Leave The World Behind And Make Sports Car Camping Your New Hobby

Cars are built for the explicit purpose of being driven. Too often car enthusiasts treat these machines as objets d'art, put up on a pedestal, held at arm's length for fear of harming their value. But if you ask me, there is no higher calling for a car than to drive it. There are great driving roads to be found, gorgeous vistas to be encountered, incredible food to experience, and perhaps most importantly, wonderful people to meet. And your car can get you to all of them. Getting out of your comfort zone, packing your fun car with a few days' worth of clothes, and heading for a nice visit to a national park, a quiet campground, or just somewhere you've never been before — it can't be beat.

Too much fuss has been made in recent years, particularly in the Instagram era, about refraining from an activity until you have the right gear. It's called "gear acquisition syndrome," and it's killing our hobby. There are some who think they can't go car camping until they have the $3,000 rooftop tent, the camp kitchen, campground games, a solar shower, and a portable air conditioner. You've built a financial barrier to having fun when you should be jumping in your car with a secondhand tent you found at a thrift store, a camping pad, and weather appropriate bedding. 

As an enthusiastic car camper, my travel mantra is "Don't worry about it, it'll be fine." Don't fret about forgetting something at home. Chances are, you won't even unpack half of the things you thought you needed, and anything missing from your pack can be found when you get there. Campgrounds usually have toilets and showers, and a rooftop tent will only make your sports car driving experience more top-heavy.

The sports car experience has traditionally been about compromising your comfort for enhanced driving enjoyment. The camping experience is the same way. Maybe you'd be more comfortable in a camper with a mattress, but the raw, elemental experience is significantly more memorable.

Yet where once an enthusiast would put a weekend bag and a tent in the boot of their Sprite and head out for a weekend at the track, these days it seems most would prefer a pricey hotel room or to take their 30,000-pound diesel pusher motor home and avoid the fun roads altogether. Sometimes the American maximalist attitude is severely hampering your potential for enjoyment. Get in whatever fun car you have, aim it at a mountain, spend a day running up and down the twisty roads, grab a campsite by a lake, and relax.

Pretty much everyone is tight on cash these days, and camping doesn't have to be expensive if you don't want it to be. It's not for everyone, but sleeping outside on a warm summer night is one of those things you just have to experience to see if you like it. Whether you're going for a nice hike and building a fire, or simply enjoying a nice book, a good driving route followed by a relaxing night at camp is one of the best ways to spend a day. I could have just as much fun with $200 worth of gear packed in a fun car as anybody claims to with a six-figure overlanding rig or RV. You'll probably never remember how well you slept, but you'll always remember the joy of the journey. And if you do it right, you've spent less than a night in a chain hotel. 

Back in 2007 I went to the United States Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and because I was a broke college kid, I grabbed a campsite for the weekend across the street. One of our site neighbors was a guy dressed all in leathers riding a vintage Triumph. He pulled up to his spot, grabbed a waxed canvas out of his rolltop luggage, tied one side to his bike and staked the other into the ground to create a makeshift lean-to shelter. That was his spot for the whole weekend. I've never admired anyone more. 

Road-trip camping on a motorcycle is the pinnacle of sports car camping. Not only are you required to carry less stuff with you by dint of there being no space for more, but the experience is several times more raw and connected. When it rains you get wet, when it's cold you bundle up, when it's hot you get sweaty. But you get to see, feel, hear, and smell it all, with no filter.

Across the last 20 years I have been motorcycle camping more times than I can count, including a couple of cross-country road trips with stops to visit friends, museums, national parks, and cool cities I'd never been to. I can't recommend it highly enough. Just get out there and see the world as often as you can. There's something fulfilling about travel that you simply won't ever get by sitting at home or visiting the same coffee shop every week. Experience new, be part of the world, and have a whole lot of fun in the process. 

It kind of doesn't matter how, why, or where. Just go.