Seeking Advice on Solo Camping: Safety Measures?

[justinvaughan]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning my first solo camping trip and have a question about safety measures. While I'm excited about the adventure, I want to ensure I'm adequately prepared. What are some essential safety tips you'd recommend for solo camping?

I'm particularly concerned about wildlife encounters and navigating unfamiliar terrain alone. Additionally, any suggestions on reliable communication devices or emergency protocols would be greatly appreciated.

My goal is to strike a balance between enjoying nature and staying safe.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences and advice!

[justinvaughan]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning my first solo camping trip and have a question about safety measures. While I'm excited about the adventure, I want to ensure I'm adequately prepared. What are some essential safety tips you'd recommend for solo camping?

I'm particularly concerned about wildlife encounters and navigating unfamiliar terrain alone with the guide of alonecamping.com. Additionally, any suggestions on reliable communication devices or emergency protocols would be greatly appreciated.

My goal is to strike a balance between enjoying nature and staying safe.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences and advice!

Thanks in advance for your input

[alt.thomas]

I think you’ll need to know what types of animals you are going to encounter and take appropriate precaution. At most, bear spray but that’s if you are going to bear country. In my part of the woods, I heed black bear, boar and the occasional monkey but that’s against my food - eat dinner and store food away from where you sleep. I remember I couldn’t sleep well on my first solo camp. The animals were loud and I could hear their footsteps nearby. The fear for me was not knowing what animal was out in the dark, but after a while you’ll know the sounds the animal makes and get used to it (but bring earplugs, the deers are noisy).

Re communication, I use the Garmin in-reach cause my family worries about me and I want to give them peace of mind. On some trails, I don’t see anyone the whole day and having a way to send out an SOS is my peace of mind. Carrying an emergency beacon would be a good alternative. Share your plan: course and itinerary.

In addition to multiple gps devices (phone, fenix watch and in-reach), I carry paper copies of my map.

I would also suggest going on days with excellent weather. You don’t want to complicate your first trip. For me, after a few fair weather trips, I purposefully hiked and camped during foul weather on a familiar trail with lots of escape points.

Good luck and have fun.

[Shug]

I did a video on that subject a while back. Perhaps there will some insight in it for you.
Try a solo! Then you will for sure know if it is for you...or not.
Shug

[Great White]

I would like to add my experience and thoughts.

Have a plan. Know where you are going and how to get there. Make sure you leave the itinerary with someone you know, so if something happens and you are late returning home, they can get help to your location.

As far as wildlife is concerned, unless you are hiking in an environment where animals are known to hurt humans such as Grizzly Bears and maybe Mountain Lions, it is far more likely they will be afraid of you and run away. I would not be concerned with them.

Like Shug mentioned in the video above avoid places where you, in camp, can be easily accessed. Avoid locations close to trail heads and roads where you can be a target of opportunity for people with ill intent. Have some means to defend your self. A knife in your pocket might be a good mental aid, if you are concerned about bad people. In my experience, most of those people don't walk into the woods beyond a mile.

Another factor to consider is yourself. Plan some fun activities to perform in camp. Read a book, carve something out of wood, build a fire and make smoores, something to occupy your mind. Speaking from experience, if you are in an isolated environment even with miles of space around, it can feel as though you are trapped in a tiny room.

I went on my own first solo a few years ago. I made some mistakes. I hope it inspires you. Remember you will have fun and relax and everything will go well.

[mattnin]

I can share some things I do, maybe they'll help. I always go solo, and quite a ways off trail too.

Offline GPS maps are super important and learning how to read topographical features on maps. I suggest both topo maps as well as satellite and topo imagery offline. I use Alpine Quest on my phone for mapping. Last year, I was backpacking with a pretty hefty pack and I was off trail at a fairly steep cliffside but following my nav arrow on my watch to the next waypoint. I couldn't figure out why the terrain was getting steeper and steeper when it should be flattening out. Thank goodness I checked the topo map because I saw a flat clearing, but in a different direction, up the cliff. So I climbed up a ways, in a different direction from the nav arrow and not too far actually, and there it was a nice flat game trail leading right to where I needed to go and I was on my merry way. But if I would have kept going the direction of the nav arrow, the cliffside was only going to get much steeper. Thank goodness I took the time to understand exactly where I was on the map using the topo features because that climb was only going to keep getting so much more difficult. Don't always trust your GPS nav arrow!

