Your camping trip was supposed to be your opportunity to unplug from the bustle of daily life and reconnect with nature. It was supposed to be the time-out your mental peace needed, yet you’re stuck there coordinating the schedules, equipment, and responsibilities of the entire group. How, you ask, is a person supposed to enjoy a trip camping solo? It’s simple.

Well, there are a few more complications and things you need to keep in mind while solo camping. Going camping alone is sometimes the best idea for really enjoying your trip. Still, it’s undeniable that it’s also more challenging and sometimes outright more dangerous than going camping in a group. The good news, though, is that we’re not letting go of you yet. 

Below, you’ll find what Robert from Trekking Ground  thought were some of the best tips for anybody going camping today, along with other helpful lists like the equipment you should make sure to have on solo camping trips:

Going camping solo can be a great idea if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of coordinating an entire group, but if you’ve never been camping before, that’s a big no-no. We aren’t saying you need to be a camping veteran who’s spent most of your life outdoors, but you want to get used to camping before going out on a solo trip.

Going group camping also helps you learn basics, like tent pitching, navigation, fire-starting, and others. It also means that if you don’t know those basics, somebody else will!

Part of getting used to camping means picking up the essential skills that go along with it. Whether it’s tent-pitching, fire-starting, or even navigation, you can even practice most of them at home if there are no camping groups near you. Still, if you ask us, they’re best learned first hand and in the wild, since that way you can be a hundred percent confident in yourself. 

As for what skills, there isn’t an official list, but we think these are the most important:

You’ll need some other things too, but these are the bare minimum you should know before heading out solo. Also, this one’s free: packing something to read. Believe us. It gets boring out there. 

You’re sleeping somewhere new, all alone, and even if you don’t want to admit it, you’re a little scared of the things lurking outside your tent flap. That’s normal, and that’s expected. While there aren’t any monsters right outside, this phenomenon does keep you a little awake the first few nights, meaning you won’t be very comfortable at all. 

If your trip is all of two days, all you’re going to remember is being uncomfortable at night. 

Instead, think of it this way. After the first two days, you’re either going to get used to it and get more comfortable, or you’re going to be so exhausted you’ll sleep like a log. It’s a win either way, as long as you make sure to extend your trip a bit. 

When you’re alone, every noise seems louder, every bird picking at the remains of your meal sounds like a bear trampling through the leaves. Learning to keep your cool is probably one of the essential things when camping by yourself, if not the most important. It might sound like a trivial thing, but keeping calm is the best way to deal with any situation that comes up, whether it’s just a scary noise or a real cause for worry.

Since you’re the only person on the trip, you only need to pack for yourself, so be realistic when deciding what’s a luxury and what’s a necessity. For example, you might not need the standard tent if you’re solo. Instead, go for a hammock, or if it’s likely to rain, a small waterproof tent that you can fold up and store in a backpack. 

We might sound like worrywarts here, but it’s vital to share your itinerary with someone before going camping solo. Even if you’re heading to a populated campground, you should leave your departure date, your destination, and the day you’re coming back with family or a close friend. 

A second safety precaution is bringing an SOS device. Accidents are likely when you’re going camping solo for the first time, so get something like a sat phone or a locator beacon. Even if nothing happens, you can use it to stay in touch with anybody worrying about you.

Camping solo is great, but here’s a secret we picked up after lots of mishaps: it pays off to be prepared in advance for anything that can happen. Here are five essential pieces of equipment we think you should be packing for your first solo camping trip:

We’re ending this with a singular tip that’s going to change your entire camping experience: bring a book or something to do while you’re out there. Reconnecting with nature’s nice, and we love nature, but honestly?

There’s only so long you can listen to birds singing before it turns to noise. 

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