Desert Camping Tips
Let me start by telling you that I am not a professional camper or outdoorsman. The list of tips I am offering here are based on my own experiences. Some of them, in retrospect, after making foolish mistakes and counted as “Lessons Learned,” and others as things that I did because they made sense prior to camping.
As anyone who has been reading my work here or on my blog will know, I love desert camping. While I do enjoy camping elsewhere, there is something special about the desert. A lonely, stark beauty you cannot find anywhere else.
It can be harsh, unforgiving, hot, windy, and challenging. But if you have never done it before, you will give it a chance, and some of my tips here will aid you in your first or fiftieth time out.
Water
It goes without saying that this is the most important thing to consider when you are desert camping. Whether camping in winter or summer, the desert puts a special asterisk on your needs. I always go with one gallon of water, per person, per day, as a minimum. Your needs may vary but for me, this accounts for drinking and other needs.
Do not include other drinks in that calculation. Energy drinks, beer, soda, wine, milk, etc. None of those will replace the water loss you will experience, especially in summer, when in the desert. In fact, be careful with any alcoholic beverages in the desert. They may taste good and refresh you when you drink them, but they are not a way to hydrate.
For example, one year, I was camping in the Mojave area, and the temperature was unseasonably hot, with the thermometer going into the 110 range and no wind. We thought ahead and brought two flats of bottled water and a twenty-gallon water cooler with ice and water. It was only two of us, but by the time Monday morning came along, we had finished the twenty-gallon cooler and only had three bottles of water left.
The main point is to ensure you are prepared; in this case, overkill is a good thing.
Clothing and Covering
Almost as important as water is what you will be wearing when you are out there.
It does not matter your skin type or color; the sun can be dangerous. According to the National Institute for Health, skin damage can start from sun exposure in about ten minutes for some. People with darker skin will take longer (No… that is not racist).
When I am in the desert, not only will I make sure I have plenty of good sunscreen (SPF 50 for me), but I also wear long sleeves as well. I also wear a hat any time I am out in the sun and make sure that I stay in the sun for as little time as possible, even with the other protections.
It’s best to wear breathable clothes; natural is best, like cotton, linen, and hemp. These materials breathe and will help you stay cool. I wear a “boonie cap” when in the sun so that I can make sure to cover as much as possible. I suggest not wearing ball caps or the like. While they protect the scalp and the visor helps your vision, they do not do much to keep the sun off your neck or the other parts of your head.
Don’t wear tight pants or jeans. Here is a story of something that happened to me. I was out in the desert, and as I stepped over some rocks, I felt something snag my jeans. I looked down just in time to see a snake high-tailing it away from me. The best I can figure is that he struck at me and got my loose jeans. If my pants had been tight, he would have gotten me. But because they were loose, he did not get any purchase.
Know your terrain
Even if you are very familiar with the area you are camping, it is essential for you to make sure you know your area well. That may sound redundant but there may have been a fire, earthquake, flood, or other things that could have happened since you were last there that may have changed the landscape or landmarks you are familiar with.
Take a map and compass. Yes, this is old-school with the technology available to us today. But this is especially true if you boondock or camp in BLM or Dispersed locations. That $1000 iPhone or Android is not impervious to failure. You may also find yourself in locations with little or no connection to data.
Compasses can be picked up cheaply at almost any place that sells camping supplies, and a map can even be printed out before you head to the place you will be staying.
I suggest using Topo Maps, as they not only tell you where you are but also the landscape around you and how high the hills are.
Snakes and Scorpions and spiders, oh my…
While not so much an issue in winter camping in the desert, you see a lot of fauna in the late spring, summer, and autumn periods.
Where we like to camp, in the Mojave, I have seen all of these critters in my times there. Most notable were the snakes. I have had to relocate a lost scorpion on at least two occasions that had somehow wandered into my sleeping area. And played with a tarantula that I found wandering around in the fields.
You need to remember that this is their home, not yours. You are a visitor, so act that way when you are out there. I have never killed a critter that comes along while I have been camping; I have never had to. Just relocate them.
Setting up your tent
Once you locate the area where you would like to pitch your tent, look around for anything that might be a critter’s home (thinking back on the wildlife point) or anything that will affect your tent. If you find nothing, begin clearing an area for your tent.
I advise against damaging or destroying any vegetation. You do not know what bush or plant may be important to something that lives there. If you find a spot you like and there are a lot of plants around it, find another spot. Obviously, this only applies if you are in a developed campground.
Once you find your perfect spot, You can start clearing big rocks or anything that might damage your tent. I knew a person that took a gardening hoe and rake with them when they camped. This is a good idea but it takes up room you might need for other things, so plan your packing carefully.
