Camping can either be a romantic night out in nature or the worst date ever (think The Parent Trap or Backcountry). We all prefer the former, but that takes the right equipment and a lot of planning. Some gear is optional—a date can still be saved without a table or slippers—but lacking other necessities will make your experience less than ideal. Forgetting matches or having your only lighter break makes for a cold night and potentially no dinner.
My partner and I have gone on many different trips over the years, like nights at established sites and treks to backcountry huts. But car camping allows for a really romantic date. For years I focused on perfecting the kit in my trunk to create date-night-quality romance from the comfort of a tent in the Sierra. Here are step-by-step instructions for having the best time possible and equipping yourself with the tools you’ll need to make it happen.
Nine times out of ten, the position I place on the national forest’s online page will be charming and easy to access. In the other scenario, the site may be closed by winter or inaccessible without four-wheel drive. Once, we took my two-wheel drive Prius, traveled 8 miles on a dirt road through the snow, set up our camp in the dark and ate crackers for dinner. (I didn’t court my spouse with my skills to make outdoor plans about this.)
For your peace of mind, I propose to reserve a position (if you can) and call the camp to find out the weather conditions. If you decide the route on a first-come, first-served, or drop-off basis, find out if there’s a park ranger station you can touch in advance for more information, so you can get ready. Also check if you’re going to be in Bear Country. If there are bears around, you actually need to do more studies on the bear cover device and be informed on how to manage a meeting. Pro tip: Don’t take a look at Backcountry before you leave.
I order my device into six categories: sleeping, kitchen supplies and food, camping in general, basic necessities, clothing and optional items. This does it to buy and organize the car.
By grouping all the kitchen pieces and food that when I arrive at the camp, I can put everything in the bear box (if necessary) or make sure that the parts that require refrigeration pass into the refrigerator.
(Photo: Johanna Flashman)
You want setup to be quick and seamless, so you can get on to more important things (like food, in my opinion). Decathlon’s 2 Second tent ($99) makes assembling your sleeping area a breeze. But if you’re planning on spending a few nights in a tent or need more space to lounge, I recommend going for a roomier shelter that you can stand up in.
Regardless of the tent selection, make sure you know how to install it in advance, so you don’t have to wonder which mast is right for everything.
Once in position, place all your sleeping appliances in the tent so you don’t have to look at them later. If you use self-inflating mats, you’ll need to unroll them and give them time to grow as well. Two Therm-a-Rest MondoKing 3-d ($210) pads are inflated (mainly) and are more comfortable than my home mattress. They also have an R price of seven, which makes them the best for camping in winter at sub-zero temperatures.
Finish arranging the rest of the camp with undeniable chairs near home, a stove for dinner and hot drinks, as well as all the kitchen materials to prepare your meals. A small folding table next to the fireplace is strangely useful as a hanger for beer or wine glasses, dishes and is carried away later in the evening.
Finally, discover your lighting formula before it gets dark to avoid avoiding half the dinner to recover the flashlight. For a romantic twist, BioLite’s BaseLantern ($100) and SiteLite Mini ($20) give the camp a charming glow. Both can connect to your phone via Bluetooth and can mitigate them by mood.
(Photo: Johanna Flashman)
Dinner: Choose something relatively undeniable that may not take long to cook. Bonus editions if you can fire. Prefabricated shrimp skewers are relatively affordable in the grocery store, are undeniable to cook and still seem subtle enough to be dates. I like to accompany them with a 20-minute risotto and sautéed vegetables such as spinach or mushrooms.
Dessert: You can’t stop by with vintage s’mores.
Breakfast: even when I’m glamping, I have a tendency to keep the first meal of the day fundamental with instant oatmeal. All that is needed is boiling water, which I also use for coffee. You can combine anything from peanut butter to sliced almonds and new fruit to give your oats more flavor and sustenment.
Breakfast burritos with eggs, bacon, and cheese also make for a quick but tasty option. And if you’re willing to wait a bit longer, you can supercharge your most important meal of the day with one of these recipes using a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven.
And, of course, not the essentials of the morning: coffee. I like the integrated French press ($25) that adheres to MSR’s WindBurner stove formula or a fundamental pourer.
As long as I spent hanging out in the store, I prefer to use a sheet like Therm-a-Rest Synergy Coupler ($50), which helps keep your pads together. A quilt like Therm-a-Rest’s Vela Double duvet ($370) makes hugs imaginable without restricting movements as classic sleeping bags would.
For women: if you have your period, I propose to use a menstrual cup like the Diva ($30). Although you have to take it out for sex (if you’re the type who has sex during your period), you can keep it for up to 12 hours, and you’re less likely to leak than a tampon and more comfortable than a tampon. I use it with a lining as a backrest, just in case.
In the end, you’ll probably have at least one thing, or anything won’t happen as planned. But I’m fine. Remember: you’re in nature. If it was always predictable, it wouldn’t be so much fun. Even if everything is going wrong and you can laugh at it and enjoy the company of others at all times, at least you know that your spouse is a caregiver.