Planning a camping trip

Multiple documents, spreadsheets, and scrolling through posts is a huge pain, and they start to add up. Update and edit the info doc as you go. You can add late updates in red or highlight the text so people don’t have to re-read everything. Even if you put the info in your group chat, add it to the document. If there’s no category for it, you can add an FAQ.

You know your group. Organize the document accordingly, or keep it very brief if they won’t read it. Most won’t, but some will, and it’ll be there for next year’s planning after you’ve forgotten everything, like where to buy wood on the way (hint: not the gas station).

This is a template for a campout info doc. It is your one document for you to make a copy and edit it. Tip: remove everything you don’t need. This is 7 pages, and your document shouldn’t be that long.

Camping trip and range day (template)

If necessary, make an estimate of when tasks need to happen, when info will be available, and when you need things from people. Here’s an example for a late May campout.

• December of the year before: pick dates and location, and reserve the campsite

• March 1st: announce the event to the chat group (“save the date” and basic info)

• March 15th: create most of the info document

• April 15th: add all updates in red text so people know what’s new in the document

• May 1st: RSVP. (But this shouldn’t be a hard deadline unless the planning is poor.)

• May 16th-20th: hash out who’s bringing what in the Equipment, supplies, and tasks

• May 25th, Wed: remind everyone to download offline maps and program their radios

• May 26-29, Thurs - Sun: campout

• May 31st: write a summary of the events, a reflection of what went right and wrong, and adjust the time things took to reflect reality, so you’re more seamless next year

Site visits

Ideally, you’d want to visit the shooting and camping sites exactly a year in advance to see what it’s like on that date. You might also want to know what the area is like on a good-weather weekend in the month of your campout or what the weather on paper actually feels like at night on your hilltop campsite in October. Things like that and unknown factors are hard to predict and can ruin a trip that’s planned only on paper.

This level of research creates an opportunity. Maybe you can’t plan a trip this summer, but you could head out there alone or with a few friends on a daytrip to check out some sites. Also, during your big campout, you can take time to scout new sites for the next trip.

The current condition of the area is also important. All of these are examples I’ve seen happen. A dirt road can worsen drastically after a flood or in the course of several months - enough to double the drive time or make the road impassable to most cars. The road can freeze, and you have a surprise extra night of camping. Camping areas close. Weather can delay opening dates, force campgrounds to cut the water, knock down trees, or flood areas. “Private property” or “no shooting” signs can be installed, whether they hold the weight of law or not.

Arriving at a site one day early can secure your camping spot (smart even if you have reservations). If it’s hard to find the site, you can take photos of tricky intersections and send them to your group. Sometimes you can place navigational signs or markers at the intersections, too.

Online research

Depending on your type of camping, you may use federal, state or local government websites; Reddit; and all kinds of mapping sites and software. Be sure to check the season schedules, hunting rules, National Forest Alerts, fire bans, Google and Reddit reviews, especially recent ones, photos of the area in reviews, Street View, and satellite. 

Info for future events

I always have a checklist of information I want to gather while on the trip or on my way to the trip. Here are some examples. Photos, drone images, pace off space and parking, scout a new site, make modifications, scout for nearby homes, listen from different places while people are shooting to see where sound travels to, investigate the ground for types of recent use (shell casings, trash, prints, types of tire tracks, animal tracks and poop), listen to the sheriff or ranger radio frequencies, check radio or cell signal propagation (which carriers have signal where). What would it take to get signal to and from the different spots, or from the last place that has cell signal, or to a staging area to meet an ambulance or a late arrival.

Types of camping

The type of camping is a critical factor for most potential attendees - second only to the date, perhaps. Amenities and accessibility can make or break the decision for a lot of people. 

Car camping

People may use two different meanings. It can mean camping near your car, which just means the campsite is near parking spots. But usually people mean camping inside their car. People will always ask if car camping is allowed. Respond with how far the cars are from the fire ring (you know, the most important location) and whether it’s permitted or feasible. “You can, but it helps if you arrive early because the closest parking spots may fill up, and the overflow lot is a several-minute walk. And it’s, you know, a parking lot.”

Frontcountry aka car camping aka established campgrounds aka CG

Campgrounds can be run by government (federal, state or local) or private entities (profit or non-profit). Some require registration - sometimes several months out. Often you’ll have neighbors, and usually there’s a fee that can be reasonable or very high. Amenities can fall anywhere on the spectrum from as little as just a side road with flat clearings for a car and a tent to any combination of the following:

• drop toilets or porta potties

• fire rings or grills

• picnic tables

• reservation-only campsites

• potable water

• running water or wells

• firewood, drinks and snacks for sale

• a camp host who lives on site

• pavilions

• meeting rooms

• electricity to your tent

• WiFi

• canoe rentals

• Adirondack buildings or tent platforms. Or permanent tents. 

