Backpacking vs. Camping vs. Glamping (See Which One You Are)

There’s a lot of crossover between backpacking, camping and glamping. For example, I sometimes bring my portable espresso maker (definitely a glamping item) camping but sit on the ground instead of camping chairs.

Below is a breakdown of backpacking vs. camping vs. glamping. See which items you do on your trips. If they mostly fall into one category, that’s the type of camper you are.

	Backpacking	Camping	Glamping
Shelter	Minimalist tent, tarp or hammock	Family tent	Yurt, cabin or treehouse
Sleeping	Foam or self-inflating pad and sleeping bag	Inflatable mattress, sleeping bag and inflatable pillow	Cot with mattress, blankets and pillow
Food	Dried food	Canned food and instant meals	Dutch oven and cast iron meals
Water	Filter water	Jugs of water	Faucet with potable water
Cooking	Canister or alcohol stove	Campfire cooking and large canister stove	Wood stove and oven with hotplate
Refrigeration	No refrigerator	Cooler	Electric cooler
Utensils	Spork	Nesting or folding utensils	Kitchen cutlery set
Dishes	Eat from steel or titanium pot	Plastic or silicone bowls	Graniteware, ceramic or wood tableware
Coffee	Instant coffee	Portable coffee filter	French press or portable espresso maker
Kitchen	Cook on ground	Cook on picnic table	Portable camp kitchen
Washing dishes	Lick dishes clean and rinse	Bucket sink or campground washing station	Sink with plumbed hot water
Clothes	One change of wool or synthetic clothes	Lots of layers, cotton or whatever you have	Wool and down clothes for each day
Bathroom	Cathole	Outhouse	Plumbed WC
Shower	No shower	Communal campground shower or solar shower	Shower with hot water
Transport	Walk or hike to camp	Drive to camp	Taken by guide
Fees	Free or park permit	Site fee, vehicle fee, electric hookup	Nightly or tour fee
Entertainment	Talking to other backpackers	Music, games, campfire stories	Performances, portable projectors
Seating	Sit on ground or foam pad	Folding camp chairs, picnic table	Adirondack chairs, high-end folding chairs
Temperature control	No AC or heating	Electric fan, campfire	Air conditioning, wood or gas heater
Power	Rechargeable batteries or power bank	Portable solar charger, campground electric hookup	Electric hookups
Lighting	Headlamp	LED lamps and flashlights	Lanterns
Connectivity	Personal locator beacon or satellite messenger	Phone signal	Phone signal and wifi