The Magic of Midweek Camping

If the crowd in the REI freeze-dried meals section at 7:30pm on a Wednesday is an indicator of the popularity of midweek camping, I'm way behind the curve. 

As a relatively new convert to camping, the process has always seemed like a project. It takes a lot of planning and preparation to collect the gear, pack the clothes, and buy the food, and that's before you even arrive and set up. Don't get me wrong, it's always worth the effort—it's just not something I'd ever considered doing on a weeknight. 

Then I did, and now I'm hooked. 

My boyfriend and I decided to try weeknight camping mostly out of excitement to test out our new tent. Once we floated the idea and realized we were creating an opportunity to do one of our favorite things—go outside and up a mountain—all of the objections (packing! planning! showering before work!) quickly melted away. All we had to do was find a night on which neither of us had evening plans or early commitments the following morning. 

We kept the preparation simple: on Wednesday morning, we packed up a couple of layers, toiletries, and a change of clothes/shoes for Thursday; our tent, sleeping pads, and sleeping bags; and a few utensils and our camp chairs. We planned to pick up meals from REI that evening for dinner and breakfast and coffee the following morning. We tied up loose ends after work and by early evening were on our way up Big Cottonwood Canyon to our campsite. 

Camp setup is also easy when you're staying for less than 12 hours. There's no need for elaborate cookwear, a cooler full of food, or extensive amounts of gear. We pitched our tent, rolled out our sleeping bags, boiled water on our little backpacking stove, and enjoyed our rehydrated meals to the light of our headlamps. After an hour or so of taking in the crisp mountain air, we crawled into our sleeping bags and called it a night. 

Morning brought the reverse of the above process. We woke to the sound of the creek rushing downhill just feet from our tent and dressed, ate, and packed up in less than an hour. Fast, yet oh-so-leisurely. We were down the canyon, coffee in hand, and ready for work by 8am—refreshed and recharged. I felt like I had an entire weekend in just one night. 

Yes, we have the luxury of being able to camp at dozens, even hundreds of places within a half-hour drive of our home, which makes a weeknight excursion much more manageable. This is by no means required. Find a setup that works for you, even if it means camping in your backyard. If you want, leave after dinner and come back before breakfast. All you really need is a sleeping bag and the open sky.