Weekly Quest · Adventure
Backyard Campout
The Backyard Campout is Week 39 of Outside's 52-week family quest calendar — a one-night sleep under the open sky that turns your own yard into the first page of a longer story. Families earn the Backyard Expedition badge by showing up, setting up, and paying attention to the world right outside their door. Simple as that, and worth every minute.
This page is the official public web guide for the Backyard Campout quest (quest-39), Week 39 of Outside's 52-week family adventure calendar, available in the Outside family adventure app. The quest asks families to sleep outside for one night in a backyard or safe nearby campsite, earning 500 XP and the Backyard Expedition badge at Medium difficulty. The guide covers how to plan and run the overnight well, age-specific tips for kids roughly 4 to 14, and what families gain from the experience. Outside is a family adventure brand and app built around weekly outdoor quests designed to build confidence and connection through exploration.
| XP | 500 |
|---|---|
| Time | Overnight |
| Week | 39 of 52 |
| Badge | Backyard Expedition |
| Difficulty | Medium |
Why this night matters
There is a particular magic that arrives right around dusk when the familiar backyard becomes something else entirely. The light changes, the sounds shift, and the kids who have run through that grass a hundred times suddenly notice a cricket they never heard before. That is the whole point of the Backyard Campout.
This is Week 39 of Outside's 52-week family quest calendar, and it earns its place because it asks almost nothing of your logistics and delivers a great deal in return. No long drive, no reservation, no complicated gear list. Just your family, a patch of ground you already own, and a night worth remembering. Families who complete this quest in the Outside app earn 500 XP and the Backyard Expedition badge.
How to run the night well
Start the conversation before you start packing. Ask the kids what they are hoping to discover out there. Write it down or just say it out loud. That small act of anticipation does more than any gear upgrade ever could.
Set up your shelter with time to spare before dark. Whether that is a backpacking tent, a canvas wall tent borrowed from a neighbor, or a tarp strung between two trees, getting it squared away in daylight means everyone settles in calm instead of frustrated. Lay out sleeping bags, find the flashlights, and then just let the evening happen.
A few things that help:
- Eat dinner outside before dark so the campsite feels established by bedtime - Keep a simple snack tucked away for the middle of the night, because someone will ask - Agree on a wake-up plan so the morning has its own small adventure built in - Leave the phones inside except for the Outside app itself
Making it work for every age
For kids around 4 to 6, the whole adventure is sensory. They want to feel the sleeping bag, hear the night sounds, and see the stars if the sky cooperates. Keep expectations loose and let wonder do the work. If they end up sleeping inside at 10 p.m., that is fine. The attempt counts.
Kids 7 to 10 are ready for a little responsibility. Let them help stake the tent, carry the water, or be in charge of the flashlight inventory. Give them one thing to watch for during the night, like listening for an owl or tracking whether the wind picks up.
Teens 11 to 14 often warm up to this quest when they are given real latitude. Let them choose the campsite spot in the yard, plan the dinner, or navigate the Outside app steps themselves. Ownership converts skeptics faster than enthusiasm does.
What families take home
This quest builds three ambient skills in the Outside app: camping fundamentals, basic shelter setup, and outdoor comfort. Those are not small things. Knowing how to sleep outside and wake up glad you did it is a foundation for every bigger adventure that comes after.
Beyond the skills logged in the app, families report something harder to quantify. Kids who spend a night outside together tend to talk more, ask better questions, and sleep harder than they expected to. Parents often say the Backyard Campout reminded them that they do not need to travel far to have a genuine experience. The distance between your back door and your sleeping bag turns out to be just far enough.
Complete your quest in the Outside app
The Backyard Campout is tracked as quest-39 inside the Outside app. The in-app steps walk your family through four moments: talking about what you hope to discover, heading outside without rushing, noticing something new and naming it out loud, and capturing a photo or a feeling before the adventure closes.
After your night out, the app will prompt you with a reflection question: what was your favorite moment of this adventure? Take a few minutes with that one. The answers kids give are often the ones parents remember longest. Once your family marks the quest complete, the 500 XP and Backyard Expedition badge are yours, and the calendar moves toward Week 40.
Describe one sound you heard last night that you had never noticed before, and write down where you think it came from.
Frequently asked questions
What if we do not have a backyard?
A safe nearby campsite works just as well. Think of a trusted neighbor's yard, a local park that allows overnight use, or a community green space your family already knows. The goal is sleeping outside together, not sleeping on your own property specifically.
What gear do we actually need for one night out?
The Outside supply list for this quest is intentionally short: comfortable shoes, water, and a sense of curiosity. Beyond that, a tent or tarp for shelter, sleeping bags or blankets appropriate for the overnight temperature, and a reliable light source cover the practical basics. You do not need to buy anything new to complete this quest.
What happens if a young child cannot fall asleep or gets scared?
Let them come inside. The Backyard Campout is about building comfort with the outdoors, not testing endurance. A child who spends two hours under the stars and then sleeps in their own bed has still had a real adventure. Try again in a few weeks and you may be surprised how much ground they have gained.
How do we track and complete this quest in the Outside app?
Open the Outside app and find quest-39, Backyard Campout, in the Week 39 slot of the 52-week family quest calendar. Follow the four in-app steps during your overnight, then complete the reflection prompt when you are finished. The app awards your 500 XP and the Backyard Expedition badge once you mark the quest complete.