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Back Road Ramblers

small towns, back roads, and outdoor adventures

  • Home
  • About
    • Work With Us
    • Freelance Writing
      • Writing Portfolio
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • Adventures
    • road trips
    • hiking
    • winter activities
    • camping
    • canoeing and kayaking
    • Traveling with Dogs
    • exploring towns and cities
  • Destinations
    • United States
      • US National Parks
      • New England
        • The Best Glamping in New England
        • Vermont
      • Mid-Atlantic
      • Midwestern United States
      • Western United States
      • Pacific Northwest United States
      • Southwestern United States
      • Southeast
    • Canada
  • Travel Tips
    • food
    • organization
    • Camping
      • Camping food gear and clothing travel tips hacks Kids money organization travel with dogs
        Camping

        How to Create Your Own Camping Spice Kit

        January 19, 2021

        Camping

        Our Best Hot Drink Recipes for Cold-Weather Adventures

        October 27, 2020

        Camping

        Planning the Perfect Backyard Glamping Staycation

        October 5, 2020

        Camping

        10 Useful Apps to Download Before Your Next…

        July 16, 2020

        food

        How to Create Your Own Camping Spice Kit

        January 19, 2021

        food

        Our Best Hot Drink Recipes for Cold-Weather Adventures

        October 27, 2020

        food

        Vegetarian White Bean Tomato Soup for Camping

        May 20, 2020

        food

        Vegetarian Quinoa Patties for Camping

        May 9, 2020

        gear and clothing travel tips

        Our Best Tips for Skiing and Snowshoeing with…

        January 3, 2021

        gear and clothing travel tips

        Affordable Gifts for Kayakers and Canoeists: 2020 Edition

        December 8, 2020

        gear and clothing travel tips

        Affordable Gifts for Teens Who Love the Outdoors:…

        November 24, 2020

        gear and clothing travel tips

        30 Days of Hygge in the Outdoors

        October 26, 2020

        hacks

        Everything You Need to Know About Snowshoeing with…

        December 21, 2018

        hacks

        Your Amazing Car Camping Kitchen

        December 4, 2018

        hacks

        Expert Travel Tips: Packing a Small Car for…

        April 6, 2018

        hacks

        Tips for Road Tripping on the Cheap

        October 19, 2017

        Kids

        What You Need to Know About Bird Watching…

        January 21, 2021

        Kids

        Affordable Gifts for Teens Who Love the Outdoors:…

        November 24, 2020

        Kids

        The Best Winter Layers for Babies and Toddlers

        October 9, 2020

        Kids

        Audiobooks Will Save Your Family Road Trip

        June 14, 2020

        money

        Tips for Road Tripping on the Cheap

        October 19, 2017

        organization

        How to Create Your Own Camping Spice Kit

        January 19, 2021

        organization

        The Winter Road Trip Survival Guide

        January 4, 2021

        organization

        Roadtrippers: The Perfect App for Planning Your Next…

        July 21, 2020

        organization

        10 Useful Apps to Download Before Your Next…

        July 16, 2020

        travel with dogs

        Our Best Tips for Skiing and Snowshoeing with…

        January 3, 2021

        travel with dogs

        Perfect Gifts for Dogs who Love Adventures

        November 17, 2020

        travel with dogs

        5 Dog-Friendly Adventures for the Best Summer Ever

        May 24, 2020

        travel with dogs

        Avoiding Ticks that Carry Lyme Disease While Hiking…

        June 1, 2019

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CampingTravel Tips

Home is Where You Pitch it: Cozy Camping 101

by Tara Schatz March 31, 2020
March 31, 2020

Please don't travel until it's safe to do so! Our travel posts are great for making future plans or dreaming about your next escape. Please check with each state/destination for its current COVID-19 guidelines before planning a visit. Also, please note that this post may contain links from which we earn a small commission.

