Morning, campers! Whether you’re a seasoned camping veteran, or you’d rather eat your own pants than spend one night under canvas, you’re bound to find these fifteen facts fascinating! And if you’ve still got camping on the brain when you’re done, why not read our hilarious camping jokes? Or test your knowledge with a camping trivia quiz – or get some sneaky ideas with these camping pranks!

1. It used to be how everyone lived

In early human history people camped a lot, but it wasn’t really “camping” as much as it was just “living” – there were no buildings to live in, after all! There’s no way to know what the first tent ever looked like, or who built it, but a tent would have been the first manmade form of shelter ever made. The oldest tent archaeologists have ever found was in Russia, and it’s from about 40,000 BC. There are also descriptions of tents in the Bible. Early tents were made of leather and animal hide, and were supported by wooden poles and ropes.

2. You can do it in a tent!

Tent camping is the most traditional way to do it, and nowadays there’s so much choice for what kind of tent to buy! You can get an inflatable tent, a tunnel tent (nice and spacious!), a geodesic tent (extra hardy!), a pop-up tent (easy to assemble!), or a bivouac (for real adventurers!). You can also go old-school and get a proper canvas military style tent with guy ropes. If you’re a Scout or a Guide, there’s a good chance you’ve already stayed in one of these!

3. You can do it in a van!

If you feel the call of the wild but you still need your creature comforts, your best bet is a specially-made campervan or caravan (or RVs, as they call them in the States). This way you can enjoy the nomadic lifestyle but still have your own bathroom, and an actual bed! Some people love their vans so much they live in them either part- or full-time. In the 2020s, “van life” content got VERY popular on YouTube and TikTok. What do you think – could you live in a campervan full-time?

4. There’s delicious food!

If you’ve ever been camping you know the best part is the food! If you’re a traditional camper you’ll build a campfire and cook your food on it, but you can also get a camping stove or portable cooker if you’d rather save time! Dedicated campers will carry lightweight food with them, often freeze-dried and packaged military-ration style. Traditional camping foods include sausages, beans, hot dogs, hamburgers, chilli, and toasted marshmallows. An American camping tradition is the s’more, which is a toasted marshmallow with melted chocolate sandwiched between two crackers. S’mores were developed by Scouts, and the first s’more recipe appeared in a Girl Scout magazine in 1927!

5. Watch out for dangerous animals!

In the UK we’re lucky to have very few dangerous animals. The only venomous animal on the UK mainland is the adder, a type of snake that likes to slither in woods and on heaths and moors. They’re very shy and like to stay away from humans, but even if you do get bitten you’re likely to survive with proper medical help. In fact, the most dangerous animals you’ll come across camping in the UK are cows. In other countries though, camping comes with the risk of far more dangerous creatures coming to visit your campsite! Of course, it totally depends where in the world you’re camping as each country has its own dangerous critters. If you’re camping in South and Southeast Asia, you’ll need to keep an eye out for tigers; if you’re near the water in sub-Saharan Africa you’ll need to watch out for hippos; and in Australia you’ll want to shake your shoes in case a spider is hiding inside! In North America bears are a big problem for campers, and they like to raid camps looking for food. You can protect your camp by storing your food properly, and not leaving it inside your tent!

6. You can also glamp!

If you want to camp but you just can’t part with your glamorous lifestyle, then “glamping” might be for you! Glamping is when you stay in an upmarket shelter, usually with amenities like hot water, actual beds with proper bedlinen, and resort-style services. You can also glamp in interesting locations like stargazing pods, treehouses and yurts. The most expensive camping site in the whole world is in Canada. It’s called the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, and you can only access it by plane or boat. You can stay in a luxury safari tent with a wood-burning stove, eat locally-sourced food prepared by an acclaimed chef, and enjoy a spa with hot tubs and yoga sessions. That is, if you can afford the starting price of $3,000 per night! Gulp – looks like it’s sleeping bags and baked beans for now!

7. You can camp vertically

Where do you think the craziest place to camp would be? The obvious answer is either “underwater” or “in space” of course, but you can’t pitch a tent in either location just yet. The third option is probably “on the side of a cliff”, and you absolutely can do that one – provided you’re a very skilled climber, that is! Vertical camping is when climbers hang a tent (or sometimes just a sleeping bag) on the side of a cliff for their night’s shelter. To do this, you’ll need a lot of rope, and nerves of steel! The vertical camping tent is called a portaledge, and it’s well-designed so that the camper can’t roll off it by accident. Going to the bathroom in a portaledge is complicated, but possible (though trust us, the details are pretty gross). You wouldn’t do it just for fun though – it’s something that experienced climbers do out of necessity when they’re on a long climb.

