Creative Backyard Camping Ideas

Feel like pitching a tent, building a campfire, and sleeping under the stars, but don't want to load up the Subaru and drive to enjoy a night in the Great Outdoors? If so, look no further than your own backyard!

With the following tips, you can turn your backyard into a fun and comfortable campsite and enjoy a fabulous camping excursion without having to travel any further than your door.

Assess Your Inventory and Get Your Supplies

If you're a regular camper, there's no doubt that you'll already have a lot of the supplies on-hand, but even if you don't camp often, you might be surprised to find how many supplies you already own. If you're missing a key ingredient, head out to your local Grivet Outdoors.

You'll need a few necessary items for your backyard camping adventure, including:

• A tent – it doesn't have to be a top-of-the-line, expansive model with all of the bells and whistles; a basic pop-up tent should do just fine.
• Flashlights and lanterns
• Sleeping bags
• Inflatable mattresses or sleeping pads (either one will get you up off the ground, provide much-needed insulation if the temps are chilly, and will make for more comfortable sleeping arrangements).
• Camp chairs or folding chairs

Set Up Your Campsite

After you have all of your camping gear gathered, it's time to set up your site (one of the best things about backyard camping is that if you find you forgot something, you don't need to go far to retrieve it!).

Choose a location to set up your tent. Make sure you pick a flat, dry space; the last thing you want to do is end up rolling in your sleep or having moisture seep through the bottom of the tent. Additionally, look overhead to ensure that tree branches or limbs won’t obstruct your tent. When your tent is up, set up your beds for the night. To add some ambiance to your tent, consider hanging some battery-operated string lights (a great idea if you’re camping with kids). 

Once your tent is set up, make a space for a fire. A built-in or portable fire pit would be ideal; however, if you don't have a fire pit, you can always create a makeshift one. Grab a fireproof tub (your local home improvement store should have them), a fire grate, and some firewood. Set some chairs up around the fire pit so you can enjoy telling stories around the fire while roasting marshmallows and soaking up the warmth.

Be sure you have insect repellent handy, too, so you can keep those pests at bay. Bug spray or citronella should do the trick.

Get Ready for Fun

When your campsite is ready to go, it's time to start your adventure. Spark up the barbecue, enjoy some camp-friendly foods, roast marshmallows at the fire pit, go on a backyard or neighborhood scavenger hunt, tell stories, and play fun outdoor games (frisbee, corn hole, catch, etc.), and enjoy spending some time with your loved ones.

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