United by Blue’s Tent Rental Program allows urbanites to escape easy-peasy

Camping is one of those things that sounds great and cheap in theory. You pack up a car, head to the woods, bring food that you can cook over a fire and enjoy nature without thousands of humans around you.

Recently, I’ve been feeling the camping bug. Once I heard the hype for Worlds End State Park, we decided to get away for a weekend.

Adventuring in the Worlds End… of PA

A three and a half-hour drive from Philly, the 780-acre Worlds End State Park is in the Endless Mountains and pretty remote. On the drive home, we noted how we didn’t even see any litter.

Planning a Camping Getaway

Before we escaped the urban jungle, we had a little bit of preparing to do. We ran through a packing checklist and noted that we lacked a tent, cookware and other various items we couldn’t scrounge for in our perspective kitchens.

After Philly lost its Eastern Mountain Sports store in University City and Fireside Camp Supply on South Street, it’s slim pickings to get all the gear you need for a weekend away. Plus, camping gear gets pricey QUICK.

Luckily, United by Blue recently began its Get Outta Town Gear Rental program. The concept is pretty simple: go outline, pick your gear & date, hit the trails then return the goods to the store.

On our way out of town, we swung by United by Blue’s Old City location and picked up the gear. Everything was neatly packed into a large plastic bin, plus a couple of sleeping bags to carry.

En route to Worlds End, we picked up groceries since the kit includes a 45L Folding Cooler. Plus, we needed s’more ingredients for the fire…

Once we arrived at Worlds End, we had everything we needed to set up camp quickly. And despite a few thunderstorms that rolled in Friday evening to welcome in our camping weekend, the Kelty tent and sleeping bags luckily stayed dry throughout the weekend.

The setup included a tent, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, lanterns, first aid kit, and all the kitchen supplies.

On Saturday, we explored the gorgeous Canyon Vista Trail complete with waterfalls, boulders, an overlook and more. There were interesting areas to explore around every curve.

After a nice hike, it was time to explore what else Sullivan County has to offer; mainly a brewery and jaw-dropping star-filled night sky.

Having comforts of home while you go camping

Even when I’m in wildlife, I love having my dose of caffeine in the morning. Luckily, the Duo & Kitchen kits include an Aeropress Coffee Maker so you can have a hot coffee fireside in the morning before you hit the trails.

Our campsite was amazing but didn’t have a grate to cook over the fire. Luckily for us, the kit includes a tea kettle, mugs, and gas canister. The only thing missing is the coffee grounds and barista.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, and there’s no reason to skimp when you’re camping. Not sure if you’ve tried the Beyond meat products, but Beyond Sausage is a savory treat for a packed protein breakfast.

We made breakfast sandwiches grilled-cheese style, complete with eggs and seasoning. I didn’t miss the comforts of my kitchen at all.

There’s nothing like a weekend away while camping. And I’m glad there are ways to to make it happen, even if you don’t immediately own all the gear yourself.

Want to reserve your next weekend outta town? Visit UBB’s website for what’s included and pick a day to getaway:

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher