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Camping is an outdoor recreational activity involving the spending of one or more nights in a tent, primitive structure, a travel trailer or recreational vehicle at a campsite with the purpose of getting away from civilization and enjoying nature. Camping describes a whole range of activity, from survivalist campers who set off with little more than their boots to those who arrive in large recreational vehicles equipped with their own electricity, heat, and patio furniture.

Camping as a recreational activity did not become popular until the early 20th century. It continues to be a response to the increasing urbanization and isolation of Western society. Camping is often associated with a sense of nostalgia or of romanticism for 'the times of our fathers'. It simultaneously evokes images of 'oneness with nature' and 'man against nature' - independence and self-sufficiency. Camping may be referred to colloquially as roughing it.

Camping may be an end unto itself, but often it is in conjunction with other activities, such as hiking, swimming or fishing. (It may be combined with hiking either as backpacking or as a series of day hikes from a central location.) National parks and other publicly owned natural areas of interest are popular venues for camping. Camping is often restricted by law to designated sites in order to prevent campers from damaging the environment.

1 Types of camping

Campers span a broad range of ability and ruggedness, and campsites are designed accordingly. Most campers prefer to use sites with special facilities such as fire rings, bathroomA bathroom is a room that may have different functions depending on the cultural context it is used in. In the United States of America a bathroom commonly refers to the room containing a toilet. This is not the case in other countries where a room contais and utilities, but not all campsites offer similar levels of development. Campsites can range from a bare piece of grass to a level paved pad with sewer and electricity. These latter are often designated for the use of handicappedThe term disability , as it is applied to humans, refers to any condition that impedes the completion of daily tasks using traditional methods. National governments and global humanitarian agencies have narrowed this definition for their own purposes, onl campers. (For more on facilities, see the campsite article.)

Tent camping commonly employs an automobileAn automobile usually called a car (an old word for carriage) or a truck is a wheeled vehicle that carries its own engine. Older terms include horseless carriage and motor car with "motor" referring to what is now usually called the engine. The act of ope to transport equipment to an established campground, although sometimes a pack animalA pack animal is a beast of burden used by humans as means of transporting materials by attaching them so their weigh bears on the animal's back; the term may be applied to either an individual animal or a species so employed. Many ungulate species are tr, boatA boat like a ship, is a buoyant vessel designed for the purpose of transporting people and possibly goods across water. A boat is usually smaller than a ship. Some boats are commonly carried by a ship or on land using trailers. A boat consists of one or or bush planeCitabria Scout. Note the giant tires, for use on rocky surfaces. A bush plane is a general aviation aircraft serving remote, undeveloped areas of a country, usually the African bush, Alaskan and Canadian tundra or the Australian Outback. The most common b may be used. Some people camp with tents because they feel that camping with a trailer (caravan) or motor home detracts from the experience of being out-of-doors. Because the gear is both relatively inexpensive and rugged, and can be used for years, tent camping is popular with young families. Children tend to enjoy camping. Tent camping sites are often less expensive than campsites with full amentities. Most of them allow direct access by car. Some "walk-in" sites can be reached only by a brief walk, but do not require full backpacking equipment.

Recreational vehicles are more like wheeled houses—some cost more than houses—and some are outright luxurious, featuring air conditioningNote: in the broadest sense, "air conditioning" can refer to any form of " heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. This article is specifically about the use of refrigeration for this purpose. The first album of the pop group Curved Air was Airconditi, bathrooms, kitchens, showers, satellite TV and even Internet connections. RV campers often choose these devices because they consider tent camping uncomfortable and too much work. In the United States, many campgrounds offer "hookups" where motorhomes are supplied with electricity, water and sewer services. Some retiree s in the U.S. sell their homes and lead a nomadic lifestyle in their RVs, often moving with the seasons.

Survivalist campers learn the skills to survive out-of-doors in any situation. This activity may require skills in obtaining food from the wild, emergency medical treatments, orienteering, and pioneering.

There are also people who vacation in established camps with cabins and other facilities. Many children are sent to camp for periods during the summer. Some camps have the traditional woodsy orientation, some are operated by religious institutions, and children's camps may be specifically educational. Hunting camp s are common in some regions, among both subsistence cultures and some developed ones.

The term camping may also be applied to those who live outdoors out of necessity (as in the case of the homeless) or for people waiting overnight in very long lines (queues). It does not, however, apply to the lifestyle of societies whose technology does not include sophisticated dwellings.