Types Of Camping
When we think camping, we usually have a general idea of the same thing. Great outdoors, tents, grills, friends, and Fridays into Sundays. But, there are numerous different types of camping that are employed for a few different reasons. For some, it's a chance to reestablish our devotion and love to camping. For some, it's for purely academic reasons, to learn more about ourselves, our history, and the past of other lives. Exploring these different types of camping makes us more passionate about what we have, more connected to the people we know, and better off than we were before.
ADVENTURE CAMPING
Adventure camping is for the more extreme campers out there. Usually adventure camping has two aspects, day and night. During the day, you are traveling. Sometimes it's just hiking into new areas or exploring, sometimes you're racing others on a mountain bike or what have you. During the night you make camp and rest. The idea here, though, is that you are camping in a minimalist way. You can't really afford to carry a lot of bulky, extra supplies and still expect to race in an efficient fashion (and even if you could, the idea is that you are pushing yourself to the extreme, without excess supplies).
The reason to try out Adventure Camping is to test out your mettle. This isn't for the faint of heart, not for families with children, or anyone that is not a person used to the taxing nature of the extreme outdoors. But for those of you that are interested, Adventure Camping can be the combination of camping and races; testing your ability of endurance and your strength of being a minimalist.
BACKCOUNTRY CAMPING
Backcountry Camping is another minimalist form of camping, somewhat like Adventure Camping; one where you use the lowest amount of supplies, merely what is needed, in a remote, unfamiliar location. Location choice is important, though; it's not just a place that isn't familiar, you need to find a place that is habitable and safe for you, a place that has a fresh water source (because, as a minimalist, you won't be bringing numerous bottles of drinking water), in a place that is relatively secluded.
People choose to go Backcountry Camping because it's a challenge to their endurance and knowledge. If Adventure Camping is a sprint, then Backcountry Camping is the marathon. It's not about completing tasks quickly, it's about lasting in a place, safely, comfortably, with as little as possible. This strengthens us and teaches us. Each time you go Backcountry Camping, the next time can be harder and, in turn, better.
HISTORICAL CAMPING
Historical Camping is an amazing way to connect with the past campers of our history. Put simply, historical camping is when you only use the supplies and gear that was available to a camper of a specific time. The reason people are interested in historical camping is because this gives you insight on what that type of life was like. Usually, this isn't camping as how those people camped, but camping as those people lived. This type of realization can really revitalize the mystic that camping has to offer.
Most people have two reasons for choosing Historical Camping.
One: They are interested in the way the people in the past lived. This is mostly an academic pursuit. You'll quickly notice that while the people of these time periods had so much less than us, they used what they had to its fullest extent and were able to do amazing things with them.
Two: They enjoy how refreshing this type of camping can be. Being with several like minded people, using a paucity of supplies and equipment to their fullest abilities makes camping fun and new again.
As you can see, there's a lot of different things these types of camping can bring you. Some types teach you. Some types challenge you. All of these types, though, share on thing: they better you.