Camping is one of the joys of hiking. A relaxing evening spent at the campsite, cooking, eating, and kicking back in a beautiful, natural setting, is a privilege that most people never get to experience. Spending the night outside just makes a person feel good.
Campsite Selection
The first step in camping is selecting a campsite. While it’s a good idea to plan ahead, there are so many factors that can affect where you will be when you are ready to camp that often you can’t use the area you planned. This is especially true on longer hikes.
The result is you will need to find a suitable campsite on the spot. Sometimes this is easy, as many trails have specific camping areas or even shelters or cabins. Sleep where others have slept before if at all possible.
However, many trails have no designated camping facilities or established campsites, and you are on your own to select where to spend the night. Make sure you allow enough time to select your campsite before it gets dark. There are many attributes to look for when picking a campsite.
Safety
You want to be protected from hazards. What the potential hazards are depends on your situation, including location, weather, etc. Some hazards that you may want to consider are lightning, flood, avalanche, strangers, animals, poison ivy, falling trees and limbs, falling rocks, etc.
Pick a location that provides a high point on level or gently sloping ground. Visualize how water flows in the area and select a location that should stay relatively dry.
Privacy
You may not want other people to encounter your campsite. And other people might not want to encounter you either. Pick a place that’s out of sight from the trail.
Ideally, campsites should be quiet. Observe any potential sources of noise and try to avoid them. Noise can come from people, rivers, traffic, etc.
Comfort
Your campsite and sleeping setup should provide as much comfort as possible. Protect yourself from weather such as cold, heat, and wind. Shade is useful if the weather is hot.
Soft ground coverings such as leaves or pine needles make a good choice. This provides insulation and padding. Do not sleep on grass because you will damage it, and also because hazardous and bothersome bugs live there.
Critters
Look for signs of insects like anthills, and look for rodent holes. Be sure to avoid them. Where mosquitoes are a problem, it can help to choose an area that’s exposed to wind. Stay away from areas of still water that can harbor mosquitoes.
Convenience
The closer a campsite is to the supplies you need, the more convenient it will be.
The main consideration here is to be close to a good water source. Water is needed to replenish your drinking supplies and for cooking and cleaning. However, for safety reasons, try to sleep at least 50 meters (about 160 feet) from the water. You may also want to pick a campsite that has wood nearby for burning purposes.
Beauty
You’re going to spend some time at your campsite, so why not select a location that has natural beauty and a great view?
Ethics
You want to select a campsite that can be used without causing any damage to the environment. This means avoiding foliage that can be damaged by walking or sleeping on it.
Campsite Preparation
Once you’ve chosen a campsite, there are a few tasks to complete.
First, assess the general conditions. Is it raining or likely to rain overnight? What is the prevailing wind direction? How cold will it be?
Decide how you will sleep. In clear weather you may want to sleep on the ground outdoors. You may want to sleep in a hammock, tent, tarp, bivy sack, or out in the open.
Next, you will need to map out your campsite: where to place your tent or other sleeping setup, plus locations for cooking, eating, cleaning, and bathroom, as follows.
Tent or Sleeping Location
Select a spot with smooth ground, not under any dangerous trees or tree branches.
Shade is useful for protecting your tent from the damaging rays of the sun. If you’re sleeping in a hammock, you will need two trees that are the correct distance apart. They should be strong enough to support your hammock but small enough to get your hangers around.
Cooking Location
Your cooking area should be at least ten meters (thirty-three feet) from your sleeping location for safety reasons. It should be downwind from your tent, but not directly downwind. Try to locate it about 45 degrees to the wind direction.
The location should be fire safe; dry leaves, branches, and other things that can burn should be avoided. A location that’s sheltered from wind will make it easier to keep your stove burning smoothly. A large, flat stone is a good base for your stove if available.
Never cook in your tent. If you don’t cause a fire, you will still be subject to carbon monoxide danger, and the food smells will attract bears to your tent.
Eating Area
While it’s common to eat at the cooking area, sometimes you may want to eat elsewhere. Sometimes there’s a great natural sitting area that’s not good for cooking, perhaps because of a breeze or fire hazard.
Cleaning Location
Select a place for cleaning your cooking utensils. This should be isolated from your sleeping and cooking areas, and like your cooking area, it should be downwind from the sleeping area, but not directly so.
Bathroom Location
Pick a spot for your latrine that’s indirectly downwind from the rest of your campsite. It should provide adequate privacy. It must be at least 100 meters (100 yards or 100 paces) away from water sources, trails, and other public areas. Avoid insects, thorns, and other obstacles.
Once you’ve mapped out your campsite, you can begin setting it up.
Clear the ground of rocks, sticks, and other protrusions where you will place your tent, tarp, or bivy sack. Smooth any significant imperfections in the surface.
Decide which direction to face your tent.
If the weather is clear and mild, face the door toward the sunrise direction. When it’s very windy, face the door away from the wind. If you’re on a slope, face the tent so that you will sleep with your head uphill. When it’s extremely cold, place the door downhill to prevent sinking cold air from entering the door.
These guidelines can be in conflict due to conditions, so use your judgment.
Set up your tent according to its instructions. Decide whether to use the rainfly based on the weather. If you decide not to use it, keep it in a convenient location in case you need to set it up in a hurry later.
Unpack your sleeping pad and bag and lay them out in or near the tent so that they can decompress. If you have an inflatable sleeping pad, it’s not necessary to inflate it at this time. It’s probably better to eat first.
Obtain water from your water source so it will be available for cooking and in case of a fire emergency.
If you have camp clothes and/or camp shoes, now is a good time to change into them.
Set up your cooking area, placing your stove on a rock or other fire-resistant location. Remove all flammable materials from the immediate vicinity of your campfire or stove. This includes spare firewood, which should be placed upwind from and not too close to your fire.
If you’re going to hang your food, you may want to select your tree limb and set up the hanger before it becomes dark. And if you’re going to wash clothes or other gear, consider setting up a clothesline at this time also.
Now, it’s time to cook your food. When you’re finished, make absolutely sure your fire is out. Use water or soil for this purpose.
Enjoy your meal. Try to be neat and avoid dropping any food. If some food does get away from you, be sure to pick it up.
After eating, wash all cooking utensils thoroughly in your cleaning area. Make sure they’re dry before storing them.
Wash any clothing or gear you plan to wash and hang it on your clothesline or from tree branches.
Before you go to sleep, check again to ensure your fire is fully extinguished.
Protect your food, toothpaste, lotions, etc. by hanging them or placing them in your food canister. You should also protect your garbage in the same way.
Campsite Cleanup
In the morning, you will break camp and continue on your hike. But before you leave, you will want to make sure you have cleaned up your campsite. At a minimum, this means getting it back to the same condition in which you found it. And if you found it in less than ideal condition, consider going the extra distance and leaving it in even better condition.
Again, before leaving, make sure any fire is completely extinguished.
Check to make sure you haven’t left anything behind before setting off. Food or clothing hanging from trees is easy to overlook when you’re sleepy. When you’re far away from your campsite and you realize you have forgotten something, you’ll faced the unpleasant decision of whether to return to the campsite and retrieve it or just to forfeit it.