Camping and spending time outdoors can be really fun and enjoyable when it’s done the right way. You may have a lot of activities planned, but first, you have to set up your camp. You won’t be able to make the most of your time if your camp keeps falling apart (or if you’re worried that it’s going to while you’re off having fun in the great outdoors). Fortunately, setting up at a public or private campground is pretty straightforward. If you’ve opted for wilderness camping, here’s a guide that will help you avoid the most common mistakes:

The things you’ll need

1. A good spot

You want a spot that’s not too far from the trail, flat, and is at a safe distance from your water source.

The spot should be on level ground. Don’t choose an inclined area, because you’ll have trouble sleeping and your things will be more likely to fall over or even roll away. Even if it’s flat, the top of a hill isn’t really recommended because it can be too windy. If there’s no available spot that isn’t inclined, at least pitch your tent so that you can sleep with your head pointing up the slope.

Your spot should also be within a safe distance from a lake or stream. You want the water source to be accessible, but you have to be sure that it’s far enough away that your camp won’t get flooded if it rains. 300 feet should be good enough. If you’re camping on the beach, though, it’s better to be farther than that, let’s say around 500 to 600 feet from the shoreline, so that your camp won’t get caught by the sea at high tide.

You should also pay attention to the ground surface. If there are too many rocks, you’re going to have trouble sleeping comfortably! If there are just a few, you can move them out of the way and use them to make a firepit. The dirt should also be easy to shovel, so you can dig a latrine, but it shouldn’t be so soft that it will turn into mud if it rains.

A few surrounding trees are nice because they’ll provide shade, protection from the wind, and a place to hang your hammock. Avoid setting up camp directly under a tree, though, because the last thing you want is a branch falling on you during a storm.

Lastly, but one of the most important things to check for – patches of poison ivy! It’s the #1 sign that you shouldn’t set up camp there.

2. Pitching your tent and unpacking

Once you’ve found your spot, the first thing to do is to pitch your tent and unpack. Before anything else, though, you should set up a base. A tarp makes a good tent mat and will help you avoid getting holes in the bottom of your tent.

Next, set up your tent according to its instruction manual. These are the general steps involved in pitching a tent:

• Step 1: Lay your tent and all of its components on your tarp.
• Step 2: Build the frame by connecting your tent poles and attaching them to their respective flaps.
• Step 3: Raise your tent and quickly plant it on the ground. This is important because some tents collapse when not planted quickly enough and pitched the right way.
• Step 4: Lay out your mats, inflate them if applicable, and unroll your sleeping bags so they’ll by nice and fluffy by bedtime.

Do remember that there may be more specific steps for setting up your particular tent. It is important that you follow the instructions in your tent’s manual to avoid mistakes. The above steps are only intended as a guide.

After pitching your tent, the next thing to do is unpack. As I mentioned last time, this will be easier if you’ve prearranged your items into categories such as cooking, toiletries, activities, campfire, etc. Keep the categories separate as you unpack, and place each of them in a specific area so that you don’t have a hard time finding them later. This will make the rest of your activities go a lot more smoothly.

3. Your cooking area

A campfire is a must in every camp. It serves as your source of warmth, your cooking area, and your social space. Established campgrounds will already have a campfire circle ready, but if you’re not at one, here is a step-by-step guide to preparing your own cooking area:

• Step 1: Find a good spot. Your cooking area should be far enough from your tent that you don’t have to worry about them catching fire, but close enough for easy access. About 200 feet away from your tent is a good distance.
• Step 2: Build the base in advance, so that it will be easy to light when you need it at night. You can do this by gathering large rocks and forming a circle with them. Fill in the chinks with smaller rocks. Dig a hole in the middle, but it doesn’t have to be very deep.
• Step 3: Gather logs, firewood, twigs, leaves, and bark. These will serve as your fuel and fire starters. Campgrounds usually sell some woods and starter wood for convenience.
• Step 4: Make a fire. You can use matches or a lighter if you’re a beginner. If you can make fire from scratch, go ahead and do that. Start with the smaller pieces, like the leaves and bark. Quickly throw in some of the twigs until they also catch fire, then add the logs and firewood to make it bigger.

For a more detailed guide on making a safe campfire, you can read my article here.

4. The toilet

When you’re camping in the wild, there are no rest rooms. Even if you’re in a public campground, you may have to settle for a portable toilet – and that can be extremely gross and dirty! So what you can do is make your own makeshift toilet or latrine.

Walk about 200 feet away from your campsite and dig a hole around 12 inches deep. After using it, replace the soil and add a few rocks on top to serve as a marker so that the next person to dig a hole doesn’t dig up your waste. That would be really nasty!

Enjoy camping! Let me know if these articles have been helpful to you by leaving a comment down below or through social media!