How to Set Up Your Campsite

With camping season now just around the corner, I’m sure more than a few of you are preparing to head out into the backcountry to reconnect with nature. One of the most important things you’ll be doing on those excursions is setting up your campsite in the wilderness, which can be surprisingly challenging at times. Recently, I wrote an article for Popular Mechanics that shares plenty of tips, ticks, and suggestions for how to not only choose the right place to pitch your tent, but how to properly maximize comfort while you’re there. And while I know a lot of Adventure Blog readers are avid outdoor enthusiasts, I thought you still might find a few things in the story to be interesting and informative.

The article offers advice to both car campers and backpackers, with suggestions on how to scout out the proper location before you ever start to set up camp. Once you’ve picked your campsite, we delve into setting up your tent, building a fire, creating your meals, and so much more. We even talk about how to deal with bears and get a good night’s sleep, which is crucial to enjoying your outing for sure.

As we all know, the gear that we bring with us on a camping trip plays an important role in how much we enjoy the experience too. We dedicate quite a bit of time to selecting the proper gear, taking a look at tents, sleeping bags, lighting systems, portable power, and other items that can help you enjoy the backcountry just a bit more. In the article, I offer up a few suggestions on specific pieces of gear that I recommend in each category, although there are plenty of other great options to choose from. The point is, don’t skimp on your gear or you could have a less than ideal experience.

This story was a lot of fun to write and work on. It also ended up being fairly long and extensive in its scope, but I think it turned out great. My friends over at PopMech did an excellent job of laying it out and adding nice photos and graphics. As a result, it is a fun read, although it may take a bit to get through the entire article. If you’d like to read it yourself, you’ll find it here.

Kraig Becker