Looking to “rough it” out in the wilderness?
Well I’m here to explain some of my absolute favorite wilderness camping tips that you should be pursuing while you are away from civilization.
I love teaching fellow campers what I know, so I hope you enjoy this article, because you will discover some great tips 🙂
1. Be Aware 100% Of The Time
Like I’ve said many times before, the wilderness is incredibly unpredictable. A bear, wolf, or any other wild animal can be lurking around the corner.
Being aware of your surroundings, knowing what’s going on and where you are is a MUST if you want to come back home uninjured.
2. Get Your Tent Pitched As Early As Possible
The last thing you want to happen is to have to pitch your tent in the darkness, and where you did not want to pitch it in the first place.
So how exactly do you avoid pitching your tent in a ditch or beside a bear trail? Get there as early as possible so you can spot and avoid them.
You never know, you might say you will do it later but keep forgetting to do it, only realizing that it will be dark in 20 minutes.
3. Pack More Than You Think You Need
It’s better to have more than enough of something than NOT enough.
Of course, this is completely different when you plan on going ultra lightweight, but there’s a slight chance you can get lost, rendering your food stash useless when you run out in the first 3 days.
As a rule of thumb, I pack for an extra day or two.
Just in case something does go wrong, you won’t be starving the entire time.
4. Leave No Trace
It’s not cool walking through a forest and finding out that other people have left a complete and utter mess.
Please destroy your creations and clean up your mess!
It’s not hard. Even if you bury your rubbish (no food), it still makes a massive difference.
5. Use Bug Repellent
If you’re looking to come back healthy and safe, then you better start using bug repellent/spray.
There are some deadly bugs out there, and even though they don’t look like it, they can cause some serious illnesses. Trust me, you do NOT want that to happen.
And yes, bugs have known to cause illnesses and kill people. Don’t be another statistic, and be smart about camping in the wilderness.
6. Create A Survival Kit And Keep It On You At All Times
Just like I talked about earlier, there’s still a small chance that you can get lost.
You can definitely be prepared for it though, simply by having a survival kit on you at all times.
While you are out exploring, take your survival kit, lots of water and some food!
That’s the safest way to go about doing it, not leaving all your food and water back at the campsite.
Because if the unforgettable does happen, there’s a high chance that you will die.
7. Don’t Cut Trees For Firewood
Don’t get me wrong, it is completely fine to cut [already downed] trees, and small ones.
Just don’t go around hacking at the big, tall trees, the ones that make our forests unique and beautiful.
I like to find downed trees laying on the ground and chop them up, that way you are doing mother nature a favor, by cleaning up what she can not, and not destroying what she has created 🙂
8. Use Bear-Safe Food Containers
This would be a lot easier if you are taking a car, because bear resistant containers aren’t exactly lightweight or anything.
However, if you aren’t taking a car and you are just backpacking in the wilderness, a bear resistant sack is a great alternative.
For those of you who don’t know, bears and other wild animals can smell food a mile away, it’s our responsibility to make sure they can not get into our food stash.
Bear resistant food containers and sack bags is the best way to do it.
9. Use Water Filters
Use water filters inside your water container/stash.
Remember, you are not in your bug-free home anymore, you are out in the WILDERNESS, where bugs and creatures are everywhere.
A clean water source will soon become riddled with bugs and germs. And no, you can not see them.
However, a good water filter will soon fix that 🙂
10. Pack Your Items Correctly
So many times I have seen people lose their balance while backpacking, fall over and twist their ankle.
Your backpack needs to be packed correctly or you will suffer the same fate.
Have your heaviest items as close to your spine as possible, not at the bottom or at the top, this will only throw off your center of gravity and end up making you fall over.
So keeping the heavier items close to your spine will create a well-balanced backpack that you can haul around in the back country with no worries of falling over and hurting yourself.
11. Consider High-Calorie Foods For A Lighter Load
You have a lot of items in your backpack already and a lot of them you actually need, so this is where you can save weight but still being able to consume the same amount of calories for the trip.
Replace these foods with your current stash and I’m sure you will notice the weight difference immediately!
12. Pillow Alternative
One way to save even more weight on your load is to leave the pillow at home!
So how do you get a comfortable sleep?
Fill your stuff sack with your clothing, it’s actually a lot more comfortable than you may think.
13. Bring An Umbrella
I know, I know, light rain is okay against waterproof clothing.
But in an extreme downpour, that clothing will get saturated, soaking everything you have on and wetting your skin.
Stay ahead of your game and bring an umbrella. You won’t regret it when you really need it.
14. Carry A Whistle
They are good at scaring bears away and other wild animals.
Furthermore, you can use them to alarm your camping buddy if you get lost.
It’s as simple as blowing the whistle so they know which direction you are in.
15. Use Bells On Your Backpack
This only applies if you are in bear country.
As you may or may not know, wild animals want to avoid us as much as we want to avoid them.
So singing, clapping, or whistling is a great way to let them know you are in the area. This will alert them and make them go in the opposite direction,
However, a great alternative is having a couple of bells on your backpack. It will do the exact same trick but you won’t have to do anything 🙂
Conclusion
Camping in the wilderness is a lot more difficult than you think. But the good news is that it becomes easier the more you do it.
So if you want to become a pro at wilderness camping, you will have to do it multiple times until you become accustomed to the environment, ultimately making it apart of your lifestyle.
If that sounds like something you’re interested in, then you’ll love these camping activity ideas.
Cheers for reading!
Comment below what your favorite tip was, or comment your own 🙂
-Brandon
Camping Mastery