{"id":1732,"date":"2014-10-20T10:15:25","date_gmt":"2014-10-20T17:15:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/?p=1732"},"modified":"2018-11-11T21:44:16","modified_gmt":"2018-11-12T05:44:16","slug":"joys-solo-camping","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/joys-solo-camping","title":{"rendered":"The Joys of Solo Camping"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Camping is one of the best ways to truly enjoy some time in nature, but sometimes organizing a group camping trip isn\u2019t the easiest thing in the world to do. If juggling work schedules, rideshares and gear lists is keeping you from actually getting outside and setting up a tent, consider the revolutionary notion of solo camping.<\/p>\n<p>At first glance, many people will wonder what the point is of camping by yourself. Yes, gathering your friends around a campfire to swap stories, roast marshmallows, and complain about aches and soreness from the day\u2019s hike is a time-honored way to end a day in the woods. But if you\u2019re up for the challenge, solo camping can highlight some parts of the backcountry experience you might otherwise miss in a larger group.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-article_body wp-image-1747\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/10\/01-Dont-Overpack.jpg?resize=600%2C450\" alt=\"The Joys of Solo Camping\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Here are some tips for planning your first solo camping adventure.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Know that the greatest source of fear for solo camping isn\u2019t bears or rattlesnakes or giant vampire bats\u2014it\u2019s your brain. As is true with most things, we only hear about the bad stuff in the media. The truth is, you\u2019re statistically much more likely to be injured driving to the trailhead than you are on the trail itself.<\/li>\n<li>That said, you should be extra prepared when going solo. Triple-check to make sure you have all of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/learn\/expert-advice\/ten-essentials.html\" target=\"_blank\">Ten Essentials<\/a> and be sure to leave an itinerary and check-in plans with a trusted friend.<\/li>\n<li>Remember that because there\u2019s no one joining you, there\u2019s also not another set of legs to help you pack in all that gear. Bring your lightest gear and try to leave those \u201cluxury camping\u201d items at home. If it\u2019s going to be warm and dry, consider ditching the tent to sleep under the stars, or ditch the sleeping bag for a hammock. Don\u2019t overpack!<\/li>\n<li>For added peace of mind, consider picking up an emergency beacon. Lower-cost consumer-grade units like a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/c\/plbs-and-satellite-messengers\" target=\"_blank\">personal locator beacon<\/a> not only let you call for help in case of an emergency, but can also send check-in messages to friends and family along with your GPS location. When I\u2019m hiking or backpacking solo, I always make sure this is on my pack.<\/li>\n<li>For your first time, choose a location you\u2019re already familiar with. Maybe it\u2019s a place you\u2019ve camped at before with others, or a backcountry camp you\u2019ve hiked through on day trips. Knowing the territory\u2014and maybe where you\u2019ve previously seen poison oak\u2014gives you one less thing to worry about.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-article_body wp-image-1748\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/10\/02-solo-tent-in-Utah.jpg?resize=600%2C450\" alt=\"The Joys of Solo Camping\" width=\"600\" height=\"450\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Finally, enjoy the more meditative aspects of camping solo. Without others around you, odds are you\u2019re going to have an increased awareness of your surroundings and the experience. Lakes may seem more refreshing, fresh air more exhilarating, sunsets more inspiring. And if you <em>do<\/em> happen to meet fellow campers along the way, you\u2019re probably going to be chattier than usual. If you packed light, sneak in some treats for your camp neighbors and you just might make some new camping buddies for your next non-solo trip!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Camping is one of the best ways to truly enjoy some time in nature, but sometimes organizing a group camping trip isn\u2019t the easiest thing in the world to do. If juggling work schedules, rideshares and gear lists is keeping you from actually getting outside and setting up a tent, consider the revolutionary notion of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1748,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[522],"internal-tag":[519,1672],"class_list":["post-1732","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-camp","tag-solo-camping","internal-tag-casey-schreiner","internal-tag-pre-redirect-camp"],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/rei.com\/blog\/camp\/joys-solo-camping","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"The Joys of Solo Camping","url":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/joys-solo-camping","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/camp\/joys-solo-camping"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/10\/02-solo-tent-in-Utah-e1447870567809.jpg?resize=150%2C150","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/10\/02-solo-tent-in-Utah-e1447870567809.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125"},"articleSection":"Camp","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Angela Crampton"}],"creator":["Angela Crampton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Uncommon Path \u2013 An REI Co-op Publication","logo":""},"keywords":["solo camping"],"dateCreated":"2014-10-20T17:15:25Z","datePublished":"2014-10-20T17:15:25Z","dateModified":"2018-11-12T05:44:16Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"The Joys of Solo Camping\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/camp\\\/joys-solo-camping\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/camp\\\/joys-solo-camping\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2014\\\/10\\\/02-solo-tent-in-Utah-e1447870567809.jpg?resize=150%2C150\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.rei.com\\\/blog\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/4\\\/2014\\\/10\\\/02-solo-tent-in-Utah-e1447870567809.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125\"},\"articleSection\":\"Camp\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Angela Crampton\"}],\"creator\":[\"Angela Crampton\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"Uncommon Path \\u2013 An REI Co-op Publication\",\"logo\":\"\"},\"keywords\":[\"solo camping\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2014-10-20T17:15:25Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-10-20T17:15:25Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2018-11-12T05:44:16Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/rei.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2014\/10\/02-solo-tent-in-Utah-e1447870567809.jpg?fit=1500%2C1125","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1732"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8099,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1732\/revisions\/8099"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1748"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1732"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1732"},{"taxonomy":"internal-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rei.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-tag?post=1732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}