Camping: Its role in shaping the modern west
Article written by Emma Johnson from OuterOptics
When you hear the word “camping,” what do you think about?
- Pleasant nights spent singing and toasting marshmallows around the campfire.
- Pitching a tent as you hike your way towards a rock face you want to scale.
- 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:
2 http://www.laits.utexas.edu/sami/dieda/anthro/architecture.htm
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See also: Be a Campfire Master – How to Build 5 Reliable Fire Types
AND at: https://www.overlandsite.com/overlanding/romantic-camping-ideas/
