16 Reasons Not To Go Camping (And how to deal with them)

Here are CampingHabits we do encourage people to go out as much they can, especially on a camping trip.

But we do understand that some of you, especially those who’ve never done it before, are wondering what are the drawbacks of going camping.

Without further ado, here are the main reasons why you should not go on a camping trip:

1. It’s not a luxury experience

It’s needless to say that this is the main reason why people are skipping on camping trips.

Having to sleep inside a small tent, often on the ground with not much to make you feel comfortable…Yes, we’ve all been there.

Fortunately for most of us, we end up not caring too much about this. It’s what you do outside the tent that makes for a marvelous camping experience.

If this is the reason why you don’t want to go camping, here are a couple of things to try:

• have shorter camping trips – you don’t need to spend a week in the wilderness. Start with just one night, see if you like it. Come one, surely you’ve slept on something worse than the ground for at least once in your lifetime.
• buy a tent for yourself only – for a one day trip, surely you can spend the extra $50.
• make a list of what would make you comfortable and bring it with you – some can’t live a day without their luxury items. If you’re one of those, bring them with you. Unless it’s the double American style fridge.

2. It can be dangerous

Perhaps the second most popular reason: camping can be dangerous.

Unfortunately, nobody can deny that.

But so is driving, swimming, playing football, hiking, cycling, even the simplest walk around your neighborhood can be dangerous.

If this is why you want to skip on camping, here’s what you can do about it:

• don’t go alone – group camping is much safer than solo camping
• take the extra protection with you – I don’t want to know what that is
• don’t go too far from civilization – if anything happens, make sure you can reach somebody

3. You can’t sleep properly

There is nothing to laugh about this reason.

Some people are having trouble sleeping, and the lack of a proper bed can make this worse.

If this is the reason you’re scared of camping, here’s what you can do about it:

• don’t stay overnight – you’ll miss the best part, but I’m sure the rest will understand
• try an air mattress – you can find them for cheap almost anywhere
• bring your favorite pillow – believe me, some can’t sleep without it

Have a look at our guide on making tent sleeping more comfortable.

4. You have to wake up early

Some singing birds won’t wake you up early. Forget it…it’s just a myth.

But the rising sun will.

Your tent will get hot very soon after the first sun rays will reach you.

Not really a pleasant experience.

Here’s what you can do to avoid it:

• plan ahead and camp in a shaded area – who’s pitching in direct sunlight anyway? Tents are not UV protected anyway. (some may be)
• choose a darker color tent – tent color does matter (find out why) and a brighter color will make the experience even worse.
• leave openings for ventilation – if the air circulates freely you won’t get hot that quick.

I almost forgot. Something else can wake you up early in the morning.

Your friends who drunk all night. Unfortunately there’s no way around this.

Perhaps choosing friends who don’t drink?

But often those will find another annoying activity at 6 in the morning.

5. It’s either too hot or too cold

Nothing untrue about this one.

Being stuck underneath a thin canvas won’t help too much with keeping warm or cool.

Especially if you don’t have anywhere to go to escape this.

Fortunately, there are ways to try and fix this:

• get a camping tent air conditioner – it might sound crazy, but some people have done it many times
• buy a safe tent heater – if freezing nights is what scares you, this might help
• learn more tips about camping in hot weather – our full guide about this should cover everything you need to know and get you prepared.
• read our useful tips for winter camping – your first camping trip shouldn’t be during winter, but if that’s the case, you need to be prepared.

6. You’ll get devoured by mosquitoes and other bugs

This is true only if you choose to go camping in Bug’s Land.

Mosquitoes are every. That’s a fact.

But if you don’t camp near stagnant water or in the middle of a swamp, you should be safe.

Now that you’ve sorted that one out, it leaves only ants, flies, bees, fleas, termites, beetles, cicadas, mantis, crickets, dragonflies, Lepidoptera…I can carry on forever.

Insects are everywhere and you’re already used to this. You just don’t want to admit it.

Here’s what you can do about this:

• read our guide about keeping mosquitoes away – guaranteed to work every time.
• buy an insect repellent spray – more chemicals, but who cares, right?
• stay close to the campfire – sometimes, it works. especially if you burn some essential oils.

7. Unexpected rain can ruin everything

Nowadays it seems that every weather forecast you look at turns out to be wrong.

Will this ruin your camping trip?

Probably yes, but you shouldn’t be scared unless we’re talking about massive storms that can cause havoc.

There are some simple tips for camping in the rain that you can quickly check, maybe it will change your mind.

Here’s what you can do about it:

• rely on the weather forecast only for shorter trips – next day forecast it usually turns out to be true so it’s a safe way to plan the trip with this information.
• bring spare clothes – if it happens to rain, make sure you have dry clothes.
• get some waterproof gear – jackets, boots…all you have
• make sure your tent is waterproof – it goes without saying that this is something that you need to check prior to departure.

