I’ve never been outright opposed to the outdoors, but I’ve long felt that the outdoors and I don’t always make a good team.

Ever since I was little, I’ve been clumsy, prone to sweating profusely, and I seem to suffer from some form of seasonal allergy—no matter the season. My parents, gratefully, did not force the outdoors on me. We never went camping or hiking, and only on vacation would we go on longer bicycle rides.

But I’ve long enjoyed a more casual means of being outside. I have a favorite path through a wooded area, a 10-minute drive from my home that I like to visit on the weekends. I love snacking on fresh farmer’s market raspberries while gazing at the river I live near as it rushes by. And I’ll never say no to a chance to stand in my yard and stare at the sky when there’s a chance of an aurora sighting.

It turns out, in the words of a newly viral TikTok video, I’ve been outsidey—not outdoorsy—this whole time.

Outsidey Versus Outdoorsy 

The term was introduced more widely to the online lexicon earlier this month by a TikToker named Brandon (@atlas_catawaba). The video, seemingly shared from Cleveland Metropark in Ohio, has been viewed more than 5.1 million times and racked up some 550,000 likes.

In the video, Brandon is standing barefoot on rocks along the edge of a tranquil stream as he states that he’s always told people “I’m outsidey, not outdoorsy.” He then goes on to explain the difference between the two.

“Right now, I’m in the babbling brook, OK? Notice, see, I just have my feet in here. I’m not going to go all the way out there,” he continues, motioning further into the stream. “I’m just gonna, you know, stroll. I like to peruse, I like to gander.”

Brandon goes on to argue that swimming in the stream is outdoorsy. Hiking in the nearby woods? Also outdoorsy, and therefore not really his thing.

“Now, will I have a little nice table out there with some chairs and have a nice charcuterie board? Absolutely. Outsidey,” he continues. “Hiking? No. Charcuterie? Yes.”

To further his point, and in light of the initial TikTok’s success, Brandon has shared several follow-up videos offering more examples of what qualifies as an activity fit for an outsidey person vs. an outdoorsy one. In one video, he’s enjoying some grocery-store sushi with a book on a picnic blanket in a park. In another video, he’s lounging poolside near a beach on Catawba Island, where Brandon says the outsidey vs. outdoorsy distinction also applies.

According to Brandon, being outsidey is all about “nature for leisure” as opposed to the “nature for adventure” element of outdoorsy activities. Backpacking, mountaineering, mud runs, and wearing hiking boots are outdoorsy, Brandon says. “Beveraginos,” Mary Oliver, mushroom foraging, and donning Birkenstocks are outsidey.

Is Outsidey on the Rise?

As a newly identified outsidey type, these distinctions make perfect sense to me, but I had to wonder what bonafide outdoorsy folks would make of all this outsidey fuss.

Nathan Unsworth is about as outdoorsy as they come. He’s the deputy director of Scott County Conservation in eastern Iowa, and he previously served on the Iowa Environmental Council. He is also an avid hiker and runner. And he tells Outside he’s on board with anything—TikTok trend or otherwise—that gets more people outside enjoying the outdoors.

“As park professionals, we try to provide recreational opportunities that match all levels of recreation,” Unsworth says. “Anybody that wants to get outdoors should definitely embrace it and just figure out what their niche is, whether they want to go bike riding or hiking or kayaking.” Indeed, these are all outdoorsy examples, it should be noted.

As a result of the pandemic, Unsworth says his Iowa county—like many throughout the country—experienced a surge in usage of its public parks. Some of the newcomers were taking part in decidedly outdoorsy activities like kayaking or camping, but others were engaging in more casual, outsidey strolls.

Using federal American Rescue Plan Act funds, Scott County installed new one-mile paved trails in two of its main parks. The trails have proved popular, as Unsworth says nearby parking lots that previously sat empty are now frequently packed.

“We’ve seen so many new faces in our parks just by providing this new amenity,” Unsworth says. “These are the people that aren’t the hardcore outdoorsy people. They’re just coming out for a stroll with their kids, their significant others, their friends, or their dog.”

Jenna Valdespino is the global brand marketing lead for Hipcamp, the popular campsite booking platform that offers thousands of options—including 250,000 new sites it recently added—ranging from pitch-your-own-tent, off-grid sites, to swanky glamping spots. She says the company has also seen a rise in its glamping-style arrangements in recent years, particularly among families and first-time campers who might even consider themselves outsidey. Still, she added, customer interest in its more rustic offerings “isn’t going anywhere.”

Simply put, Valdespino tells Outside, there’s room for both outdoorsy and outsidey types in the outdoors. After all, there are all types of micro-genres of outdoors enthusiasts, from dirtbag climbers and overlanders to birders and beyond.

“The video feels like a nice reminder that there’s no single ‘right’ way to enjoy the outdoors,” Valdespino says.

Emily Mills, a Madison, Wisconsin-based marketing professional for a large environmental and conservation nonprofit, agrees. Mills tells Outside they identify as “firmly on the ‘outdoorsy’ side of the spectrum” but also enjoy outsidey activities, too. In other words, maybe appreciating the outdoors doesn’t have to be such a binary matter to begin with.

“I’m all for making space for and welcoming anyone and everyone into connecting with outdoor spaces in any way that’s ultimately respectful of those spaces and of each other,” Mills says. “That can only help lead to a better world.”