Camping Etiquette – What is the proper behavior when camping?

Camping has gained traction over the past year. Many are now starting to enjoy the greatness of living in the outdoors, even just for an overnight stay. But we have noticed that there are some of us that might not yet know or fully understand the proper etiquette when you are camping. Thus, we have listed down most of the things one should always remember when going out at camp.

1. Share the space with others: Some campsites (that are developed and privately owned) have huge spaces and some are very limited. In that case, please be mindful of the space where you will be setting up camp. Just enough space to gather around, and another space (a few steps away) for pitching your tent. Others would also want to camp comfortably which is why we would want you to be mindful of the space you will be consuming.

2. Be Nice! Lend a Helping Hand: As you camp through the days, you might be camping with neighbors. Be nice and helpful to your fellow campers. We at camp are attentive to our neighbors as an emergency might happen. If so, at least we are there to be of big help. One neighbor of ours at camp needed some cooking oil as spilled. So, we handed some to them. Always remember that all of us are at camp to have a good time. And of course, having to help others even on the small things can make a big impact on their camping experience as well.

3. Keep your noise down: Some would go camping to have fun and bond with friends. And these kinds of groups tend to stay up late in the night. It’s fine to stay up to the wee hours, but please be mindful of other campers who went camping to relax and sleep well. And being a noisy group can be a disturbance to the relaxation they are trying to achieve. Just keep your speakers and voices down low when the clock strikes 10 pm as a general rule. If you are the only one at camp, then well and good. Chat although out the night till morning if you wish, but leave the speakers down low. As a courtesy to the creatures sleeping at camp. Let’s be nice to fellow campers and to the local animals.

4. For the boys, don’t pee anywhere: Come on guys. Let’s not be shy on this topic. Especially on private campgrounds, we have common areas and walkways. Let’s avoid peeing anywhere we wish, even if it is within your camping space. Imagine all of the boys peeing on one spot within their camping space. And as you leave the site and another arrives on your spot, it wouldn’t be a nice smell for them, isn’t it? Most campsites have built a common bath and toilet. Let’s use that to dispose of bodily fluids.

5. Keep your campfire as compact as possible: Campfires can play a long-term impact on nature. Nature takes time to recover during wildfires, and so with improper campfires. Kindly ask if there is a dedicated campfire spot or bring a portable fire pit to avoid ruining grasslands. Use only small sticks to medium-sized firewood if you will be bringing your own wood. Set up firepit rings with the use of rocks to limit the radiant heat of the coals limited to avoid drying up the grassland around the firepit. Just remember that it takes months, if not years, for nature to repair that patched land where you have set up a campfire. We at MotoKampo use a foldable stainless fire pit to elevate the campfire from the ground.

6. Respect Wildlife Animals: As a general rule, stay away from wild animals if you are camping in remote places. This keeps your safety, and the animals as well, in check. Never feed wild animals no matter how cute they are. We are not experts on the natural diet that these animals have. Thus, there might be ingredients in our food that might be fatal to some of these animals. Sure, it might be yummy to us and to these critters. But little do we know that it might be their last good meal.

7. LEAVE NO TRACE BEHIND: What you brought in, bring it out. Clean as you go. Leave nothing but memories. These are the things many have mentioned and should be kept in mind by all campers. We cannot stress enough that we do not own these lands. Keeping mother nature is the biggest priority when camping. Bring trash bags to the site, tie them up properly, and bring them with you when you leave. Some campsites have designated trash bins, but if you know you’ll be filling up these bins quickly, just bring your trash with you and dispose of them as you reach civilization. Another concern is small wrappers and cigarette butts as these tend to be overlooked at camp. For cigarette butts, bring an ashtray and set aside a small plastic bag when emptying your ashtrays. We cannot stress enough this last camping etiquette as neglect will definitely destroy our mother earth.