Camping Basics: The Complete Campsite

So you've wandered out into the woods, you have your shovel and your axe, a tent, and other supplies, and you're wondering, "where do I set all of this up and get started?" Finding a good campsite isn't hard, but it isn't easy either. You may go through two or three areas before you find one that has a good combination of all of the things you're looking for. In this article, I will outline what is important to look out for when clearing out a campsite.

Clearing Out the Brush

The first thing, before you unpack, find wood, or dig a hole, is to clear out the underbrush. You may choose to bring a rake to do this - I usually use a dead branch that has a good spread of limbs. In doing this, you're getting flammables out of the way, like dead leaves. You're also checking for life - I've found that one bad thing to come across in the forest is, unsurprisingly, ants. After you've cleared out your area (you usually want a completely cleared area of about twenty square feet - imagine your campfire in the middle of this), check the ground. At this point, you've probably alerted any ants if they are around. If not, look at the soil - does it look perforated? If so, try digging it a little with with your shovel. If there are ants in the ground, at this point, they will come out. Also look for little holes that range in size from half an inch up to about two. If they look like tunnels, chances are they're snake holes. Watch out for these - sometimes they're abandoned, but sometimes they're not. If you're in doubt, just avoid any holes like this.

Surveying

The next thing you want to check for are rocks or stumps - anything in the ground that will create an uncomfortable sleeping area. Large stones can be removed and used around your campfire. If the hole left is large, you can use the dirt from your campfire to fill it back up. Stumps should be avoided all together. If you're camping near dense trees, look for roots too - these can sometimes go unseen or ignored, only to have them become a problem after you've already set up camp.

Overhang

The thickness of the foliage of the trees around you is the next concern. Starting from the place where you're digging your campfire, you want to imagine a fifteen foot dome around it. Depending on how dry the ground is, you may want to increase that to twenty feet. The purpose here is to keep flammables away from the heat and fire. If anything lies in this dome - dead leaves, branches on trees, etc. - it needs to be removed. Fleeting embers can catch overhanging foliage on fire, as well as fallen leaves and limbs. You want the overhead to be as clear as the ground around the fire!

Water Source

This one has pros and cons. The pros are obvious: running water means drinking water, bathing water, fishing, and swimming! However, it also means that other animals will be seeking it out for the same thing. If you're in an area where wildlife is abundant, weigh your options: what kind of wildlife is prominent (you did talk to a ranger or warden, didn't you?)? Is it aggressive? Will it pose a problem? Things like deer and foxes can be little more than curious nuisances, but a bear or coyote could be trouble. Another benefit of camping near running water is that ants seem to rarely make their homes around rivers or streams.

Also, do not ever camp near stagnant, non-moving water. These areas are breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other nasty insects. The last thing you want is to be barraged while camping by these problem creatures.

Access

One last thing that you want to consider is road access. If you're more into "hermit camping," you may want to get further away from access points. However, if you're new to camping in general, you may want to consider camping near a populated trail or some kind of road. By this, I mean in an area that you can generally reach some help within 10-15 minutes of walking. For more experienced campers, you may chose to not consider this - it is your chioce.

The Set Up

Ok, you've found a site that suits your needs for the night, or next few days. What next? Digging! The first thing you want to do is to dig a fire pit for your campfire (to be covered separately). Keep all of the soil on hand, just in case of emergency. After you get this set up, you want to dig two more holes away from the camp: a toilet and a trash can.

Your toilet area should allow for a comfortable amount of privacy, of course. It should be dug about a foot into the ground, maybe deeper depending on how long you're going to be staying. After using it, it's good practice to shovel in enough dirt to cover any waste. This will help hold the smell in and make it sanitary for future use. Depending on the size of your camping group, or how long you're staying, you may choose to dig more than one.

The next thing you want to dig is a hole to dispose of food scraps in. You want this to be as far away from your camp as possible, as to not attract any potential wildlife into the actual camp. If you have any open food containers and you don't want to dispose of them just yet, you need to put them in an air-tight container. Often, even this measure won't keep away the keen noses of wildlife, so it's better to just outright dispose of opened food. If you're set on keeping it though, store it as far away from the camp as possible as a precaution. Again, this keeps the smell from luring wildlife into your camp.

Once you have everything ready and set up, the only thing left to do is pitch your tent and have a good time!