I have always loved camping or boondocking and it is such a great and affordable way to travel. There are more free places to sleep than you’d probably assume and once you find them you can enjoy a few days in the wilderness! Over the years we’ve picked up on various camping hacks but we still learned a lot on our cross country road trip!
If you want to know the camping products that we can’t live with out check out that post here!
Camping Item Checklist
Before you go camping create a checklist for all food and items you want to take! Once you are out in the wilderness it can be difficult to get things you have forgotten. It isn’t like being in a city where you can easily run to a story and buy things you need!
Find Free Camping
Unless you are very concerned about being inside of a park or designated area, find free camping! Many BLM roads allow you to camp/boondock for free and also outside of parks there are usually free camp sites available. Paid camping fills up quickly and often times requires a reservation months in advance depending on how busy the area is! We use Campendium to find free camp sites often!
Set up camp early
Find and set up camp early as spots will fill up! Also, you do not want to be setting up camp in the heat of midday or in the dark. Mornings are the best time to find and set up camp. If you are traveling and cannot arrive early you may end up farther away from the desired area so please keep that in mind!
Research food & waste rules
Each area will have rules for your food and waste safety. For example, in bear country it is essential that you use bear safe storage and often times it is provided in camp sites. Also make sure you know where the waste bins are so that you can leave no trace behind.
Stow away valuables/food
Along with food storage rules to protect you from animals, you need to always make sure you can easily stow away food and valuables while away from your camp site! Obviously in this case I am not talking about expensive jewelry but I have unfortunately had times when a nice axe was stolen from our camp site or various other items like that. Don’t leave anything behind that you can’t live without!
Position car and tent for desired privacy
When setting up camp, even if no one else is around at the time, set up as if all spots around you fill up! Position your tent and car so that you have the most privacy from other sites if that is something important to you.
Designate bathroom area
This is important especially when camping near a creek without bathroom areas. Not only should you always dig a hole at least 6 inches (usually 12) Deep and cover completely but you cannot leave human waste behind near a water source. Plan ahead so that you know where to go before you NEED to go!
Assign jobs to each person
The most efficient way to set up a camp site is if everyone takes a job! Two people set up the tent, one person sets up the food/grill, and another collects firewood/scouts out the area for water and bathrooms!
Check the weather
This may seem obvious but I added to the list because it is essential to keep checking even up to the day of! Weather changes quickly so be as prepared as possible and be ready to change plans if necessary. This can also affect hikes or actives you plan to do while camping so have alternative plans already thought of beforehand!
Mark Directions
If you are not great with directions, especially in the woods where everything looks the same, mark your path! You will most likely not have cell service so dropping a pin or using maps isn’t always an option. We often times bring a stapler and staple paper plates with our name on them on mile markers or trees to find our way back.
