Bush Camping

[rosa del desierto]

When bush camping, I prefer my hammock, with mosquito net and rain fly. The attached mosquito netting allows me 360 degree vision by simply opening my eyes, raising my head and looking around. The heavy duty, easy to use zipper offers me a very fast exit from my hammock to handle any emergency.

My hammock is easy to pack, unpack and set up and allows me to leave the remainder of my gear locked on my bike. This enables a very fast get-away.

My hammock equiped with a thermarest self inflating air mattress is more comfotable than sleeping on the ground and eliminates all worries about unwanted creepy crawlers.

I feel quite safe in my hammock, especially if I bush camp out of sight of passing motorists, and park my bike headed in the right direction for a fast escape.

I have bush camped in 8 South Amerian countries, throughout Europe and in Turkey.

I am interested to know how other women bush camp.
rosa del desierto

[bonnie25]

I feel like this post should have got more attention!
I also like wild camping and hadn't really thought about being more vulnerable because I'm woman (or refused to...) until someone asked me what I did differently to a man. I replied, that I didn't know because I've never travelled as a man!
But that got me thinking: like you, I always park my bike nearby and facing 'out', and make sure the keys are next to my head. I have a tent, with a door at each end. I put all of my stuff in one of the vestibules, and the other door is my exit.
I try to make sure no one sees me set up, so if anyone does see the tent at night, they would have no way of knowing I was a woman. I have, on occasion, put a penknife next to me as well - again, how helpful this will be, I've no idea... I've also put some noisy things - cookware - next to the door, so if anyone disturbs it I'll here it.

I don't really know what concerns me, but I'm certainly more afraid of 'other things' than being robbed. How likely anything is, well I don't really know. I've certainly taken more risks when I was younger than I do now.

I'd be interested to know if anything has happened to others, and what, if anything, they think they could have done in hindsight.

[rosa del desierto]

Ola bonnie25, I have noticed only you responded to my thread. It is probably because woman who "wild camp" are not as social as those who prefer established campgrounds or hostels. For me wild camping is the essence of oveland motorcycle travel. I remember in Peru, way up in the Andes, with the dirt track closed because of a land slide, I remember camping right there beside the road, waiting for workmen to clear the track, and I remember mothers from a nearby village sending their young children with bowls of soup for me.

I cried, not because of the landslide, but because of the children bringing me soup. When you are alone, sometimes it is good to cry. I did.
Thanks for your comments. rosa del desierto

[Miche]

I have not done wild camping yet but plan to. Thank you for your info. I will post back once I get into it.

I plan to do Central California eastern sierras for backcountry fishing. I am trying to decide a couple of things.

Tent vs hammock?
pistol or billy club? I want to ward off bears or mouton lions

I do mostly dirt biking and less road biking.

Thanks Again for your info!!

-M

[mark manley]

Originally Posted by bonnie25

I feel like this post should have got more attention!
I also like wild camping and hadn't really thought about being more vulnerable because I'm woman (or refused to...) until someone asked me what I did differently to a man. I replied, that I didn't know because I've never travelled as a man!
But that got me thinking: like you, I always park my bike nearby and facing 'out', and make sure the keys are next to my head. I have a tent, with a door at each end. I put all of my stuff in one of the vestibules, and the other door is my exit.
I try to make sure no one sees me set up, so if anyone does see the tent at night, they would have no way of knowing I was a woman. I have, on occasion, put a penknife next to me as well - again, how helpful this will be, I've no idea... I've also put some noisy things - cookware - next to the door, so if anyone disturbs it I'll here it.

I don't really know what concerns me, but I'm certainly more afraid of 'other things' than being robbed. How likely anything is, well I don't really know. I've certainly taken more risks when I was younger than I do now.

I'd be interested to know if anything has happened to others, and what, if anything, they think they could have done in hindsight.

If it is of any interest that is pretty much how I wild camp, get out of sight, park the bike for a quick exit and pack tent so that any intruder will make a noise. I did get distrubed one night in Canada and when I looked out of the tent saw a racoon legging it away from the tent.