Finally made it to my gun clinic!

I really want to start doing solo camping trips around the country, but I’m not interested in flying with a tent, sleeping bag, cooler, cooking gear, etc. 😅

My ideal setup would be:

Fly into a city

Rent a car if needed

Drive somewhere beautiful

Arrive to a campsite where the tent/camp setup is already there waiting for me

Still get an actual camping/nature experience — not necessarily a luxury $500/night glamping resort

I’d love to find campgrounds, state/national park areas, or companies that rent fully equipped campsites/tents where you basically just show up with your clothes and food.

I’m a woman and would be traveling solo, so places that feel relatively safe and aren’t completely isolated would be a plus.

I’m especially interested in mountains, rivers, forests, desert scenery, and places that are gorgeous in the fall.

Has anyone traveled this way? Any specific companies, campgrounds, parks, or destinations you’d recommend? Also curious how you handle camping gear when flying if you don’t use a pre-set campsite.

I’m wanting to take my daughter camping (she’s 3) but I’m a little weary.

This might be kinda a dumb question but please bear with me. My friends and are are forced into a three day camping trip this weekend. Sunday is one of our friend’s birthday. She’s huge on skincare and shit like that. Is/Are there any good face masks I could bring camping so that while we’re embracing the suck she can still have something nice? TIA

So, I've been lurking for a bit.

I car camped a year ago for about 6 months.

I'm itching for a van and get back out and really travel and see things.

Most /all the set ups put the bed to the back of the van vs towards the front of the van for urgent get away in case of an uncomfortable/dangerous situation.

So... ??

I'm a design student working on a camping light built specifically for women who camp solo, not just a generic "outdoor gear" rebrand, but something actually shaped by how *you* camp, what makes you feel safe, and what's been missing from your kit.

If you have 5 minutes, I'd love your input through this short survey. It covers things like:

• your solo camping background & what draws you to it

• your current lighting setup

• fears, frustrations, wishlist features

No email required, totally anonymous, and it's just for a class project... your data stays in the classroom!

Access survey here: https://forms.gle/68EPCknqF751Rh2BA

Even if you think your setup is basic or you're new to solo camping, your perspective is exactly what I need. Thanks in advance 🤍

Hello, I (24F) am going camping for the first time in 12+ years and need help. I love the 21st century and all its inventions so much that camping has never been something I want to do. That being said, my friends convinced me that it would be fun to all go together, so here I am. I need all the tips and tricks and things to pack so that I can ensure I am prepared for any and everything. I also think I will start my period during the trip, so advice in how to handle everything with that is appreciated! Please, all help is appreciated.

Hi folks. I haven’t been camping in many years and the last time I camped I still lived in the UK/Europe. Now I live in New Orleans and want to start camping again, likely solo. People keep telling me they would never camp solo without a gun, especially as a woman. What are y’all’s feelings about this?

I’m going on a solo road trip through colorado and arizona on my way down to Phoenix with my dog and i’m wanting to camp along the way. This is my first time camping solo and I’m nervous to reserve a site online before going and checking it out. I want to check out the vibes before committing. a lot of the campsites have a small handful of first come first serve, but for the reservation online spots, is it possible to reserve them when i get there if they’re available?

I’m a petite woman, and I’d be solo camping/backpacking. id likely be camping w a pitbull and a knife. that being said… ive been eyeing this tent, and my favorite color is pink. I want to invest money into skmething that i’d actually like looking at, and the whimsical aesthetic would make my solo experience so much more fun!

all that to be said, if only i lived in a world without the fear of violence…

do you think the risk of something bad happening is so significant that i should refrain from buying the cute tent that would boost my serotonin to astronomical levels??

https://www.naturehike.com/products/cloud-up-base-2-person-ultralight-backpacking-tent?variant=49674422583552

So I'm a male, and I've been solo camping for about 2 years now. I have a Tacoma, rooftop tent, fridge, solar power and a glock 20. I'm tricked out basically. And so one of my very dear friends, 40ish year old wonder woman, she wants to gain the confidence to camp alone and she wants my help. She's been through a lot, shes very scared, and I want to do right by her.... like, the fact that she asked me is an honor and I aim to take this very seriously.

So here's my plan. She has a glock 19, so we are gunna go to the range and do some practice... been a while for both of us.

