A new summer camp adventure
PITCH A TENT IN YOUR YARD AND GET READY FOR FUN
The Golden State is reopening and summer sprawls luxuriously ahead with all its promise of European jaunts, tropical island treks — OK, we’re camping in our backyard. Or building a pillow fort in the living room. Either way, there will be s’mores, sleeping bags, ghost stories and hikes. And indoor plumbing. There’s no doubt that camping, whether it’s in an REI pop-up or a shiny Airstream, has become increasingly popular in recent years. Some 7 million American households went camping in 2019, according to the North American Camping Report published by Kampgrounds of America (you know them as KOA). That’s a 22% surge in five years. And the number of frequent campers — families who camp three or more times a year — grew by 72% during the same period. Expect those numbers to soar this summer, as families head for state parks and private campgrounds, where campsites have always been socially distanced, outdoor recreation bubbles.
But given the surreal state of the world right now, we’re thinking there has never been a better time to go camping at home. It’s free. The showers are hot, and the loo is private. And as long as you have marshmallows, it doesn’t matter where you pitch your tent (or that your tent is actually a blanket slung over chairs). It’s camping.
Here’s how to maximize the fun.
The gear
A tent is key. There’s something magical about gazing up at that peaked or domed fabric roof and knowing the stars are just beyond. You can certainly DIY that tent if you don’t have one — make an easy, A-frame play tent for the kids, say, or do the blanket thing. But if you’re in the market for a new tent for actual camping, you’ll find them everywhere from REI to Target and, of course, online.
Our extremely well-used tent was in tatters after 30 years of enthusiastic use, so last week we sprang for a sproingy one, a bright blue Deerfamy Instant Tent (Amazon, $81) that takes two seconds to set up. (And depending on your skill level, five minutes — or 20 minutes of swearing — to take down. It’s well designed, but there’s a learning curve.)
Backcountry camping may call for lightweight, inflatable sleeping pads to tuck under your sleeping bag and cushion your hips. Camping at home? We’re dragging out the futon and a memory-foam mattress pad, soft blankets and the good pillows. The inflatable, solar-powered Luci lanterns ($20 and up) that got us through last fall’s power outages are just the thing for bedtime reading — and to light the way to the loo.
Hikes, games and coffee-can ice cream
Day hikes, bird-watching, card games and classic lanyard projects are all great activities for at-home campouts. Pick up a copy of “Birds of Northern California” by David Fix and Andy Bezener (Lone Pine Press) to help you identify those hummers, finches and mourning doves. Check out “50 Hikes With Kids” by Wendy Gorton (Timber Press) or find hiking inspiration on the San Francisco Bay Trail website, baytrail.org.
And you’ll find eight creepy ghost stories to tell around the campfire (or solar-powered lantern) on the KOA camping blog. There’s the funny, rhyming “Great Texas Wobblefink,” the extremely scary “Creature of the Pit Toilet” and our fave, Shannon Scheiwiller’s S’more Sasquatch (koa.com/blog/pdf/smore_sasquatch-.pdf) about camping disasters and marshmallow-loving yeti.
As you pack up your gear for a weekend of camping fun, don’t forget the coffee-can ice cream. It’s equal parts craft, activity and dessert, a little dash of alchemy that lends itself particularly well to outdoor play. (If you want to do it indoors, spread some towels on the floor first. There’s a wetness factor.)
You’ll need two metal coffee cans, one larger than the other, with plastic lids. (You’re going Folger’s here. Verve does not sell coffee in giant cans. Sorry.) Pour a pint of cream, 1/2 cup sugar, a pinch of salt and a teaspoon of vanilla or other flavoring into the smaller can. Place the lid on top and use duct tape to secure it. Give it a little shake to mix the ingredients. Then place it inside the larger can and pack the whole thing with as many layers of ice and rock salt (or ice cream salt) as you can. Tape that lid down very securely.
Grab a seat on the grass with a buddy or four, all socially distanced apart, and start rolling the can back and forth. After 10 minutes, take a peek inside the inner can, using a towel to brush any salt away from the lip of the can so you don’t end up with salted vanilla ice cream. If the contents haven’t frozen enough, add more ice and repeat.
We’ve done this with freezer-style zip-top bags, too. The ice is too pointy for regular plastic bags. Even with the freezer-strength plastic, we doubled them up, then played toss for 10 minutes. (No matter which method you choose, call it coffee-can ice cream. Plasticbag ice cream does not sound delicious.)
Enjoy it now — it’s not dessert, it’s an appetizer! — or pop into the kitchen and tuck it in the freezer for later.
Camping fare
So yes, proximity to a kitchen can be handy. But whether you’re talking hot dogs with Diggity Sauce — for a Hot Diggity Dog, of course — or burgers, everything tastes better when it’s cooked over an open fire and enjoyed outdoors. So grill up a passel of franks, brats or veggie dogs. Toast those buns and set out an outdoor hot dog bar with toppings and tasty sauces so everyone can help themselves. That Diggity Sauce makes a great dip for veggies, too.
Dessert? S’mores, of course. You can toast the marshmallows over the grill after dinner, use a s’mores hibachi ($14 to $30) or a small kitchen torch. And if you end up with leftover roasted marshmallows — is that even possible? — stir them into your coffee-can ice cream for a little bit of heaven.
Sasquatch would approve.