8. It’s not legal everywhere!

If you’re planning a camping trip, it’s important to find out if you have permission to be there!  In Scotland there are right-to-roam laws that make it legal to camp in most places, including privately-owned land, though you are still required to obey the law and behave responsibly. There are similar laws in Sweden, though large groups of people will have to get permission from the landowner. If you’re camping in another country, the laws can be a little more strict. For example, in the USA you usually need to get permission if you want to wild camp (camping in places other than a designated camping site), and many National Parks don’t allow it in certain areas. There are also anti-vagrancy laws that make city camping nearly impossible in a lot of places. It can be even more complicated if you’re in an RV, as many car parks won’t allow overnight parking.

9. Some people camp for life, traditionally

Camping used to be how everyone lived, and some societies stayed in this lifestyle. There are many cultures that are traditionally nomadic, which means they move from place to place and usually live in temporary shelters. Some cultures that practice this are: the Bedouin, a series of tribes who have lived in the Middle East since around 600 BC; some Native American tribes, like the Navajo and the Apache people; and the Romani people, an ethnic group originally from the Indian subcontinent who are now mostly dispersed across Europe. Some people in these groups still live their lives traditionally, but many now live in permanent homes due to legal restrictions on their traditions, and discrimination against them.

10. Leave no trace!

A problem with camping is that it can leave behind a lot of rubbish, which is bad for the environment and makes it more likely that landowners will refuse to allow campers to come back. It can also cause serious issues like wildfires, and the death of local wildlife. Because of this, a lot of campers live by the motto “Leave no trace”. There are seven principles to this philosophy, including disposing of all your waste, not taking anything from the site, and planning ahead! Some people believe this can’t work because humans will always affect the environment around them no matter what they do. What do you think?

11. Some people do it stealthily

Did you know there’s a whole subculture of people who love to sneakily camp? Stealth camping is when people camp in places hidden from other people – the fun is not getting caught! Some people do it old-fashioned style with tents and tarpaulins, while others stealth camp in their cars or vans. One famous stealth camper is a YouTuber called Steve Wallis, whose campsites have included a roundabout, a storm drain, an airport car park and behind a motorway sign. It’s fun to watch, but definitely don’t try this one at home – it comes with a LOT of serious risks.

12. The smallest campervan, ever!

YouTubers Dangie Bros built a truly amazing camping shelter – the world’s smallest, in fact, with 4 feet of living space! The device is towed by bicycle, and is made of plywood and aluminium. It contained a kitchen, a solar panel, ventilation windows, and a fold-down bed. They tried to take it on a 100-mile road trip, with interesting results – turns out it’s very hard to tow a 500-pound cabin uphill by bike!

13. It’s good for your health

According to a 2013 study by the University of Colorado, camping might have special health benefits for people who struggle with sleep! When camping you’re exposed to mostly natural light and nights of complete darkness, which is good for your body’s natural circadian rhythms (your internal clock). You’re also less likely to be spending time with your screen, and more likely to be doing daily exercise in the sunshine and eating less processed food. Your brain produces more melatonin (the sleep hormone), as well as other hormones that boost your mood and relieve problems like seasonal depression. Being in nature is also good for you – in Japan it’s called shinrin-yoku, which means “forest bathing”. Forest bathing involves walking slowly, listening to the sounds of nature, and inhaling clean air and the smell of grass and flowers. Being in nature is good for your physical and mental health – some say even a weekend’s camping will totally refresh you!

14. Not everyone camps for fun

As already mentioned some people are culturally connected to living in tents and frequently travelling. For people experiencing homelessness, there is often no other choice but to camp. Camping is also often used as a part of political protests. Protest camps are built to provide a base for organisation, to cause an obstruction, or to allow a 24/7 protest at a particular location. A famous British protest camp was the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, which was located at RAF Greenham Common in Berkshire. The inhabitants protested nuclear weapons that were stored at the base, and the camp was in place from 1981 to 2000.

15. Where are the best places to camp?

Camping website Hipcamp cross-examined the benefits of camping in almost every country in the world, and came up with a list of the top 50 countries to camp in! In the top spot is Canada, with loads of national parks, incredible scenery, low pollution, low risk of natural disasters, and amazing stargazing opportunities! The UK came in at 53 – we have little dangerous wildlife or risk of natural disaster, but less biodiversity and woodland cover than other options. Brazil, Sweden, Australia and the USA also cracked the top ten.