It’s never too early to start planning for the perfect summer holiday - especially if you want to be as close as possible to nature and not into the enclosed space of a hotel or bungalow. 

Two of the most common ways to reach this goal is to get a tent under the open sky or rent a camper / RV situated near the beach. But which will be a better choice for you? 

Let’s review the pros and cons of both and help you pick!

 

What to choose depending on the location

Just imagine: you wake up from the sound of the waves and seagulls. You open your eyes and behold - the sea is right there - in front of you, at the doorstep of your tent or camper. Amazing and absolutely glorious picture, right?

But before you start dreaming of either a tent or a camper for summer 2022, you have to consider what are your personal answers to quite a few questions. The most important one: how much comfort would you want to have and how ready are you to dive into the wilderness. 

Why is this important? 

First of all, both the tent and the camper / RV will not be as luxurious as even some of the cheaper hotel rooms you might find on the seaside - no matter which seaside we are talking about. Nowadays it’s considered a norm for you to have an air conditioner, for example. And a tent most definitely will not offer you that, as well as a personal shower, and depending on the RV / camper, the choices might be limited. If you’re ready to live and have an amazing holiday without an air conditioner and microwave, then go ahead and dive with us into the adventure camping in a tent and/or camper is. 

Once you’ve cleared the utility question comes the financial one: how much money are you willing to spend on camping. Generally speaking, renting or buying a tent is less expensive by far than buying or even renting a camper. The prices for the latter vary a lot in accordance to what kind of utilities you want to have. The more you want - the more expenses you will have. And don’t forget - if you rent a camper from a place not at the seaside, you should also keep in mind you will have to spend more or less money on gas to get to your destination as well as pay rent for the space you will occupy. Usually the prices are for the whole season too, so you might not be as flexible as you would want to. The good news is a camper usually comes with a shower, a few square meters of personal space and the close proximity of places where you can get tasty cooked food on a daily basis, first aid and generally - more people around.

With tents, on the other hand, you can usually set it up anywhere if you’re not on private property or land that belongs somehow in a protected area. That is, unless there are special camping sites and places strictly provided for camping. 

Either way, if we’re talking about RV / camper parks and camping sites, you might be prepared to not get your morning dream. It highly depends on the location, country and restrictions that may apply.

Pros and cons of choosing a tent

A little bit earlier we started with the financial question and we’ll say it once again - even bigger tents with more luxuries than the small two-person tent you might be used to camping in are sold and rented at way lower prices than any camper you might want to rent.

What is more, you can easily fit most tents in 90% of the cars that are on the market. This means you do not need to rent an additional vehicle. Also meaning you do not need a special category to drive it to the place you will be putting it up.

Speaking of which, depending on the tent you get you will be spending some time assembling it and putting it up. This is why, before buying or renting, you should get familiar with the dimensions and the time you will need to spend on the tents’ set up. This will reflect a lot on your schedule when it comes to time for travel to that ideal spot. As well as that, you will have to keep it in mind when it comes time to pack up and go.

People who camp in tents regularly have also figured out great camping hacks for most important utilities. For instance, there are portable kitchen stoves. Let’s also not forget the barbeques and the option for outdoor grills. You basically have unlimited cooking outdoor possibilities.

A tent sounds idyllic so far, right? 

This is the truth, but only if Mother Nature is on your side. When it comes to winds and harsh weather - rain and storm, as well as heat waves, tents do not get a lot of points in the protective section. They can provide some shelter but most tents, especially cheaper ones, have only the most basic health and safety precautions, required by the laws. This means you have to be extremely careful with weather conditions like severe rains and winds. Otherwise you might end up without your tent and belongings or worse: in serious danger to safety if you’re inside it when the wind blows it out. 

Don’t brush off the sunny days too. Most tents are made from artificial materials that do give a sort of shade but can actually heat up so much you can actually suffocate inside on a really hot day. So always keep an eye on the forecast and be prepared to pack and go to a safe location nearby if needed.

Another issue you might have with a tent is the sleeping conditions. Depending on where you camp the day-night differences may vary a lot. This means as well as summer clothes for the day you might want to pack warmer ones for the night. We can also advise you to get an air mattress as well as at least two blankets. This is the only way to ensure you will be comfortable and actually sleeping and not turning all night long restlessly from the cold and the hard ground.

One last point: camping usually means close proximity to water and woods. Be prepared for a repellent of some sort. Otherwise you will most likely not enjoy the most unwanted visitors of every outdoor adventurer - mosquitoes! 

 

Pros and cons of a camper / RV

There are a few types of campers / RVs you can choose from. The most common are the travel trailer (which you pull with a car) and a motor home (which has its own engine and you can drive separately). Keep in mind for both types you might need a special drivers’ license in some countries. Make sure you research this before making the steps on renting or buying so you can actually use it. 

When we’re talking about campers and RVs, there are a lot of positives. Renting or buying one provides you with the freedom to be at home everywhere. What is more, nowadays a lot of people ditch conventional living and work for a living in a camper on the road - all year long. And it’s not hard to understand why.

A camper or RV is far less expensive than an actual house in a lot of places in the world in the 2020s. As well as that, it is mobile and you can get anywhere you want with it. And if at some point you actually want to settle somewhere for a longer time, you pay for parking instead of rent.

Campers provide space that can be utilized smartly and carry all you need for a holiday, two-month long vacation on the seaside or a road trip through the country. You will have comfortable beds, a kitchen with normal cooking plates and fridge that can be hooked up to additional water or electricity. This is very important in bad weather, because you can still cook - even if you can’t light a fire outside. You can even get a shower you can set up. Most importantly - you have a private toilet you can use. Here we have to make a note, though - this is one of the utilities that requires checking and cleaning most frequently, so you have to calculate it in your budget, depending on how long you will use the camper. 

When it comes to weather conditions though the camper beats the tent in the race for comfort and safety. It provides shelter - from winds, rains, storms and heat all the same. You get it inside but also - on the outside since most campers have a folding shade on one side. You can hide in it from wildlife too - insects as well as predators of most kinds. This makes the camper a very preferred way to travel and vacation in - even with kids.

Keep in mind that as every other vehicle a camper needs you to care for it, check it and supply it with the needed oils, tyre changes etc. If you only rent it for a summer vacation you will not need to worry about all of these things though. Your gas expenses will also be higher. How much - it depends on the kind of a trailer you choose. 

One last thing you should also consider is you cannot drive as fast as you might want with a trailer. They are generally slower and if you get a travel trailer, it will be difficult to stop at drive throughs and some parking lots and gas stations. As well as that, prepare more time for setting up and taking down the trailer on arrival and departures - they are way more time consuming than a tent.

 

Would you choose a tent or a camper for your next summer adventure? Let us know in the comment section!