How do I learn to camp?

[HelmutHerr]

As a child, I found that camping is when you leave the comforts of civilisation to spend three nights sleeping in a damp and cold bag next to cousins you barely know, getting insect bites and a chest infection while the grown-ups drink cask wine and eventually crash through the tent at 1am and can't remember how to put it back up.

I didn't, therefore, develop much of a passion for the great outdoors, and gratefully stayed close to the aircon and wifi for a few decades.

Knowing how to pitch a tent and use a camp stove seems to be a basic element of serious touring and bikepacking, however, and I'm keen to learn, but how does an adult gain those skills from scratch? Are there courses? Training camps? Do you just try it and hope not to die by misadventure?

What's the process here?

[RonK]

The process is this.

[HelmutHerr]

I need five Americans and a Garth Brooks soundtrack?

[rama]

if you have a backyard, or a nearby secluded spot, set up camp there. Fetch from home anything you need as the day and night goes on. Note down anything you need and everything you do, eg foodstuff, cooking utensils, power needs, light, books, etc. At the end of the camping simulation, you will have a complete list of what you need to enjoy your stay outdoors.

[apsilon]

The approach I'd suggest now that we have the internet is different than what I would've once suggested.

Assuming you have no camping gear, start looking at the basics, shelter and insulation. Shelter can be a tent and is probably what 99% of people think of when you say camping but it could also be a swag, hammock, or simple tarp set up depending on personal preference. Decide which method appeals to you then research that further then start narrowing it down to specific models. eg the odds are you'll select tent. next step is what sort of tent do you want? Something big enough for a family or just one or two people? A tent that's canvas and designed for touring by vehicle, is heavy and large when packed down or something that'll fit in a backpack etc. once you've made those decisions you're ready to start looking at specific models. that's where forums and Youtube are useful

Similar process for insulation. Sleeping bag is the most common but many prefer a "quilt", temperature range you want to cover? Is weight space an issue? Budget? These will help you narrow it down.

Eventually you'll buy some form of shelter and insulation. I've deliberately left out the other obvious items such as sleeping pad (not required for all forms of shelter), water, cooking methods etc as your choice or shelter and insulation style will also determine the type of camping you want to do. you may find you want a light or ultralight simple set up or you may find yourself at the other end of the spectrum and want to go glamping and take everything including the kitchen sink. A cook set up for one end of the spectrum won't suit the other etc but by the time you buy shelter and insulation you'll have a much better idea of where you're headed and what else you need.

The next step is to set it up in your backyard and sleep out there. that does a few things. it lets you work out if something is missing or faulty with the new items you have, allows you to learn how it all goes together and try it all out safe in the knowledge that you can always retreat back inside if things aren't working out. it'll also help you work out what else you need.

Once you iron out any kinks in your system and have built some confidence look for a camping spot close to home and try it again. you'll eventually find yourself willing to travel further, try new things and continue learning what you need, what works for your etc.

There's obviously a lot more to it but this is how I'd recommend someone start.

[iacl]

I need five Americans and a Garth Brooks soundtrack?

Nope you just need a sense of adventure or a need for something a bit different. Try reading some of the stuff at rivbikes.com for some basic info http://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=36" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or manually if the link doesn't work -www.rivbike.com then info / articles / touring and camping.

Start easy and local i.e have a look at the sub 24 hour article (google for heaps of variation) get some basic gear, it doesn't have to be the most expensive or smallest or lightest, best if it's practice and just works : ) pick a night and a spot for your first night try it then play with it to make it work for you.

Oh and while it's fun to cook a dehydrated meal or one pot special on a tiny rickety camp stove, theres nothing wrong visiting the local park for the free BBQ or town for takeaway, there's different levels of camping and they don't have to be inherently uncomfortable.

[iacl]

Should have mentioned, great if you can get someone with a bit of experience to go with you if you feel a bit out of your depth. Personally I love solo camping, but you need to balance your ambitions with your abilities and keep it safe.

[BenGr]

If you know people with some gear it would be worth borrowing whatever you can to save some money.

Going with someone else is a great idea.

[HelmutHerr]

Thanks for the tips.

I hadn't thought about setting up in the backyard as practice. It'll crack my wife up.

Are outdoor shops reliable sources of equipment advice, or do they just try to flog their overstocks?

[rifraf]

G'day HelmutHerr,
how are you getting on with your Ogre?
Has your IGH been treating you ok?

Theres lots of different answers to your question and only by experimentation will you decide what works best for you..
Will you be touring solo or with the missus?

The answer you give will impact on answers that might be offered.
Its possible your other half might not like camping/touring so you want to think carefully about any investments you make long and hard before you make them.

