honestly, do you like camping alone? (scary for me)

As others have said. I go off the main trail...
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Absolutely. You should always camp far enough off a trail or road that you can't be seen by passersby. Not only is a security and privacy issue for solo campers, it's a basic courtesy and standard outdoor etiquette towards other hikers.

Also take plenty of bright flashlights. I carry 2 very bright LED and 2 bright incandescent lights. This helps alot. Trust me.
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Well I carry one flashlight, a Mini-Mag Light. It's for emergencies only and I've rarely used it.
 
I hike alone a lot. I rarely have time for camping as I work most weekends. When I do camp with others, THEIR noises annoy me more than anything in nature. I am a light sleeper so snoring and tossing around a lot wake me up, but the great sounds of nature let me sleep like a baby.
 
Bob W said:
Absolutely. You should always camp far enough off a trail or road that you can't be seen by passersby. Not only is a security and privacy issue for solo campers, it's a basic courtesy and standard outdoor etiquette towards other hikers.


Well I carry one flashlight, a Mini-Mag Light. It's for emergencies only and I've rarely used it.
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I stay up late at night in the woods because it's just my natural sleep cycle. I'm a night person. Also where I go, The woods are very thick and dark. The moon or sky does not get through the canopy most locations I camp. So I need good flashlights unless I want trip over everything at night. It also gives me some security if I hear something and want to check it out. Also If I need to get out at night in an emergency the trails are marked with metal reflectors nailed to trees that can be seen down the trail a good ways with a good light. It's actually easier to navigate the trail at night because of this. The lights I carry are small lights like Surefire's so it's not a problem to pack them in and out.


When I am out there by myself I am on guard more then if I were with a group I would think this would be common for most people.
 
Part of the camping experience is the ability to share it with someone. I'm not sure I'd ever take a camping trip by myself.

I've been on plenty day hikes by myself and actually prefer it that way. No one to have to please or talk to, just me, my dog and Mother Nature.
 
I usually go with other people but I almost always have my dog with me. My dog is bigger then my girlfriend so I actually feel safer with him, doesn't yap as much either.

I have taken a few solo trips and I have experience what you feeling. It passes after a while but I think it is in our nature to fell uncomfortable in a strange place especially after dark.
 
I rarely ever go alone. . .I usually have my dog with me.

Seriously, if you're where you can have one, get a dog and bring it with you. They love camping.
 
I love going it alone!

In the winter my g/f doesn't really enjoy camping, but I love being out there! The best is the high desert at fifteen or twenty below zero...bone dry and dead quiet. Even ten below is pretty cool. I love it because I don't run in to anyone, nobody bugs me, there are no mosquitos or deer flies or horse flies, no bears either I guess, not that I give that much consideration anyway.

It's nice when you get a bit of wind out there...you can lie there on your sleeping bag close to the fire (no tents required...it's dry as a bone!) and listen to the crackling fire and the wind in the trees above you. I take books on the wilderness and log construction and lie by the fire and listen to nature and read. On top of your sleeping bag, you can feel the cool wind blowing down your back, but the front side is warmed by the fire. You roll over every ten minutes or so to heat the other side, and maybe heat up a bit of hot chocolate on the fire...

That's really heaven!


Honestly if you live around people, you've already seen the absolute worst this world can put out, so the further out there you get by yourself, the safer you probably are. My dad, a solo prospector for years, said the same kind of thing...there's nothing out there that'll do anything worse than a person will do.

I usually have guns with me, but not because I feel the need to be defended, just because I like guns and I am probably out there shooting during the day! In fact I am more inclined to view the guns as protection if I have people with me...I don't worry about myself at all and any neurotic tendencies I have to obsess about defending things really is focused on my g/f, who's got fewer natural defenses than I do!
 
gazaati said:
There I was, no one could hear me, No civilization what so ever in a place where months pass by with out a soul passing by in that aria.
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Sounds like a good spot to me. It's people that are the danger; at least, that's what I believe.
 
I think I am opposite from most here on this. I have to be aware at all times. In the desert and the woods I use a small poncho tarp for my shelter. I remember being a kid and sleeping in tents while there was a scary or mysterious sound outside. Nothing about a tent really makes me feel safe. I couldn't really see what was out there and I would be trapped if anything decided to rip through the front.
Now I must be able to hear a noise and quickly look around to see what it is. I like low "A" frame tarps pitched low but not trapping me or blocking my view.
The truth is there isn't much happening at night that isn't happening in the day. It will pass and be enjoyable, you'll see.

