Without a doubt, the most beautiful spaces on earth are found in the wild. The fact that nature simply has to exist and it will produce such immense beauty is mind-blowing. Yosemite Park, Yellowstone, the Everglades, the Grand Canyon. The list goes on and on. This isn’t to say that cityscapes aren’t mesmerizing as well. San Francisco in the morning, Tokyo when the cherry blossoms are in bloom, New York City at night. All of these places hold a certain magic that can also be felt in wild spaces. But just like cities have nasty alleyways or some undesirable places, so there are places in the wild that aren’t exactly the most breathtaking pastoral backdrops to behold.
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Festivals, for instance, are really only able to happen in a wide expanse of land that, in some views, isn’t too desirable. For 50,000 people to gather and set up a camp, the organizers need a lot of blank, wide-open space. Likewise, for the local campsites in certain towns, the scenery can be less than desirable. The whole of western Wyoming features KOAs that have erected two walls set at 90 degrees to break the constant wind that blows over the Continental Divide. Not exactly a space for romance. Or is it?
We’re here today to talk about summer glamping setup ideas. The nice part about glamping is that wherever you’re going, you’re bringing the beauty and comfort with you. When you see that blank space at the festival with nothing but trampled brown grass, you can rest assured you’ll be able to make the space cozy and inviting. If the local spot doesn’t feel like a getaway, the proper glamping spot can feel exotic and special. Glamping is more than setting up a tent with a canvas awning and a camping chair. Glamping is a shift in outdoor lifestyle. Let’s dive in.
What Makes Glamping Different from Regular Camping?
Glamping, or glamorous camping, is defined by intentional comfort. When the idea of getting into the wild is not to survive the trip, it’s to genuinely thrive with maximum comfort and distinct, focused luxury. The idea here is also not to avoid the outdoors, not at all. The idea is to fully inhabit outdoor spaces, with all the creature comforts available to us through modern amenities. For most intents and purposes, the world of camping and the world of luxury and comfort are separate. We designate specific items as truly representative of comfort: comforters, throw pillows, heavy blankets, and soft carpets. And we have items designed to survive in the outdoors: lightweight gear, waterproofing, windproof, thermal layers, packable, and more. The idea of glamping is to combine the two.
The foundational element for glamping is the tent. It’s where the comfort will be had, and it’s the item that we’re going to style out with luxury today. For this, we’re going to look at bell tents, or yurt tents, as some people call them, to make the best glamping tent on the market.
Choosing Your Glamping Tent: Why a Canvas Tent is the Right Fit
We took a look at three questions to find the right tent for you: How far are you traveling with your tent, how long you’re going to stay, and how many people will be in your tent. Keep that rule in mind when you are selecting a glamping tent, but that metric must be skewed for our purposes here.
The truth is that there isn’t much associated with glamping in a small, synthetic dome tent. Getting down on your hands and knees to get into a tent wouldn’t be considered a luxury. These lightweight shelters are great for taking to the top of a mountain, but if you’re festival-bound or considering a long weekend with a sweetheart, then a canvas tent is the way to go. These boast a more rustic feel and possess a timelessness that has transcended thousands of years.
The trick, then, is to consider which canvas tent to acquire. Wall tents have plenty of space, a nice wide opening, can come equipped with a canvas awning, a tent wood stove, and wide windows for a crossbreeze. Not bad at all. Similarly, scout tents are great for smaller crowds, a couple having a nice weekend, and they still have the rustic design and present a great backdrop for the glamping setting. Both of these tents are fine, even good, solid choices for glamping tents. And then there’s the bell tent.
A bell tent features a center pole over which the tent fabric is draped. The design forms a 360-degree, round camping space, and along the exterior border, the thick, durable fabric is staked to the ground, forming a taut roof and smooth sidewalls. These tents have been used in cultures all over the world for thousands of years. They are easy to set up and take down, which leaves plenty of time to design and plan your glamping layout. These tents are striking. In a camp crowded with pine trees, they stand out and still draw the eye. The sidewalls all pull up and can let in a breeze in the warmer months. In the winter, a tent stove can be set up with a stove pipe run through a stove jack that can accommodate any pipe diameter. In short, they are as beautiful as they are practical. If you’re looking for the ideal glamping setup, then a bell tent is the only way to go.
