How to DIY Glamp: The Complete Guide to Glamping Tents, Gear & Setup

When we hosted our first Outdoorithm group camping trip, a friend showed up with a borrowed orange nylon tent covered in dog hair. Another squeezed into a tiny backpacking tent shoulder-to-shoulder with her daughter in her early twenties. Some people just slept on the ground (no pads, no cots) and woke up shivering at 3am wondering why anyone does this for fun.

Meanwhile, our family was in our Springbar canvas tent with cots, NEMO sleeping bags, string lights, and a washable rug. Same campsite. Completely different experience.

That trip at Bothe-Napa Valley State Park changed everything. For years I'd struggled to convince my city friends to camp with us. The usual response was some version of "I'm not really outdoorsy" or "sleeping on the ground isn't for me." But after that weekend, after seeing what camping could look like, I started getting different questions: "Where did you get that tent?" "What are those cots called?" "Can you send me your gear list?"

That's DIY glamping. Not the $500/night luxury camping resorts with canvas tents on platforms. Not the Instagram-perfect setups that require a staff to maintain. Just regular camping with intentional comfort upgrades that transform the experience from something you endure to something you crave.

Here's the real secret: glamping anywhere doesn't require special campgrounds or premium fees. It just requires the right gear and knowing how to use it. And once you invest in that gear, you're not paying hotel prices every time you want to reconnect with nature. You own the experience.

If you make camping comfortable, you can do it 30+ nights a year instead of once.

Quick Start: DIY Glamping Essentials

Feeling overwhelmed? You don't need everything on this page. Here's what actually matters for your first glamping trip:

Must-Have (Start Here)

• A tent you can stand up in – This single upgrade changes everything
• Something to get you off the ground – Cot, thick pad, or air mattress
• A roomy sleeping bag – Rectangular, not mummy style
• A real pillow – Not clothes stuffed in a sack
• Camp chairs that sit at conversation height

Nice-to-Have (Level Up)

• Canvas tent for breathability and durability
• String lights for ambiance
• Washable rug for your tent floor
• Powered cooler (no more soggy food)

Skip for Now (Advanced)

• Tent heaters and stoves
• Portable showers
• Solar power systems
• Starlink internet

Got those five essentials? You're ready to glamp. Everything else in this guide is about leveling up over time.

Choosing Your Glamping Tent

The single biggest upgrade you can make is your tent. Every other comfort flows from this decision.

The Capacity Truth

Capacity ratings assume shoulder-to-shoulder sleeping with zero room for gear. For comfortable glamping, plan on half the stated capacity. A 10x10 tent works for 3 people. A 10x14 tent works for 4-5.

The other non-negotiable: standing height. Justin is 6'3", and after years of hunching in dome tents, we refused to buy anything under 6'6" peak height. When you can stand up to change clothes, when you can move around like a human being, camping stops feeling like a compromise.

Standing room isn't a luxury; it's what makes a first-timer feel like they belong here.

Canvas vs. Synthetic

For serious glamping, we recommend canvas tents. The Springbar Classic Jack 140 has been our family tent for years. At 140 square feet with a 6'6" peak, it fits five cots with room to spare. Canvas breathes in summer, insulates in winter, and will outlast your kids' childhoods.

The trade-offs are real: canvas is heavier, takes longer to dry, and costs more upfront. But we've met families still using Springbar tents their grandparents bought. That's the kind of investment we're talking about.

For families not ready for canvas, the North Face Wawona 6 or Wawona 8 is an excellent synthetic option with near-vertical walls and real standing room.

For a deeper dive on canvas tents, check out our Springbar Tent Review.

The Sleep System That Changes Everything

After the tent, your sleep system is where glamping is won or lost. The ground steals your body heat. Thin pads create pressure points. Narrow mummy bags make you feel like you're in a straitjacket all night.

Get Off the Ground

Helinox cots changed our camping. They get you off the cold ground, provide a flat sleeping surface, and create storage space underneath. The difference in sleep quality is immediate.

At that first Napa trip, the friends sleeping directly on the ground were the ones who woke up at 3am. The ground pulled heat right out of their bodies. A cot plus a good pad (we use NEMO Roamer or Exped) creates a sleep surface that rivals your bed at home.

