Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home in a shelter, such as

a tent, a caravan, or a motorhome. Generally participants leave developed areas to spend time
outdoors in more natural ones in pursuit of activities providing them enjoyment. To be regarded as
"camping" a minimum of one night is spent outdoors, distinguishing it from day-tripping, picnicking,
and other similarly short-term recreational activities. Camping can be enjoyed through all four
seasons.
Luxury may be an element, as in early 20th century African safaris, but including accommodations in
fully equipped fixed structures such as high-end sporting camps under the banner of "camping" blurs
the line.
Camping as a recreational activity became popular among elites in the early 20th century. With time,
it grew more democratic, and varied. Modern campers frequent publicly owned natural
resources such as national and state parks, wilderness areas, and commercial campgrounds.
Camping is a key part of many youth organizations around the world, such as Scouting, which use it
to teach both self-reliance and teamwork.

Contents
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1Definition
2History
3Forms
o 3.1Adventure camping
o 3.2Dry camping
o 3.3Backpacking
o 3.4Canoe Camping
o 3.5Bicycle Camping
o 3.6Car, Off-Road, and RV
o 3.7Glamping
o 3.8Reenactment camping
o 3.9Social camping
o 3.10Survivalist camping
o 3.11Winter camping
o 3.12Workcamping
4Equipment
o 4.1List of common equipment
5Campgrounds and commercial campsites
6By Country
o 6.1United States
o 6.2United Kingdom
o 6.3France
7See also
8References
9External links

Definition[edit]
Camping in Ontario, circa 1907

Camping describes a range of activities and approaches to outdoor

accommodation. Survivalist campers set off with as little as possible to get by, whereas recreational
vehicle travelers arrive equipped with their own electricity, heat, and patio furniture. Camping may be
combined with hiking, as in backpacking, and is often enjoyed in conjunction with other outdoor
activities such as canoeing, climbing, fishing, and hunting.
There is no universally held definition of what is and what is not camping. Fundamentally, it reflects a
combination of intent and the nature of activities involved. A children's summer camp with dining hall
meals and bunkhouse accommodations may have "camp" in its name but fails to reflect the spirit
and form of "camping" as it is broadly understood. Similarly, a homeless person's lifestyle may
involve many common camping activities, such as sleeping out and preparing meals over a fire, but
fails to reflect the elective nature and pursuit of spirit rejuvenation that are integral aspect of
camping. Likewise, cultures with itinerant lifestyles or lack of permanent dwellings cannot be said to
be "camping", it is just their way of life.

History[edit]
The examples and perspective in this article deal primarily with the
United Kingdom and do not represent a worldwide viewof the
subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk
page, or create a new article, as appropriate. (October 2013) (Learn how
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Thomas Hiram Holding outside his camping tent.

The history of recreational camping is often traced back to Thomas Hiram Holding, a British
travelling tailor, but it was actually first popularised in the UK on the river Thames. By the 1880s
large numbers of visitors took part in the pastime, which was connected to the late Victorian craze
for pleasure boating. The early camping equipment was very heavy, so it was convenient to
transport it by boat or to use craft that converted into tents.[1] Although Thomas Hiram Holding is
often seen as the father of modern camping in the UK, he was responsible for popularising a
different type of camping in the early twentieth century. He experienced the activity in the wild from
his youth, when he had spent much time with his parents traveling across the American prairies.
Later he embarked on a cycling and camping tour with some friends across Ireland.[2] His book on his
Ireland experience, Cycle and Camp in Connemara led to the formation of the first camping group in
1901, the Association of Cycle Campers, later to become the Camping and Caravanning Club.[3] He
wrote The Campers Handbook in 1908, so that he could share his enthusiasm for the great outdoors
with the world.[4]
Possibly the first commercial camping ground in the world was Cunninghams camp, near Douglas,
Isle of Man, which opened in 1894. In 1906 the Association of Cycle Campers opened its first own
camping site, in Weybridge.[5] By that time the organization had several hundred members. In 1910
the Association was merged into the National Camping Club. Although WW1 was responsible for a
certain hiatus in camping activity, the association received a new lease of life after the war when Sir
Robert Baden-Powell (founder of the Boy Scouts movement) became its president.
In the US, camping may be traced to William Henry Harrison Murray 1869 publication of Camp-Life
in the Adirondacks resulting in a flood of visitors to the Adirondacks that summer.[6]
The International Federation of Camping Clubs (Federation Internationale de Camping et de
Caravanning) was founded in 1932 with national clubs from all over the world affiliating with it. By the
1960s camping had become an established family holiday standard and today camp sites are
ubiqitous across Europe and North America.[7