How to Set Up Your Own Glamp Campsite
Build your own glampout with reusable comfort gear you can take from campground to campground.
Build your own glampout with reusable comfort gear you can take from campground to campground.
Going glamping usually means paying for a furnished tent, cabin, or resort setup. Glampabouting means bringing the comfort with you. Build your own glamp campsite with reusable gear, use it trip after trip, and bring comfortable tent camping to regular campgrounds instead of being limited to dedicated glamping properties.
Check the tent area, drainage, afternoon shade, electrical pedestal, and where the vehicle needs to stay.
If you use a ground tarp, get it and the tent in place before filling the campsite with sleeping gear, chairs, kitchen gear, and boxes.
At an electric site, route the extension cord before rugs, chairs, and other gear get in the way.
Set up the tent, sleeping area, power, and kitchen first. Chairs, internet, and entertainment come after that.
Instead of paying for a furnished glamping stay every trip, build a comfort system you can keep using.
Bring the setup to regular campgrounds instead of choosing only from dedicated glamping resorts and rental tents.
Your tent, sleeping setup, power, kitchen, and comfort gear stay yours from one glampout to the next.
Your glampout starts at home. If the tent goes up first, do not bury it under everything else. Keep the ground tarp, stakes, hammer, extension cord, flashlight, and rain gear easy to reach.
The Glampabout camping checklist covers the full gear load.
Before unloading, decide where the tent, kitchen, seating area, and power for your glamp setup will go. Check the ground for drainage, see where the afternoon sun will hit, and locate the electrical pedestal if you have one.
If rain is likely, see How to Keep a Tent Dry in the Rain. In hot weather, campsite shade and airflow matter too; see How to Keep a Tent Cool.
Before unloading, divide the glamp campsite into a few basic areas.
The tent, sleeping setup, bedding, and the things you need during the night.
Where the food, water, cooking gear, and any appliances or refrigerator will go.
The seating area and whatever comfort gear you use there.
The campground pedestal or portable power station and a clear route from the power source to the equipment that needs it.
The portable toilet and privacy shelter, if you are using them.
The tent is the first major piece of camp. If you use a ground tarp, put it down under the tent footprint first. Then set up the tent and secure it before unloading the rest of the campsite.
Our inflatable tent goes up first. Shelter first, everything else second.
See Glampabout Tents for the tent, tarp, stakes, hammer, and setup gear we use.
Set up the bed, cot, sleeping pad, or other sleep system while the tent is still relatively empty. Then add the bedding, pillows, and other nighttime gear.
See our camping bed setup for the setup we use. For cold-weather additions, see How to Keep a Tent Warm.
At an electric campsite, find the pedestal before placing rugs, chairs, and appliances. Route the outdoor-rated extension cord where it will stay out of doors, zippers, vehicle paths, and the main walking route.
Without hookups, put the portable power station where the gear that needs it can reach it without cords running all over camp.
See Camping With Electric Hookups for campground power and Portable Power Stations for Camping for off-grid power.
Set up the table or other surface you will use for the kitchen, then bring out the food, water, cooking gear, and appliances you use at camp.
See our camp kitchen setup and camping refrigerators page for the equipment we use.
Once the tent, sleeping area, power, and kitchen are set, bring out the chairs, rug or mat, fan, or other comfort gear you use.
See Camp Comfort for the comfort gear we use.
If you are using the portable toilet and privacy shelter, set them up before the site gets crowded with other gear. Keep them out of the main walking route.
See Camping Toilets, Portable Urinals and Showers for our sanitation setup.
Internet and movies come last. Get the tent, sleeping area, power, kitchen, and chairs set up first.
See Internet While Camping and Movies While Camping for the equipment we use after camp is established.
Before calling the campsite finished, make one quick check.
Pack in reverse order: entertainment and comfort gear first, then the kitchen, power, bedding, and sleeping gear. The tent comes down last, along with the ground tarp if you use one.
If the tent has to be packed wet, unpack it and let it dry as soon as practical rather than leaving it stored wet. Our tent rain guide covers wet-weather packing in more detail.
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