The great outdoors offers a perfect escape from city life, with backpacking and camping as two popular ways to experience it. While both bring you closer to nature, they each offer different experiences, gear needs, and approaches. This guide breaks down the key differences between backpacking and camping to help you choose the adventure that’s right for you.
Feeling small while backpacking in the High Sierra. Photo by Dalton Johnson
What is Backpacking?
Backpacking is an adventurous way to explore the outdoors by carrying everything you need in a single pack and journeying across remote landscapes. Unlike traditional camping, which often focuses on staying in one location, backpacking is about movement and discovery, challenging you to cover longer distances while relying on minimal gear. This section covers the core aspects of backpacking, from the necessary equipment and fitness requirements to the sense of adventure and skill it demands.
Adventure and Exploration: Backpacking encapsulates the thrill of venturing into the unknown. It involves strapping on a loaded backpack and setting off on a journey through the woods, desert, or mountains. The emphasis is on covering substantial distances (8 to 20 miles a day), embracing a nomadic lifestyle while immersed within nature, and reconnecting oneself in the raw beauty of nature.
Gear and Equipment: "Travel light, travel far" is the mantra of backpacking. Lightweight and compact gear are the staples, carefully chosen to prioritize functionality without compromising mobility. What we look for in backpacking gear is determined by where we are going and the needs of the trip, but a minimalist approach ensures every piece of equipment serves a purpose, facilitating endurance during long treks.
A few pieces of gear we love and use while backpacking:
High Above hip pack; perfect for day hiking around after setting up camp
Big Agnes Flycreek 2p; our favorite tent
Duration of Stay: Characterized by backpacking’s transient nature, backpacking involves continuous movement, covering significant distances over several days or weeks. The journey itself becomes an integral part of the adventure, with each day presenting new landscapes and challenges. Sometimes you hike 5-10 miles a day, other trips you spend 20-30 miles a day. That is your choice.
Skill Level and Fitness Requirements: Backpacking demands a higher level of fitness and outdoor skills than camping. Navigating challenging terrains, unpredictable weather conditions, and carrying a loaded backpack require physical endurance, survival skills, and a certain level of outdoor proficiency.
Comfort and Pace: Emphasizing a faster pace and a nomadic lifestyle, especially when doing a thru-hike like the Tahoe Rim Trail, backpacking encourages adventurers to explore new territories and adapt to the challenges of the trail.
Using a van to camp on BLM in Sedona, AZ. Photo by Dalton Johnson
What is Camping?
Camping is a way to connect with nature at a more relaxed pace, allowing you to set up a base camp and settle into a single area. Unlike backpacking, which involves covering long distances, camping provides the opportunity to enjoy a chosen spot and make it your own, often with more comfortable gear and amenities. This section will cover the essentials of camping, from setting up a cozy campsite to the accessibility and ease it offers for all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts, whether you're a beginner, family camper, or seasoned nature lover.
Adventure and Exploration: While camping also offers adventure, it often provides a more localized experience. Campers can establish a base camp, allowing for day hikes and exploration around a specific area. The focus is on enjoying the immediate surroundings with the option for shorter excursions. Some of the top adventures while camping include surfing, mountain biking, rock climbing, hiking, and photography.
Gear and Equipment: Campers enjoy the luxury of bringing larger and more comfortable gear, as they don't have to carry it over long distances. This includes spacious tents, comfortable sleeping pads, and more elaborate cooking setups, emphasizing a comfortable and enjoyable campsite for an extended stay.
A few pieces of gear we love and use while camping:
High Above hip pack; perfect for day hiking or mountain biking around your campsite
Solo Stove, great for campfires anywhere
DoD camping king; perfect for cooking meals while camping
Duration of Stay: Camping can range from a single overnight stay to an extended period, depending on the type of camping chosen. Campers have the flexibility to decide the duration of their stay, allowing for a more leisurely experience.
Skill Level and Accessibility: While camping also requires basic outdoor skills, it may be more accessible for individuals with varying fitness levels. Car camping, in particular, provides a comfortable experience without the physical demands of backpacking, making it suitable for families and beginners.
Comfort and Pace: Offering a slower pace and a more relaxed environment, camping allows individuals to set up a base camp, providing a comfortable space to unwind, enjoy nature, and engage in various activities without the need for constant movement.
Sleeping in a tent while on a backpacking trip around Lake Tahoe, CA. Photo by Dalton Johnson
What’s The Difference between Backpacking and Camping:
Adventure and Exploration:
Backpacking and camping offer distinct outdoor adventures, each with a unique approach to exploration. Backpacking is ideal for those seeking a more intense, dynamic experience, where the journey involves trekking through challenging, often remote terrains, embracing the thrill of distance and discovery along the way. On the other hand, camping provides a more localized adventure, allowing you to set up a base camp and explore nearby areas through day hikes and shorter outings. While both options offer a chance to connect with nature, backpacking emphasizes covering substantial ground, while camping focuses on enjoying a specific location and its immediate surroundings.
