Wild Camping - need a little help with the word

[woodsorrel]

Hi Everyone!

I'm looking for some quick help with the definition of 'wild camping'.

As an American, I'm often puzzled by use of the term "wild camping." Is it similar to backpacking, where you carry your gear on your back and camp in wilderness areas? Does it also encompass car-camping at designated sites with potable water? Does it include backpacking, but camping at designated wilderness sites?

If I'm a wild camper, I'd like to know it!

Thank you in advance,

- Woodsorrel

 

[Wild wandering woodsman]

Is it similar to backpacking, where you carry your gear on your back and camp in wilderness areas?

Thats exactly what it is, but i myself also use the "leave no trace" policy leave your site as you found it

 

[woodsorrel]

Thats exactly what it is, but i myself also use the "leave no trace" policy leave your site as you found it

Thanks for the help, Wild wandering woodsman! I also practice "leave no trace" when I'm in the backcountry.

- Woodsorrel

 

[tankie]

+1 ,All you should leave behind , maybe a flattened area and a memory

 

[Mesquite]

As an American, I'm often puzzled by use of the term "wild camping." Is it similar to backpacking, where you carry your gear on your back and camp in wilderness areas?

That's it really though over here wild camping can also mean camping in areas where the person doesn't have permission

 

[woodsorrel]

That's it really though over here wild camping can also mean camping in areas where the person doesn't have permission

Thanks, Mesquite! So wild camping is camping outside of what Americans would call a "developed campground."

I am vaguely aware of the camping without permission aspect. But I have also heard the term "stealth camping" and did not know how the two terms fit together.

Thanks!

- Woodsorrel

 

[GGTBod]

Stealth camping is usually referring to wild camping where you don't have permission or camping very discretely where it is legal to wild camp, definitely in both cases leaving no trace

 

[John Fenna]

"Wild Camping" means different things to different folk....
Some folk think of it as any camping on land that is not defined as a "Campsite" or commercial camping ground....
Some think of it as camping on land where permission has not been given or looked for...
So you could have someone referring to "Wild Camping" by 4x4 in the Ozzy Outback - just pitching up where night takes them - someone else "Wild Camping" in a friendly farmer's field or woods, another "Wild Camping" at a designated spot in the Wilderness in the States and yet another "Wild Camping" by camping in the far reaches of a Scottish Glen...
One thing "Wild Camping" will never refer to is paying through the nose to camp cheek by jowl with a bunch of static caravans and frame tents on tiny patches of neatly manicured lawns in a site that has "Facilities" that include a shop, showers, and a bar.... that is called "Nightmare Camping"

 

[Big Stu 12]

Funny enough... wild camping...Bushcraft... all resent terms to me...well in the last 5 to 10 years... before then and when I was younger about 3O+ years a go we used to call it just camping or Backwoods Camping... My thinking is wild camping is where your not on a "Campsite", (not domesticated campsite)... so if your in the woods, or on the moors, out in the open, up in the hills weather you have permission or not its wild..

And are you Wild camping when in a car or not... yeah if your in the wild its, wild camping.. I do Green Laning and Off Roading, and carry camping kit in the Landy all the time so can just pitch up wild with minimal fuss

Think the reason most people use "wild camping" to mean "Stealth" is because this site and others do not the term "stealth" for obvious reasons, so people use "wild" as an alternative word,

 

[boatman]

The classic American biker with sleeping bag on back of his bike who dosses down in the desert is a wild camper.

 

[demographic]

My thinking is wild camping is where your not on a "Campsite", (not domesticated campsite)... so if your in the woods, or on the moors, out in the open, up in the hills weather you have permission or not its wild..

And are you Wild camping when in a car or not... yeah if your in the wild its, wild camping.. I do Green Laning and Off Roading, and carry camping kit in the Landy all the time so can just pitch up wild with minimal fuss

Think the reason most people use "wild camping" to mean "Stealth" is because this site and others do not the term "stealth" for obvious reasons, so people use "wild" as an alternative word,

Pretty much my take on it also.

 

[Laurentius]

Isn't that going out with a supermarket trolley full of beer, building a fire bigger than you need, getting drunk with your mates and having a wild time on somebody else's land? Or am I just being cynical?

 

[demographic]

Isn't that going out with a supermarket trolley full of beer, building a fire bigger than you need, getting drunk with your mates and having a wild time on somebody else's land? Or am I just being cynical?

I reckon that at various points in our lives, lots of us have done most of those things, most of us have tidied up after ourselves and maybe got slightly wiser during the process.

I know I have, obviously some people came out of the womb aged 44 with complete code of camping ethics pre-programmed into their DNA sequence but most of the responsible people I know, went through a period in their lives when they were a bit dafter.

Or am I just being honest?

 

[boatman]

Funnily enough although some have criticised my attitude to wild camping I have never done the boozy wild camping described. Since about twelve I stealth camped. left no trace and have never been discovered/ordered off while doing it. Only time a group I was with was on areserve but the others were scouts and had put up tents, built a fireplace and even strung a load of flags around.

 

[dasy2k1]

To me wild camping is camping away from anything considered developed usually on what is termed access land here in the UK (most of Scotland and some bits of upland in England) generally it's limited to one night in the same place and is usually very lightweight, you hike in, pitch up just before its too dark to see, get some kip and hike out again at first light, done correctly you will never be thrown off even without permission as the land owner will never even realise you were there in the first place (unless they make a habit of patrolling their land with NVG! )

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[Tony]

To me wild camping is anywhere off the beaten path, even some campsites offer that wilderness, back to roots camping, we all want to be out in the wilds camping and it's a great term to describe it. Here on the forums the whole thing creates a difficult situation as most people use it to basically describe sneaking onto other peoples land to camp in the hope that they're not going to get caught and kicked off, some have the attitude that it's their right to be able to do so etc and that isn't a good representation of the site, so that's why we discourage taking about being places where we shouldn't be.

We want to hear about people being able wild camp, enjoy themselves and leaving no trace etc, that's what a lot of it is all about, it would be much easier to have wild camping as all ok and stealth camping as the naughty

the bottom line is that on these forums we can't afford to entertain comments about it's all good wild camping or stealth camping, unless you get caught and if you do it right you shouldn't get caught etc, we've had too many people rebuffed when asking to use land and some have lost their permission to use land because of comment read on here and other sites. We need to promote respectful use and getting permission to use land or travel to places that can be used an accommodate wild camping, such as Scotland, some higher reaches of national parks (I think there's unwritten permission in places) and other designated areas.

The balance on Bushcraft UK is to tell us about experiences and trips etc but don't brag about where or how sneaky it all was.

 

[nic a char]

Wild camping is in the eye of the participant - it's whatever it means to you.
You'll find an apt analogy in THE SECOND MEADOW by Archie Hill - who survived alone and self-sufficient on private land for 3 months - for a bet!
- the very timid creatures stay in the safety of the woods
- the less timid venture into the adjacent field = the first meadow
- the confident explore the field beyond = the second meadow
- only the bold fearless and creative push the boundaries = the third meadow
- and so it is with humans...