Microadventures are to weekdays as epics are to weekends. When we can鈥檛 escape the responsibilities of the day-to-day, they鈥檙e little ways to spice up life, like an evening hike by headlamp light, a few laps on the closest singletrack, or鈥攎y favorite鈥攃amping in the backyard. Even if you鈥檙e not venturing from your own property, there are some secrets to optimizing聽sleeping under the stars when the mood strikes.
Treat It like a Real Camping Trip
The beauty of camping in your backyard is that you don鈥檛 need any specialized gear. Making do聽with what you already have (and testing to see how minimally you can get by) is part of the fun. Have you always dreamed of bringing only a lightweight bivy and a tarp on a聽trip? Your backyard is a great low-consequences spot to see if you鈥檙e ready to take that system into the backcountry.
While the stakes are low, consider it a real camping trip and try to limit trips inside your house. I even go as far as to pack my cooler full of food and drinks even though my kitchen with a stocked fridge is a dozen feet away. Take this opportunity to bust out your camp chairs and Jetboil.
But Don鈥檛 Be Too Hardcore
As much fun as it is to pretend you鈥檙e farther afield, don鈥檛 take it too seriously. Too often, I obsess so intensely about using only the gear I bring outside with me, and not running into the house for anything, that聽I lose the benefit of a microadventure: relaxation. If your sleeping bag is wet and smells aggressively of mildew, just throw it in your washing machine and grab blankets off the bed.
Practice with a Camp Stove
Use your gear instead of your oven to keep the backyard camping trip feeling authentic, but don鈥檛 go as far as to subsist off聽gorp and ramen. Hone your camp-chef skills and try something ambitious (like cast-iron beef stroganoff)鈥攁fter all, no one will go hungry if you mess up. If it doesn鈥檛 work out, order pizza.
Turn Off Your Sprinklers
Have you ever been woken up by a direct hit from a sprinkler while sleeping under the stars? I have, twice. Unless you are specifically testing the waterproofing on your tent, double check to make sure the sprinkler system is shut off before you call it a night.
Don鈥檛 Bother with a Shit Kit
You鈥檙e only a few steps from the bathroom, you animal.