This was a tagged video on YouTube where people in the backpacking industry are sharing their top tips for wild camping. All of the sensible tips had been done such as navigation tips, picking the perfect site to pitch, leave no trace, pitch late and leave early etc. I didn’t want to do the same as everyone else, so I just through about the mistakes that I had made that I wouldn’t want to repeat. So without further ado, please find my top wild camping tips:-
#1 – BE AWARE THAT THINGS CAN GET IN YOUR TENT!
On the Jurassic Way in 2020 I learnt a valuable lesson which was no matter what, you should always fully zip up your tent 100%. At 1am, I woke up to a big wild ginger cat sitting on my head! I knew I had done my tent up and couldn’t understand how it had got inside. Upon inspection I realised that I had not quite fastened it 100% and there was gap of about 4 inches. I fell out of my tent trying to figure out how to get the cat out of my tent and ended up poking it with my umbrella. I didn’t sleep well that night, so learn from my mistakes and always fasten your tent!
#2 – USE A POLE MUSHROOM FOR TREKKING POLE TENTS
One night on the South West Coastal Path, my carbon fibre pole tore a hole in my tent as it was really windy and the pole had a point on the end. So, now I use a pole mushroom which you can purchase from Backpacking Light.
#3 – KNOW YOUR GEAR BEFORE YOUR ADVENTURE
Please make sure that you know how your gear works before you venture out into a wild camping trip. Have you practiced putting up your tent? Do you know how your stove works? Have you pumped up your air mattress to make sure that there are no holes in it? Knowing your gear is your responsibility, not the responsibility of your fellow hikers.
#4 – ALWAYS DOWNLOAD YOUR MAPS TO YOUR PHONE
I use Alltrails and also OS Maps on my phone, but one mistake I made on a trip to Kinder Scout was to not download the maps onto my phone so that I could navigate offline. The GPS was bouncing all over the place and navigation was really difficult. It was a scary moment and I learned a valuable lesson that day.
#5 – DON’T RUN OUT OF STUFF
I now have a check list as I have lost count how many times I have gone on a camping trip and I don’t have much gas left in the canister, or there are no plasters left in my first aid kit. When was the last time you charged your power pack?
Bonus tip #6 – DOCUMENT YOUR HIKES
Always document your hikes, even if it is not for public consumption. Creating videos, diary entries, even an “only me” Facebook album or a blog. Whichever style suits your personality then take the time to document your hikes. One of my regrets is to not record some of my earlier hikes.
Summary
Thanks you for listening to my top tips. I invite you to share your own wild camping tips and advice in the comments below.
Links mentioned: 1. Sunrise Challenge Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/18569… 2. Buy Me A Coffee for my PCT hike: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/juliadoh… (thank you)
Thank you! Remember – Get Outside, Get Inspired, Go Take A Hike.