Comfort is what turns "I tried camping once" into "When are we going again?"

Sleeping Bags That Feel Like Bedding

Forget mummy bags unless you're backpacking. For glamping, you want room to move, roll over, and sleep like a normal person.

The NEMO Jazz sleeping bags open flat, zip together as a double, and feel like actual blankets. If a bag lists an EN/ISO rating, look for the "Comfort" rating; if it only lists a single number, assume it's optimistic and size up warmth.

Layer with a Rumpl insulated blanket for flexibility. Some nights you just need a light cover. Other nights you want everything you've got.

Comfort & Ambiance

This is where glamping becomes glamping. These aren't essentials for survival; they're investments in actually enjoying your time outdoors.

Flooring

A Ruggable washable rug transforms your tent floor. It defines your space, keeps dirt at bay, and makes everything feel intentional. When friends walk into our tent and see a rug, string lights, and actual furniture, their whole understanding of camping shifts.

The rug and lights aren't fluff; they're hospitality.

Lighting

Solar string lights aren't just decorative; they create ambiance that changes how you experience your evenings. Solar-powered options mean no batteries to manage. Hang them from your tent's ceiling or along your shelter.

Furniture

Helinox Sunset chairs are worth the investment. They pack small, set up instantly, and sit at a height that makes conversation comfortable. We have smaller Helinox Beach chairs for the kids.

Shelter Space

A Springbar Leisure Port or similar screen shelter extends your living space outdoors. It's where we set up our outdoor movie projector, gather during rain, and host group meals.

DIY Glamping Setup: Our 45-Minute Routine

Knowing what gear to bring is half the battle. Here's the order we actually set up camp, refined over dozens of trips:

1. Scout the pad – Check for level ground, shade position for afternoon, and proximity to water/bathrooms
2. Pitch the tent – Door facing morning sun if possible, away from fire ring smoke
3. Lay the rug – This goes down before anything else inside
4. Set up cots and sleeping bags – Leave a walkway down the middle
5. Hang string lights – Easier to do now than after dark
6. Arrange outdoor zone – Chairs around fire ring, table in shade
7. Set up kitchen zone – Cooler in shade, stove on stable surface, water station accessible
8. Load cooler and food storage – Keep everything bear-safe if required

The whole process takes about 45 minutes with two adults. The kids "help" by claiming their cots and arranging their stuffed animals.

Looking for a campground where this setup is easy? Parking close, shade available, not a long carry from the car? Camp Sage can help you find the right spot.

Kitchen Setup

For glamping, we go beyond the simple camp stove.

Cooking

The Napoleon TravelQ 285 dual-burner grill does indirect heat, which means it functions as an oven. You can bake, roast, and cook things that most people reserve for their home kitchen. For quick cooking, Jetboil Genesis burners are fast and efficient.

Food Storage

The Dometic powered cooler keeps food refrigerator-cold without ice. No more draining melt water or worrying about items getting soggy. We still bring YETI hard coolers for beverages and backup storage.

Water

A Dometic water jug with faucet beats the constant refilling of water bottles. For drinking water at campgrounds without potable water, the Guzzle H2O filter makes any water source safe. The YETI Silo water cooler keeps cold water available all day.

Advanced Upgrades (Optional)

These aren't essentials for getting started; they're for families who've caught the glamping bug and want to extend what's possible. Skip this section for now if you're just getting started.

Power

EcoFlow batteries with solar panels keep everything charged: phones, lights, speakers, even small appliances. You're not searching for outlets or rationing phone battery.

Internet

Yes, we bring Starlink Mini when we're working remotely. Some people will say that defeats the purpose, but reliable internet means we can camp more often, not less. It extends what's possible.

Climate Control (Safety First)

For cold weather glamping, the Propex PS2000 propane heater or Nu-Way 3500 tent stove with a stove jack changes everything. Our Springbar tent has a stove jack port for vented heating.

Important safety notes:

• Always use a CO detector in your tent (this is non-negotiable)
• Follow manufacturer ventilation requirements exactly
• Check campground rules: some prohibit tent heaters or stoves
• Only use tents designed for stove use with fire-resistant materials

Hygiene

The Joolca Hottap provides hot running water from a propane heater. Combined with their ensuite shower tent, you have a private hot shower at camp. The Bosch portable vacuum handles sand and dirt between trips.

