How Less can be so Much More: Tiny Houses and Summer Camp Cabins

14' x 14' Microhouse

“Better Living Through Simplicity” is a slogan I heard recently, and I thought - what a great way to describe summer camp! As it happens, it was not a tagline for camp. Rather, it is the slogan for the Small House Society – an organization founded in 2002 to “promote smaller housing alternatives which can be more affordable and ecological.” At the heart of the “small” or “tiny house” movement is, as the slogan suggests, the concept of simplifying life. As I read about this interesting take on modern culture, I found myself reminded of my earlier years… recalling a yearly event of my youth: Opening day at camp.

It always seemed like I had a lot to pack in my old camp trunk – and my dad always insisted that I’d over-packed. But year after year, that trunk, my Camp Pinnacle laundry bag and my bandana quilt comforter (homemade, of course!) would fit in the back of dad’s Volvo station wagon without even putting the seats down. We would arrive at camp early (so I could get a top bunk), unload my few items, and the adventures of the summer began. Talk about a simplification of life. For weeks, you live with the contents of your camp trunk spread out on 2 feet of shelf space and a couple of hooks above your bunk. Can you imagine living that simply as adults?

Members of the Tiny House movement can and do. Loosely defined, a house is a “tiny” house if it is less than 1,000 SF, though many people make due with houses as small as 80 SF. Can you imagine living on an 8 foot by 10 foot footprint? How do these folks do such a thing? Through figuring out the smartest way to use their space, spending a lot of time in the great outdoors; by using vertical storage and lofted beds, and by – frankly – getting rid of a lot of stuff they don’t need.

To be sure, this lifestyle takes commitment (and I’m sure it is not without frustrations), but tiny house dweller after tiny house dweller speaks to the freedom and empowerment they feel through challenging the social norms of housing-related debt and unnecessary material possessions. Once again, all of these things remind me so much of the purpose of camp, and how the simplicity of camper cabins support that purpose – the experience of nature, of simplicity, of carefree fun.

Turns out, tiny house dwellers draw that connection as well. As one blogger writes:

“When we were thinking about what kind of cabin we wanted, we found we were inspired by two things: the utilitarianism of houseboats, as well as summer camp buildings, with their exposed framing and unapologetic woodiness.”

(view their excellent 180 SF house on a tiny island in British Columbia here)

180 SF house in British Columbia

The aesthetic of “unapologetic woodiness” is found in many structures these days, not just little houses and cabins (read about WholeTrees in our post from December). Many people cite transparency of materials as the reason for exposed wood, embracing a “no frills” approach. I think most people would admit to feeling a certain comfort when surrounded by wood and trees – even if it’s just wood paneling in your grandfather’s den. As camp designers, we certainly are fond of incorporating organic elements of nature into our designs as often as possible. For people in urban settings, there are many tiny house designs that feature a more modern material selection, such as this concept plan that one of our architects completed for a 14x14 SF plot in Cleveland.

This simplicity of aesthetics, of living, and forcing yourself to work with what you have are lessons that can be learned both from tiny house living and summer camp. How could your life benefit from a little paring down? A little less clutter in your living space might translate into a little less clutter in your thoughts; simpler entertainment for your children might let their imaginations run free a little more. In this hectic modern world, it often feels that “time is money,” but wouldn’t it be nice if every now and again time got to be simply… time?