Setting Up Camp

You've spent the day covering 10 miles on trail. At last you've reached your destination for the night, and you are elated, sweaty, tired and hungry. The angled sunlight reminds you that it will be dark in a couple of hours. What do you do next?

Housekeeping Basics

First, locate and claim a campsite. Make sure it's a legal and appropriate one. How do you make a good choice? Follow the guidelines outlined in our Campsite Selection clinic. It offers details on things you should do, including:

Possess any necessary permits.
Make sure your campsite is at least 200 feet away from water and trails.
Choose a site previously used by other campers; avoid impacting untrammeled ground.
Show courtesy to other campers; try to stay invisible to one another.

Unpacking

Once you choose your spot, drop your pack and begin unloading gear. Some strategy tips:

Put your flashlight/headlamp in a place where you can easily remember its location.
Sort food/kitchen items separately.
Find your jacket or pullover and put it someplace handy.
Locate your tent and ground cloth.

Shelter

Start with tent setup. You want to have quick access to a sheltered safety zone in case the weather changes or bugs attack.

Choose a flat spot for your tent, preferably a shaded one. Spread your ground cloth over that spot. Then lay on it and give your spot a test-rest. (This is a step lots of people neglect to make.) Does it feel level? Lumpy? Clear away any debris that pokes you in the back. But don't rip up the spot attempting to make the spot too perfect. When major bumps are gone, set up your tent.

Note: If you have to clear so much debris that you'll alter the look of the area, find another campsite.

Follow the seams: This is a good phrase to remember if you get a little confused while assembling a tent. It's easy to start criss-crossing poles and begin inserting them into the wrong pole sleeves. Pole sleeves are usually stitched into the main seams of a tent's breathable canopy. Thread each pole through the series of sleeve sections that line up along a single seam. Setup becomes simplified when you follow the seams.

Some additional tips:

If you can't find a level spot, angle your tent so your head is higher.
If it's windy, try to set up in a wind-buffered area, such as behind rocks. Point the low end of your tent into the wind to help prevent a blow-down. Plant your initial tent stakes with the wind at your back.
If it's a warm night with just a breeze blowing, aim your door into what wind there is; it might help shoo away mosquitoes.
Do NOT dig a drainage ditch around your tent. This is an old-school practice that ruins campsites and hastens erosion.
Unroll your sleeping pad, unstuff your sleeping bag and place both inside your tent, then zip it shut. This gives your bag some time to regain its loft.
If the terrain permits, aim your tent's door toward the east to catch early morning light. That helps encourage everyone to get an early start.

Kitchen

Keep your food together. Typically hikers carry main food items in 1 or 2 stuff sacks to keep them consolidated. Then they hang the bags in a tree or other high spot for safe overnight storage. (See our Food Storage clinic for tips.)

If you are camping in California's Sierra Nevada range, where black bears have become skilled at snitching food, you may need to carry a bear canister. Before starting a trip, ask local rangers about conditions in the area you plan to visit.

Wherever you camp, you'll need to keep your food within sight (or safely stored) once it's no longer on your back. Any number of critters, including squirrels, chipmunks, marmots, even gray jays, might take an interest in your food if they catch you looking the other way. Even if you're wandering just a short distance from camp—say, to the stream to filter water—it's smart to take your food with you.

Do your part to keep wildlife wild—keep a clean kitchen in the backcountry; practice the proper food storage techniques outlined in our Food Storage clinic; NEVER give food to a wild animal, even a cute little chipmunk. You do a wild creature a grave disservice by doing so, changing them from foragers to scavengers.

Special care is required when camping in grizzly bear habitat. Set up your kitchen at least 200 feet from your campsite. Avoid cooking aromatic foods. Cook in one set of clothing, sleep in another. The goal is to keep all food odors as far from you, and your tent, as possible.

Other camp setup tips:

Set up your stove on a level spot. A flat, bare rock, sheltered from wind, is ideal. Make sure nothing flammable is nearby.
If you plan to counterbalance your food bags for the night, seek out a suitable limb—and get a cord up and over it—while you still have light.
Nutritionists recommend eating within 1 hour of vigorous exercise to accelerate the body's recovery process. Consider munching on an energy bar if camp duties preclude you from eating a meal that quickly.
Filter water in the evening so you can save time in the morning and break camp as early as possible.
If you're in a group, make sure the workload gets delegated fairly. Rotate whatever tasks are most burdensome for your party.

Before You Turn In ...

Know the location of your headlamp/flashlight. Always keep it in the same place inside your tent. The same goes for toilet paper and your sanitation trowel.
Critter-proof your camp for the night: Hang your food; leave nothing aromatic (including food, toothpaste, lotions, et al.) inside your tent; don't leave sweaty items hanging overnight in places where salt-loving rodents may shred them.
Empty your backpack, zip open every pocket and compartment and, if possible, hang it off the ground from a tree snag. If the pockets are open, varmints won't be tempted to chew through the fabric to see what's inside.
Consider bringing along an extra T-shirt or other top for sleeping only. You'll feel cleaner inside your sleeping bag.
Use a wad of clothing for a pillow. Some people carry a pillowcase to help smooth over any wrinkles in the wad. Another pillow option is an inflatable bag.
Consider earplugs if you want to block out overnight sounds (streams, wind, snoring companions).
Show respect for other campers in your vicinity; keep your camp's volume level low, especially after dark.
At some point, pause to take in the silence and beauty of your surroundings; appreciate the sublime qualities of spending a night in the backcountry.