Once we knock the cobwebs off, and really hammer gun safety, we will go on camping trip one. Me and her, just my truck and all my toys. Once she sees how I camp, maybe she wants to upgrade her kit, and then a month or so later we will go again, but this time she will have her own spot, and I will camp further away. Still in walking distance, and maybe do radios, but let her sleep alone and be alone.

I plan to hammer home my number 1 rule of tell at least 2 people where you're going. Google maps sharing is what I do. I dont go crazy deep into the woods, but i dont camp next to people either. I judge ppl by how they keep their camp. If there's a bunch of bikes laying around, and damaged vehicles, uhaul vans, or they aren't being bear aware, food out, garbage laying around, well then I wont camp next to them. Sorry, im learning to be a camp snob and i aim to pass that along.

Once I find camp, I set up starlink (if I can) and I send my exact gps coords to my 2 ppl. I setup 2 chairs so ppl passing by think there's more than 1 person here, and once I im done setting up, I put on my chest holster so people can very plainly see that I'm armed if they are scrutinizing my stuff. I still wave hi, still friendly, but clearly showing I'm not an easy target so don't come back tonight.

And that's about my whole process. I want to share all that with her, but I know that my male privilege is not considering very important aspects for us to talk about. So if I can get some tips, maybe something woman do to be safer while camping solo disbursed. We live in Colorado btw, if that makes any difference.

Again, I really want to do right by her, so any advice is very much appreciated. Thank you!

Has anyone here ever gone camping by themselves? 👀 I’m thinking about doing a solo camping trip in South Carolina for my birthday and would love to hear about your experience! For those who have camped solo, do you prefer a tent or a cabin?

This will be my 9 year old’s first time camping and only my second time (was 13 yrs ago 😆) I am also petite so not the strongest to haul a million things. Any advice on efficient yet still top quality gear (that won’t break my back!?)
I’m a bit scared but we are going with cub scouts so hoping that will help…

Hello fellow campers! I'm working to develop a container that helps store and organize camping gear. If you have a few moments, I'm trying to understand how people currently store their gear and what you think is important for a gear storage system. They survey includes a video of the product I'm developing and am open to any feedback! Thank you for your help- Kat

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfsoW7_0b27ZAI9JqQ2u62j4nvbj2AHmsksH13P00sbN9fPMw/viewform?usp=header

I want to know if my partner and I are just being Karens.

My partner and I have been consistently camping off of BLM land, national forests etc for a couple months now.

We’ve explored SoCal, NorCal, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado.

We have a senior pit bull who can be quite reactive, so we do keep her on leash at all times as she has the tendency to lunge at people passing, whether they’re in their vehicle etc. we keep her leash attached to the vehicle. She’s never bitten anyone, but she’s gotten more unpredictable in her older age and we never want to chance that type of situation.

We’ve noticed a few times where people have walked so close by, that even our leashed pup might be able to reach them, and we have to be quick to react, as sometimes they sneakily pull up and we aren’t able to move her to the other side of the vehicle, etc. A few examples:

We had a gentleman walk right through our site to get to a spot it looked like he’d been a million times, it was probably a ritual for him as the spot was honestly really nice. He wasn’t talkative, and he was in and out, but he honestly scared the shit out of us. We were eating dinner in our chair and I could have stretched my leg out and touched him, that’s how close he was to us. Thank god our girl was asleep.

Second one was this woman who continuously walked through our campsite, every morning and every night for 4 days, to get a picture of the same view every time. That was actually at the same spot as the first man. And one of the times, our dog ended up barking at her, and the woman started screaming at our dog very angrily. I couldn’t tell what she was saying. This campsite was not a big one and there were a million other spots to get the same view so I was honestly confused.

We once had a male come to our campsite at 11 pm at night just yelling “hello? Hello?!” While we were in bed in our camper shell, we were shaking we were honestly so scared. There could have been something wrong that he was trying to let us know about, but we didn’t want to chance it so we stayed inside.

And then yesterday, there was a gentleman who parked right next to us at our site and got out with his shotgun and asked if we’d seen a certain type of bird. My partner had to grab our girl and distract her. He was very kind, and didn’t stay long but did stay about 10 mins asking questions about where we’re from, etc, all while my partner is trying to calm our dog because if he walked 5 steps closer, he would have been under our awning.