Backpacking: Ideal for the thrill-seekers and those craving the excitement of venturing into the unknown. Backpacking takes you on a journey through challenging terrains, where each step brings new discoveries and unforeseen challenges. The emphasis is on covering substantial distances and immersing yourself in the raw beauty of nature.
Camping: While camping can also offer adventure, it often provides a more localized experience. Camping allows you to establish a base camp, providing the opportunity for day hikes and exploration around a specific area. The focus is on enjoying the immediate surroundings with the option for shorter excursions.
Gear and Equipment:
Backpacking and camping differ greatly in terms of gear and equipment needs. For backpacking, the focus is on minimalism; backpackers select lightweight, compact gear to ensure mobility and endurance on long treks. Every item is chosen for functionality, keeping weight to a minimum while meeting essential needs. In contrast, camping allows for more comfort and convenience, with campers bringing larger, more luxurious items like spacious tents, cushy sleeping pads, and full cooking setups. Without the need to carry everything on their backs, campers can prioritize a comfortable, well-equipped campsite for a relaxed and extended stay.
Backpacking: The mantra here is 'travel light, travel far.' Backpackers carefully select lightweight and compact gear, emphasizing functionality without compromising mobility. A minimalist approach is crucial, ensuring that every piece of equipment serves a purpose while remaining manageable during long treks.
Camping: Campers have the luxury of bringing larger and more comfortable gear since they don't have to carry it over long distances. This includes spacious tents, comfortable sleeping pads, and more elaborate cooking setups. The emphasis is on creating a comfortable and enjoyable campsite for an extended stay.
Car camping at the beach in a roof top tent. Photo by Dalton Johnson
Duration of Stay:
Backpacking and camping offer different approaches to the duration of stay. Backpacking is typically transient, involving continuous movement across various terrains over several days or even weeks, with the journey itself as the main focus. Each day brings fresh landscapes and new challenges, keeping the experience dynamic and varied. Camping, however, is more flexible and can last from a single night to an extended stay, depending on personal preference. Campers can settle in one spot for a weekend or a longer vacation, enjoying a relaxed pace that allows them to fully immerse themselves in a specific location.
Backpacking: Characterized by its transient nature, backpacking involves continuous movement, covering significant distances over several days or weeks. The focus is on the journey itself, with each day bringing new landscapes and challenges.
Camping: Camping can range from a single overnight stay to an extended period, depending on the type of camping chosen. Whether it's a weekend getaway or a more extended vacation, campers have the flexibility to decide the duration of their stay, allowing for a more leisurely experience.
Skill Level and Fitness Requirements:
Backpacking and camping differ significantly in skill and fitness demands. Backpacking requires strong physical fitness and advanced outdoor skills, as it involves navigating challenging terrains, dealing with unpredictable weather, and carrying a heavy pack. These elements demand endurance, survival knowledge, and proficiency in the outdoors. Camping, on the other hand, is generally more accessible to a range of fitness levels and skill sets. Car camping, in particular, eliminates the need to carry gear long distances, offering a comfortable experience suitable for families and beginners, with only basic outdoor skills needed for an enjoyable trip.
Backpacking: Requires a higher level of fitness and outdoor skills. Navigating challenging terrains, unpredictable weather conditions, and carrying a loaded backpack demand physical endurance, survival skills, and a certain level of outdoor proficiency.
Camping: While camping also requires basic outdoor skills, it may be more accessible for individuals with varying fitness levels. Car camping, in particular, provides a comfortable experience without the physical demands of backpacking, making it suitable for families and beginners.
Comfort and Pace:
Backpacking and camping differ in comfort and pace, with each offering a distinct style of outdoor experience. Backpacking emphasizes a faster, more dynamic pace, encouraging a nomadic lifestyle where travelers are constantly moving, exploring new territories, and adapting to the challenges of the trail. In contrast, camping offers a more leisurely and relaxed experience. Campers can set up a base camp, allowing them to unwind, enjoy the surroundings, and engage in activities without the need for continuous movement, creating a comfortable and stable outdoor environment.
Backpacking: Emphasizes a faster pace and a more dynamic, nomadic lifestyle. Backpackers are always on the move, exploring new territories and adapting to the challenges of the trail.
Camping: Offers a slower pace and a more relaxed environment. Campers have the luxury of setting up a base camp, providing a comfortable space to unwind, enjoy nature, and engage in various activities without the need for constant movement.
Car camping near Bishop, CA. Photo by Dalton Johnson
The choice between backpacking and camping boils down to your personal preferences, fitness level, and the type of outdoor experience you seek. If you yearn for adventure, the thrill of exploration, and the challenge of the unknown, backpacking awaits. On the other hand, if you prefer a more relaxed, comfortable pace, and the freedom to savor nature at your own speed, camping beckons. Whichever path you choose, both backpacking and camping promise to deliver unforgettable moments and a deeper connection with the great outdoors.
