Spotlight on Glamping Structures - Cabins
MAKING THEIR FIRST APPEARANCE AROUND 3,500 B.C. IN SCANDINAVIA, CABINS ARE ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR STRUCTURAL DESIGNS USED IN MODERN GLAMPING. WE’LL DIVE INTO THE HISTORY OF THE CABIN, EXPLAIN WHAT SEPARATES IT FROM A HOUSE, AND HIGHLIGHT GLAMPTUARYS AROUND THE WORLD THAT OFFER GORGEOUS CABINS TO RELAX IN AFTER A DAY FULL OF ADVENTURES.
Location - Lone Mountain Ranch - Big Sky, Montana
Growing up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, we always took a trip at the end of the summer to a lakefront resort up north to celebrate one last time before school started again. We’d try a different resort every year to mix things up, but the one thing that remained a constant was that we stayed in a rustic cabin.
I remember no matter what resort we visited, there was always a light hint of mildew in the air as we entered our new home for the week. The furniture was basic and it rested upon a bright green or blue carpet.
Me and my brothers would burst into the cabin as quickly as we could to nab the best bed (even though they were all grouped in one room and exactly the same). Once we laid claim to our resting spot, we’d barrel out the front door and run straight to the lake as my parents were left to unload the family truckster and prepare our cabin for the week-long stay.
For me, any time I hear the word ‘cabin’, a warm feeling washes over me as I think back on these treasured times. Life was simple. We spent quality time together as a family. We met other smiling faces who came to experience a slower pace for awhile. We were “getting away from it all” - and I loved it.
Me at 8 years old admiring the view from our cabin somewhere in Minnesota
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I was glamping.
Our family started this tradition in the early 80’s, which is well before glamping became an officially recognized word in the Oxford Dictionary. So technically, I have been glamping my almost my entire life. I think many of us are unknowingly glampers…and the goal of the Glamptuary Blog is to give ‘experiential glamping’ a proper name and place to live.
As we help to define glamping and its place in experiential outdoor hospitality at Glamptuary, and all that it entails, we’d like to bring clarity to the types of structures you’ll find during a glamping trip. Some structures are more expected in the glamping world - like safari tents or geodesic domes. Since cabins have occupied their own category for awhile in the outdoor hospitality world, we though it’d be a good idea to get granular about the cabin and how it fits into glamping.
The word has gone through a few iterations throughout history and across the world, beginning in around 1540 with the French word ‘cabane’ - which meant a “secret storehouse, treasure chamber, or small room.” Later, in the 1700’s, the word resurfaced as a small room on a ship from the German word ‘kabhuse,’ which meant “wooden cabin on a ship’s deck, or a freight-train car.” Finally, in 1898, the word ‘cabana’ surfaced in American/Spanish language which means “hut.” From there, the word morphed into what we use today to describe the following:
cabin (n.) - a small shelter or house, made of wood and situated in a wild or remote area.
Oldest wooden cabin in the world - Circa 1200 - Kirkjubøargarður - Faroe Islands
Credit for the first cabin structural design goes to the Scandinavian folks living in Norway, Sweden and Finland. In fact, it was the Scandinavian immigrants coming to North America and bringing their designs with that essentially helped define what we know today as the cabin.
Oldest home still standing in Norway - Circa 1300 - STÅLEKLEIVLOFTET
This design was popular because it provided for the basic interior spaces needed and could be erected fairly quickly as long as there was a supply of logs and loose earth for bonding. It was also very durable and could withstand weather + natural phenomenon such as cold temperatures, wind, and heavy precipitation. It also provided a safe haven from apex predators such as bears, wolves, etc.
Back in the 1700’s, 90% of the world’s population were farmers who spent most of their time outside of the home. Today, farming comprises 25% of the world’s population due to the industrial and technical revolutions.
Post the 1950’s, U.S. home designs have become more elaborate because we began spending more time living and working inside.
Today, home designs definitely skew towards abundance, decadence, and fancy finishings.
These shifts helped to re-define the ‘cabin’ as a type of home. What separates the the cabin from the home now are size, cost, materials used, and function (with function being the largest defining difference). I say this because I’ve certainly seen some cabins that dwarf most primary homes in size, cost and materials. The one thing that seems to be a constant since I was a kid though, is that people view cabins as a recreational dwelling vs. a primary home.
Growing up, I always associated a cabin with a lake. The world is a smaller place when you’re young. Now that I have more worldly travels under my belt…I know cabins are near rivers, in the mountains, valleys, frozen tundras, arid deserts, and anywhere else you can imagine needing a durable shelter that can withstand the elements, and the test of time.
Below are some Glamptuarys that offer this timeless “all-season” structure, along with amazing on-site experiences, that we’re adding to our bucket list:
TRIPLE CREEK RANCH - DARBY, MONTANA
CAMP WANDAWEGA - ELK HORN, WISCONSIN
KUDHVA - CORNWALL, UNITED KINGDOM
VASILIKIA - PAVLIANI, GREECE
ARCTIC BATH - HARADS, SWEDEN
THE HIDEOUT - SHELL, WYOMING
Cabins are the glamping structures that offer the closest connection to the feeling of staying in a home. One could think of it as a ‘gateway to glamping’…if one were so inclined. And if cabins are what hooks you into the glamping life, we’re good with it.
Safe travels everyone!
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