Camping Without Commitment

I am an avid camper, and in the pre-kid days was of the “carry everything in a backpack and hike in” variety. Now, with a young son and a dog in tow, we are much more in the car-camping camp. We roll up to a nicely groomed provincially run campsite, and we settle in for a few days with our cushy tent trailer, and we don’t have to forage for wood or food. We spend most of our time lakeside, and we focus on marshmallow roasting and frisbee throwing. But we have a fully outfitted tent trailer at our disposal, so a few days here or there are pretty easy when all you have to do is grab a few bags of groceries and head out.

If the idea of camping appeals to you, but you’re not yet ready to invest in a stocked tent trailer, or even more simply, a tent and sleeping bags, don’t worry. There are a few options.

  • Rent the Gear: You can rent almost anything you want from Mountain Equipment Co-op. A $10 membership gets you access to low priced gear rentals.
  • Visit a Stocked Site: Pacific Rim National Park, a federally managed wilderness site, has Equipped Sites. They supply the tents,  sleeping bags, cooking stoves… you name it.
  • Beg, Borrow, and Thank:  At least one of your friends is likely to have a camping set up you can borrow. Don’t be afraid to ask.

When you want to try out camping but are scared to commit, these are good options to get you outside and enjoying Mother Nature.