All of the fires, heat, hurricanes, tornados, and overall rebellion Mother Nature is having against us all right now, has many people fearful to go outside. Oh, and don’t forget that we’re still in the middle of a pandemic, so there aren’t many options for date night anyone. But don’t let all of the bad going on outside force you to cancel that camping trip you had planned for Labor Day Weekend with your S.O.

Indoor Camping is totally a thing and it’s actually a really fun Quarantine Date activity! A few weeks ago, I surprised my boyfriend with an indoor camping night and he absolutely loved it. It was the perfect and unexpected way to unwind after a long work week.

The set up was pretty easy for me since I have been camping my whole life and was even a Summer camp counselor back in the day. The tricky part was finding the space in a small, Los Angeles apartment. I was going to use the living room, but luckily for me, one of my roommates had just moved out and I had a couple of weeks until a new roommate moved in, which meant there was an entirely empty room available! Bingo!

I pitched the tent, blew up the inflatable mattress, grabbed a bunch of cozy pillows and blankets, hung some battery operated lights, and BAM, indoor camping was a go! Once the tent was set up, I placed some candles on the window sill to add to the ambiance and ordered a dinner you wouldn’t quite get if you were camping unless you planned on doing some professional fishing! The last move was to prepare my laptop with Netflix! Everything was looking perfect and ended up being really perfect too! The twinkle lights helped make it feel like we were outdoors, but the air mattress kept us comfortable while we binged shows.

Here’s How to Have Your Own Indoor Camping Date Night

What You Need:

• Tent - Any simple tent will do! I used a two-person tent that only had two poles, which made it possible for me to pitch it by myself. Anything larger than that, and you’ll need another pair of hands! You can get a small 2-3 person tent at Walmart for under $30.

• Space - I totally get that not everyone has a spare, empty bedroom to pitch a tent in, but that’s okay! You can easily do this in your bedroom or living room by just shifting some furniture around! Plus, if you place the tent just right, you could even watch a movie on your TV instead of on a laptop.

• Bedding - For more of a glamping vibe, I recommend using an air mattress as your bed for the night. However, make sure that you place the deflated mattress in your bed, and THEN inflate it while it’s inside. It’s REALLY hard to try and squeeze in a fully-blown air mattress into a tiny tent door. If you don’t have an air mattress, you can go the traditional camping route and use a good, old fashioned sleeping bag, like this one from REDCAMP. If neither of those is a good option for you, you can easily use your comforter or a few soft blankets for the base and cover yourself up with even more blankets! Don’t forget to add a bunch of fluffy pillows!

• Lights - The lights are what bring in the starry sky vibes to this indoor camping experience! I wouldn’t recommend using lights that require an outlet, because it’s difficult to run a cord in and around a tent. Instead, try using a battery-operated set like these remote-controlled twinkle lights you can get for $11 on Amazon!

• Snacks - Let’s face it, the best part of camping is the S’mores!! So, let’s bring the s’mores to the campsite, minus the campfire! Some good S’ mores alternatives are cookies & cream ice cream, Rocky Road candy bar, or make a deconstructed s’ more at home with chocolate pudding, whipped cream, and crushed graham crackers in a cup! 

• Entertainment - I’m a Netflix girl, so my go-to for indoor camping is always a movie night! But, there are other things you can do during your indoor camping date. You can swap telling ghost stories, listen to music together, or play a fun couples game like BestSelf Co.’s Intimacy Deck!

• Extras - You can add anything extra special that you want. Order takeout, add some woodsy-scented candles to make it more authentic, or have a pillow fight! Whatever sounds fun to you will work!