Poll: What’s Your Take on Glamping?

The first time I heard the term “glamping” I nearly snorted the coffee I was drinking out my nose. Glamor plus camping? Please. I thought it was the silliest thing ever, another example of mainstream merchants trying to commercialize the outdoor experience by softening it.

As time has passed, my position on glamping has evolved. The term is used to describe everything from objectively luxurious accommodations to simple platform tents, and looked at it in comparison to backpacking, even van life is a kind of glamping. And if someone wants to sleep outside, who am I to judge?

It’s this idea of judgment that is at the core of asking the question today. The outdoor culture and industry are well-known for their judgments, for plotting outdoor folks on a spectrum from hard core to no core and applying worth accordingly. This elitism comes at the expense of alienating many, from people of color to those who might have more than 12 percent body fat, aren’t comfortable clipping into SPDs, or, god forbid, want to be outside to look at birds. Should we judge? Can we celebrate extreme performance without diminishing the value of less-committed pursuits? And where does glamping fit in?

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WIN SMITH SUNGLASSES JUST BY VOTING
This week, one poll participant will receive Smith Optic’s Lowdown sunglasses. We’ll pick the winner via random number generator (and announce it here) – all you have to do to enter is vote and leave a comment so we have your email to contact you. Must have a U.S. or Canadian address. Contest ends Sunday, July 24, 2016, at midnight PST.

LDCPBRMT