Three Different Camping Setups

When my husband and I got married and got our own camping gear we only did car camping. Ten years later we have three different setups: car camping, trailer camping, and backcountry camping.

I've learned that Americans and Europeans seem to use different terms to describe different camping setups so I'll try to explain them.

Car camping in Ontario is where you drive to a park, you have an assigned site, you park at your site, and you pitch a tent and camp on that site. Most people have a tent, a dining tent, chairs, a BBQ, and everything but the kitchen sink. I mean look at the car camping photo below... SO. MUCH. STUFF.

We started with a massive eight person tent, even though there is only two of us, because we could put two super sized cots in it, have room for all our clothes and some gear, and have space to stand up and walk around. The tent even had a covered dome seating area. Crazy. We eventually downgraded to a tent half that size.

Look how much space there was in the cabin of this tent

Massive tent

Trailer or RV camping is where you drive to a park, you have an assigned site, and you camp with your trailer or RV. The RV is great because you stay dry when it rains, you can eat inside and seek refuge from the bugs, and you can keep all your gear stored inside.

About five years ago we bought an old style canvas pop-up trailer that was in excellent condition. Up until this point we only did car camping. We'd go camping several times a year for several days at a time and every single time it would rain as we were packing up. It was really irritating having to spread out all of our gear, and we had a lot of it, in our apartment to dry. There would be stuff hanging everywhere. So one day my husband just threw our stuff in the back of the car as we were packing up and we bought a pop-up trailer on the way home.

We renovated the inside of the trailer to modernize it with vinyl click flooring, Reflectix underlayment insulation for the beds, foam padding underlayment on the beds for insulation, we repainted the inside, and we sewed new cushions and curtains. Well, my mother is the one who actually sewed them for us but you get the idea.

Pop-Up trailer camping at MacGregor Provincial Park

Backcountry camping is off the grid completely. You usually have to hike or canoe/kayak to your site. There's no power, you have to carry everything you need on your back, you have to forage for firewood, and you take significantly less stuff than the other two types of camping because space and weight is a real consideration.

Canoe all loaded up for backcountry camping at Grundy Provincial Park

Backcountry camping at Grundy Provincial Park

Over the past couple years I've actually started downsizing our camping setup. We primarily go backcountry camping now. We're about to sell our trailer because we never use it anymore. At first we used the trailer all the time, then only in the very early or later months to extend our camping season, and now we don't use it at all. We prefer backcountry camping because of the seclusion, amazing scenery, and physical exercise. You just can't beat being in the middle of nowhere with no one around - just you, a lake, and the stars. We'll car camp sometimes if we're with friends and we pitch our tent beside their tent or trailer. The great thing about that is we just use our backcountry gear. Gone are the days where our car was loaded with gear. We can get loaded for a car camping trip in about half an hour with just a couple bags in the back seat.

Over the years I've done lots of reviews of specific car camping parks and sites and I'll dig those out and share them on my blog. I've done a ton of research into backcountry gear as well and I'm a fan of the ultralight style of backcountry camping. I try to go as ultralight and space conscientious as I can without sacrificing some of my needs or comforts. So stay tuned for some reviews!