Also, having a compass is a must. I use the Suunto clipper. I use my mapping app to calculate a bearing for all my waypoints and I write them down using a pen on a paper map. I then use the paper map with written bearings and my my compass to get me to my next waypoint. I keep my map in my breast pocket. I often don't even need to use my smartphone map or my watch to get where I'm going. I like to do this to conserve battery for the times I really need it and as an exercise so I don't have to rely on my phone or watch. Often, the paper map is so much more easier to use too than a phone anyway because my stupid fingerprint sensor on my phone is awful.

Speaking of battery, if your phone has extreme battery saver, use it. Another device I think has helped is a power bank. Yes, it weighs an entire half pound, but the peace of mind knowing that I can recharge my flashlight if needed, or even recharge my phone helps with any battery anxiety I get. I think it has upped the quality of life while backpacking too because I can even watch a movie or listen to podcasts if I so choose.

I take a digital copy of the paper map with all my waypoints on it and text it to my wife every time before I leave, and always give her an estimate when I will return.

Another thing, water. This can be a big one because there are times I have ran out of water for a good long while. I suggest to carry a more than what you might need to get to your next water source. And if for whatever reason you can't make it to the water source, make sure you have enough water to turn around and get back to your previous water source. I've been there and done that... I go off trail a lot, and I was heading for a water source but got trapped in by oakbrush. I was only about 1/3 mile away from the creek but I was not finding any way through the oakbrush no matter what so I had to completely turn all the way around. Very defeating. But I knew I had enough water left to make it back to my previous creek, but just barely enough and I ran out of water about a mile away from the previous creek and I was super thirsty. It pays to know your body and your limits to estimate how much water you'll need, and then take more than that estimate. It is a tricky balance because water weighs so much, I often don't want to carry too much extra, but at the same time, not having enough is very dangerous.

I take bear spray with me and have never had to use it, knock on wood. I have run into bear several times. My most recent encounter the bear was probably only 50 yards from me and when it saw me it ran up the mountain side so fast, it was very impressive to see actually. The scariest time, when I was much dumber and younger, I had food in my tent and the bear came at night and was trying to lift my tent. I remember clearly it's wet nose pressing up the side of the tent and it scratching up the bottom of my tent and I was trying to hold it down. Thank goodness it decided to give up and run off. Since then, I've never had food in my tent ever again. It is kind of nerve wracking to see a lot of bear though, I must admit. The areas that I encounter bear, I usually never go back. So first hand experience here, never have food in your tent, use a bear hang, and take bear spray. Another weird thing, if you go to a place where you have to pack out your own waste, a bear will go for that too... I came back to camp once with a ripped up bag that had my waste in it, I couldn't believe the bear was going for that. Needless to say, I never went back to that area ever again either but when I do need to pack my waste out, I put that up in a tree too.

[Longwinters]

If you are using some type of “come and get me” device ie InReach etc. better have insurance for it as a rescue could cost you thousands of dollars. Watch some videos on it.

[ATPringles]

Finally, something *I* know about. :-)

I can’t begin to tell you why backpacking alone is awesome, but it is. I’ve been backpacking alone for almost 30 years. You get to go where you want, when you want, stop when you find something interesting, or you want a break, or you see ripe strawberries (enough for one, and you don’t want to share). The bad thing is you never have someone to say, “remember when we… .“ Think about all those adventures you’ve had, and can laugh and commiserate with others about. Take a little journal, for in three years you’ll really enjoy looking back at it.

You asked about safety. I always have someone paying attention to when I am to be out, and I have given them the phone number of the local law enforcement agency or backcountry office, though I have been told by the backcountry office folks, that if someone 1000 miles away calls their 911, those folks will know how to get ahold of the proper authorities where you are. I carry an InReach (with the insurance add on), and keep it on and pinging every 10 minutes when I hike. I don’t usually keep it on, or on me, when I am at camp, and I don’t usually go wandering about much. I have a whistle attached to my little fanny pack, which does go with me everywhere. It has a little emergency kit with flashlight, MAP, compass, some Ibuprofen, bear spray, knife, lighter, matches, etc.. To me, it’s like the little bag the mountain men wore around their neck, their Possibles Bag, because it had the stuff that would make it possible for them to survive if something happened.

