Most of us reach a point where pitching a tent in a nondescript campground and eating rehydrated food just doesn’t cut it. Creating a personalized experience that’s both pleasurable and aesthetically elevated — plus having delicious food and drink to sustain you — requires advance planning — and some shopping. Guest Editor Stephen Treffinger and veteran glamper and photographer Ashley Hafstead lead the way.
The Opposite of Roughing It, Glamping Tips
Living the good life doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen. You must plan and organize. And shop. Just how much spiffy gear you schlep is a matter of preference, but having the right tools is the difference between having a run of the mill experience and one that is legendary.
Ashley Hafstead is a master of glamping, having spent years refining what she brings along for outings with her husband, her family, and friends. “I have found that since I’ve gotten older, I like to up the ante a bit,” she says. She finds that a few creature-comforts help elevate the time away from home and makes everyone (including herself) feel taken care of.
Must-Have Supplies for Glamping
To get away from crowds and enjoy the most epic views and experiences, she and her husband prefer what’s known as “dispersed campsites”. These have no facilities and you must bring everything with you. (That includes a portable toilet.) In general, these spots are reachable by 4×4, and you typically go where there’s an existing fire ring. “It’s about protecting the land and leaving the least impact as possible.” They use the onX Offroad app to locate 4×4 roads, and carefully research the spot where they’ll end up, sharing info with a family member back home for safety. (They also have a GPS with an SOS function.)
Although she sometimes uses a ground tent, Ashley prefers an elevated model that affixes to the roof of their vehicle. It sets up quickly, as does the rest of the camp, which includes a multi-function table, chairs, stove, and more. Set up takes about half an hour. “We’ve got it very dialed in, for sure.”
How to Enjoy Your Time Glamping
Hiking and taking in the views is part of the daily activity, but the couple also enjoys all manner of games, including cribbage, Monopoly, rummy, and backgammon. Both carry books for quiet time, but good conversation is a priority. “A lot of the places we go don’t have cell service, so it’s a really great time to disconnect and just talk.”
Things need to do double duty, and this includes some versatile cow hides and sheepskins. The former can be used as a ground cover when swimming — it wicks away water and doesn’t get wet — plus it can act a barrier on damp ground; the latter is comfy to sit or lay down on. When it’s cold, Ashley lines the chairs with them to ward off the chill, or brings them into the tent to keep their feet toasty.
Cooking Tips
Careful planning yields meals that are waaaaay beyond the usual camping fare. “We eat like kings and queens when we’re out there — maybe even better than we eat at home.” To save on time, she preps nearly everything at home: making soups, pre-chopping ingredients, and organizing it all in Ziploc bags and other containers. Then it’s only a matter of heating up a cast iron skillet on the camp stove and doing the cooking. Meals can include flank steak, herbed tomatoes with burrata, melted brie with herbs, white wine, and grapes, or arugula salad with peaches, quinoa, Tajín, jalapeños, and corn.
All things considered, Ashley’s approach makes the idea of roughing it seem highly overrated.
Glamping Gear
You can bring as little — or as much — stuff as you wish. At a minimum, you will need typical camping gear, but the items below help elevate the trip from camping to glamping.
A durable, lightweight design masterpiece, the Vaquero chair is good for porches and lawns, as well as campsites.
Compact, easy to clean, and powerful, this stove gets the chef out of the kitchen but not out of his or her element.
Spices Travel Kit
With five stoppered jars and four screwcap bottles, you can pack your favorite spices, oils and vinegars.
Track your precise location while out in the wilderness.
Adjustable Roll-a-Table
When stowed away, this water-resistant table occupies a tiny storage space.
Thule Approach M Rooftop Tent
Spacious and comfortable, a rooftop tent makes your vehicle your home away from home.
Naturehike Cloud River 2 Ground Tent
A lightweight and portable tent for two. Perfect for backpacking and cycling adventurers.
Find Your Place in the Wilderness in Moab, Utah
This Eastern Utah area is home to several justifiably famous campsite, as well as popular attractions that are worth a visit.
Camping with beautiful views: The Ledges Campground; Highway 128 corridor along the Colorado River; Dubinky Well Road; Gemini Bridges. Bring cash for camp fees, pit toilet, no running water, trash and recycling in some campgrounds. As above, pack it in, and pack it out. Bring a 4×4 vehicle with high clearance.
Camping with facilities: Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park. Make reservations ahead of time for both.
While You’re in Moab
Arches National Park. Make a timed reservation via nps.gov. If you can arrive one hour prior to sunrise, you can skip the reservation. But whatever you do, go: 2,000 natural stone arches, in addition to pinnacles, fins, spires, and balancing rocks make this spot legendary.
Canyonlands National Park. One of four zones of this park, the Island in the Sky mesa soars 1,000 feet over the surrounding terrain. One of its features, Mesa Arch, is best viewed at sunrise.
Dead Horse Point State Park. Canyons, high desert woodlands and a network of trails beckon visitors to this Utah State Park.
Wilson Arch. Just a five-minute hike off highway 191, this natural arch spans 91-feet with a 46-foot high gap.
The opposite of roughing it, including a splash through Onion Creek, near Moab, UT.
La Sal Mountain Loop. You’ll enjoy incredible views across Moab Valley and Canyonlands National Park. The elevation may help you cool off a bit, as well.
Explore 4×4 trails near Moab. First, download the OnX Offroad map app, which gives location and in-depth descriptions of trails, complete with difficulty rating. Second … get your 4×4 vehicle with high clearance ready. Try Hurrah Pass; Onion Creek/Fisher Towers; Long Canyon; and Potash Road and Shafer Switchbacks.
By the waters of Green River, UT.
Story by Stephen Treffinger
Photography by Ashley Hafstead
Subscribe to TABLE Magazine’s print edition.