8. You’ll get home more tired than when you’ve left

This is true if you’re the unlucky one that has to take care of everybody else on the campsite.

If you’re the one that has to cook, look after the children, do the laundry…then you’re going to regret being there.

Here’s what you can do about it:

• don’t return from camping the day before going to work – leave a day off in between. It will help you recover
• split the tasks on site – those days where only one was doing all the work are long gone.
• plan ahead – plan everything in detail, like bringing the already cooked food, will help a lot.

9. There’s going to be a lot of cleaning and washing after the trip

Unfortunately there’s no much you can do about this one.

Camping is dirty and it will always be like this.

You can still try to:

• bag the rubbish as you go – don’t leave everything for the last moment.
• get everything organized – having some storage ideas in mind will help for when it’s time to go home.
• see the bright side of things – if everything is dirty than it means that somebody had fun doing something.

10. You don’t have the right gear

You won’t believe how many are saying no to camping because they think others will laugh about their camping gear.

And it’s frustrating because most of us aren’t going on trips 20 times in a year.

We’re going perhaps one time. Should we spend thousands on camping gear for only one trip?

I don’t think so.

Here’s what you can do about it:

• don’t care at all – I would have said it differently but kids might read this. People’s opinions are just that: opinions.

11. A night in the wilderness can be scary

Going camping just from morning to evening means that you’ll loose on most of the entertainment.

I’m talking about bonfires, late-night drinks, that lovely barbecue that usually ends up being finished just after everybody had more than enough drinks – which is usually late in the evening.

If overnight camping is to scary for you, try this:

• group camping – being in large groups is clearly much more fun and much more safe in the same time.
• stay out of bear’s land – if possible, don’t go camping where dangerous animals roam.
• sleep in your car – if the tent is what gives you that feel of insecurity, get inside your car.

12. Tents can be claustrophobic

This is true, especially for dome tents, which usually have a low roof, and it’s even worse if you’re using a blackout tent.

This is how you can get around this:

• get yourself a tent that you can stand up in – you’ll find this option with most of 8-10 person tents.
• buy a clear roof tent – even if they’re still small, just the fact that you can see outside helps with claustrophobia.
• ditch the tent and go for an RV – this will solve all the problems mentioned before.

13. It’s miles away from civilization

If you’re scared that something is going to happen to you, or you know you have some health conditions, it can be difficult to accept going on a trip miles away from civilization.

Do this if this is the case:

• find campsites that are easily accessible – campsites are popping up everywhere nowadays, and the woodlands close to your home could be the perfect spot. Check it online.
• don’t camp alone – if you know that something can go wrong, it’s better to have somebody with you.
• let the family know where you’re going – nothing special about this one.

14. You’ll always need to keep an eye on the little ones

Kids love the outdoors. So much that you’ll have troubles keeping an eye on them.

They’ll climb every tree, get into all the bushes, gather all the nasty stuff and so on.

Having to keep an eye on them every second is something that scares some from going camping.

Here’s what you can do about it:

• don’t camp near water – water attracts kids just as much as chocolate does. But water can be dangerous, so it’s worth reducing this risk if you know you can’t watch them all the time
• bring some games with you – board games can keep them busy forever.
• survey the campsite – it’s better to know the terrain so you can quickly react if something goes wrong. Once you get to the campsite, walk around and spot the dangers.

15. You’re addicted to technology

If you’re the type of person that needs to bring work with them wherever they go, than it’s understandable to have some concerns about being stuck in the wild for days with no internet connection.

As much as some will argue that a camping trip is for relaxation and you should leave work for other time, many can’t imagine this happening.

Here’s how you can sort this out:

• you can still get internet even in the middle of nowhere – technology now allows modems, dongles, or phones to access the internet pretty much everywhere.

16. Camping is boring

We are getting so used to being stuck in offices and homes that whenever we go outdoors we forget what to do.

So camping becomes a boring activity. So why aren’t we blaming ourselves for that?

There are lots of activities you can do while camping to overcome boredom.

Here are the best of them:

• field sports go hand in hand with camping – it could be fishing, hunting, whatever you enjoy.
• board games for kids – one nice way to keep them busy.
• football, volleyball and other ball sports – you’ll probably have enough green space to play whatever sport you enjoy.
• foraging – during late summer nature will reward you with the tastiest berries you’ve ever had.

Useful links

• Find a safe campground – https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/campground.htm
• How to stay safe when camping – https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/staying-safe.htm
• Camping for beginners advice – https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/camping-for-beginners.html

Conclusion

Let’s face it: if you really don’t want to go camping, there are probably 1000 reasons that one could come up with.

But you shouldn’t really say bad things about camping until you try it for at least two times.

Listed above are just the very few that really have something to do with problems that one could really encounter.

You should not go camping if no don’t feel comfortable with this idea, but remember to make up with other outdoor activities.

We’re spending too much time indoors and every now and then we need some days where we belong: in nature.