Retro camping: This is how we camped in the 1970s!
Who doesn't love the 1970s? Voluminous flares, clumpy shoes and massive sideburns were everywhere. We've dipped into the Camping magazine archive to relive that golden decade
Page contents
- The world of camping
- Europleasure tents
- 70's camping fashion
- The technologoy of the time
- About Camping magazine
The world of camping
In the camping world, tents were divided into two camps, as it were. Solo campers and couples opted for ridge tents – small, traditional shaped tents with room to sleep and little else...
![A photo of a tent being pitched Retro pic of a tent](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/solo.jpg)
![A retro photo of a campsite in the 70's Campsite in the 70's](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Grange%20Farm%20%20scene.jpg)
Meanwhile families holidayed in frame tents – big, bulky and heavy and difficult to transport and pitch.
![A couple camping in the 70's A couple out camping](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/PTC%20Igloo%20bikini.jpg)
Europleasure tents
This is the slightly dubious sounding Europleasure range of tents, whose advertising featured scantily-clad ‘dolly birds’ puffing away on cigarettes and boasted of Bell End extensions. Their catalogue was “an eye-opener” apparently.
![An advert for camping by Europleasure Europleasure advert](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Europleasure%20copy.jpg)
![A leaflet about camping at Grange Farm Grange farm camping leaflet](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Grange%20Farm%20%20leaflet.jpg)
The cost of a camping pitch was generally much cheaper then than today. Many sites didn’t charge at all for a tent and would simply charge you per person.
At one site in Northumberland for instance, campers paid 18p per night – around £1.50 today.
![A drawing of a family camping trip A drawing showing a family on a camping trip](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/70s%20scene%20drawing.jpg)
(
An artist's impression of 70s family camping. With bell-bottoms so wide you could camp in them.
70s camping fashion
Trousers were so wide in the 70s that it led to a worldwide shortage of fabric - meaning some people had to resort to wearing the skimpiest of shorts and bikinis.
![S Two women and a man in 70's clothing](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/70s%20hats.jpg)
![Two women and a man wearing 70's fashion clothing Two women and a man in 70's clothing](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/70s%20clothes.jpg)
![A couple camping together Woman leaving a tent](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/PTC%20shelter%20bikini.jpg)
![A couple wearing swimwear camping together A couple camping in swimwear](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/PTC%20Igloo%201.jpg)
![A man wearing flares while pitching a tent Black and whitie photo showing a man pitching a tent](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/flares.jpg)
![What trousers in the 70's used to look like An old photo showing 70's trousers](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Plus%204s.jpg)
Style never goes out of fashion...
![A man wearing 70's wilderness wear A man wearing 70's clothing](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Gore%20Tex1.jpg)
...but thankfully, looking like a serial killer does.
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The technology of the time
It’s tempting to think back to the 70s as a time when camping was much simpler and cheaper than it is today, but that’s not really the case.
A six-berth ‘Family Luxe’ frame tent by Black’s of Greenock would have set you back £195 - which doesn’t sound too bad until you consider that would equate to around £1,600 in today’s money.
![A photo of a tent being pitched Retro pic of a tent](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Blacks%20ad.jpg)
They are retro design classics of course, but back in 1975 the VW Caravette was the height of modernity.
![A woman loading up a VW Campervan A VW Campervan](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Camping%20cover(1).jpg)
And finally, a few more 70s ads and features.
![An advert for Robert Saunders tents Robert Saunders Tents](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Robert%20Saunders.jpg)
![Retro advert for camping equipment Adverts for camping equipment](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/tent%20ads.jpg)
![An advert for anoraks Anoraks advert](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/anoraks.jpg)
![An advert for Belstaff clothing Belstaff clothing](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/Belstaff.jpg)
![An advert for cooking outdoors Advert for cooking outside](/images/image/CAMPING/RETRO/cooking.jpg)
Expert Camping advice!
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