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It’s no secret that our family loves camping. Not only is it our favorite way to spend a weekend, but it’s also our favorite way to travel. One of the things that I love about camping is how quickly our little tent becomes our tiny home.

The longer we are away from our real home, the cozier and more inviting our tent becomes. This doesn’t happen automatically. It takes a bit of planning to make our tent the coziest of dens. But after 20+ years of sleeping outside, I’m going to call myself an expert at cozy camping.

Want to outfit your outdoor space so you’ve got the coziest campsite in your campground loop? Here are our must-have necessities for creating a sanctuary in your outdoor home, whether you’re camping for a single night or a whole summer.

Hang Twinkle Lights Around Your Campsite

A glamping tent in the evening with fairy lights.
Twinkly lights for the win

The easiest and cheapest way to add some cozy bling to your campsite is with a string or two of twinkling lights. Battery-powered LED lights are easy to find these days, as are solar-powered lights. Here are some easy ideas for adorning your campsite with twinkly lights.

  • Put wire LED twinkle lights inside of a jar and use it as a lantern on your picnic table.
  • Hang a string of lights on the trees near your tent.
  • Add lightweight twinkle lights around your tent poles, or even inside of your tent.

Bring a Tablecloth

A close up of some camping food on a yellow checked tablecloth.
One of our favorite vintage tablecloths is perfect for camping trips.

Throwing a tablecloth over your campsite picnic table makes any camping meal more elegant. Choose a brightly-patterned tablecloth that can be easily washed. I like tablecloths that can be thrown in the washing machine after a camping trip, as opposed to the plastic ones that have to be scrubbed by hand, but whatever works for you works for me. We’ve also used vintage sheets and tapestries as tablecloths.

To secure your tablecloth in place, pick up some of these handy-dandy clips. Be sure to remove your tablecloth before going to bed to keep it dry.

Use an Indoor/Outdoor Rug Outside Your Tent

A German Shepherd dogs lies in a small tent pitched on a patch of grass.
Flash thinks our tent is the coziest!

We use a two-person tent, so if we have room in the car, we bring a simple and lightweight door mat to help with tracking dirt into our tent. We leave our shoes on the mat before going into the tent and the whole thing is covered up by the tent vestibule.

In a pinch, we’ve also used the Mexican blanket that we keep in the car as our “dog” blanket. This dries surprisingly fast and no matter how dirty it gets, it still looks clean. Whatever you choose, it’s really nice to have some sort of transition between the outdoors and in – a rug for bigger tents or a simple mat for small tents.

Fluffy Pillows Make Everything Cozier

A pillow with a drawing of a deer on it sits on a bed inside a camping tent.
One of many dedicated camping pillows that come along on car-camping trips.

If you’re not backpacking, you can afford to bring a pile of comfy pillows to spiff up the inside of your tent. Find pillows with fun patterns and textures, but make sure they are comfortable to lay on too!

We have a rotating cast of camping pillows, and honestly, most of them are just couch pillows that have been downgraded to camping pillows.

You Need a Tarp or a Kitchen Tent

A man sets up a tarp over a picnic table at a campsite.
This amazing kitchen tarp has saved many a meal from foul weather!

I can’t stress this enough! No matter where you live, you need to have a dry and protected spot for cooking your meals and hanging out when it rains. If you’re camping in the east, you can count on rain, but in many parts of the country, you’ll want to set up a tarp for shade.

The type of tarp you buy will depend on a few factors, namely how much space you have in your vehicle and what type of camping you do. If you do a lot of backpacking you will want something very lightweight. If you do a lot of car-camping or RVing, you may want to buy a dedicated shelter or screen tent for cooking and hanging out in during rainstorms. You will need room in your vehicle to transport something like this, not a compact car like we have.

We use something in between those two extremes – Noah’s Tarp from Kelty is relatively lightweight and doesn’t take up a huge amount of room in our little car. I doubt we would take it backpacking, but we use it for canoe trips and camping road trips. We’ve been using the same tarp for 6 years and it’s held up extremely well, even in very wet conditions.

Don’t Forget the Camp Chairs

Camp chairs and camp dogs are very important!

Cozy is as cozy does, right? So if you want to feel super cozy at camp then you have to have cozy spots to hang out. Camp chairs near the fire are a must. We pack one for each person. If we’re short on space, we bring our Crazy Creek chairs. They’re comfortable and hardly take up any room in the car.

If you have a bit more room (and money), check out these fancy camp chairs from Helinox. We tried one out at our local gear store. Dreamy!

So, that’s our recipe for turning your campsite into a cozy retreat. Perfect for a weekend adventure or full-time camping (read Hayley Sarah’s post about living in a tent).

Sleeping outside should be fun and comfortable. If you’re suffering through your night outdoors, you’re doing it wrong!


We’ve got more posts on camping gear and organization. Check out these posts:

  • Packing a Small Car for a Big Trip
  • Your Amazing Car Camping Kitchen
  • Spring Gear Prep and Replacement
  • Tent Camping Tips for Women: Elevate Your Sleep System

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A collage of camping photos. Caption reads: Home is Where You Pitch it - Creating a Cozy Campsite
A collage of campsite photos: Caption reads: Making your campsite into a cozy retreat.
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11 comments
Tara Schatz

Tara is a writer and photographer from Vermont with a passion for outdoor adventures. Her goal is to help people connect with the world and each other by stepping out of their front doors and embarking on journeys big and small.

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11 comments

Lisa Schofield January 9, 2017 - 1:01 am

I am a frequent flyer and I do go travelling a lot. Yet recently, I usually take my daughter with me. We both love nature and being a part of nature. In deed, in this early Jan 2017, we plan to take a trip to enjoy the atmostphere when the spring comes. Always fall in love with sleeping pillows when they are in pink.
Any good recommendation on this?
Thank you for sharing these info and please keep it up

Reply
James D November 23, 2016 - 6:08 pm

Terrific post…I really resonate with bringing little things that remind you of home if you’re on an extended trip. I especially like old books that I’m familiar with. A good bottle of wine also goes a long way in making things a bit more comfy for me! Thanks for sharing 🙂

Reply
Vyjay November 2, 2016 - 3:49 am

This is great information for setting up camp. You have shown the way to make your camp a home away from home.

Reply
Kevin Wagar November 1, 2016 - 7:12 pm

I love camping. It’s always great to give it a little heart. These are some fantastic tips for making it comfortable!

Reply
Rashmi and Chalukya November 1, 2016 - 2:10 pm

Loved this post! Though we have done a lot of trekking and hiking but never considered camping but these tips definitely are great for comfortable and homely camping.

Reply
Carmelisse October 31, 2016 - 11:18 pm

I’ve never gone camping before, but am definitely going to make it happen soon. Thanks so much for writing this!

Reply
Emily October 31, 2016 - 9:38 pm

I wouldn’t have thought of bringing the little luxuries along on a camping trip – perhaps I will next time, although I do prefer the sound of glamping to pitching a tent in the woods 😉

Reply
Ugo Cei October 31, 2016 - 9:10 pm

I never went camping. Maybe I should try following your advice and make it feel a bit like home 🙂

Reply
Jessica C October 31, 2016 - 6:32 pm

This is awesome! I love being in the woods…but I’m more of a cabin kind of girl 😉 I love the soft things and soft colors idea. Being cozy can give you such a good feeling of comfort on many levels!

Reply
noel October 31, 2016 - 6:30 pm

I agree, it is necessary to have all the right equipment and nice small touches for camping to make it comfortable. I did a group tour with a company doing camping and it was fun, but the camping part was really uncomfortable.

Reply
Tamara - @ Girlswanderlust October 31, 2016 - 5:57 pm

These are great tips! Normally, I’m not really a fan of camping, but these tips can help me have a better experience when I’m going to camp in the future! 🙂

Reply
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