Common Camping Mistakes to Avoid

There are a lot of things that could go wrong with your camping trip, but why be the catalyst of those problems? If you avoid these common camping mistakes, you will have a lot more fun and a lot fewer problems.

Leaving the Toilet Paper Behind

You packed all the essentials like your tent, food and water, but did you remember the toilet paper?

Unless you are okay wiping with leaves, it’s a good idea to bring plenty of toilet paper for your trip. Yes, it can be a pain to pack the toilet paper away when it is done being used, and it can be troublesome to dispose of it in other ways as well, but it is import that you bring it along.

You can’t expect that public restrooms near the campsite will be stocked with toilet paper either. In slow season, they tend to restock slowly, whereas in busy seasons, they tend to run out quickly.

Making Camp at Night

You’ve had a full day of hiking or fishing and the sun is starting to set. Is that really the best time to start setting up your camp?

It’s the worst time, especially for first time campers. Because it can take longer to set up the tent than you realise, and you could be trying to figure out how the tent is supposed to stay standing while light is disappearing from the sky.

You do not want to be setting up your tent in the dark, and if you try to set up camp after dark, you can miss important things that could cause you problems later.

Buying Tons of Gear

You don’t necessarily need to bring lot of gear when you go camping. You will probably enjoy yourself more if you learn to do without and use natural resources when they are available.

For instance, you don’t need a super expensive backpack with pockets for absolutely everything in your campsite. You can buy too much and spend too much on what could usually be a very laid back and inexpensive holiday.

Try to avoid buying all the latest and greatest camping tech and supplies before your trip too, you don’t need cutting edge gadgets to make your trip enjoyable. Do you really need a hiking watch that tells direction, wind speed and temperature? Probably not.

Not Preserving Food

Even in the wild, you need to think about food safety and about keeping your foods at the right temperature. You may need to find ways to keep some food hot and others cold until is is ready to be prepared or eaten.

If you have leftovers after you cook, you might not have a place to store them, and it may be better to toss them to the wildlife than try to save them for another meal.

You should know what foods are safe to eat and what to be wary of, otherwise you may end up having a very unpleasant camping trip if any health issues arise caused by unsafe food.