• hot showers

https://www.nps.gov/subjects/camping/frontcountry-camping.htm

Dispersed camping aka boondocking

This means camping outside of designated campgrounds. By definition, there are no amenities, so everyone bring a small shovel. However, this type of camping can be very accessible if, say, there’s a big box store nearby. That way, you just stop by the store to use the bathroom on the way to and from the shooting range each day.

If your group parks in a big clearing in the middle of BLM land, you’re dispersed camping, and you’ll probably want to

• use 7-gallon water jugs for hand washing

• make an appropriate fire ring with fire extinguishers and other considerations

• educate people about pooping or take daily group trips to the store

• set up hammocks and show people how to use them so you’re not sitting like a banana

Here are some ideas for great workshops: camping skills, knot tying, land nav, safety, firearm defensives or fundamentals, first aid, Stop The Bleed, hiking skills, “seeing” at night, virtual shoot houses, radio communication, how to use and respect nature and camping areas, fire building, wood harvesting, forestry, foresting, mushrooms, camp recipes, etc.

Autonomous eating for adult campouts

It’s very easy to set people up for success feeding themselves while camping, and there are huge benefits to doing it this way over planned meals. A combination of autonomous meal plans and maybe one big meal is a great idea, especially since invariably someone will be eager to cook a great meal.

If your participants want the gourmet camp kitchen experience for every meal, then ignore the rest of this Food section. If your group wants to save dozens or even hundreds of hours and avoid burning out volunteers, I think you’ll like what you hear.

Importantly, having your own food and autonomy are endlessly beneficial. Eat what you want, when you want, avoid the plague, and save lots of hours of labor and headache for a handful of volunteers.

If you haven’t tried autonomous eating for adult camping trips with prepared, autonomous attendees,  I urge you to try it. I think it enhances the experience and the camaraderie.

Camp food guide

This is already in the Camping trip and range day (template)

It’s easy to eat for two or three days in a tent if you just have a little info. 

People can eat together and share mealtimes even if they’re not eating the same thing. Some people might make or bring a little extra and share, so make sure at least some of your food won’t spoil in case you want to say “yes” to an offer. People may tend to eat at the same times. Or not. It all works. 

cooler food

• cold cuts and cheese for sandwiches

• salads and vegetable spreads

• leftovers or pre-prepared dishes: pizza, pasta, rice dishes, quesadillas

• take-out or fast food you pick up on the way to the site

• grilled cheese you make on a frying pan with your own or a friend’s stove

• hummus, guacamole, salsa or dip

non-cooler food

• anything listed above if you eat it in the first 24 hours of your campout

• pb&j

• fruit

• dried fruit

• trail mix, mixed nuts, protein bars, granola bars

• food that needs 1½ cups of boiling water that you can get from your campmate who has a Jetboil, Coleman Stove or $14 backpacker’s stove

  • dehydrated camping food (amazing, great selections, $8 feeds 2 people if you pair it with a banana). The amazing ones are:

    • yellow curry

    • biscuits and gravy

    • mango sticky rice

    • chicken & dumplings

    • granola

  • MREs. Don’t believe the negative hype. MREs got really good in the 2020s.

• canned food (can be heated in the coals of the fire or on a stove)

  • cups of soup designed to eat out of the container (some are amazing)

  • canned stew

  • Elote: canned corn, mayo packets, cayenne pepper, parmesan packet

• chips and salsa/hummus/dip, salt & vinegar chips

• brownies

• jerky

• a gallon of water per day (for drinking, cleaning and cooking)

Research shooting areas 

Step one is online research (commercial and government websites; Google Reviews and maps, and don’t forget the online review pictures and street view images; Reddit; mapping sites). Step two is visiting the sites or talking to people who have. Use everything you’ve got, and know the rules, laws, distances, amenities (bathrooms, running water, shooting benches, seats, target backers, stands, ), and layout. Is the walk from the parking lot far? What kinds of vehicles can make it? Are the bays covered from sun and rain? Should you bring cash? Can you bring steel targets? Steel ammo? Dress code? Patches? Etc, etc.

Range safety 

This will depend greatly on the type of range you choose. The rigorous 9-hour NRA Range Safety Officer training is greater than the sum of its parts and prepares people with the myriad skills it takes to make shooting safe. Chief Range Safety Officer is a much more rigorous additional 9 hours, and it prepares people to create range safety procedures. If you’re taking a large group to the wilderness to shoot, someone should be a competent CRSO.

