Feeling safe and secure while camping

A few years ago we were showing some of our camping photos to my family when my uncle asked “Doesn’t it scare you to be out in the middle of nowhere like that?”.  We smiled and said “no”.  My cousin followed up with “What about all the crazy people, haven’t you seen the Hills Have Eyes?”.  We laughed.  But we’ve been asked this question on more than one occasion so I thought I’d share our thoughts…

I should start by saying, in my opinion, safety and security is more of a feeling we get than anything else.  I don’t know for certain that I’m more safe in a house than at camp or vice versa but feeling as though we’re safe is a good start.

We have never felt unsafe at camp.

I’d say the possibility of a bear or mountain lion encounter is the only thing that has ever put us on high alert.  However, taking the proper wildlife precautions at camp can help lower that risk.  In terms of people, we have yet to come across any creepers.  We’ve camped within earshot of a couple that spent the evening screaming at each other, there have been a handful of times that random people have strolled up on our camp (usually lost or asking questions about the area) and we’ve passed by one naked guy doing laundry outside his RV in the middle of the woods.  That’s all the weird I can come up with and we never once felt threatened.

I believe the key is to pay attention to your gut and always be aware of your surroundings.  If a place feels creepy, leave.  If you just have a bad feeling, leave.  Don’t wait to find out why you have a bad feeling.  Trust your instincts and move on.  We’ve done this on a couple of occasions.  I can’t put in to words exactly why it didn’t feel right, but that is all we needed to move on.  Better safe than sorry.

Generally speaking though, people camp to relax and get away from it all.  Or…what some might view as a creeper is really some guy living out of his van because he’s fed up with conformity and has chosen to live a simple albeit different life.  We typically all have one thing in common though…we love the great outdoors and are typically pretty peaceful people.

The most scared I’ve ever been at camp has come from the voices in my own head.  For instance, they’ve fooled me in to believing someone was stalking our camp in the middle of the night when really it was the breeze causing our tarp to slightly ripple in the wind.  This was back when we first started camping and now I feel ridiculous for ever being concerned.

For us, the only difference in the security we feel in a house vs. the security we feel at camp is that we sometimes feel more vulnerable at camp.  Inside a house, someone can’t just drive in to your living room.  They pull up in your driveway and you know they’re about to come to your front door.  At camp, you could go from not seeing a soul, to some random couple on their ATV pulling right in to your living space.  Whether it’s a baseball bat, a bottle of mace, your mad tae-kwon-do skills, a mag light or a gun, some form of protection can help bring an added sense of security when camping.  But no matter what your preferred method of protection, make sure you know how to use it otherwise you’re just a danger to yourself and those around you.

The more you camp the more comfortable it becomes.  The more it’s just like being at home.  Honestly, injury is the bigger risk.  if I had to choose between one form of self-defense and a first-aid kit, I’d choose the first aid kit, no question.

My uncle that asked us about being scared when we camp, lives in LA, surrounded by millions of people.  Yet, he feels perfectly safe at home, just as I feel perfectly safe at camp.  I think it’s more about being afraid of the unknown and stepping outside our comfort zone.  You know that saying “Do something everyday that scares you.”?  It’s a great rule to live by because you’re most likely to discover what you initially thought would be frightening, wasn’t really that scary at all and the reward was far greater than you ever could have imagined.

With that,  I say, stop worrying.  Get outside and enjoy everything the great outdoors have to offer!

10 Comments

We'd love to hear from you. Leave a comment...

  • …certainly I feel more uncomfortable in the big city of LA then any where I have ever camped!!!!

  • The further we are away from cities, the safer I feel too. especially when we’ve been backpacking, the weirdest people encounters have been near a city.

  • You are right, as many ask about one’s safety when out in remote areas, boondocking. Or, just in campgrounds too. One of the popular articles I have written is about this very subject. Links to the Personal Safety in an RV are posted below. Thanks again for bringing this important topic to your readers, too!

    Personal Safety in a Truck Camper
    Part I
    http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/personal-safety-for-truck-campers-part-1

    Part II
    http://www.truckcampermagazine.com/newbie-articles/personal-safety-for-truck-campers-part-2

  • My greatest fear is getting stranded somewhere with my truck camper broken or inextricably stuck off-road someplace I was ill-equipped to venture. As we mostly travel solo (that is to say, not with a gaggle of like-minded friends with similar vehicles and a deep love of something beyond a professional sports arena or TV set), the concept of self-recovery often weighs on my mind. We acquired a heavier-duty vehicle to better handle the camper weight and allow more back road/off the beaten path adventure, but even the prospect of trying to unleash the spare 20-inch wheel and tire to change a flat is daunting. I have yet to get even a high jack, or a compressor equal to the job of reinflating aired-down tires in less than 45 minutes each. Having a winch sounds nice, but a $1,000 purchase makes me wince… especially one that will likely never get used before the warranty is up. It makes me look past the cheaper models that have reported issues with rusting out in about a year. Having purchased my truck used (although with only 25,000 miles on a diesel engine) I’m already in uncharted territory… I like to know what kind of wear and tear a vehicle had, and typically buy new and get rid of them when the warranty runs out. The idea of dropping $3-4,000 on a tranny or $8-10,000 on shot engine kind of sucks the joy out of a trip, at least for a fleeting moment. The bears and the snakes and the weirdos can come and go… I just don’t want to endanger my wife by going someplace I can’t get out of when it’s time. Sometimes I truly envy those folks who can call up their pals and within minutes have a convoy of rock-crawlers ready to roll out for a weekend, each ready to assist when one of them rolls over and gets half-destroyed.

  • Personal defense is your responsibility. Dont think a feeling will save you if danger comes your way. A firearm should also be part of a self defense plan.

By michele

About

Hi!  We’re Mark & Michele, a couple of modern-day nomads perfecting the art of slow, perpetual travel.  Our tiny home on wheels and slow-paced travel style allows us maximum freedom at minimal expense.  This blog is where we share our travels as well as our insights in to this lifestyle that we absolutely love.  Thanks so much for being here.

Subscribe

Subscribe to receive new posts in your inbox.

Follow us on social:

Recent Posts

Categories

Contact