Once you have cleared your area out really well, lay down a tarp. I use a tarp no matter where I camp, as it protects the bottom of your tent from damage and prevents critters from coming up underneath your tent. Next, I spray a healthy dose of Ranger Ready around the tarp and about three feet around that. Ranger Ready is one of the best pest repellants I have ever used, and I swear by the stuff. I will review them later. But in addition to keeping bugs away, it also helps with other creepy crawlies. I found dead mosquitoes on the screens of my tent after using this stuff and watched a tarantula retreat from the edge of the sprayed area.
You can now pitch your tent. Set your tent up the way you usually do, but make sure that you do so per the instructions. Yes, the instructions are there for a reason. Make sure, also, that you stake your tent down. I cannot tell you how often I have seen people put down their tent and not think the stakes were that important, only to wake up to a “desert breeze” blowing their tent all over the place. Or worse yet, the time I was hiking and came back to find a tent that a couple of first-timers had set up, now about one hundred feet up in the air over Red Rock Canyon after a dust devil took an interest in it.
Stakes are important. On a side note, buy a good set of stakes when you buy a tent. The ones that come with most tents are sub-par, to say the least. A good option here, if you are handy, is to take as many pieces of rebar as you require in stakes and use a tool to put a “candy cane hook” in them, and use a good hammer to drive those into the ground. Ensure they are about 1–1.5 feet long to get a good purchase in the ground.
Just remember that it can get wicked when the wind picks up in the desert.
Camp Fires (or any fire)
If you are new to desert camping, you might think there should not be an issue with setting up a fire in the desert. You would be wrong.
First, before you even head out to the campsite, ensure there are no fire restrictions in the area you are going. If you are going to a state or national park, check their website to see if there are restrictions. You can also check when you get there. Many parks will post any fire restrictions or other notices at their entrances. If you are going to camp on BLM land, check with the BLM website to see if there are restrictions. If they have a ban on fires in place, DON’T MAKE A FIRE. Not kidding about this. The restrictions are usually there for a reason, even if you do not know what it is, and that is a fine you do NOT want, not to mention potential jail time.
If everything is good and you are OK to start a fire, consider a couple more things. Just because they say it is safe, you still have to decide based on what you see when you are out there. If you get out there and the wind is blowing like crazy, then reconsider the fire. Especially during the summer months, it just takes a single ember to start a brushfire.
If everything is good, A calm breeze, no warnings against fire, etc., clear an area where you want to build it. I usually ensure I have an area with nothing around it for at least fifteen to twenty feet. Then I dig a hole about three feet around and a foot deep. This is to reduce the effect any wind will have on the fire and help ensure it’s contained. Now I look for rocks. If there are any around, you build them up around your pit so you have a bit of a fire ring. This also makes cooking on the fire easier as you have something to rest your cooking rack on.
I like to use locally found dried brush for my kindling. Don’t use paper as it tends to blow away as embers or hot ashes and could spark a fire. Remember what I said about brush fires? You can also buy fire starters at your camping supply store. They are small, easy to light, and will have your fire going quickly. Once you get a good start to the fire, begin adding your logs.
I have seen people hose down their logs with lighter fluid, gas, break cleaner (in one case), and a few other things. Don’t be those people. That stuff can come back up on you, and then your camping trip will include a trip to the ER, at the least, or a fun trip on a Life-Flight chopper. Starting a campfire is not that hard, and it just takes patience.
Once your fire starts and goes strong, add enough wood to keep it where you need it. You are not trying to make a signal fire, and your goal is not to have the people on the ISS see your camp. You need enough to cook with if that is your goal. If it is for ambiance, it only needs to be big enough to enjoy.
Do not leave your fire unattended. Make sure that there is always an adult nearby. Sometimes things happen fast; make sure there is someone there to be ready to act if they do. And to that point, make sure you have some way to quickly dowse the fire if you need. This does not have to be water or an extinguisher. I always keep the dirt I dug out of the hole next to the fire. That way it is easy to push it back in or scoop it over the fire with a shovel. After that, when the fire is covered and, most likely, out, you can pour a little water over the dirt, which will help snuff out the rest of the fire.
If, after you are finished with your evening, the fire dies, don’t assume it’s safe. The embers in a firepit can last for hours, so cover it with the dirt you set aside. This will keep any wind from blowing the embers around, potentially causing a brushfire. Those are bad, remember?
When you break camp, ensure your firepit is covered, and the rocks you used are thrown back around. Remember to leave no trace (I will discuss that later.)
Weather Watch
My experience with desert weather has been good. Most of the time, it is stable and predictable. But I have seen some crazy things, so it is essential to be prepared.