Sleeping Space and the Area Inside the Tent
In some ways, this is the most important part of the entire setup. Yes, you want the outside of your tent to be the talk of the campsite, but everything really comes together when you’re getting comfortable and settling down in the tent.
The Bed:
A real bed. Not a sleeping pad. The goal here is to get the bed off the ground. Sleeping on the ground is for camping, not glamping. The best way to do this is to get a cot and a fold-flat camping bed. Layer them, make up the cushion like a bottom mattress at home, and don’t skip the abundant blankets. Sleeping off the floor is more than a personal status claim. Keeping off the ground is actually a great way to regulate your sleeping temperature. With blankets on top and on the bottom, comfort on all sides, you’ll have the best night of sleep.
The Layout:
The center pole of a bell tent forms a natural organizing axis of the interior space. A natural flow keeps the different areas inside the tent naturally moving from one to the next. The sleeping, the storage, and the lounging area. Whatever spaces you designate, they are not laid out as a rectangular cabin with the undesirable areas pushed to the back. This is an all-inclusive space that encourages conversation and eye contact.
The Storage:
There are different options for portable hangers that break down into a base, vertical poles, and a hanging rod. With a portable separator, you can build out a small walk-in closet with a changing space. The bags can stay out of sight behind the room separator, and the clothes, organized on a hanging rack, are classy in the wild.
The Lighting:
This is where the real contrast comes into play. The right lighting can change the entire experience. Battery powered, no plugs, no mess. Get string lights that come in alternating colors and have a dimmer. In the early evening, after dinner, brighter lights help keep things in order. As the sun sets, dim the lights and set the mood for premium relaxation.
The Outdoor Living Space
If it’s during festival season or you are at a local campsite for a few days, it’s important to have more than just an interior space. The Avalon Bell Tent from White Duck has the option of a canvas awning that provides a perfect shade area outside of the tent. With a proper rug just outside the front door, a new outdoor space is available for lounging, post-meal cocktails, early morning coffee, or watching the sun go down.
When the weather is cooperating, a couch or a lounge space outside is the perfect complement to the bell tent. Keep options around the campsite to lounge, sit, converse, eat, wherever the day takes you. For glamping, you’re going to want more places to relax than just around the fire or at the dinner table.
The idea of glamping is to take the comfort and amenities we have at home, in our houses, and bring them to the wild. While there already is something comforting about sitting outside on a camping trip, doing it on a lounge chair you’ve dragged up the canyon is a different story. It’s the minor details that people will remember and that make the experience better.
The Outdoor Gourmet Space
The second key signifier of real luxury, after being able to lounge and spread out, taking up as much personal space in comfort as possible, is eating well. If you’ve got all the comfort zones in place, then you need to get the kitchen area on point. Here’s the kitchen set-up:
- A two-burner propane stove on a folding prep table at counter height
- A small cutting board, a real knife, and a cast-iron skillet
- A collapsible dish basin for washing, biodegradable soap only
- A dedicated cooler that doubles as a side table
It can’t be emphasized enough that bringing a real knife can be the difference between getting food on the table and having an excellent meal. Keep the kitchen space tidy and only use it when necessary. Oftentimes, while camping, the space around food prep and eating gets overrun with bags, pots, plates, and it becomes the catchall space for camp. Eat food intentionally. Plan for a charcuterie board. Have drinks and hors d’oeuvres. Eat with a prepped plate and designated time and space. All of the amenities you would find in the city need to come to the backcountry. If you need to practice the meal a couple of times, do it. Make the evening special.
If, on the other hand, you are at a festival and looking to meet folks, have a large group, or just want to make things classy but easy, consider a large pot of pulled pork with homemade coleslaw. Something that can remain heated in a Dutch oven for a while and not need a lot of attention. If the meal prep isn’t part of the adventure, then don’t let it get in the way of the actual good time.
It’s Whatever You Need
There are no designated rules for glamping, and there are no baseline standards. That is because many of us have different levels of comfort and the amount of time and effort we want to invest in that comfort and luxury. Setting up a glamping tent might not be something you’d prefer to do every weekend, but for special occasions, or noting memorable events, you can never go wrong with some twinkle lights and a few throw pillows.
Whatever gets you and your loved ones out in the wild is exactly what you should be looking for. Regardless of how you make it pretty, the foundation has got to be a canvas bell tent. If you did nothing else but the bell tent, most of the campers at the site would think you’re glamping. It’s that beautiful. As it should be.
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