Remote or Primitive Tent Camping

Tent camping offers opportunities to REALLY get "off the grid".  You can start by car camping in remote or primitive campgrounds.  If you really want to get away from it all, try back packing, hiking in, or horse camping.   Remote camping lets you experience nature in ways you cannot in developed areas.  The proximity of other campers in campgrounds often disturbs the peace and tranquility you might be seeking.   Light pollution is another problem in many developed campgrounds.  Light from offices, camp stores, street and parking lot lighting, nearby communities, and other camp sites can inhibit your view of the stars.  It is surprising how far the glow from city lights will extend into the surrounding countryside, especially when the sky is overcast so it reflects off the clouds.  Getting out into raw country minimizes these problems.  Unless you depend on getting your water from the campground and prefer even smelly pit toilets to digging your own latrines, tent campers have no need to be tied to developed campgrounds.

Primitive car camping is a good way to start remote camping.  You may choose remote Forest Service campgrounds or even seek out open camping areas on completely unimproved BLM and Forest Service lands.  The biggest difference between really boondocking in a tent and staying in a primitive campground is that most campgrounds have a source of water and at least pit toilets, if not flush toilets or even complete restrooms with showers.  When really roughing it in undeveloped, open camping areas, you'll have to bring along all your own water and may have to dig your own latrines. Developed campgrounds usually have fire rings or fire pits for your use at each designated camp site. In an undeveloped area you may have to build your own fire pit.   If you are camping in an area where others have camped before, take advantage of any fire pit that may already exist.   If you have to build your own, do it right.   Clear the ground where you're going to build your fire and at least 5' all around it of any combustible material.   Create a ring of rocks or dig a hole and make a berm around it to contain your fire.  In some popular primitive camping areas you may find rock fire pits left behind by previous campers.   Try to take advantage of these whenever you can.  It will save you time and effort and reduce your impact on the environment.  If you are creating a new fire pit, make sure it is far enough way from trees and bushes to be safe -- and that there will be room for you and your companions to move safely around the fire.   Build it downwind from your tent and vehicles so blowing sparks don't create a fire hazard.  Be sure to observe all fire safety practices.  Check on fire conditions BEFORE you build any fire in a remote location.  Be sure to check on whether there are any fire restrictions in effect.   Open fires except in approved fire pits are often prohibited during fire season.  When you go completely off grid you'll have to provide for your own sanitation needs.  That usually means digging a latrine but some campers prefer to bring along a folding portable toilet.  It makes "going" more comfortable but you have to deal with disposing of the waste collected in plastic bags.

You may be able to drive right to a remote campsite in some forest service and BLM areas.   That may give you the best combination of getting away from civilization but not having to pack a lot of equipment very far on your own back.   Some forest service campgrounds provide fairly good privacy and separation from other camp sites.   In places like that you can have the best of both worlds -- a primitive camping experience but still have access to safe potable water and maybe pit or even flush toilets.

In most primitive camping areas you'll have to deal with rocks, twigs, and other debris that could damage your tent floor or interfere with a good night's sleep.  With that in mind,it is a good idea to bring a small, collapsible rake so you can clear your spot before you set up your tent.  Using a site that has been used before may give you a spot where someone else has already cleared the debris.

For the utlimate natural experience, back packing combines hiking and camping and gives you really good chance to practice your survival skills.  For back packing you'll need light weight gear -- tent, sleeping bag and a single-burner back-packing stove.   You can forgo the stove if you can do all your cooking on a campfire. Fire restrictions may prohibit open fires, so be sure to check with the local ranger before you hit the trail.  You will want to pack some extra clothes in case you get caught in a sudden storm and what you're wearing gets wet.  It is also nice to have something to wear while you rinse out the clothes you've been hiking in for days before they take on a life of their own.  Dehydrated meals are compact, light weight, and easy to prepare on the trail, but they are somewhat expensive.   Military "MREs" (Meals Ready to Eat) are also popular choices but can also be kind of pricey and a little heavy and bulky to carry.  If you'll be hiking in an area with lakes or streams you might be able to catch your dinner.  Unless you are really good at foraging or fishing you'll need to bring along enough food for your entire trip.  Energy bars are sometimes adequate for lunches and can give you a much needed afternoon boost from time to time.  When planning a back packing trip, be sure to do your homework. Know your routes.  Carefully plan your menus and calculate your water needs.  Unless there is proven safe potable water along the trail you'll have to find a way to carry all you need with you or be prepared to purify available water along the way.

Horse camping offers a chance to explore a cowboy experience.   Horse camping can give you greater range than back packing and you can usually take more food and equipment along, especially if you have a pack horse.  Cowboys got by with what they carried on their saddles, usually a canteen, a bedroll, and what would fit in their saddle bags.  A cowboy bedroll is a canvas enclosed sleeping cocoon.   The canvas protects you from ground moisture and from rain.   Cowboys usually didn't carry tents, but you can always tuck a back packing tent into your bedroll or saddle bags or carry a larger tent on a pack horse.  There are detailed instructions on the Internet for making your own cowboy bedroll or you an buy one for around $100.  Depending on availability of pasture for your horses along the trail you may need to carry feed for them as well.  You will need to provide a way to keep them from wandering off when you camp.  Hobbles will restrict how quickly they can move. Some trail systems that cater to horse back riders have corrals along the way or you might make your own from fallen timber or even just rope.  A common way of tethering horses is a "high line" -- a rope to which horses are tethered with a long enough lead to allow them to graze.   A battery-powered electric fence is also a modern option.  For a true cowboy experience, plan on doing all your cooking on the campfire.   For more convenience, bring along a back packing stove.  If you have an extra horse and a pack saddle, you may be able to bring along a little more equipment and creature comforts than you could carry in your saddle bags.

Camp OUT!