Analog Camping

A Weekend Without Wi-Fi (And Why That's Kind of the Point)

There was a time when camping didn't come with portable projectors, Bluetooth speakers, and checking your email from the middle of the mountains.

You packed a tent, a cooler, a deck of cards, and that was enough.

Lately, more people have been craving exactly that. A chance to completely unplug, leave the phone in airplane mode, and remember how entertaining life can be without a screen.

Whether you're heading into the Montana backcountry or just finding a campsite with one glorious bar of service, here are a few ways to embrace an analog camping weekend.

Bring a Book (And Actually Finish It)

There are few better reading spots than a hammock strung between two pine trees.

Fantasy. Romance. Thrillers. Westerns. Memoirs.

Wherever your book takes place, you'll be traveling two places at once.

Pro tip: pack a bookmark. Dog-eared pages deserve to stay at home.

A Deck of Cards Is All You Need

One tiny deck can keep a campsite entertained for hours.

If everyone already knows Go Fish or Crazy Eights, level things up with one of our favorite camping games:

ERS

Equal parts card game and reflex challenge, ERS gets loud, competitive, and just a little chaotic.

The goal is simple: collect the entire deck.

Players take turns flipping cards into the center pile. Number cards keep play moving, but face cards change everything.

• Ace = next player gets 4 chances to play another face card

• King = 3 chances

• Queen = 2 chances

• Jack = 1 chance

If they can't, the player who laid the face card wins the entire pile.

But the real fun comes from the slapping.

Everyone races to slap the pile when certain combinations appear:

• Two matching cards in a row

• A "sandwich" (same card with one card between)

• King followed by Queen

• Two cards that add up to 10

• Top card matching the very bottom card of the pile

Slap at the wrong time?

You pay the price by adding one of your own cards to the pile.

It's loud, fast, slightly chaotic, and somehow never gets old.

Build a Campfire Worth Hanging Around

Sure, it's practical.

But it's also where the best conversations happen.

Roast hot dogs.

Toast marshmallows.

Bring steaks if you're feeling ambitious.

There's just something about cooking over a fire that makes even the simplest meal taste better.

Make Up Your Own Olympics

You don't need fancy equipment.

Grab a spoon.

Find a golf ball, ping pong ball, or even an egg if you're brave.

Now use rocks, sticks, logs, and tree roots to build the world's most unnecessarily complicated obstacle course.

If the ball falls?

Back to the start.

You'll be surprised how competitive adults become after about three rounds.

Collect Memories Instead of Notifications

Bring a Polaroid camera.

Start a camping journal.

Press a wildflower between notebook pages.

Sketch the mountain you're camped beneath.

Write down the funniest thing someone said around the fire.

These are the souvenirs you'll actually want years from now.

Leave Boredom in the Car

We've become so used to reaching for our phones every quiet moment that silence can feel uncomfortable.

Camping reminds us that boredom isn't something to avoid.

It's usually where the best adventures begin.

So this weekend...

Leave the notifications behind.

Deal the cards.

Read another chapter.

Watch the fire burn down to glowing coals.

The internet will still be there when you get home. The stars won't always wait.

Ready to Log Off?

Tag us in your next Montana camping adventure. We'd love to see your favorite reading spot, campsite card games, campfire dinners, and the little moments that reminded you why unplugging is sometimes the best part of getting away.