Love family camping but not sleeping in tents? Here's what parents can do

Sandra

During this year when everyone went crazy for camping, my friends and family one after another jumped on the bandwagon. Every household bought tents, air mattresses, stoves... On Facebook every weekend was flooded with camping photos and posts. Looking at the photos of beautiful mountains and waters, and the kids' big, toothy smiles, it was truly enviable. Camping really does seem so much fun—perfect for the whole family to enjoy nature together.

A couple of weeks ago, many people shared Mr. Dabing’s article “Can camping save your marriage and fix parent-child relationships? A camping expert says: if you’re one of these 8 types of people, don’t even go,” and I found myself pulling out a chair (and one for my husband too) to save spots as I read. The first time I stayed at a homestay at Tumu Post and saw my friends so happy and carefree enjoying their camping trip, I too felt an urge to buy a tent and jump into the camping craze.

But as soon as I said, “I want to buy a tent...” before I could even finish, the rational Sean shot me down.

Sean is an extremely light sleeper. He can’t sleep well even in the quiet environment of our home, and any slight noise from the next room when we’re staying elsewhere affects his sleep quality. As for me, since having our second child, my back pain has never improved. I used to be able to fall asleep naturally no matter the environment, but now I have a very high need for a good bed—if not, I’ll wake up the next morning unable to straighten my back.

Nowadays, camping equipment is much more advanced than the Boy Scout-style camping I did with school clubs 20 years ago. There are air mattresses that let you sleep comfortably, but tents are still just thin fabric, and the lack of soundproofing is something that can’t be fixed. When campsites are fully booked and tents are pitched right next to each other, the chatting, snoring, kids’ laughter or crying from neighboring tents can make light sleepers lose sleep.

Even if everyone is quiet and there are few tents pitched far apart, don’t forget that nature itself can be noisy. You might have chatted and had drinks with friends until one or two in the morning, but then at five in the morning you’re woken up by birdsong, insects, frogs, or the dawn sunlight. Since Sean is usually the one driving on our trips, getting good sleep is key to enjoying the trip. If there’s a chance of a bad night’s sleep, why force ourselves to sleep in a tent?

Then there’s the transportation and packing of camping gear. On our first “fake camping” trip to Tumu Post, we witnessed how the Ge Luo and Paigu families packed up their tents. There’s so much to bring for camping: tents, tables and chairs, coolers, ingredients, cookware, clothes, bedding, lights, stoves... and so on. Just packing everything up takes a lot of time, not to mention needing a large car to fit it all.

The S family drives a 1600cc compact car, which is already pretty full with two adults, two kids, two car seats, basic essentials, and changes of clothes. Trying to fit a bunch of camping gear on top of that is really cramped.

What about adding a roof box for more storage space? The S family lives in an apartment building, and the car is parked in the underground garage. I checked the height limit of our driveway, and even with the most compact roof box installed on the roof bars, squeezing into the driveway entrance was still a bit of a stretch.

After bringing everything back from the campsite, we then have to unpack and haul all the camping gear upstairs to organize again—that’s another ordeal. And if packing up happens under scorching sun or pouring rain, it’s even more exhausting. Packing up under the blazing sun can feel like you’re about to get heatstroke, and after heavy rain, you have to dry the soggy tent and wash the muddy, grass-stained camping gear. Just thinking about it is half the exhaustion.

We also need to have space at home to store all this equipment. Normally, the S household is chaotic enough with the kids scattering things everywhere plus grocery items. Adding camping gear would make it look like the house piled with recyclables in those “Golden Legend” hoarding shows.

*This is the Dai family’s car

After weighing all these reasons, although I still really want to sleep in a tent and experience “real” camping life, I’d rather have “a happy family trip together.” So we started going on “fake camping” trips with friends.

The kids still play together, explore around, and of course they bicker from time to time. The parents sit under a tarp or inside someone’s living tent, watching the kids play (if they haven’t run off out of sight), sipping drinks, hand-brewed coffee, eating homemade snacks and desserts, and chatting endlessly.

After three small fake camping trips, I’ve got some insights to share with friends who can’t jump into the camping craze or are still on the fence about buying a tent.

To happily “fake camp” with friends who love camping, you must bring these two essential items

Wide-mouth bowls are super important—especially when multiple families camp together and share meals. You can scoop all your dishes into the bowl at once, then step aside to eat. Otherwise, everyone crowding around the table fighting over food is just terrible. Plates work too, but bowls are better for soup. On a winter night at the campsite, having a warm bowl of chicken soup is simply heartwarming.

Most families bring as many chairs as there are people when they go camping. Everyone sits around chatting and eating, and sitting on the ground all night isn’t comfortable at all. Bringing a few chairs is a must. The first time the S family went fake camping, we only brought one picnic mat. By evening, the dew made the mat’s surface damp, and we couldn’t just keep sitting on the ground, so we ended up huddling on our friends’ chairs... The second time, we bought chairs beforehand and brought them along—it was so relaxing and comfortable sitting in our own chairs.

As for other things like food or snacks, it depends on how we divide things up with friends each time. I also have friends who don’t bring any food when camping—we just discuss beforehand what each person will bring.

Our past few fake camping trips have been quite the production—six to eight tents plus two rooms in a homestay, with one shared family dish per meal over the two-day-one-night trip. We’d have each family suggest a dish they’d like to bring beforehand, and then everyone brings their prepared dish to share at the table. Enjoying homemade dishes, eating lavishly and feeling satisfied, everyone acts like one big family, passing dishes around and asking how each dish is made, praising how delicious it is—it’s really wonderful.

The first two times we went fake camping, we prepared desserts because they’re easy to bring and don’t require on-site preparation. But watching our friends happily cooking in their little kitchens, serving up delicious dishes that everyone gobbled up, made this housewife’s hands itch—I wished I had an outdoor kitchen to cook in too!!!

The third time we went fake camping, we stayed at Qimei Farm and used the big kitchen in the wooden cabin to make baked potatoes. That afternoon, we also borrowed a friend’s kitchen to make bacon and omelets. Cooking outdoors really feels amazing. The moment when everyone happily eats the food they made and keeps saying how delicious it is is truly satisfying for anyone who loves cooking.

So before our next fake camping trip, we’ll probably get a set of outdoor kitchen gear too. Setting up a little tarp next to our friends’ setup, with the cooking utensils on racks, and the wives cooking and chatting together—that’s such a lovely picture (heart eyes).

After participating a few times, you’ll also get a clearer idea of what’s worth buying, what’s just desire, and what you might end up reselling after just a couple of camping trips (laughs).

Oh, and one more thing—the most important reason fake camping works is having a group of camping-loving friends.

It’s all about the people—wherever you go is fun. As Sean puts it: “I’m really not that into outdoor activities, but coming out (fake) camping with this group of friends, I can do it every time!” Being able to go fake camping with such an enthusiastic group of friends is the main reason we’ve gone three times and want to keep going.

Just like us, take it slow, bring your own utensils and chairs, and start with a bit of fake camping!

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