t do it in a hut if it weren’t in a place with a stunning view or location. If it’s going to be expensive and not in any place noteworthy I may as well just go to a hotel.
If you combine my most luxurious experiences, I would almost consider it glamping. One place that put up a tent for me, and another place that was like a full service classic campground, with restaurant, store, laundry, and wi-fi. If there were a place that did both then I’d consider it glamping even if the tent was nothing to write home about.
I watch Let’s Make A Deal and Price is Right. I’m not ashamed! They give away trips to places that look pretty damn awesome! Private Tree-Houses, Glass Domes in Iceland for Aurora viewing, Bunkhouses and stuff in the deserts and Wyoming and Montana.
I still go out solo for a night or three trip carrying everything myself at 60+. Been at least a dozen weekends this summer. And I did month long solo treks in Tibet in the 1980’s long before glamping was a thing.
Glamping is turning kinda attractive, especially since I do enjoy beer on the trail, and for international destinations where I have no idea of how easy it would be to so. Think Patagonia or Norwegian fiords or Italian dolomites. Haven’t done it yet, but certainly eyeing a few places. Especially with a similar aged romantic partner that is a big city kid with no outdoors experience.
Peace for anyone that wants and/or needs to glamp. The more folks that get outdoors, the better understanding for preserving National Parks, the environment, global change, etc.
Eh, I’ve always said camping for me is done at the Holliday Inn. Why would I want to cook and clean etc. Where it’s harder and dirtier than at home?
I got suckered into camping 4 times. Every time was a shit show for different reasons. I don’t understand the posts above that want camping to be dirty and uncomfortable, and judge others for an inflatable mattress. If I understand it it’s supposed to be fun, relaxing, uplifting, not a test of your endurance, patience, toughness, whatever.
Yeah, I first became aware of the term from an article I used in teaching English.
Some of our Taiwanese friends came up to Hokkaido to visit a couple of weeks ago and because of stuff, they wound up having to stay one night glamping. It was actually more expensive than most hotels.
This is on the other end of Japan, but it was something similar to this.
What’s the rule about every post correcting someone else will also contain an error? So, I’m sure that this post will contain at least one error.
All the "u"s are pronounced similiar to the “oo” in “moon”, but the important point is that there isn’t a “gr” sound in Japanese. All syllables must end either in a vowel or an “n”.
The normal Romaji would be guranpingu, although gurampingu is closer to actual Japanese pronunication.
It comes down to different strokes for different folks.
The camping I did in August, despite “concessions” such as an air mattress for my aging bones and using a car to haul gear instead of just my own back and feet, was far from glamping. I, personally, found it relaxing and stress-relieving. You would probably find it a nightmare.
If glamping is your thing then go for it. People should not do my style of camping unless it’s something they actually enjoy.
Although I, too, don’t understand people who say camping is supposed to be dirty and uncomfortable. It certainly doesn’t have to be, certainly not with the gear available today. On my recent trip, despite a night with some rain and cold temperatures overnight I was warm, dry, and comfortable and it’s not like I had high-end gear (the tent I used was bought at a yard sale, for example). The food was good, and a couple of dinners we made from scratch over an open fire but we also had stuff that didn’t require a lot of prep. We were able to keep everything clean that needed to be clean.
We did find it fun and relaxing. Others have different ideas of fun. For some people a tough challenge and proving something is what appeals to them. Well, good for them.
We’ve never properly glamped but we try to go at least a couple times a year to the KOA (Kampgrounds of America.) We do get a cabin, so there’s electricity, but no running water or bathroom — you walk across camp for that. We cook outside for most our meals — I have a Hungarian cauldron that I use to make my goulash soup and other things. I find it relaxing and unwinding to cook out over fire and away from the city. It’s always rejuvenating for me.
I’ve found KOA Kamping Kabins to be a good lodging option on road trips when I don’t need hotel/motel amenities for a night or two. Often times they have park-like settings and are away from strip malls and traffic noise. There’s one right at the entrance to Devils Tower…it’s very cool to see it when you open your door in the morning. (Plus they play Close Encounters every night on a big screen)
You do need to bring your own bedding though. The beds/bunks have a thick vinyl-covered foam pad, but the rest is up to you.
On the first night camping at Assateague Island thirty years ago, I set up my Coleman stove and made some hamburger helper. I was working in the dark, but hey, it was hamburger helper.
While we were eating, I set up a lantern so we could see. Under lantern light it looked like I had added a ton of pepper. Turns out the Coleman flame attracted thousands of flying insects.
I guess the term “glamorous” is relative. When I served in the Army in Oakland, ca. 1960’s, we had a lot of free time, and 3-day passes were easy to get. Our cash income was trivial, but we had access to the commissary, PX, and Special Services, giving us free use of all the camping equipment we could grab – tents, air mattresses, camp stoves, coolers, lanterns.
So one weekend we decided to camp at Yosemite, taking all the dudes we could fit in two cars. I was given the task of not only one car & driver, but the group cook as well. Most of the GIs thought they would be subsisting on cold canned beans, Doritos, and beer and but I had other ideas.
We pooled our meager resources. When they woke up the next morning, they had hot scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and coffee. For dinner, I served them steak and pasta (pretty cheap if you shop at the commissary). Not to mention the hot sauce selection and the wine option.
So this might qualify as “glamping”, at least for us.
lol in the army my dad picked up the trick of being able to bake a cake in any charcoal grill with a lid …he used to do it to show off when they went camping … it bit him in the butt once when he did it in a somewhat busy campground and ended up making enough for about 30 people
.