Lightish weight gear is de rigour as it doesn't take much to seriously impact your speed and how far you can haul it.

Read all the different threads in both the touring Aus section and touring gear and equipment section.

Dont rush and buy anything till you've researched enough to make your eyes square.

One idea would be to edit your profile with the approx area you live in so some kind soul can offer to show you how to set up a tent and more importantly how to put it away properly after you've dried it out sufficiently.

Theres lots of combined experience in here for good advice although theres also lots of different approaches in that what works for some, would be looked up with distain by others.
At the end of the day theres not really too many wrong answers.
You need a shelter, sleeping bag, some sort of stove, cookware and a hell of a lot fewer clothes than you think.
All of it needs to be a balance between efficiency, weight and cost.
With regards to cost, try to buy right once rather than too much trying to look for a budget route which may see you replacing items so many times you may as well have bought the dearest in the first place with much less heart ache and pain both time wise and wallet.

My advice would be to skimp least on tent and sleeping bag as a poor nights sleep from a weather related collapsed tent and too cool a sleeping bag is the stuff of nightmares.

Like I said, read the threads and you'll see consensus developing with regards logic and choice of varies items purchased and kept or replaced.

Gumtree and Bushwalk.com.au may well be better friends than google.

[Thoglette]

I hadn't thought about setting up in the backyard as practice. It'll crack my wife up.

It's well worth doing. Practice your camp cooking too!

Sub 24 hour camping activities are also very good for finding out what you need. Dumb stuff, like an extra bit of cordage to hang your towels up outside the tent. And pegs.

And if you have one bad night, it's ONE bad night. You can live on worse food too!

[tmac100]

Forget the .au !! and
This works for me in Qatar: http://www.bushwalk.com/forum/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Lotsa good information. Frankly, as an ex-pat Canuck I am impressed
Sincere THANK YOU for this heads up. And this is coming from a camping enthusiast (Queen's Scout 1964)

[il padrone]

http://www.twistingspokes.com/this-is-how-we-camp/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[HelmutHerr]

G'day HelmutHerr,
how are you getting on with your Ogre?
Has your IGH been treating you ok?

Oh hey!

Ogre had to go. I'm all legs and no torso and couldn't deal with the long top tube. Sold the frame on and picked up a lovely used Rawland, which is going great. Don't know if I'd Alfine again, but if I'm still happy with the current ride at Christmas I'll probably go all in for a Rohloff.

Aiming for solo touring. Not my wife's thing at all, and solitude is a big part of the appeal. Good tips on the gear. I'm prone to impulse buying, so I have to do the homework or end up with three tents and a pile of swags and hammocks.

How's your Ogre rolling?

Sub 24 hour camping activities are also very good for finding out what you need. Dumb stuff, like an extra bit of cordage to hang your towels up outside the tent. And pegs.

Those are the sort of small details I'm wary of. I'm sure I could learn to set a tent up like a champ in the shop, but it'll be something like pegs that make it miserable once I'm out there!

Lotsa good information. Frankly, as an ex-pat Canuck I am impressed

http://www.twistingspokes.com/this-is-how-we-camp/

Great blog. Lots of easily digested info.

[yugyug]

How do u learn to camp?

Read "Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail" by Cheryl Strayed and do the opposite of everything she does.

[rifraf]

Forget the .au !! and

Whoops.
Quite right - sorry about that.
So many sites need the .au I tend to type it in by default.
Thanks for pointing it out

[exadios]

As a child, I found that camping is when you leave the comforts of civilisation to spend three nights sleeping in a damp and cold bag next to cousins you barely know, getting insect bites and a chest infection while the grown-ups drink cask wine and eventually crash through the tent at 1am and can't remember how to put it back up.

I didn't, therefore, develop much of a passion for the great outdoors, and gratefully stayed close to the aircon and wifi for a few decades.

Knowing how to pitch a tent and use a camp stove seems to be a basic element of serious touring and bikepacking, however, and I'm keen to learn, but how does an adult gain those skills from scratch? Are there courses? Training camps? Do you just try it and hope not to die by misadventure?

What's the process here?

Ditch the cousins!

[pbekkerh]

I'm keen to learn, but how does an adult gain those skills from scratch? Are there courses? Training camps?

What's the process here?

And you don't need a certificate either. Just do it

[onrbikes]

You may like an older Lemonheads song
"The Outdoor type"

-Always had a roof above me
Always paid the rent
But I've never set foot inside a tent
Can't build a fire to save my life
I lied about being the outdoor type

I've never slept out underneath the stars,
The closest that I came to that was one time my car
Broke down for an hour in the suburbs at night
I lied about being the outdoor type.