I live near, and backpack a lot, in Yellowstone. Yellowstone has just about every alpha predator on the continent (thank heavens there are no polar bears, they are scary). I always carry two bear spray canisters, for if I use one, I want another to be able to get back to the car. To avoid an encounter, I talk or sing, or imitate the Swedish Chef from the muppets. I have encountered people, who sometimes smile about my noises, but since the concern is real, no one has ever, EVER, said anything negative. I have run into bears, and had bears in camp. I work to not startle them, and after a conversation with them, they have always wandered off. Sometimes I have to tell them it’s my campsite more than once, but they go. Bison are a different matter. Unlike bears, bison gonna be where bison wants to be. I will wander away from them until they have moved on. When it comes to wildlife, thoughtfully play it by ear. Don’t forget your bear spray, though.

People are what really scare me in the woods. It may seem counterintuitive, but when I pass someone, I always (ALWAYS) look them in the eye and say hi or hello. I’m not great at reading people, but that’s the best way for me to gage what they are thinking, or whether they seem to be on something, or a little touched in the head. Most people are super friendly, and share information about water sources and what they saw at a campsite and if they had a little herd of bison they had to go around. But, I have had people that made me feel uncomfortable. I would let them hike right on by (I’m slow, this is easy) to keep them ahead of me, or remember that I had stopped for lunch a mile back, and I think I forgot my jacket or hat or something, and would have to go back. I have been nested at a site on the Appalachian Trail, and had someone come in that I thought had a few screws loose, and I decided I had more energy than I thought I did, and packed up and headed toward town. When you’re alone, you are able to watch and sense others. It’s an important skill.

I think one of the reasons I am comfortable backpacking alone is that I am blessed to be able to hike in National Parks, though I do have plenty of National Forests near by and I go there sometimes, too. They are good places to start hiking alone because they usually have beautiful scenery and nice trails and campsites. But there is also comfort that those folks in the backcountry office know where you’re supposed to be, by virtue of the permit you picked up. They should know the trailhead where you are anticipating starting and finishing, and the campsite you should be at. And while some complain they are over controlled, I have periodic visits from park rangers. Mostly, I enjoy interacting with them. I hope they move people who don’t belong there, back to the trailhead. I know, you want to go to the back of beyond, but you might want to start your solo trips someplace that’s just in the controlled backcountry of a national park. I take a certain amount of comfort that to get into big parks, you usually need to pass an entry gate. That keeps some problem people out, just because it’s one more step, and someone might begin to recognize them. Am I right, maybe not, but it’s just one more thing I think about. I know that park is patrolled regularly, and I have a little more comfort that when I get back to my vehicle, it will probably still have its catalytic converter, though, there have been instances where porcupines nibble on brake lines because they have salt, and apparently taste delicious.

Sorry if this rambled. I really enjoy my solo trips, and am waiting anxiously to start backpacking this year. I’m sure I limit my hikes because I hike alone, but I’m not staying home.

[PopcornFool]

Many folks worry about the same types of things you have mentioned. But a lot of things that people mention as their top worries fall way down on the list in my opinion. Like many things in life, once you gain experience and confidence, you realize that the things that you worried about early on are overshadowed by the things that perhaps you should have been worried about.

A lot of the advice you're getting here is good advice. And I expect that more good advice is still on the way. (That's one of the things I love most about this forum.)

I have been hiking solo for over 40 years. I could write a book on the topic. But I think I can sum up all my advice into three key concepts that I learned in the Army:

Concept 1)
The 5 P's (Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance): Much of the success of a solo hike (or any endeavor for that matter) occurs before setting one foot into the woods. You've already taken a good first step. Research, learn, anticipate, and prepare. It might not be obvious or intuitive, but the better prepared you are for the things you can anticipate, the better you will be able to handle the things you didn't anticipate. A lot of that has to do with "building confidence" (like Shug mentions in his video). This is a never-ending effort. There is always more to learn ... better ways of doing things ... better ways to prepare. Even the most experienced old farts out there are still experimenting, still learning, and still improving so that they can be better prepared for their adventures. It actually becomes more important as you age because you start to face new challenges to prepare for that you don't face when you are younger.

Concept 2)
Crawl, Walk, Run: Don't try to tackle an AT through-hike on your first solo trip. Kind of obvious, I know. But don't even start with multi-week or multi-day solo hikes. Start with a short overnight trip in an familiar area. Build gradually. The longer your trip, the more likely you will experience unanticipated situations. The more experience you have, the better you will be able to respond to those situations. You can sometimes gain knowledge quickly, but you can't gain experience quickly. Embrace building your experience gradually. Or to look at it another way .... Make the enjoyment of the trip your priority, not the destination. Enjoy developing your experience. Don't try to rush it. It's not a race and there is no finish line.

