Create Your Own Backyard Campground Wirecutter
Create Your Own Backyard Campground Wirecutter
After combing through all of Wirecutter’s recommendations for camping gear, we’ve come up with a collection of equipment and ideas for building a perfect backyard camping scenario without spending a fortune. However, all our picks are versatile enough that you can one day use them on family camping trips in the wider outdoors. First, the : Buying a decent one means you’ll have something that you can use for years to come. If you wish to lie down and stare at the stars while remaining sheltered from bugs, the is fantastic. Although it’s short on privacy (which is maybe not a concern in your backyard), the Grand Mesa has the widest mesh dome ceiling for full viewing of the night sky. (The tent does come with a rain fly—a waterproof, opaque tarp you can sling over the tent’s mesh top—that’s easy to put up if inclement weather surprises you.) However, the Grand Mesa may be a bit of a tight squeeze for families with more than one child, especially if everyone wants to be inside it together. Both the and the particularly easy-to-put-up , which two people can erect in under two minutes, are relatively inexpensive but built well enough to withstand a certain amount of roughhousing and backyard play. With your everyday bedding readily accessible, your family doesn’t actually need dedicated sleeping bags to spend a night in your backyard—and for sure not the kind of pricey, down-stuffed mummy bags that backpackers use. But if you’re hesitant about throwing your good comforters or quilts down onto the grass, a , such as the inexpensive , is an excellent alternative. Or, if you want something you can use on future real camping trips, you could get roomier (that is, large rectangular bags reminiscent of summer sleep-away camp) such as the or the two-person , both of which are plenty warm enough for most spring-through-early-fall camping, even out in the world. Normally, for camping at a campsite, we’d recommend , such as the , to cushion your body from the cold, hard ground. And these are excellent things to buy if you want camping gear that can leave your backyard one day. But for the decidedly less rugged terrain of your lawn, a simple —we like the or the —will do just fine and will by far be the most comfortable option throughout the night. (The Kelty Grand Mesa 4 is big enough to hold a king-size mattress; you should be able to fit two queen-size air mattresses side by side in either of the Coleman tents.) With those necessities out of the way, all that remains is to figure out the scene you want to set. Do you want to cook outside? Maybe you already have a fire pit or a grill you can use. If not, a small , such as the , is a great option and doesn’t require too much know-how to operate or space to store when you’re finished. You can also avoid a lot of shuttling food or refreshments between the house and the yard with an inexpensive such as the . At night, you may want a , or a or a classic to light your way back inside to the bathroom (or for flashlight tag). Or you might forgo all that entirely and dig out the holiday decorations, because few things inspire whimsy like the regardless of the season. As the calendar moves into the warmer months and the mosquitoes return—or, if they never left, become more active—it’s nice to have some bug repellent, such as . Approved by the EPA, it’s made of a picaridin concentrate that’s as effective as DEET without the oily smell. Or, if you’d rather not slather yourself and your loved ones in spray all day and night, repellent dispersers have improved a great deal since the era of citronella candles and coils. The battery-powered is nearly as good at foiling mosquitoes as a full application spray, though it won’t stop every mosquito and it loses some of its effectiveness in moderate winds. Although many of the items we’ve listed above can improve any camping experience, it’s important to remember that the outdoors, for the most part, remains free. To spend the night outside somewhere, anywhere—even if that somewhere is within spitting distance of your bed—what you need most of all is the willingness to indulge in the simple pleasure of it all. It costs almost nothing to throw a sheet over a stick and bundle yourself and your kids in an old wool blanket as the sun sets. And the memories you make will be just as sweet.
Real Talk
Advice, staff picks, mythbusting, and more. Let us help you. Share this postSaveBeing stuck at home doesn’t mean you can’t have an adventure, especially if you’re fortunate enough to have some outdoor space. Unlike the appeal of a long-distance hiking trip—which relies, of course, on seeing new landscapes—the magic of backyard camping, especially with children, is creating a fantasy in an otherwise familiar environment. It’s theater that you invent for yourself. And as with all good theater, no matter how minimal, the illusion is sustained in the details.After combing through all of Wirecutter’s recommendations for camping gear, we’ve come up with a collection of equipment and ideas for building a perfect backyard camping scenario without spending a fortune. However, all our picks are versatile enough that you can one day use them on family camping trips in the wider outdoors. First, the : Buying a decent one means you’ll have something that you can use for years to come. If you wish to lie down and stare at the stars while remaining sheltered from bugs, the is fantastic. Although it’s short on privacy (which is maybe not a concern in your backyard), the Grand Mesa has the widest mesh dome ceiling for full viewing of the night sky. (The tent does come with a rain fly—a waterproof, opaque tarp you can sling over the tent’s mesh top—that’s easy to put up if inclement weather surprises you.) However, the Grand Mesa may be a bit of a tight squeeze for families with more than one child, especially if everyone wants to be inside it together. Both the and the particularly easy-to-put-up , which two people can erect in under two minutes, are relatively inexpensive but built well enough to withstand a certain amount of roughhousing and backyard play. With your everyday bedding readily accessible, your family doesn’t actually need dedicated sleeping bags to spend a night in your backyard—and for sure not the kind of pricey, down-stuffed mummy bags that backpackers use. But if you’re hesitant about throwing your good comforters or quilts down onto the grass, a , such as the inexpensive , is an excellent alternative. Or, if you want something you can use on future real camping trips, you could get roomier (that is, large rectangular bags reminiscent of summer sleep-away camp) such as the or the two-person , both of which are plenty warm enough for most spring-through-early-fall camping, even out in the world. Normally, for camping at a campsite, we’d recommend , such as the , to cushion your body from the cold, hard ground. And these are excellent things to buy if you want camping gear that can leave your backyard one day. But for the decidedly less rugged terrain of your lawn, a simple —we like the or the —will do just fine and will by far be the most comfortable option throughout the night. (The Kelty Grand Mesa 4 is big enough to hold a king-size mattress; you should be able to fit two queen-size air mattresses side by side in either of the Coleman tents.) With those necessities out of the way, all that remains is to figure out the scene you want to set. Do you want to cook outside? Maybe you already have a fire pit or a grill you can use. If not, a small , such as the , is a great option and doesn’t require too much know-how to operate or space to store when you’re finished. You can also avoid a lot of shuttling food or refreshments between the house and the yard with an inexpensive such as the . At night, you may want a , or a or a classic to light your way back inside to the bathroom (or for flashlight tag). Or you might forgo all that entirely and dig out the holiday decorations, because few things inspire whimsy like the regardless of the season. As the calendar moves into the warmer months and the mosquitoes return—or, if they never left, become more active—it’s nice to have some bug repellent, such as . Approved by the EPA, it’s made of a picaridin concentrate that’s as effective as DEET without the oily smell. Or, if you’d rather not slather yourself and your loved ones in spray all day and night, repellent dispersers have improved a great deal since the era of citronella candles and coils. The battery-powered is nearly as good at foiling mosquitoes as a full application spray, though it won’t stop every mosquito and it loses some of its effectiveness in moderate winds. Although many of the items we’ve listed above can improve any camping experience, it’s important to remember that the outdoors, for the most part, remains free. To spend the night outside somewhere, anywhere—even if that somewhere is within spitting distance of your bed—what you need most of all is the willingness to indulge in the simple pleasure of it all. It costs almost nothing to throw a sheet over a stick and bundle yourself and your kids in an old wool blanket as the sun sets. And the memories you make will be just as sweet.