New England Travel

In Massachusetts, Hipcamp has seen more than 1,000 searches filtering for car camping sites.

There’s a type of camping that requires only a car and it’s surging in popularity this season, according to Hipcamp.

“Car camping” is when campers park at a campsite and sleep in their car rather than a tent. These campers are looking for sites with level ground, easy vehicle access with a comfortable amount of room, privacy, and, if possible, nearby bathrooms and showers, according to Hipcamp, a marketplace for outdoor stays.

Hipcamp noticed that the mention of car camping in its reviews has more than doubled in the past four years. The site recently added a “car camping” filter and says the interest was immediate: car camping jumped to the fourth most popular rig filter within weeks.

In Massachusetts, Hipcamp has seen more than 1,000 searches filtering for car camping sites, according to the site, and car camping is now ahead of pop-up campers and Class A RVs in search volume.

So what’s the appeal?

“It’s lighter. Simpler. Lower-commitment. Easier to drive. Easier to park. Better on gas. And often a much more realistic fit for a quick weekend than a bigger, dedicated setup,” wrote Hipcamp.

In many cases, campers are sleeping in ordinary vehicles, making the most of what they’ve already got, wrote the site.

Some Massachusetts spots where folks can car camp, according to Hipcamp:

— Birch and Pine in Somerset, called “a secluded retreat” and great for accessing Bristol, Newport, and the South Coast (from $48 per night)
— Cozy Wooded Nook in Carver, described as “a cozy couple acres” near cranberry bogs and a good base for exploring Plymouth-area beaches (from $50 per night)
— Rosy Goat Farm in Gilbertville, a 13-acre homestead with goats, pigs, and chickens (from $62 per night)

Have you tried or would you try car camping? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments or by e-mailing us at [email protected].