Winter Glamping & Cold Weather Camping

Most people think camping season ends when temperatures drop. With the right gear, winter becomes prime glamping season.

A heated tent with a stove jack is the gateway to cold weather camping. You need:

1. A tent designed for stove use – with a stove jack port and fire-resistant materials
2. A proper tent stove – either propane (Nu-Way) or wood-burning
3. Carbon monoxide safety – always have a CO detector and proper ventilation
4. Layered sleep system – cot + pad + bag + blankets

The silence of a snowy campground, the warmth of your heated tent, the lack of crowds: winter glamping converts everyone who tries it.

For more on cold weather camping, see our Winter Camping Gear Guide.

Backyard Glamping: Your Practice Run

Here's a secret: canvas tents can stay up for weeks or months. Your backyard is the perfect place to test your glamping setup without pressure, and it's one of the best glamping ideas for beginners.

Set up your tent, arrange your furniture, try different lighting options. Let the kids sleep out there while you're still inside if something goes wrong. Learn what you've forgotten before you're 3 hours from home.

Backyard glamping is also its own legitimate activity. Some of our best family nights have been in our own backyard, marshmallows roasting over the firepit, stars overhead, kids thinking they're on an adventure.

The Investment Mindset

DIY glamping requires upfront investment. A quality tent runs $500-1500. Cots and sleeping bags add several hundred more. By the time you have a full glamping setup, you might have spent what a single weekend at a glamping resort costs.

But here's the math: you own that gear. Use it 10 times and it's $50-150 per trip. Use it 30 times (and when camping is this comfortable, you will) and you're at $15-50 per trip for an experience that rivals $400/night glamping resorts.

More importantly: you can camp anywhere. You're not limited to the locations that have glamping infrastructure. Every campground becomes a glamping destination when you bring the comfort with you. You own the experience.

Getting Started

You don't need everything at once. Here's how to phase in:

Phase 1: Sleep System

• Quality sleeping pad or cot
• Roomy sleeping bag rated for your climate
• Real pillow (don't use clothes stuffed in a sack)

Phase 2: Tent Upgrade

• Standing height tent with room to move
• Consider canvas if you're committed

Phase 3: Comfort Additions

• Camp chairs that sit at conversation height
• Lighting for ambiance
• Flooring/rug

Phase 4: Kitchen & Utilities

• Better cooking setup
• Powered cooler
• Portable power

Find Your Spot

Ready to test your glamping setup? Use Camp Sage to find the perfect campground for your first trip. Tell it what you're looking for: riverside sites, shade, easy access for unloading gear. It will find options you'd never discover scrolling through reservation sites.

Glamping isn't about escaping to luxury. It's about removing the barriers that keep you from getting outside more often. When camping is comfortable, you stop making excuses. You start making memories.

The best glamping setup is the one that gets you out there.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is DIY glamping?

DIY glamping is bringing your own comfort upgrades to regular campgrounds instead of paying for pre-built glamping resorts. With the right tent, sleep system, and ambiance items, you can create a glamping experience anywhere, and you own the gear instead of paying resort prices every trip.

How much does a DIY glamping setup cost?

A quality DIY glamping setup runs $1,000-3,000 for tent, cots, sleeping bags, and comfort items. That sounds steep until you realize a single weekend at a glamping resort costs $500-1,000. Use your gear 10+ times and the per-trip cost drops dramatically.

Is a canvas tent worth it for glamping?

Canvas tents cost more upfront ($800-2,000) but offer superior breathability, temperature regulation, and durability measured in decades. If you plan to glamp regularly, canvas is worth it. For occasional camping, a quality synthetic tent with standing room works fine.

What are the glamping essentials I need to get started?

Start with five essentials: a standing-height tent, something to get you off the ground (cot or thick pad), a roomy rectangular sleeping bag, a real pillow, and camp chairs at conversation height. Everything else (string lights, rugs, powered coolers) can come later.

Can I use a heater in a tent?

Yes, but only with proper safety measures. You need a tent designed for stove use (with stove jack port and fire-resistant materials), a CO detector inside your tent, proper ventilation, and you must check campground rules first: some prohibit tent heaters entirely.