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Nobody goes camping to have a miserable time. Every family, couple, or solo camper in those nearby campsites came for a handful of things: relaxation, enjoyment, and some peace and quiet.
Whether you’re a first-time camper or have some first-time campers in your party for this trip, you can all benefit from this quick list of the eight most critical campground commandments.
The goal is to enjoy yourself while also respecting everyone else’s time and the right to peace and quiet. Let’s make it happen.
Unwritten Rules of Camping Etiquette
1. Leave No Trace
The number one way to ensure you’re being a good neighboring camper is to leave no trace behind after you’ve gone away.
This may seem straightforward, such as remembering to pack everything up, but it involves many more principles and helpful tips than you might think. You can:
- Create smaller campfires: They require less firewood to start and are easier to clean up. Fires will be easier to put out and last for slightly shorter durations.
- Leave Things Untouched: Quite literally, leave stones unturned. Change as little as possible, then return to normal. Try taking a photograph of how the campsite looked when you arrived and returning it to that state before you leave.
- Use green products: Reduce your carbon footprint and ensure you’re not tampering with wildlife, all in one go. Get tents, sleeping bags, and other camping essentials made from green, sustainable, and eco-friendly materials.
- Bring Trash Home: Take your own trash bin and bring it home with you. If there is a designated area, it costs you less in dumping fees, but it also eliminates littering. Bring an odor-sealing trash bag so it doesn’t stink on the ride home.
- Perform an Equipment Check: Make sure nothing is out of place: small components, tent essentials, and everything in between. Keep an active inventory list with everyone you bring, and add any items you purchase before you get there. Make sure nothing is out of place.
These tips are simple but effective ways to keep your footprint completely invisible.
You don’t want the next set of campers (or worse, the property managers) coming into a messy, disturbed campsite when you depart from one.
Let’s all avoid additional fees, dumping fines, and ticking off the next family that gets our previous spot.
2. Read the Campground Rules
You’ve been camping dozens of times before, maybe even in the same state.
We get it: you know what’s going on and how to be a reputable camper, but current campground rules may surprise you.
There’s always a few undesirable apples spoiling the bunch, and there might be odd or otherwise ridiculous restrictions on certain activities on the campsite.
If it’s a campground rule, you should follow it if you want to stay.
Most campsites keep their policies updated on their websites. For old-school campsites that haven’t entered the 21st century, visit the central office and ask them to print out information that you can take with you.
If that’s still not an option, they might have a sign hanging up somewhere. Take a photo with your phone and bring it with you.
Feel free to inquire about specifics not covered in a short list of rules if you’re visiting the on-site office anyway.
3. Treat Quiet Hours as Law
This is beneficial for both you and everyone else.
If everyone on the campsite respects these quiet hours, you’re going to get to enjoy the stars in peace and quiet, with nothing but the crackling of the campfire and the chatter of your friends to keep you company.
However, we are all familiar with those individuals who play music from their trucks and converse at an excessive volume at all hours of the night.
If you’re a good neighbor, then the office or landlord will take you much more seriously if you file a complaint. This also helps you avoid conflicts with other campers.
Most people do not immediately go to management to talk about a noise issue; they’re much more likely to go to you directly and try to handle it in a civilized way.
Nobody likes getting an authoritative figure involved unless it’s absolutely necessary, so even if you are loud once but have been quiet for most of the trip, neighboring campers are more likely to politely ask you to keep it down instead of getting you into trouble.
It’s a two-way street, so do the same to other campers, and you’ll find that nine times out of ten, they will respect your request.
4. Buy Campground Firewood
If you’ve been camping for a while, you’ve likely become accustomed to purchasing firewood from the campground’s store.
It’s a common misconception that campgrounds implement additional rules and regulations to increase revenue from campers, but there’s actually an ecological reason for this: foreign firewood can introduce pests and disease.
Most people gather firewood from dead sources, which means they don’t cut down healthy trees just for firewood. Those trees died for a reason, which means pests or rot (disease) may be resting inside that firewood.
Many campers travel over one hundred miles from their home base, typically to a different state, which can introduce issues to forests that would not have occurred without human intervention.
While buying campground-approved firewood can be frustrating, it’s important and you shouldn’t smuggle your own in. Having said that, you typically cannot leave the campsite with additional children after your trip for the same reasons.
You’ll either have to return it (no refunds) or give it to another camper who’s still staying in the area.
5. Be Mindful of Pets
If you have a family pet, you can’t very well leave it at home.
Dog sitters or housekeepers for indoor cats come with additional costs, usually in the triple digits.
If you’re bringing a dog along for the ride, there’s nothing wrong with that, but you need to check out the campsite rules beforehand.
Some campgrounds don’t allow pets, and some have pet-specific sites in their network, but the fact of the matter is that even if you can bring your pet along, your neighboring campers might not be so thrilled.
Don’t let your pets wander around aimlessly. Bring along an extended leash for your dogs, and keep them tied up in a secure space with enough slack so that they can still maneuver around.
Being mindful of pets also means not letting them near anything dangerous, like the fire pit or the grill.
6. Fire Pits and Garbage Bins Aren’t the Same Thing
Burning garbage in the fire pit and leaving it is a bad idea.
If there’s already a designated fire pit in your campsite, then the idea is, “Nobody will care; it’s not like the fire is moving anywhere.”
This is partly true, but littering can result in fines. On top of that, most trash that goes into a fire pit emits a nasty odor.
Many packaging materials contain ink, which can emit a repugnant scent and deter animals from the area. Bring along your own separate means of storing waste.
You can either use a campground-approved dumping area that specifically deals with trash removal, or you can bring it home with you in a sealed container and dispose of it at your home.
The goal is to leave as little a trace as possible, not be one of those guys who leaves empty beer bottles or broken glass in the fire pit.
7. Don’t Tread on a Campsite That Isn’t Yours
It’s a lot easier than you think to accidentally wander through someone else’s designated camping area, especially if it’s your first time at this specific campground.
The lines aren’t always so clear. If you’re unsure about your campsite’s exact boundaries, ask whoever is in charge to go with you and give you a perfect depiction of your space.
In this manner, you can definitively identify your campsite area in the event of a disagreement later.
Even if it’s an easier way to get to the store or pass through the campgrounds, don’t cut through someone else’s site, even when they’re not home.
You never know, one of them may be staying in their fifth wheel or tent, or a neighboring campsite may mention you were on their land.
Avoid the questions and arguments, and stick to the main roadways to get wherever you need to.
8. Watch Those Lights
Even if noise isn’t an issue, shining your lights where they don’t belong could be an issue later on.
If you’re heading into town to hit a bar or do some late-night grocery shopping for breakfast tomorrow, turn out your lanterns, headlamps, or any focused light sources that could be shining into someone else’s campsite.
Keep your lights low, and when the sun goes down, stick to 360-degree sources like lanterns and campfires.
You can use something more concentrated and powerful in your tent for reading or hanging out with friends and family.
One of the main benefits of camping is the peace and quiet, as well as the opportunity to rest and relax.
That’s going to be difficult for your neighbors if your light is shining through the edge of their tent. Just to be safe, make sure you turn off all the light sources before going to bed.
Wrap-Up
There you have it: eight great rules to ensure you don’t bother anyone on your camping trip and have as stress-free a time as possible.
If you think we forgot about something important, feel free to reach out in the comments sections.