Any kind–drive-up camping, backpacking, RV camping, in the woods, at the beach, in a shelter, let’s hear it all.
Psychedelics and people you trust
I used to love LSD at festivals but coming down in a tent while people were still partying outside is the worst.
I couldn’t ever manage around groups of people like that or being in public for too long. The most exposed I’d be willing is likely just like floating down a river or something, plenty of people, no real reason to interact outside of a quick hello
I don’t do it much any more but one of my favourite pass times used to be taking a load of acid and then going to a very public place or somewhere that you are forced to be around lots of people and have many interactions.
Busy shopping centres, a zoo, busy pubs, an ex girlfriends family wedding where I knew no one. I guess it was kind of masochistic in a way but I just really enjoyed putting myself into challenging situations whilst tripping. The challenge was always to try take the highest dose possible and still be able to actually keep my shit together. I’m sure plenty of people I interacted with at those times thought “this guy is blasted out of his mind, Jesus” but who gives a fuck, I’m never seeing these people again and it actually made me want to speak to people in the first place.
These days I prefer to just lay down, listen to music and drift off into the stratosphere.
When I was younger, I really wanted to drop and skydive, but the older I get, the more I lean towards lay down and music.
That would be pretty intense and fucking awesome but yeh these days I dunno if I could be bothered.
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 USB battery packs (EDITed out this:
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.
Know where to pitch a tent.
If you are close to a stream, pitch the tent a few meters above the water. If it rains you don’t know how quickly it can rise.
In the same wake, if you are pitching on a plain, pitch your tent on a relative rise. If you pitch in a relative depression rain will drench you.
If you pitch on a slope, and there will usually be slight slopes, pitch your tent so, that your head is facing upwards when sleeping.
If a storm is expected you might be inclined to pitch under a tree, but be careful. If a branch breaks off and hits you, that can be very bad.
If you pitch your tent in the open and it is a hot summer, the inside will get very hot very quickly. Make sure to get up and out early, don’t get wasted at night and bring reflective covering. People died at festivals when they stayed in their tents when getting wasted and then getting roasted in their tents.
Being able to read a campsite is a skill to find the best one and where to place everything. Tent placement is key.
bring extra food for the first timers. they wont bring enough.
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
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…
Headtorch.
Instructions unclear. Applied fire directly to forehead.
HEADTORCH APPLY DIRECTLY TO FOREHEAD! HEADTORCH APPLY DIRECTLY TO FOREHEAD!
some have red light functions, which wont blind people youre looking at
Highly recommended if you camp socially often. Blinding people with your headlamp is a social faux pas among experienced outdoors people.
If you are cheap like me, you can use a normal head torch and hold it in your almost-closed fist, that reduces the blinding a lot and you can control how much light you want
Honestly good to have in general if you live in a place that’s sometimes night.
Hammocks are the best tents, especially for solo camping. Some pack up so small I can fit the hammock, tarp and bug net into the pockets of cargo pants.
Thermo-rest is your best friend, even in a hammock. Having a wind pass under your body will make you real cold.
Scout campsites thoroughly for poison ivy, poison oak, anthills, wasp nests, etc.
Pay attention to sleeping bag ratings and remember that a 0°C rating just means you won’t die at that temp, not that you’ll be comfortable. Sleeping bags are one of the few things with a strong cost/quality correlation.
Always have rope. Bring lots of rope. Know what makes a good rope.
I’ll add to this, know how to use good rope, learn a few knots, and you’ll be surprised at how often you use them even in your daily life.
My favorites, and thus my recommendations, are these, in order of usefulness.
- The Bowline. Obviously. It’s one of the most versatile knots you can make. You use it to create a loop around something, and that loop will not move. It will not tighten or loosen, it can support your body weight and more. It’s often used to haul people up when they’ve fallen into a crevice or hole, because a noose would tighten around your chest and hurt you on the way up, but a Bowline will not.
And, if you need a noose, you can make a small looped Bowline, and pull the lead line through it to make a noose that will self tighten on whatever your putting it around.
Best of all, the Bowline is easy to remove. You know how hard a regular square knot is to undo? Especially if you’ve pulled it really tight? A Bowline knot, by design, is always easier to undo, even if it’s seen hundreds of pounds of load. It really is the best knot, in my opinion.
If you can only learn one knot, make it a Bowline.
- Truckers hitch. I use this knot all the time. Have you ever tried to use rope to tie something down? And no matter how tight you pull the rope, by the time you’re done making the knot, the rope has slipped a bit, and it’s looser than you’d like? Especially annoying when trying to put up a clothes line at camp, and it’s all droopy.
Enter the truckers hitch. This knot let’s you cinch the rope up super tight, and lock it in place, so it stays that way. Plus the finished knot always has a tail you can pull to easily undo it. This is useful for clotheslines, hammocks, tying stuff to your truck or bike, plenty of uses, easily my second favorite knot. Tied for first, practically.
- Sheet bend. Have a rope that’s too short? Need to extend it a bit to get the job done? Sheet bend, double or triple sheet bend depending on the load. Easily connects two ropes together, and comes undone easy enough when you need it to, unlike if you just used two square knots.
