At a campground in Ontario, two young couples sit in a sauna, chatting and relaxing. Parents set up tents and a barbecue, while their kids ride bikes and play volleyball.

Everyone is stark naked in this picture, although no one seems to notice � or even care.

These campers are on a "nakation," engaging in the same activities as other run-of-the-mill vacationers, but doing it in the buff.

"There�s nothing more basic and human than being nude in the sun . . . because that�s being true to who we are," said Stephane Deschenes, who owns Bare Oaks Family Naturist Park in Sharon, Ont., about 70 kilometres northeast of Toronto. �We�re suffering from an ill in society . . . where we can�t ever look right."

Not known for its balmy winters, Canadian nudists are gearing up for the summer season, which offers up temperatures less offensive to the naked body.

The desire to bare chests and bums outdoors is not new, although enthusiasts say camps devoted to the nudist lifestyle have had to adapt to keep people interested.

Nudists, or naturists � as many prefer to be called � say the movement is relying more on social media to re cruit new campers.

Deschenes has a website, a blog, a Facebook page and a Twitter feed, and many of the campers he attracts are not lifelong nudists. They�re brand new to being buff.

A well-orchestrated online marketing campaign helps recruit a younger generation of nudists who weren�t around when the movement went mainstream in the 1960s and �70s, he said.

Ironically, the tools Deschenes uses to spread the word of naturism are exactly what many campers are trying to escape by stripping down.

"People are also lo oking to re-connect on a human level because of technology," he said. "People find that they are missing something."

Enthusiasts of the lifestyle received considerable attention last week when what had been Manitoba�s only clothing-optional campground announced it would ask its patrons to keep their clothes on this season.

Either way, nudists from Manitoba are currently without a campsite where they can strip down.

"That was the last remaining nudist venue," said John Kundert, who lives in Winnipeg and has been a nudist since 1988.

The club plans to meet and decide what to do next, he said, which could include buying a new piece of land.

Vancouver�s Wreck Beach � an eight-kilometre stretch of land with stunning views of mountains and the ocean � attracts massive crowds in the summer, some there to relax in the buff and others to watch them do it.

At its peak, the beach is crammed with sunbathers, vendors and the occasional police officer on patrol.

Michelle, 26, tried the naturist experience for the first time at Bare Oaks last summer along with her husband and their baby.

She was so hooked on being nude she now has a job at the camp.

"I always thought I could never do that, or I�d be too self-conscious," said Michelle, who preferred not to give her last name because some of her family doesn�t know about her nudist lifestyle. "(But) it just feels goo d. It feels free.

"I learned to love my body more since I started coming," she said. "You always compare yourself to other women, but when they�re nude you can see . . . that no one�s perfect. It�s nice to feel that I�m just like everybody."

Being nude is the great equalizer, said Bob Campbell, 60, and people who show up thinking it�s all about sex are in the wrong place.

"It�s just more comfortable," said Campbell, president of the Western Canada branch of the American Association for Nude Recreation. "It removes that whole issue of body acceptance. I find, as well, that there�s a whole lot less obstacles to social interaction . People tend to be more welcome, more friendly."