Modern (Camping) Conveniences

If you’re one of those people who think that "roughing it" constitutes carrying your own luggage or room service ending at 11 pm, then chances are you haven’t spent much time taking in the awe-inspiring natural beauty of our nation’s 100-year-old National Park system. While the thought of sleeping on hard ground, eating burnt hot dogs and going a week without a shower may seem appealing to some hardy earthlings, some of us find it repugnant to go without basic necessities for even an hour, let alone an entire vacation. 

That’s why REI Adventures recently developed a program designed to take the hassle and headache out of your opportunity to commune with nature; it’s called REI Signature Camping. The service was designed to cater to first–time campers and those who simply want to experience nature’s wonders without the stress and strain that is typically associated with wilderness camping.

Featuring fully appointed deluxe campsites that are outfitted with the best gear, the Signature Campsites are brimming with many of the comforts of home, including spacious tents with comfy furniture, hot showers, flush toilets and all the amenities you’d expect from REI. Best of all, each Signature Camping experience comes with its own staff of trail guides and a host who prepares mouthwatering meals and tasty treats daily throughout the trip.

With locations in up to nine national parks (including Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion, the Rocky Mountains and the Great Smoky Mountains), Signature Camping professionals do all of the set-up, meal prep and daily maintenance of a campsite, allowing their guests to relax and enjoy the sites and experiences of the park. Trips typically run from four to six days with one nine day adventure that covers all five of Utah’s national parks. Each program includes up to 12 guests, two guides and a campsite host who is there to welcome guests back from their daily excursions. 

Tim Dice, one of REI’s top Signature Camping guides, explains that the goal of the program is to introduce camping to those who aren’t familiar with the great outdoors. "It’s a fantastic opportunity for people to experience the outdoors," Dice explains. "A lot of novices come and say ‘I’ve always wanted to go camping, but it seemed impossible to do on my own.’They can learn about the equipment and gear we use, and many decide that’s their own entry into the experience. Others say ‘This is awesome, there’s no reason for me to invest in my own gear because you guys have it all here for me.’"

Founded in 2013, the Signature Camping program takes guests to a private campsite in or near a national park that is designed specifically for the group of "Clampers."

"We’ve tried to put together a collection of programs that serve the most iconic adventure destinations in the country in the National Park System that offer the kind of access that is hard to retrieve on your own," explains Justin Wood, operations manager for REI Adventures. "In some cases, we have a dedicated spot that is private land that we set up and we create a private site for the duration [of their trip]. In others, we use existing park infrastructure but we’ve... set up a real deluxe signature camp there while the group is out hiking and enjoying the destination. We take a lot of the time and energy that a lot of campers would spend establishing the camp and we’ll take care of that for them and take it to a level that they’ve never seen before."

What makes Signature Camping different?

Tent Setup: Spacious and deluxe tents fully outfitted with cots, sleeping pads, floor coverings, lighting and an assortment of camp furniture and extras.

Dining: Gourmet meals featuring local ingredients and regional cuisine, freshly-prepared onsite and enjoyed in a comfortable, relaxed atmosphere with delightful finishing touches.

Bath Setup: Bathrooms with running water, showers and flush toilets where available, or provided personal hygiene kits and access to campground bathroom facilities when not.

Evenings: Campfire and outdoor lounge area featuring state-of-the-art camp furniture, outdoor games and lots of friendly conversation.

Wood explains that the goal of the program is to open up the world of camping to those who would not normally consider it. "Camping isn’t necessarily something that you would do just because you want to save some money on a vacation," he says. "Camping is a way of experiencing the outdoors. It puts you closer to nature, it immerses you in the resource, the landscape and everything that is special about it. This program gives people a way to access that special experience of camping in a national park, but it does that in a way that takes out all the hassle and the stress by making sure that you are going to have access to hot showers and someone cooking you three amazing meals a day."

While the camping programs are open to groups of all ages, the camping guides are experts at creating adventures for families. "The family adventures are really fun, I love them," says Dice. "It’s so great to see the kids come alive in the outdoors, and it really facilitates the parent reconnecting with the joys of childhood when you are in an outdoor setting. I watch the years drop away as the adults are out there playing and giggling—it’s really a rewarding experience."

Dice recalls one woman who reported that she enjoyed the freedom of being able to play with her children without having to worry about cooking meals. "We had a mother who wrote us to say that she had forgotten what it’s like to be in a place with her family where someone else just took care of the cooking and everything," he says. "She said it was so special to be out there enjoying it all together."

Signature Camping programs range in price from about $1,000 per person for a long weekend to $2,000 for a week– long program, including ground transportation, food, park permits, camping equipment and guides. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the founding of the National Park Service, REI Adventures is donating 10 percent of the cost of each trip to support the National Parks Foundation.