Step off the beaten path. Sleep under the stars. Experience a nature-driven getaway without much—if any—discomfort. We’re talking about glamping, a combination of glamour and camping that’s become its own travel category.
Of course, you can rent a tent and everything you need to go glamping, but then you wouldn’t experience the joy of expressing your personal style out in the middle of nowhere. If you love living with southwestern-style furnishings at home, you’ll love them just as much when you’re in a tent. The same goes for boho (see that look here), cottage, modern farmhouse or midcentury modern. You’re you wherever you go.
Express yourself by infusing your tent with southwestern style: desert colors, rough textures and handcrafted objects with a Native American influence.
Here the bed stands ready to fight off chills with a vintage Native American blanket and a denim quilt that suggests the go-to clothes of long-ago cowpokes. Stitch a patchwork quilt or pillow top from worn-out jeans.
The rugged bedside table is made from pallets. A patterned cowhide rug adds texture at ground level.
Fake a porch with folding Adirondack chairs set up between the tent and campfire.
Nothing says “out west” like a display of a find from the range atop plaid camp blankets found at flea markets.
A hand-me-down armchair clad in buff-color faux ostrich leather stands by a drum handmade by a Taos Pueblo artisan. To create it, saturated elk hide is stretched over and under a hollowed-out aspen log, the top and bottom attached to each other with a rawhide thong. The hides shrink as they dry, creating a drum.
Howl at the moon from the comfort of an old rocking chair softened by a striped pillow.
The decor includes an arrangement of arrows (pointy sides down) and a basket of birch logs for stoking the campfire.
Perched on the corner of a timeworn door, a leather hat adds character to a bedside scene that includes a Native American pot from South Dakota. This lantern—plus two hanging from the top of the tent—enhances the interior after dark. Just be sure to keep the space ventilated and turn off lanterns before sleeping.
Glamping: Take It Outside
Consider comfort, decadence and delight as you pack the SUV for your glamping trip.
SLEEP TIGHT
Choose an extra-deep queen-size air bed with an electric or battery-powered pump. Must-bring bedding includes a cozy topper, high-thread-count linens, blankets, a goose-down comforter (if weather demands) and favorite bed pillows.
REALLY RELAX
Upgrade the sleeping area with throw pillows, a bedside table and lantern or solar-powered lamp. Use floor pillows, soft area rugs and cozy throws to warm chilly corners.
Take a comfy chair and footrest if you plan to catch up on your reading. Extra chairs may be needed for fireside sing-alongs.
LIGHT THE NIGHT
Mark campsite boundaries with solar-powered garden lights or LED flameless candles. Bring along campfire fixings. Take battery or solar-powered fairy lights to set the mood inside the tent.
DINE WITH STYLE
Buy some great cheese and artisanal bread, and don’t forget a bottle of your favorite wine. Add gourmet chocolate, Nutella or flavored marshmallows to your s’mores for fantastic flavor.
Five-Star Tents
Create your glamorous home away from home within a nature-proof tent that offers enough room to relax.
DOME TENT
A domed structure supported by multiple poles that arch over the top in a semicircle; has a detachable ground sheet.
SAFARI TENT
A large, cabin-like structure with a peaked roof held up by a pole framework; may include a platform or hard flooring.
BELL TENT
A conical shape inspired by the tepee; side walls make space for more walk-around room.
TUNNEL TENT
A tunnel-like structure supported by a series of curved poles; find one with a porch section to store gear or use for lounging.
© Caruth Studio