August 25, 2021 2 min read
Dispersed camping can be an amazing way to TRULY immerse yourself in nature. No toilets, no neighbors, no trash: just you and the sweet forest service view! Before you embark on a dispersed camping adventure, there are a couple extra packing considerations to keep in mind.
Here’s our shortlist on how to dispersed camp like you were never there, and keep these precious sites pristine & clean.
PACK IT OUT
Anything that comes with you to a campsite leaves with you as well. From cans to napkins and banana peels (yes biodegradable stuff needs to pack out too), leaving trash around your campsite is a big no no. Packing an extra garbage bag or two helps to make campsite clean up easy on the day you leave your BLM Campsite.
LEAVE THE SITE BETTER THAN YOU FOUND IT
Actually let’s take the whole “pack it in pack it out” to the next level… & leave it BETTER than you found it. Picking up old litter, clearing big sticks & rocks from tent sites, clearing up shotgun shells… there’s always something you can do to improve a place!
POOP PROPERLY
Don’t be a s*ithead! Do your business properly: Find a spot at least 200 feet from water & trails. Dig a 6 inch deep cathole. Poop, use minimal toilet paper and then either burn it, or pack it out with you. Surface pooping is really really bad for native fauna & water contamination so don’t be that person. We recommend checking out PACT for an easy, zero-waste, zero-guilt solution.
BURN SAFELY
Check the fire restrictions before you go and if there’s a burn ban, respect it! The last thing you want is to be that jerk who started a massive forest fire. Embers can be super dangerous, so if you are allowed to have a fire, make sure to put it out properly with water & a shovel.
WASHING BODIES & DISHES
Whether you have dirty dishes or a dirty body, whatever you’re washing will follow the same basic leave no trace rules. Do not wash in a body of water, carry washing water at least 200 feet away from any river, lake, ocean, or stream! Use MINIMAL amounts of soap and if you do use it make sure it’s phosphate free, unscented, & biodegradable. If it’s dishes you’re doing: scrape food off first & bury in a cathole or pack out with you!