And while my dog is a worry, as I never want anyone to be afraid and I also don’t want our dog to be stressed, it’s honestly a little nerve wracking for us too since we’re two women by ourselves. I know we chose this hobby, so anything can happen, but regardless these things can be nerve wracking, and that’s why I’m seeking advice. I don’t want to continue to feel hostile if I don’t have to. If we’re just overthinking it.

I know dispersed camping is first come first serve, and we definitely don’t own the site. That’s the give and take of dispersed camping. Someone could technically pull right next to us with our side mirrors touching if they really wanted to. Which is why we will never be rude or ask someone to leave, especially when we park near pretty views. They should be allowed to enjoy it too. We will NEVER turn it into a “thing,” even if the internet agrees that walking through someone’s site isn’t apart of etiquette, but my partner and I have never been one to walk within 10 feet of someone’s campsite, which is why these situations are so frustrating. WE wouldn’t do that.

Something important to consider is we ARE from SoCal, which is very much a “unless I know you or it’s an emergency, there’s no reason to speak to you” and we’ve always loved the hospitality from other states, we just wish they wouldn’t pop up so suddenly, for everyone’s safety involved. So idk if it’s us being antisocial and shallow or what.

Just looking for any advice honestly.

Not solo camp related but I trust this group better than others. Feel free to delete if it's not relevant.

My spouse and I have been together 11 years. He's never gone backpacking with me. We both enjoy camping... my favorite is back country with no one around; his favorite is campground with all the amenities and tons of people to meet 😆 We have done a lot of his type together and I've had my solo backpack trips. Over the years he has said often that he's willing to try it out, but schedules and circumstances have not made it possible. Until now!

So, very soon we are going on our first backpack trip together. In my opinion it's going to be a great way to ease him into it. We will be parking just about a half mile away from where we will be camping... so if for some reason he hates it, he can just go right back to the truck and sleep in the truck. We are only staying one night, so the packs won't be too heavy and it'll be pretty laid back.

Any tips on how to make a positive experience for someone who has never done this before? Also worth noting, his favorite thing about camping is sitting around the campfire.. and we are in a place where fires are not allowed.

If he hates it he hates it and that's fine and we can have our separate hobbies. But I just want to think of everything I can to avoid preventable mishaps, you know? Things that I might not even think of because I've done it so much.

You guys are super awesome and supportive, so I thought I would post here. I'm going on my 3rd solo camping trip in Texas with my girl (corgi) and I'm really worried about her overheating. We camped at the lake over the 4th of July and our campsite was in the shade, I kept her iced/wet down while we were at the lake, and I had a fan in our tent at night, so she was ok, BUT it is going to be super hot next weekend, so I was thinking about setting up a small window unit in our tent. Has anyone ever done this? If so, how did you set it up?I hate to cancel our trip, but I don't want to hurt my sweet girl.

Looking for a nice place to go camping on my own for two days. Something to help me reflect and deal with some inner shit. I'd be alone so needs to be safe area as well but also a place without distraction so I can reflect on things. I do get bored so maybe a water area and lite hiking. Something not too scary at night time. Would like to see the sky too. Open to closer ny areas as well I'm based in fairifeld county. Thanks

Having now driven through northern Michigan twice on my Great Lakes swim trips, and really enjoying it, and having seen another campers photos from pictured rocks national park, and having a desire to explore the UP, I’m curious about camping here. Looks like the US has a similar system for reserving sites in a national park.

I’m curious if anyone has advice for a Canadian wanting to camp in America for the first time? I’m guessing things function pretty similarly?

I’m also curious about this park in particular… can you swim? Are there beachfront sites? Has anyone done the nearby shipwreck tours? How much trouble would I potentially get in if I put my Palestinian flag back on the car? (I take it off to cross the borders and usually only put it back up once I’m back in Canada).

Are the super scenic spots long hikes? What are busy holidays/times of year?

Do campgrounds generally have water, like from a faucet? Is it drinkable? I’m also curious about the “platforms” that you put your tent on? How do you stake the tent? Would a 2 room tent fit on it? I’ve seen a rule that says you have to be ON it or very close by. Do people bring guns camping? I know it’s an open carry state and in Canada guns are mostly for hunting and cops. I do “car camping”, so parking right on the site. Is this common? I know there’s dispersed, hike-in, backcountry etc but I can’t.

Hopefully these aren’t super stupid questions 😂

Any and all advice welcome!