Long before camping became a weekend escape, people spent nights outdoors as part of travel, work, exploration, and everyday life. Tents and temporary shelters were simply a practical part of being on the move.
Camping as a form of recreation existed long before the modern camping industry. But in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a new style of camping began to take shape — one focused on traveling light, exploring the outdoors, and choosing camping simply for the enjoyment of it.
One person who played an important role in shaping this tradition was Thomas Hiram Holding, an English tailor, cyclist, and outdoor enthusiast who is widely associated with the development of lightweight camping.
The Man Who Helped Shape Modern Camping
Holding's love of camping began when he was a child. In his 1908 book The Camper's Handbook, he described his first camping experience at the age of nine, when he traveled across the American prairies with his family. The journey involved camping in tents and wagons over a distance of around 1,200 miles.
Years later, Holding became an enthusiastic cyclist and found a way to combine cycling with camping. He believed that people could travel with relatively little equipment, carry their own shelter, and explore the countryside independently.
In 1897, he published Cycle and Camp, describing a cycling and camping journey through Ireland and sharing practical ideas about traveling and camping by bicycle.
His approach helped popularize the idea that camping could be more than a necessity during travel. It could be an adventure in itself — a way to see new places, spend time outdoors, and enjoy the freedom of traveling with your own shelter.
When Campers Started Getting Together
Holding's ideas attracted other people who enjoyed the same kind of outdoor adventure.
In 1901, he founded the Association of Cycle Campers. In August of that year, six people went camping together in an orchard near Wantage in England. That small beginning eventually developed into The Camping and Caravanning Club, which is now one of the oldest camping clubs in the UK.
The organization continued to grow, and Holding shared practical ideas about tents and lightweight equipment with other campers. Its first magazine, Cycle Camping, was published in 1906.
Camping was becoming something people could deliberately choose as a form of recreation — a way to travel, spend time in nature, and step away from everyday routines.
From Canvas to Modern Gear
Camping equipment has changed dramatically since those early days.
Early campers relied on canvas tents, blankets, simple cooking equipment, and whatever supplies they could carry. Holding's The Camper's Handbook, published in 1908, covered everything from tents and sleeping arrangements to cooking, clothing, and camping equipment.
Today, lightweight synthetic fabrics have replaced much of the heavy canvas, while modern sleeping pads, inflatable mattresses, compact stoves, and portable lights have made camping easier and more comfortable.
But the basic idea hasn't changed.
You still choose a place to stay, set up your shelter, create a comfortable place to sleep, and spend time outdoors — just with lighter and more practical equipment.
Why We Still Go Camping
More than a century after Holding's cycling trips, people still go camping for many of the same reasons.
To wake up somewhere beautiful.
To spend a few quiet days away from the usual routine.
To sit outside after sunset.
To share a meal around a campfire.
To listen to the rain on the tent.
Or simply to slow down for a while.
The tents have changed. The equipment has changed. The way we travel has changed.
But the reason we go camping hasn't changed much at all.
And perhaps that's what makes camping so timeless.