Over the past year I have had a lot of time to explore California and HipCamp is one of my go-to websites for finding really unique off the backcountry camping, car camping and Glamping experiences that are not listed anywhere else. As we kick off summer I wanted to share five unique camping and clamping trips I have take in California and everything that I packed with me to make them the most amazing experiences.

Popcorn, coffee and cheese. That would be my list of non-negotiable foods in life (peanut butter coming in a close fourth). I think the inclusion of popcorn in this top three stems from a Sunday night tradition in my childhood home - fighting with my brothers over who got to climb up on the counter top and microwave the butter as my dad popped popcorn for our weekly standing movie date. The seven of us, a silver bowl of almost comical volume filled to the brim with salty, buttery goodness and a movie that more often than not would be shut off before it finished due to a few sets of extremely heavy eyelids. Being far away from home I have found myself drawn to the familiar including, of course, a bowl of popcorn popped on the stovetop before bed.