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- Clove Hitch. Quickly and easily tie the end of a rope to a circular object like a pole or tree. Goes on easy, comes off easy.
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- Butterfly. Make a non sliding loop anywhere in the middle of a rope. Don’t load the rope too hard though, this knot can be tough to undo.
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- Spike hitch, similar to butterfly, but more likely to slide, tightens like a noose on whatever you loop through it under load, but has a wide variety of uses that become more apparent the more you play with rope and knots. Fun fact, this knot is easy to learn, because it’s the basis for the Bowline and truckers hitch.
There’s definitely more knots to learn, and others will have opinions on which ones are the best. But these are my favorites. Just learning the first two will be extremely helpful to you.
Edit: wow that formatting really got away from me. I’m on mobile, so I’m leaving it, sorry
The explanation I’ve always heard for the sheet bend is that it is used for tying together differently sized ropes. But honestly, every time I’ve tied it, it was fiddly to tie and felt sketchy to actually load. For any actual work that is important or possibly dangerous, I would not use a sheet bend. The double fisherman’s is far more secure. The flat overhand bend is almost as secure (depending on the rope), and fast to tie. If untying after loading is a priority, you can just tie two bowlines with the loops going into each other - back them up with barrel knots if you expect cyclical loading, as this can cause bowlines to slip.
Everyone I know talks about how easy the butterfly is to untie after loading. But then, they are comparing to an overhand or figure 8 on a bight. If being able to untie after loading is a priority, I use the bowline on a bight.
For anyone reading - please do not try to haul anyone up anything using your newfound bowline skills, unless you are in a very safe situation - like, helping someone walk up a steep hill. Hauling unconscious bodies through the air without appropriate precautions can kill or permanently disable a person. Especially don’t do this with cheap Walmart rope that is rated for “trust me bro”. And especially don’t do this if you don’t understand how to preserve your progress, gain mechanical advantage, or lower the victim again safely. Source: rock climber for 15 years, WFR certified, SPRAT certified.
Thanks for the expert advice! I didn’t realize sheet bends were so suspect, I’ll have to research the knots you described.
Hmmm, maybe I tied the butterfly wrong or am remembering it wrong. I’ll have to play with it and see, it’s honestly been a year or two since I’ve put one under load.
And thanks for the disclaimer! Yeah I didn’t mean to make it sound so easy to help someone with knots, I’ve never actually used a bowline for this purpose, I’ve just heard it explained that way for emergency use. But I agree it’d have to be an extreme emergency to risk using the wrong equipment or technique, better to just wait for proper help if it’s safe to do so.
All of my experience is just novice stuff with Paracord, etc etc. My rock climbing experience is all just indoor bouldering 😬
Thanks again!
No problem.
And you are probably tying the butterfly correctly. It’s just easier to untie than an overhand on a bight, which can get absolutely welded under load. But seriously, bowline on a bight is such a sexy knot to untie after loading. It just comes right apart no problem.
That makes sense, I’ll try the Bowline on a bite and report back! Thanks!
Hammock camping is a very personal decision. Personally, I tried it for a while and just found it to be a hassle, and I never managed to find a comfortable sleep position.
But the hammock campers I do know recommend getting an underquilt instead of using a sleeping pad. Of course, this can fuck you over if you can’t find any trees - but the underquilt isn’t weirdly square in the hammock, and instead just conforms to the hammock’s shape.
I prefer the thermarest because the shape keeps it in the hammock instead of getting messed up with my tossing and turning. It just conforms when I’m on it.
I have never had a situation where I couldn’t find trees to camp in. Assuming any dessert campers out there know what kind of land they’re exploring before they pack their gear. With a few extra pieces you could anchor to rock, too.
If you’re out bike touring, KOAs 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.
Tarps are your friends. Obviously get the footprint sized ones for your tent but bring extras. I like to have one in front of my tent for shoes and things to keep it cleaning going in and out. Or I like to use it to change on if my tent is too small. Great to throw over or wrap things to avoid the dew in the morning. Got to bring a tarp
Plus you don’t have to even buy the manufacturer’s special ground tarp for your tent. I picked up a huuuge tarp at a yard sale for like $5. And cut a footprint-size piece for my tent and had oceans of tarp left over for other camping and household uses.
Good point. I got to do that. I have one that’s a little too long for my footprint. I’ll have to cut it to make it exact
For the newbies, you don’t want your footprint tarp sticking out from under your tent if you can help it. It will wick water under your tent (rain, dew). Even waterproof fabric can fail given too much water exposure.
Exactly. Nothing sticking out
You can also just grab tyvek scraps from a construction site.
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.
For anyone reading this thread, my best advice is to learn to identify the different types of camping in order to identify what will be useful information to you. The bushcrafter has a different objective from the van camper, who has a different objective from the ultralight backpacker.
True this. I love camping but survival type campers say my version of camping isn’t actually camping.
I’m sorry, but just because the campground has a sign out front that says “hotel” doesn’t mean I’m not camping. I’m roughing it man. I don’t even have my own pillow.
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.
- 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
