10 Tips for Choosing a Perfect Campsite

09/26/19 • 13 min

Ten Features of a Perfect Campsite

BEFORE you even head out, check with rangers or the website to determine the guidelines and regulations for the area you will be camping. It's no fun to get a ticket from a ranger or be forced to move because you aren't following the rules. Also check on camp fire restrictions as well.

COMPLETE SHOW NOTES HERE

Here are the ten features to look for when choosing a campsite. Full details below the checklist.

Water availability and source : it's no fun to lug water
The terrain : find a level spot so you don't feel like you are rolling down a hill
A hazard free zone : look around for potential hazards like dead trees/branches or from flash floods, etc.
A site suitable for the expected weather : don't pitch your tent in a low spot in case of rain, or on the ridge in a thunderstorm
The proper size for your party : make sure you have enough room for all the tents, kitchen/dining area and play area
Bonus amenities like stone or stump chairs and tables : are there any 'free' boulder or tree stump chairs to relax on?
A perfect mix of sun and shade : open tent to morning sun, afternoon shade and a sunny clotheseline area
Which minimizes negative impact on the land and the wildlife : use existing sites or try not to disturb the vegetation
Is private : away from other campers and the trail
Is pest free : use the wind to your advantage

Links Mentioned in this Podcast:

Portable Water Treatment ATSP Episode 003

What to Do if You Get Lost in the Woods ATSP Episode 006

Outdoor Etiquette ATSP Episode 010

Active Travel Adventures podcast

Allow Enough Time to Find a Campsite:

I start looking for a campsite about 4pm. If you are super tired and the terrain and water situation is not optimal, you may want to start looking earlier. Also if you are tired, you may want to hide you pack (and make note of where you put it)so you can scout ahead without carrying the weight. This way you’ll be more likely to seek out a good site instead of settling for the first adequate one.

So what does a good campsite look like?

Check before you head out:

What are the regulationsfor the area you plan to camp? The national parks, national forests, BLM lands and state parks all have different rules and restrictions. Obviously honor the rules as they are trying to keep things nice for all of us. If you need a reservation, make one. If you need a permit, get one. You certainly don’t want to get a ticket from a ranger or be forced to move because your didn’t pay attention to the guideline. While you’re at it, find out the campfire rules, too.

1. Water

A great campsite has a solid source of quality water nearby so you don’t have to haul it too far. You can learn about water treatment option on Episode 003. You’re going to need water to drink, cook, and clean up. My favorite water is a spring, then a stream. My least favorite is a lake. Lakes can collect bad things like E-coli and it's hard for the bad things to get out. Rivers also collect all the run off, and it was from the river at Linville Gorge that I got giardia, a most unpleasant experience. With a suitable portable water treatment system, you can drink from any of these source. There are few places I go that I don’t treat my water before drinking it.

Remember that you want to camp at least 200’ from a water source, well off the trail and not in the path of the local wildlife’s worn path to the water’s edge.

2. Consider the terrain

Unless you are using a hammock, you want to find a level site so you don’t feel like you are rolling down the hill when you lay down. Even a slight pitch is unnerving. Also make sure you don’t set you tent on an area where water can collect should it rain.

3. Look up and around for hazards

Dead branches and trees can fall on you. If you see piles of rock and debris, you might be in a flash flood hazard area. Site selection is criticalif you are in a canyon and bad weather comes in quickly. You may not have time to escape a flash flood. This is a good thing to check with rangers beforehand. If you are camping on a beach, make sure you are well above the high tide mar...

Ten Features of a Perfect Campsite

COMPLETE SHOW NOTES HERE

Here are the ten features to look for when choosing a campsite. Full details below the checklist.

Water availability and source : it's no fun to lug water
The terrain : find a level spot so you don't feel like you are rolling down a hill
A hazard free zone : look around for potential hazards like dead trees/branches or from flash floods, etc.
A site suitable for the expected weather : don't pitch your tent in a low spot in case of rain, or on the ridge in a thunderstorm
The proper size for your party : make sure you have enough room for all the tents, kitchen/dining area and play area
Bonus amenities like stone or stump chairs and tables : are there any 'free' boulder or tree stump chairs to relax on?
A perfect mix of sun and shade : open tent to morning sun, afternoon shade and a sunny clotheseline area
Which minimizes negative impact on the land and the wildlife : use existing sites or try not to disturb the vegetation
Is private : away from other campers and the trail
Is pest free : use the wind to your advantage

Links Mentioned in this Podcast:

Portable Water Treatment ATSP Episode 003

What to Do if You Get Lost in the Woods ATSP Episode 006

Outdoor Etiquette ATSP Episode 010

Active Travel Adventures podcast

Allow Enough Time to Find a Campsite:

So what does a good campsite look like?

Check before you head out:

1. Water

Remember that you want to camp at least 200’ from a water source, well off the trail and not in the path of the local wildlife’s worn path to the water’s edge.

2. Consider the terrain

3. Look up and around for hazards

Previous Episode

Understanding and Buying Holiday Travel Insurance

Learn the nuances of buying travel insurance so you're actually covered for unforeseen accidents, delays, sickness, theft and more. Many claims are denied because people don't understand their policy. Don't make that mistake and learn what to buy.

COMPLETE SHOW NOTES HERE

Travel Insurance quote: Get a quick quote and compare policies and prices WITHOUT giving them any identifiable information unless you choose to buy.