Concept 3)
Choose the Harder Right over the Easier Wrong: The biggest issues people face can often be traced back to poor decision-making. And a lot of poor decision-making comes down to taking an unnecessary risk because it's easier. Keeping your food near where you sleep is a common example. Here's a less common, but perhaps more impactful example: A few years ago, I was on trail about halfway through a multi-day solo trip and traversing a ridge line leading to a planned mountain crossing when I came upon a portion of the trail that had been swept away by a recent rock slide. There was nothing but newly exposed shale at the same slope as the mountain at that point (about a 30 degree angle). The gap wasn't very wide (about 10 feet), but it was farther than I could cross without stepping on it, even with a running start and a jump. And a misstep would result in a sheer drop of about 150 feet. Turning around would have meant backtracking my trip almost to the beginning and going around that mountain, essentially ruining my plans for the trip. I considered various options (tossing my pack over first, finding some sturdy logs to bridge the gap, etc.), but ultimately chose to trust the grip of my boots and brave the short crossing with a single step on the bare shale. Obviously, I succeeded, but after I crossed and realized what I had done, I was so shaken by what could have happened that I literally had to stop for about 20 minutes to calm down. Had I been a younger man, I probably wouldn't have thought twice about it. But it was a stupid, stupid decision at any age and I absolutely knew better. Some poor decisions you can never recover from. Never be afraid to turn around. Always choose the harder right over the easier wrong. Even with my experience, this is a lesson I must keep relearning and it's perhaps the most important one of all.

[KayakerBee]

Hey everyone,

I'm planning my first solo camping trip and have a question about safety measures.
I'm particularly concerned about wildlife encounters and navigating unfamiliar terrain alone. Additionally, any suggestions on reliable communication devices or emergency protocols would be greatly appreciated.

My goal is to strike a balance between enjoying nature and staying safe.

Looking forward to hearing your experiences and advice!

My experience is in solo kayak camping but still applies to backpacking.

Unless you know without question there is cell service, put your phone in ‘airplane mode’ or you will run the battery down in record time.

Don’t forget a well equipped first aid kit. After going through WFA training, I don’t go out without a tourniquet now. When you are alone and bleeding it’s not the time to improvise something.

Always carry a small power bank if you rely *solely* on a phone or GPS device for navigation. On more than one occasion I’ve had to recharge hikers’ phones at remote campsites because they underestimated battery life and had no paper charts or compass. If weight is an issue, a solar light with a usb port works and does double duty. LuminAID and Luci are two brands. Both are lighter than a power bank, hang from your pack to recharge as you hike and will juice up a phone a couple of times. Be warned it can take 2 days to fully recharge the light as the solar panel isn’t that large.

Always look for scat and animal trails before you set up camp. Steer clear of both. Raccoons, mice and ravens cause more headaches than bears for the most part. Clean up and pack everything away as soon as your meal is finished; don’t spill food on the ground. I use smell proof bags (Smellyproof brand but Loksacks/Opsacks work too) inside my stuff sacks and dry bags.

As everyone else has mentioned, in bear country carry bear spray. Keep it with you at all times. If you want to get a wildlife behaviorist’s no nonsense take on bears, pick up a copy of “Bear Attacks: their causes and avoidance” by Stephen Herrero. Tom Smith also has some interesting, if sometimes controversial, things to say about bears. A favorite quote from him: “Don’t act like you’ve been violated when you get attacked after washing your hair with a fragrance that makes you smell like a 200-pound strawberry”.

Humans worry this biologist more than wildlife. A couple of things us women are especially careful about that actually is good advice regardless: Don’t be too quick to tell others you encounter that you are out alone; let them assume you are merely out of sight of your hiking partners. If you are posting status reports about your trip, delay the posting for a few days so you are gone from the location when the general public reads the post. My Garmin Inreach track is password protected so only my husband can see it and knows exactly where I am. Bear spray works on humans too! Trekking poles make great defensive weapons. Your emergency whistle, discharged next to someone’s ear can be disorienting enough for you to regroup.

Something Shug said in the video is really important. Keep a whistle and your SOS device securely on you at all times. A USCG SAR friend of mine has a saying “if you don’t have it on you, you don’t have it”.

And lastly, be sure to let us know how the adventure went and share any cool insights gained!