Just like the motto for the Girl Scouts- “Be Prepared”! You can definitely try to bring set yourself up for a fun, comfortable experience, just know that things of all kinds can and will go wrong, so bring a good attitude, flexibility, keep your mind open for inventive solutions, and never underestimate the power of string and duct tape!

Another favorite motto I have is “Leave No Trace!”. This means exactly what it sounds like. Pack out whatever you pack in. Don’t leave orange peels on the trail. Leave it better than you found it!

There’s a few types of camping, depending on the amenities. I’ll focus on designated campgrounds and dispersed camping here.

Designated campgrounds

These have sites that are regularly maintained. They might have reservations available online, and there’s a nightly fee. You can find these at recreation.gov or private sites online at sites like Hipcamp. You can read reviews, and on the site campsitephotos.com you can see photos of the individual campsites.

Some campgrounds even have cabins on site, or glamping tents. There may or may not be a camp host. These are people who live on site, and they have all the knowledge. They might even sell firewood.

Bring cash! Sometimes the only way to pay is by putting cash in an envelope and leaving it in a container. Some stores in remote places might only take cash. It’s just good to have as a back up. Sometimes you have to pay in quarters for showers too.

Bathrooms can vary from a simple pit toilet to flush toilets and showers. I had an amazing hot shower at the Antelope Island campground in Utah! Look it up before you go. Another time, we expected to have a shower, but they weren’t open for the season yet.

Some campgrounds might have water spigots, even if they don’t have running water for toilets or showers. Check to make sure it’s potable if you want to drink it! Usually it is. Don’t wash your dishes at the water spigot. Put water in a bucket and wash dishes somewhere else. This way the water and food bits don’t get concentrated in one area and make it disgusting and attract animals and bugs. Scrape and wipe your food off the dishes first. When you go to pour out the water, throw it in an arc to disperse it as much as possible.

Don’t throw trash into pit toilets. They are only designed to handle human waste and toilet paper. It can be difficult and costly to get trash out.

There will usually be a fire pit. In southern California, we have an intense fire season, so sometimes fires are not allowed. Please follow the fire guidelines! Wildfire seasons have gotten worse over the years.

Putting out a fire: pour water into it until you can put your hand in the ashes.

If there’s a bear box, put EVERYTHING SCENTED in it! This includes toiletries, candy wrappers and other trash, sunscreen, and of course all the food. Bears are huge and smart and will rip your car or tent apart if they want to.

Quiet hours are typically from 10:00pm to 8:00am. It’s always nice to respect that! Not everybody does though, and that can be a bummer. Don’t let it ruin your trip.

Dispersed Camping

Dispersed camping, wild camping, BLM camping- it usually means you’re much further out there than you would be for a regular campground.

BLM stands for Bureau of Land Management. This is land that is federally owned but not maintained other than making sure people don’t stay too long (14 days in most cases). Makes sense because it’s taxpayer dollars that pay for the restrooms and facilities out there, so they focus on developing areas like National Parks, Forests, and Monuments. BLM can be sparse and unexciting, but are habitats for wildlife and can have awe-inspiring geologic features.

Since the land out there is undeveloped, try to camp in places where people have camped before. There might be flat places where you can tell people have parked, pitched a tent, and lit a fire. Reusing these spots reduces the human impact we have on the land. Since it’s not regulated, it’s even more important to Leave No Trace.

Bring a trash bag and pack out any trash you find, including trash you make, including toilet paper! If you dig a hole for #2, make it at least six inches deep and cover it well to prevent animals digging it up.

How do you find these spots?

I use apps like iOverlander, or a website called Freecampsites.net. There’s a few others out there as well. You can find ratings and experiences other people have had in the area. Some places are no more than large flat pullouts on the side of the road. Those are more for people who have RVs or living #vanlife, and don’t need to pitch a tent. They might stop for a night while on the way somewhere else.

Pay attention to the description of the road leading to the site. Sometimes they aren’t suitable unless you have high clearance. Sand can also be a hazard. If you get stuck you might have to wait for someone with a winch to pull you out! That being said, many of the sites are easily accessible with a sedan. I drive a 2013 Gen 3 Prius and have found some pretty amazing spots!

For dispersed camping, one of the joys is that you can be very far from anyone else. Maybe there’s no one visible as far as the eye can see! Nobody blasting their speakers until 2:00am, or on the flip side, go ahead and blast yours! I mean, of course be considerate.

Since you may be very remote, it’s important to have everything organized so you know you have everything you need. Make sure you have enough water! That’s a big one. Enough gas in the car to get to the next gas station. Food. Etc.

Always tell someone where or approximately where you’re going. You never know if something may go haywire. Fires spring up, flooding happens. Send a friend your coordinates and let them know your plans.

When I’m going remote, I carry a Garmin Mini In-Reach. It’s a GPS device that can send text messages, ping my location on a regular basis, and there is an SOS feature. They cost between $300-400, plus a monthly subscription fee to keep it active, so it’s not cheap, but there’s no price too high when it saves your life. REI has sales where you can get one for $100 discount, and there are new devices that do similar things that are released every year.