Why Buy Travel Insurance?

You buy holiday insurance to help mitigate some of the lossesyou face when your holiday doesn’t go as planned, especially through no fault of your own. Without insurance, you can be out a significant amount of cash for bookings you are no longer able to use.

Americans now spend close to $3 billion a year on travel insurance, and that’s up almost 20%! I buy holiday travel insurance for every trip I take.

To me, it’s a small price to pay for piece of mind in case something goes wrong, plus I have 24 hour assistancewhen something does go wrong. It's super important to UNDERSTAND what travel insurance is and the types of things it can cover. It doesn't cover 'stupid' or negligence like being under the influence. And it's only to try to make you 'whole' not compensate you for your loss. So in an approved claim, you in effect, get back the money it cost you had the unfortunate event not taken place. In this podcast episode, I get to better understand travel insurance in my interview with Phil Sylvester ofWorld Nomads Links Mentioned:

Active Travel Adventures podcast

Travel Insurance quote

Costa Rica podcast episode

Tanzania safari podcast(Mickey faceplant!)

The Best Travel insurance can cover things:

Before your trip:

You or an immediate family member gets sick or dies
Your tour or cruise gets cancelled (in fact this just happened to me after I already bought my expensive plane tickets and some non-refundable Airbnb’s before and after my tour)
Your flight gets delayed

During Your trip:

Your bags get lost, damaged or stolen
You miss your connections due to other delays
Something you booked gets cancelled
You get sick or injured (or worse)
Your destination experiences a natural disaster or terrorist attack

HOW TO FILE A TRAVEL INSURANCE CLAIM

Before you go: Put in the cloud a copy of your travel insurance policy. Make sure you know the 24 hour Assistance Contact number and your policy number.

READ YOUR POLICYduring the grace periodto make sure that it will cover the risks you don't want to assume. Please don't ignore this!

Something happened...What Do I Do?

You will need to call the Assistance Hotline and have this information available:

Your current contact phone number
Your policy number
Be able to describe the problem
Be able to tell them your location

INSURE MY TRIP is my 'Go To' insurance company when I travel because they let me compare prices and policies quickly from different companies, and I don't have to give them any identifying information unless I choose to buy. As my affiliate, whenever you use IMT, at no additioinal cost to you, you are helping to support the program and keeping it ad free - thanks! Kit

Next Episode

How to Safely Cross a River

How to Safely Cross a River When hiking, sometimes you come to a wide or deep river. How do you cross it safely? Learn these important skills on today's show. See complete SHOW NOTES HERE. Below is a machine transciption of this episode (and there is bound to be loads of errors). I am currently traveling off grid and didn’t have a chance to work up the complete webpage before I left, so this is the best I could do in the meantime. Either check back later, or if you email me, I’ll write you back to let you know when I’ve got the post up. Thanks for your understanding! Kit

00:05 I had to get across the river. I lost my footing for a moment and found myself stalled in the middle of the deepest and fastest part of the stream. As I tried to get better footing the river current sweat feet from underneath me and I immediately fell face down into the river. I was immediately hit with a wave of cold from the water that had been ice nearly hours before I was swept downstream with my pack on. I was underwater and couldn’t preach. I tried unsuccessfully to get a toe hold on the river bottoms who would get on my feet. I realized I was in a very serious situation. No one knew where I was. I had no idea what was downstream. Was there a log or a pile of logs and rocks below me that I can get caught up in? Was my gear and my sleeping bag wet? Was I even going to be able to get out of this welcome

00:57 Welcome to the Adventure Travel Show podcast. I’m your host Kit Parks. The intro today was an excerpt I read from an article by the Pacific Crest Trail Association titled I was swept away crossing a river on the Pacific crest trail written by Charles Williams, who I did try to reach out to, but unfortunately it was not able to catch up with him prior to this recording. But I will put a link to his very fine article in the show notes and on the website for this episode. Today we’re going to be talking about the best practices to help you get across river safely. Believe it or not, that’s one of the most dangerous things that we do when we’re out in the wild. People might be afraid of heights or snakes or bites or the cold or the heat, but what gets us the most is crossing the rivers. So today we’re going to learn the best tips of how to do so safely. What we need to look out for ahead of time, what to do if something goes wrong and we slip and fall into the water and the things that we need to do to give us the best shot at getting to the other side quickly, efficiently, and safely. This is a super important episode that I hope you’ll share, so let’s get started.

02:07 Okay.

02:08 Like I said, many hikers are worried about bears, snakes, lightning, and why you should definitely need to know what to do when you encounter these. Your greatest risk of injury or worse is crossing rivers without a bridge. Did you know that the number one way that people die in the national parks in the U S is from drowning? It’s also one of the leading causes of death on the Pacific coast trail and to beat a dead horse, it is the number one way that we harm ourselves when we’re out in the wild. Before we begin, let’s talk a minute about rivers themselves.

02:41 Okay.

02:41 The river, think of the river. It’s something that striates into different horizontal currents. So try to picture a cake with different layers, several layers, and each layer instead of being cake is a moving current. The top layer or the icing is the fastest moving current. While the bottom layer where your feet are is the slowest. However, unlike the top icing, the side icing is also slower moving. And so what this means to you is that even though you might have your feet firmly planted on the riverbend, that stronger middle layer of the cake and even that top layer can still carry you away. And that’s w...