{"id":17966,"date":"2017-07-10T09:35:30","date_gmt":"2017-07-10T16:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=17966"},"modified":"2019-04-30T12:14:10","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T19:14:10","slug":"semi-rad-weeknight-camping-is-worth-your-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/semi-rad-weeknight-camping-is-worth-your-time","title":{"rendered":"Semi-Rad: Weeknight Camping Is Worth Your Time"},"content":{"rendered":"

Probably every other time I email my friend Alastair Humphreys, I get an automatic reply with the subject line, \u201cSorry: I’ve gone to sleep on a hill,\u201d and a one-line message saying, \u201cThe sun is shining so I have turned off my computer and gone in search of a hill to sleep on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Every time, I think to myself: That guy knows what he\u2019s doing. Al lives on the outskirts of London, makes his living as a writer and speaker, has a family and still<\/em> finds time to get outdoors. He\u2019s cycled around the world and done other sorts of huge adventures, but he understands the importance of small trips, as well. Most importantly, he gets out and does it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

We tend to think of camping as a big endeavor. We have to locate all our gear, load it up in the car, hope we don\u2019t forget anything important and often buy some last-minute stuff on the way out of town. It can be stressful.<\/p>\n

But then there\u2019s Al, who basically just grabs a sleeping bag and pad (and maybe a bivy sack) and heads out to sleep under the stars, because he knows it\u2019s good for him. No big deal.<\/p>\n

I have done this sort of thing before, camping on a weeknight, and let me tell you, it\u2019s fantastic. Guess how many people are at the nearest campground during the middle of the week? That\u2019s right, not very many. You pack some stuff the night before, head to work, leave directly from work, sleep in a sleeping bag somewhere that smells like trees, wake up early and make it into the office by 9:00 the next morning. And you\u2019re refreshed after a night sleeping under the stars instead of next to your smartphone. If your coworkers are the type to disapprove of you smelling like campfire, make time to shower before you head to work.<\/p>\n

Perhaps a good camping spot is a little farther from where you live and you don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible. Tell you what: Ever left work a little early because your kid had a soccer game? Do that, except go camping. Don\u2019t have kids? Leave work early for \u201ca dentist appointment\u201d\u2014and go camping. Just had a dentist appointment and are worried people at the office will notice? Take off early to drive \u201cyour great-aunt Geraldine to her podiatrist appointment.\u201d You get the picture.<\/p>\n

Maybe you don\u2019t even have to tell a little white lie to get out of work. The point is, you\u2019d check out of the office early to take care of other people, your car, your health via appointments with health professionals\u2014but you probably never take off early to take care of yourself by spending a little time in nature.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t need to pack a ton of firewood, camp chairs, a cooler full of beer and meat, and all sorts of other stuff. Keep it easy: Grab the basic stuff you need to sleep, something simple to cook for dinner (or just a burrito on your way out of town), some instant coffee and go do it. You won\u2019t regret it.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Probably every other time I email my friend Alastair Humphreys, I get an automatic reply with the subject line, \u201cSorry: I’ve gone to sleep on a hill,\u201d and a one-line message saying, \u201cThe sun is shining so I have turned off my computer and gone in search of a hill to sleep on.\u201d Every time, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26,"featured_media":51575,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[588,447,727,619],"internal-tag":[1672,1677],"class_list":["post-17966","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","tag-camping","tag-camping-tips","tag-latest-posts","tag-semi-rad","internal-tag-pre-redirect-camp","internal-tag-pre-redirect-camping"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/camp\/semi-rad-weeknight-camping-is-worth-your-time","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Semi-Rad: Weeknight Camping Is Worth Your Time","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/semi-rad-weeknight-camping-is-worth-your-time","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/semi-rad-weeknight-camping-is-worth-your-time"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/07\/VAGNINI_181208_0646-1.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2017\/07\/VAGNINI_181208_0646-1.jpg?fit=2000%2C1000"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Michelle Flandreau"}],"creator":["Michelle Flandreau"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["camping","camping tips","latest posts","semi-rad"],"dateCreated":"2017-07-10T16:35:30Z","datePublished":"2017-07-10T16:35:30Z","dateModified":"2019-04-30T19:14:10Z"},"rendered":"