Any kind–drive-up camping, backpacking, RV camping, in the woods, at the beach, in a shelter, let’s hear it all.
I know some swear by the travel bidet (not for everyone), but for the masses, a pack of biodegradable “flushable” wipes are a great addition to your toiletry kit. Just one or 2 after you’re done with all of your other business leaves you nice and fresh for the day and can bury them if you’re backpacking.
I’m honestly extremely doubtful that these should be buried. TP already takes a long time to decompose, and these wipes tend to be sturdier than TP. Imo, if you aren’t already using a wag bag, then you should be if you are using these wipes.
Air mattress so you don’t regret
- Tiny pop-up tent, easier to carry if you can fit inside
- Headlamps
- Sleeping pad or something to separate you from the cold ass ground
- Don’t interact with the cute little bear cubs
Blackout tent so you can sleep late.
I just pack an eye mask
There’s also birds being loud and the sun making the inside of your tent too hot to contend with
Hammock tent. All the advantages of a tent and a hammock.
Don’t have to worry about your tent getting flooded, no need for an air mattress or sleeping pad.
Hammock camping is great for bikepacking too!
They can can get uncomfortably cold really fast at night though.
If it gets colder than 60 at night you’re going to need an underquilt. That plus a rain tarp and you’re golden.
I have a bug net that came with mine, so no bugs either. Now I just need to find two trees…
If you’re out bike touring, KOA’s almost always have spots set aside for cyclists to camp. Both KOAs and state parks are really useful for showers and clothes washing. Was genuinely surprised how many state parks had both when I toured across the U.S.
If you’re in Washington state, the state parks are legally required to find room for you to camp if you rolll up on a bike and they’re otherwise full.
That’s great info about KOA and Washington State!
Love staying at state parks on bikepacking trips, the warm showers are always a lifesaver.
Ear plugs. Because that rustling of leaves is just a raccoon and most definitely not a serial killer. I like wax earplugs for sleeping versus foam.
Maintain hygiene regimens to greatest degree possible. Don’t skimp on washing face or brushing teeth that you would typically do at home.
Food makes or breaks a trip for me. The weather could be awful, plans could go awry, but as long as everyone is well fed, there’s potential.
I’m not a no-tech purist while camping but do try to use trips as a time to reset tech habits. Can you go for 24 hours without an Internet connected device? Kinda similar to the occasional dry week or break from coffee/caffeine: check in and see how you’re interacting with tech.
Have a first aid kit and know how to use the stuff in it.
I’d say earplugs because your fellow camp ground people might not be so thoughtful.
Somehow the idea of a raccoon is scarier to me and always causes me to wake up and start growling like some prehistoric dingus
Pack a book. Everything from hammock backpacking to week-long glamping festivals, I’ve never regretted bringing one along.
Bring as many as you can. Even on Philmont I had two.
If you go for a tent, first don’t forget the tent pegs, and then it’s always comfortable having a tiny mallet to plant them, rather than using a rock or your bare hands.
We had a roofing hammer. Half hammer, half handaxe
If the ground is super fucked and you’re car camping, an impact and some long ass lags also works a treat.
You can also take off your shoe and use that
Find a -soft, dry- spot for the tent. And pound the pegs in first, then the rest of the tent goes up more easily.
Oh … and if it’s -really- cold out, put a handwarmer, or two, in the toe of the sleeping bag. (Good to well-below zero F)
flat is a lot more important than soft
Depends on the tent. Some stakes first some last. Dome tents stakes last, most everything else first
Once I forgot a mallet and I drove them in with a frying pan. I never forgot them again.
Put your shoes in your tent at night so slugs don’t crawl in them. Camping in a national Forest is often free. Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints.
Try not to leave even footprints please. People go trailblazing way too often when there’s perfectly good trails already.
In the U.S. of A - in Germany do not camp in the wild if you’re fond of your money. Although we have a milder variant of the Allemannsretten, ours excludes camping in the wild
This depends on the state.
For instance in Brandenburg and Schleswig-Holstein you can camp “in the wild”*
*there is limits in natural preserves, and what is defined as camping can vary. e.g. tarp vs tent, obv. no RVs…
Nope. You can’t.
Brandenburg only has extended and codified the “taking an interruption of your travel” (Rast) into their nature laws - and you must leave after one day. You are only allowed to use it minimally and e.g. make no fire,etc. And even then you need permission from the owner - which the state doesn’t usually grant for their woods/grounds.
In Schleswig Holstein it’s totally forbidden besides the “wild camping spots” - but these are just more “wild” campgrounds, similar to what you find in US national parks. And cost money,btw.
About 2-3 cheap string-lights that run off the 2x AA-battery-packs. Mulitple light angles is better than a single light source. Cheery and festive. Get a multicolored string, if camping with kids or you are a fun camper.
Also OSMand mapping software, configured with offline maps of your camp area. Install the hillshades and height maps for extra detail. Enable and add an overlay-layer of Satellite data. Then scan your camp area and surrounds while online, so that it will cache the satellite map tiles needed when you are off-grid.
I just want to add that I got a cheap string of LED red lights that just power off a USB power bank. Red light lets you see in the dark while not ruining your night vision! I create a huge circle around me because somehow that makes me feel safe when I’m sitting at a fire.
Nice, I’ll check for the USB ones.
A large red circle… summoned anything yet? :^P
Thanks for sharing the OSMand recommendation and configuration.
I’ve got a hike coming up, so I just installed it - wow, it’s fantastic. It captures the elevation change and distance. I thought I’d need to limp along with Google maps, but OSMand is sooo much better (and open source).
edit: a word
You’re welcome. OSMand is a fun powerhouse.
You can test which offline-map tiles you have by switching to airplane-mode.
There is a 3D map view also, but it may still be in testing status.
As always, for all people heading out remote, it’s good practice to have a secondary map available, such as a laminated paper map.
You can dispersed camp for free in most national forests and BLM lands. Its pack-in pack-out for the most part but some spots have pit toilets. Freecampsites.net is my go to site for finding free camping
good tents are worth the money. The heavy canvas ones are great if not too far from a car, but too heavy to carry far.
Lay a layer of logs on the ground before making your camp fire on top of it. Ideally larger ones. They’ll lift the fire off the damp ground, improve air flow and act as fuel once the fire gets going.
Bring bug spray.
I swear it doesn’t work.
Then bring someone tastier than you. That’s a tried and true method
Get the good shit! If its less than 40% DEET it ain’t worth a damn.
This. You need high conectration deet or icardin, and you need to basically rub it all over your exposed skin and clothes. Then it works quite ok.
The best method is to apply bug spray and make sure someone else in your camp does not use bug spray. I swear the fuckers take the path of least resistance.