By the way good topic I think there are lots here that feel strange about being uncomfortable in a place they love like the outdoors.
 
Isn't it amazing to find out you really aren't as weird as you think. Most of us have the same feelings/fears. What makes us different is the way we deal with it.
I for one am the most passive person in the world until the shtf. Then everything slows down and I begin giving orders and dealing with things. I seem to see more clearly then.
As for fear, we all have it. Confront it and see how you react. Educate yourself and you will see things in a different way.
I hope you end up enjoying being alone. I think that only after being comfortable alone can you really be comfortable. You know you don't "need" to be in a crowd.
I can't agree more to bringing a dog. They are wonderful campers.
Hope this helps, enjoy life to it's fullest. Alone and with friends.

Beware the Candiru!
 
I've never camped alone. I'm not really sure how I would like it. I can see liking the alone time. I don't THINK I would have a problem with the overnight, but ya never know. I imagine most people are spot on with saying that you'll get used to it as you do it. That philosophy holds true for most things, why should camping be different?
 
Im leaving tonighth out to the desert for a week... The only thing that might bother me would be other people. So if i camp far enough for people to show up there is nothing to worry about.. When i camp out in the mountains the first night i always find sort of spookey but not cause there is something to be afraid of. Its mostly my own mind that does it to me. on the second night im too tired to worry about. So go out there and as long as you understand that its in your mind you would be fine. But its normal unless you do it all the time. So go out there and have fun.. As long as you walked far from people you realy dont have much to worry about. Most people that do go that far are just like anyone else on here. Looking for some peace and quiet away from the rat race.... DONT WORRY BE HAPPY...

Sasha
 
I do enjoy camping with a few close friends more so that going it alone, but I will occasionally do the latter when no one is available and I have some time off. My first night alone in the woods was actually a bit uneasy, but after that I find myself no more on-edge than when I'm camping with others.

Solo trips are excellent times to read a book or six (an activity that one shouldn't overindulge in if camping with friends, imho).
 
bearthedog said:
I think I am opposite from most here on this. I have to be aware at all times. In the desert and the woods I use a small poncho tarp for my shelter. I remember being a kid and sleeping in tents while there was a scary or mysterious sound outside. Nothing about a tent really makes me feel safe. I couldn't really see what was out there and I would be trapped if anything decided to rip through the front.
Now I must be able to hear a noise and quickly look around to see what it is. I like low "A" frame tarps pitched low but not trapping me or blocking my view.
The truth is there isn't much happening at night that isn't happening in the day. It will pass and be enjoyable, you'll see.

By the way good topic I think there are lots here that feel strange about being uncomfortable in a place they love like the outdoors.
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What do you do about bugs though Bear? Here in the south you'd be eaten alive. I can see how you can escape easier. But what about the bugs?

I've camped alone. I had been hunting by myself for a few years by then though, and had gotten used to being in the woods at night by myself. I agree, it can be creepy. The first time I went hunting by myself the pre-dawn part scared me. I was 12 at the time. I remember that I couldn't wait for first light. And I was on my grandads farm, so I knew the land like the back of my hand. Even then, I was scared.
 
I typically camp alone and much prefer it. I go to the woods to get away from civilization, not to bring it with me. Sometimes you do hear things in the night that make you wonder, but it's almost always your imagination at work. Remember that some animals are nocturnal so there's always things moving around no matter what time of day.
 
It can be unnerving until you get used to it. Bringing a gun that you are well trained with can remove a *lot* of worries. :D
 
I need a night or two to get used to it being so quiet, after that I sleep like a baby.

Helle
 
Fiddleback,
I usualy just sleep with a bug net over my head and never worry about it. If I got a bivy I still use the head net. If I just use my quilt then I am protected all over my body which leaves the head uncovered...then the bugnet comes out again. I have gone to sleep feet from a streem/creek with nats, bats and snakes around and I have never been attacked by any of them. The only place I wouldn't sleep on the ground would be the jungle.

Love your knives by the way Andy!
 
The only thing I do differently when going alone as opposed to being in a group, is I make sure someone knows exactly where I am going and how long I will be gone. If my plans change I always let them know.
Other then that it's just relax and enjoy
 
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