Too scared to let you know you knew what you were looking for
I lied until I fit the bill god bless the great indoors
I lied about being the outdoor type
I've never owned a sleeping bag let alone a mountain bike

I can't go away with you on a rock climbing weekend
What if somethings on tv and its never shown again
Its just as well I'm not invited I'm afraid of heights
I lied about being the outdoor type

Never learned to swim can't grow a beard or even fight
I lied about being the outdoor type-

[Thoglette]

Do you just try it and hope not to die by misadventure?

Sort of - which is why having that first (mis)adventure in your back yard or less than 4hrs from home is a Very Good Idea (tm)

While this is a cycling site (and I've camped since I could walk and probably earlier*) a few more thoughts came to mine,

1. there are commercial "outdoor adventure" tour operators. They are probably not a bad way to experience camping with a professional.

2. the 4WD world is full of clubs who organise trips - likewise there may be camping/expedition clubs in your area (but they, like cycling clubs), will be focused on the X-treme end (but have lots of blingy bits)

3. don't boil your tea/coffee water in the same container you cook dinner in. A kettle is not a luxury.

In order of importance
Something to drink.
Something to eat.
Somewhere out of the rain, sun and/or wind that's dry & warm to sleep.
Something soft to wipe your rear end with.
Something hot to drink/eat.

*but I still camp in the yard with the wee ones occasionally

[HelmutHerr]

You may like an older Lemonheads song
"The Outdoor type"

Click the fifth word of the second paragraph of the original post...

1. there are commercial "outdoor adventure" tour operators. They are probably not a bad way to experience camping with a professional.

I dig that idea. Can't see any that cover bikepacking, however, and I'm not big on hiking.

I'll look around though. Thanks!

[il padrone]

1. there are commercial "outdoor adventure" tour operators. They are probably not a bad way to experience camping with a professional.

I dig that idea. Can't see any that cover bikepacking, however, and I'm not big on hiking.

http://alltrails.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Phil & Susan McDonald have a long history in running guided cycle tours.

http://www.remoteoutbackcycletours.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - ROC has also been around for many years, at least 15-20 running, well..... remote outback cycle tours

http://www.australiancyclingholidays.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - I know nothing about these guys.

http://www.flyingdoctor.org.au/News--Ev ... 35&count=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; - Silver City Bush Treadlers; not so much a cycletour provider, but rather a group that organise one major cycle-camping event each year to raise funds for the RFDS in the outback. Based in Broken Hill, run by June Files.

There are a few other providers about. Many of these outfits will carry all the gear and are camping in the larger pyramid-style canvas tents - not such good prep for lightweight cycletouring. I do believe that if you talk with Phil McDonald he would probably run tours where cyclists carry their own gear. Silver City Bush Treadlers do have you camping in your own tent, but the cooking is always done by local providers at station camps, shearing shed kitchens, etc.

You could try a local cycle touring club, if there's one near you. I'm with Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club http://www.mbtc.org.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . There is also a group in Brisbane Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association that is active, one in Adelaide, South Australian Recreational Cycling Club https://sarcc.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , and the CTAWA in Perth http://www.ctawa.asn.au/ctawa/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

If you do happen to be in Melbourne area you are certainly welcome to come along to one of our (MBTC) fortnightly meetings, and join us on a ride or two.

[Thoglette]

and I'm not big on hiking.

So find one that's short on hiking and long on camp stove/small tent use - as it's all about learning.

[RonK]

Knowing how to pitch a tent and use a camp stove seems to be a basic element of serious touring and bikepacking, however, and I'm keen to learn, but how does an adult gain those skills from scratch? Are there courses? Training camps? Do you just try it and hope not to die by misadventure?

Reading through the posts and your mostly negative responses it seem you have little real enthusiasm to go camping, which leaves me wondering why you bothered to ask.
There is no school for these things - you learn by getting outside and doing it. Like any learning experience, you learn by taking baby steps.

[HelmutHerr]

You could try a local cycle touring club, if there's one near you. I'm with Melbourne Bicycle Touring Club http://www.mbtc.org.au" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; . There is also a group in Brisbane Brisbane Bicycle Touring Association that is active, one in Adelaide, South Australian Recreational Cycling Club https://sarcc.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; , and the CTAWA in Perth http://www.ctawa.asn.au/ctawa/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks! That seems like a good direction to head.

Reading through the posts and your mostly negative responses it seem you have little real enthusiasm to go camping, which leaves me wondering why you bothered to ask.

"Self-deprecation is the act of reprimanding oneself by belittling, undervaluing, or disparaging oneself, or being excessively modest. It can be used in humor and tension release."
- Wikipedia