5 ways to turn camping into glamping

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Camping is a celebration of the primitive. It is the trading of convenience for spare simplicity; the swapping of modern routine for outdoorsy challenge. It's also just… not everyone's cup of tea. Yet many will go, determined to try and find the wonder and richness that their friends keep posting about on their Facebook feeds.

If you're having trouble finding the magic in living like a grizzled 18th-century fur trapper, don't fear: The right products can add glamor and luxury to your camping experience. Take a look at a few things that can change camping to glamping!

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1. Privacy in all matters

A lady must maintain some mystery, even when doing her business in the woods. Thanks to pop-up privacy tents like the ones sold from Leapair, this is attainable. When stored, it's a 22" diameter disk. Open it and up pops a sturdy 75" x 40" x 40" tent, with optional sun roof, window, and floor. Not only does this provide an inviting private potty area (and it's hard to classy up camping toilets, though there are plenty of options to choose from), but it also has a hanging strap for a solar shower pack and stakes to keep the tent secure in wind and sand.

2. Hot showers

Camp showers once meant leaving a black garbage bag full of water in the sun all day then dribbling its contents onto your head. And for the hardcore, that is still a fine solution. But to the glamper, more refined options are available. The ZODI Outback Gear Hot Tap HP Instant Shower just needs a few gallons of propane to provide you an instant hot water shower for over 10 minutes. Or, if solar and gravity-fed showers are more fitting for your budget, try Advanced Elements 5 Gallon Summer Shower, with specialized insulation to warm your water supply as fast as possible. It even allows you to (kinda) control the temperature.

3. Proper housing

The proper living space for Glamping is that sweet little oceanfront B&B you told your husband about last month when you were talking about "getting out of town for a few days." The next best options are the finest tent spaces polyester can create. If you need space, style, and durability, you'll be interested in the Slumberjack Overland 10 person tent, with three separate rooms and a charming tunnel construction. But it is rather drab. If lack of pizzazz in tent fashion is a deep concern for you, go see the many tent-fly designs offered at FieldCandy.

4. A good night's sleep

The Klimat Insultated Static V Luxe is slim, stylishly engineered, and easy to blow up, yet its users claim it provides as much comfort as a full-sized air mattress. Or, if you require more snuggly options, there's the SENQIAO-Inflatable Lounger, which creates a cozy little air-nest for you to lounge in. As for the sleeping bag you use on top of your mattress, I'll level with you, most of the pretty ones were built for children's sleepovers. So instead, dive into the lofty and spacious comfort of TETON Sports Mammoth Queen Size Sleeping Bag. Or you could take a chance on the beguilingly named Alite Designs Sexy Hotness Sleeping 2.0 Bag. I'm not sure how they intend to make good on the claim intimated by their name, but maybe finding out is half the fun.

5. A fine dining experience

Don't be intimidated by the 70 quart Sovaro Luxury Cooler's $900 price tag. For if you read closely you will see that this particular cork-lined cooler can hold 18 wine bottles! Also, you need not resort to plastic cups or even the cobalt tin ones found in the camping aisles to enjoy your wine; take a look at the lovely and durable enamelware offered by All Glamping. As for the food itself, well, you're not out there to get yourself covered in mustard stains and hot dog water. Backpacker's Pantry gives you freeze dried gourmet meals, Pad Thai, Organic Blueberry Walnut Oats & Quinoa, and Cuban Coconut Black Bean and Rice. Just add water, no mustard required.