Brit Singer Camps In Search of E.T.

Some of us camp for solitude, silence, and to commune with nature. Others enjoy getting off the grid as a challenge to test their personal and physical limits. Still others simply enjoy testing shiny new gear.

Guess what? We're all suckers: We should be camping to find aliens and UFOs.

Then we'd be like British singer Robbie Williams, who allegedly enjoys gallivanting in the California wilderness near his L.A. home to search for signs of extraterrestrial life, according to The Sun, the U.K.'s last bastion of high-quality reportage. They even found a source who was generous enough to share anonymous information about Williams' new camping habit. Imagine that.

“Rob has been taking pals out to the woods for long weekends. He wants to live like a cowboy in a Western. He also has a fascination with UFOs and thinks he has more chance of seeing one away from LA’s bright lights.”

Supposedly, Williams has purchased "a tent, cooking gear, sleeping bag, survival equipment and all the best outdoor threads," for his outdoor adventures. Unfortunately, they don't specify whether he went for ultralight over pack right, eVent over Gore-Tex, or down over synthetic. Hopefully Robbie found time to consult our Editor's Choice gear list or use BACKPACKER.com's Gear Finder before embarking on his exobiological expedition.

In a rare break from classy British journalism, the gossip piece insults Williams and his new hobby, calling him a "beardy pop knob," "oddball," "paranoid lump," and "camp as a row of tents."

Ignore the haters, Robbie, and welcome to the fold. We'll camp with you anytime — UFOs or not.

— Ted Alvarez

Robbie camps it up (The Sun)