Camping out in the wilderness is a fantastic experience and something that can become a highlight of your year. However, unlike camping in pre-prepared areas, the only person you can rely on is yourself – and that means that you need to bring all the right gear with you from the start.
But when you are looking to get a great camping experience without leaving obvious traces or huge messes behind, how do you stock up on all the right gear?
Consider Your Actual Needs
While the usual camping essentials can all work, properly camping out in the wild takes some extra thought. In a lot of cases, you will want to follow the “leave only footprints, take only memories” motto: you want to create a great experience that does not rely on you leaving behind all kinds of garbage.
This means that it is often a good idea to look at specialist sellers rather than just your usual camping goods store. While they may still sell some of the same items, many wild camping companies also offer gear that is designed for the unique requirements of staying out in the wild.
For example, while a basic backpacking stove might be fine for cooking on a regular camping site, it is not always suitable for the needs of a wild camper. This is especially true if you are looking to keep down the weight and size of the equipment you are carrying around with you.
Understand The Terrain
Whether you will be staying in one place for the entire camping trip or pitching your tent in multiple places throughout a multi-day walk, you need to have the right kind of gear.
Know what kind of path you will be taking and how rough the terrain is. Be especially careful when dealing with wet or water-heavy areas, as they can quickly cause problems for the gear you are carrying around if it is not designed to handle heavy moisture.
You may also want to consider the local climate and what the weather might be like. When you are out in the wild, you can’t rely on anybody else’s help, so you want to be equipped for anything that seems likely to happen.
Look Online
Online sellers often have a much wider range of products than regular brick-and-mortar stores, and they can offer more specialized products for wild campers.
You will need to ensure that you are checking for a reputable seller, but this can give you an extra source of products to try. This might include purpose-built gear that is lighter, smaller, and more durable than what you would be able to get from a typical camping and sports store.
A good online wild camping shop might be the place to turn, whether you know exactly what you want or are still planning the trip. Even just seeing the options that you have available might help to give you ideas for the kinds of gear that you will need.
Not only that, but online stores usually have ways to see camping equipment specifications or even read reviews of individual products. This makes a huge difference when you are trying to compare a range of different options, all of which look similar at first glance.