Desert weather can vary even in summer. You can have the usual days, which are in the 90s or 100s, then at night, it will drop to the 60s. But I have been in cases where it will be in the 100s during the day and drop to the 40s that night, which, if you are not ready for it, can make for a brutal night, probably in your car (if you did not hike in).
There was also a time at Red Rock Canyon in California, where it was a nice warm day, in the high 90s all day. Then at about four in the afternoon, the wind picked up and blew in a thunderstorm: twenty MPH winds, lightning, and rain. We lost our small “Toilet Tent” (see my comment about staking down your tent) and were glad we tied our little two-person tent down.
Make sure your emergency kit (I will talk about this later) has at least waterproof matches and emergency blankets. They are not perfect, but at least it’s something.
As you might have already guessed, the point is to prepare for anything. Even if you are going to the desert for summer camping, pack a couple of blankets and warm clothes. Likewise, if you are winter camping, layer or pack some light clothes. Nothing worse than being dressed like an Eskimo, and then you have a freak heatwave come through.
I suggest buying a little emergency weather radio. One of the ones that is either solar or has the hand crank on the side. They are not expensive and will let you find out if there are any alerts in your area.
Emergency Kit
Emergency kits come in all shapes and sizes. It all depends on the level of preparation you want to shoot for. At the very least, your kit should have basic first-aid supplies. And I will say this now. If you are camping and do not have one, you are a fool. You never know when something might happen; the old saying applies strongly here.
“It’s better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.”
I got in the habit of keeping a trauma kit with me when we camped. It was the same ones that you see with EMTs and ParaMedics. It has everything, even a small surgical kit. I lost it when someone broke into my camping trailer and felt they needed my stuff more than I did.
But there are many to choose from, and it is just a matter of ensuring you get one that covers the basics, cuts, burns, bites, scratches, and broken bones.
On the note of bites, BUY A SNAKEBITE KIT. I have never needed to use mine for snake bites, but it has come in handed for a couple of spider bites.
Hiking Safety
Hiking in the desert is fantastic. You see some incredible things, but you lose water fast, even in the winter, especially in the high desert. There are some things you want to make sure you have with you when you go out on that hike.
Sunscreen — No matter the skin type, you must take some. Whether it’s the spray-on type or the cream, take some that you can keep in your pack.
Pack — Keep a pack with you so you can keep your stuff with you. It does not need to be fancy. No one you will be hiking with will care if you are using Gucci or Michael Kor. Extra points if you get one that has a water bladder in it, like CamelBak.
Water — I follow a 1–16 rule when I hike. One 16oz bottle for every hour I plan on being out hiking. Different people may use different rules, but this has always worked for me. Make sure that anyone you are hiking with does the same as well. If you are hiking with people, check each other and ensure you have everything you need.
Notify Someone — Leave a message with someone letting them know where you will be hiking. If something should happen and your phone breaks or has no signal, this will give people a way to find you should you get lost. This is also part of camping in general, but more vital with this part. I leave a notebook in my tent with my hiking route or where I am heading, as in a landmark. Just make sure that people know where to find you.
Footwear— Please… please… if you are a regular hiker or plan on being one, invest in a good pair of hiking boots. Yes, I know, they are not cheap. I have a pair that set me back a couple hundred, but after hiking for fifteen miles, you will thank me for talking you into spending the money.
I have seen people hiking in flip-flops, tennis shoes, high-tops, and Crocs. You are not only opening yourself up to sore feet at the end of your hike but also the real potential for injury. This is especially true if you are climbing hills or rocks.
Then there is the possibility of bites. Snakes and scorpions can bite or sting through some things, but not the thick leather of good hiking boots. If you are wearing Crocs, what do you think will happen if you disturb a snake?
Leave no Track / Leave it Cleaner than You Found It.
This is the mantra of all of us who love nature and enjoy spending time out there.
My son and I have a process. When we get to our camping area, we grab a couple of trash bags, walk the area before we ever set up our camp, and clean up any mess we find. Then set those bags aside. When we break camp a couple or a few days later, we go through the process again. Not only cleaning up our mess but also making sure, as much as possible, that no one will be able to tell we were there.
I do not consider myself an environmentalist, but I consider myself environmentally aware. It is only fitting that we clean up our mess, and it is the right thing to do to clean up the mess that others leave behind. Just because they were inconsiderate does not mean we have to be.
Leave No Trace is one of the things we should all do when camping. As I said earlier, this is not our home. We are visiting, so clean up your mess. How would you feel if a visitor came over, left trash all over your house, and then left? Show nature the same respect.
Thank you for reading this and I hope it had some things for you to take with you. If you see something I have missed, please chime in and let me know. I always appreciate suggestions.
