There are many shelters to use when backpacking from simple tarps to hammocks to palatial 4-season tents big and stout enough to weather out a blizzard.

But my favorite way of sleeping outside is the simplest: Under the stars, aka “Cowboy Camping.”

Why sleep under the stars when shelters are so light in addition to being quick and easy to set up?

I have a few reasons why I enjoy cowboy camping:

•  Simplicity – thrown down my ground pad, layout my quilt, and set up some essential gear for the evening. I am good to go. It takes minutes to set up and minutes to repack in the morning. I am on the trail again quickly in the morning hours. Naturally, finding a spot at night is more manageable, too.
• Immersion – I feel more in the wilderness when there is no barrier between myself and my surroundings
• Aesthetics  – I find looking up from my sleeping bag or quilt at the stars above to be one of the most beautiful parts of the camping experience
• Romanticism – Under the stars, sometimes by a campfire and nestled in the trees… A bit of the romance of the cinematic version of the  American West experienced in real life.

Continue reading Cowboy Camping – My blanket is the stars above at PMags.com.