While your procedures may be very robust, your range safety briefing should never be overwhelming. If you can’t make it simple and as brief as reasonably possible, it’s back to the drawing board. Sometimes they can be 20 minutes, but that would only be if you’re preparing people for an unestablished shooting range with, like paracord firing lines, multiple bays, steel targets, and not enough RSOs.

I’ve worked with several groups on their range safety standard operating procedures. Together, we’ve created a completely new system known as the Anarchist Approach to Range Safety. While that’s hard to teach through documents, here is a template of what an org’s firearm safety policy could look like. It’s inspired by the principles of the Anarchist Approach. Inside this document is an adaptable range safety briefing. Range Safety SOP (generalized template)

Choose a type of range

The spectrum is wide for shooting facilities. Your choice is narrowed down by the type of camping your group decides to do, available facilities, and laws. Here are some ideas about range safety as they pertain to different types of shooting locations.

Staffed shooting range

Staff can be paid or volunteer, but the point is there will be people in charge of range safety who aren’t with your group. All you need to do is drive to the parking lot, pay money, and follow the rules. Maybe have a few minutes of extra discussion if the facility’s rules are lacking or if you want to prepare people for the culture they’re about to experience. Good topics are lead safety (no food or drink, tidiness, wash with cold water, etc.), double ear pro, and always aiming at the backstop.

Developed, unstaffed shooting range

Establish and train leaders of range safety, or RSOs. Find out the established rules of the facility or laws that govern shooting there. Decide on extra rules or procedures if necessary, and practice and prepare a range safety briefing to give in the parking area before heading to the bays. Figure out what the range has or lacks, if anything, and make a list of group needs. Decide on factors that make your group leave, like weather and unsafe people who aren’t in your group. Check the range for safety concerns or broken materials, like a missing sound baffle, tripping hazards, or stones in the backstop.

Undeveloped (but commonly used) shooting area

Do all of the above, but the procedures will be much more robust. A little-known feature of having shooting benches, firing lines, staging areas, target lines, and backstops is that they make shooting a lot safer in more ways than I can list here. Take all that away, and funny things can start to happen. For example, ranges don’t let people walk from the car to the firing line with a gun in their hand. Decide whether the reasons behind that rule pertain to your group. Because it will happen a lot if you don’t set up appropriate procedures.

You need absolutely strict firing lines; safe steel target setups; designated staging, storage, walking, shooting, and target areas; a hand-washing station; shade; and so much more.

Unestablished and previously unused area

Not for the faint of heart. There’s a lot to learn and know.  Don’t learn those lessons the hard way. Backstops are trickier than they seem. Funny things start to happen in commonly used undeveloped shooting areas, and previously unused unestablished areas are untested for safety, hazards and angry neighbors. 

You may also run into neighbors who aren’t used to gunshots and don’t want to listen to them, and you’re introducing lead, litter and noise pollution to an otherwise clean area.

A version of this is already in the Camping trip and range day (template).

Make a simple list that applies to your event, or post one of these hazard charts.

Take these extra precautions in the forest:

• Avoid dense brush, tuck your socks, wear insect repellent, and separate your clothing to avoid ticks that may carry tick-borne illnesses.

• Look where you step, listen for rattles, and make noise as you move to avoid venomous snakes.

• Keep a tidy campsite free of exposed food and dishes to encourage bears to

go to someone else's campsite. Making noise on hikes works for rattlers and bears.

This is already in the Camping trip and range day (template).

You can provide an editable list for attendees, right inside the one info document to add their own names, responses, and notes. Here’s an example.

item

person responsible

notes or question (if any)

reserve site

December

make info doc

March

shade structures (Ez-ups)

tables for kitchen

tables for range

cooking stoves and fuel

cooking utensils

plates, cups, silverware, paper towels (because napkins fly in the wind)

coolers filled with ice

dish washing station, soap, sponges

filled water jugs

hand washing station and hand sanitizer

whiteboard and markers

fire extinguishers or buckets

firewood

shovel

toilet paper

s’mores

garbage bags

chairs

always leave blank lines

for people

or questions

Paranoid, maybe, but one of my trips was in a fully surveilled home complete with hidden cameras and sound recording in the living room and kitchen. Apparently there are strict rules or laws against that. We didn’t know.

Other people’s homes provide a great opportunity to learn all kinds of skills.

• spotting cameras using your phone’s night mode

• sniffing for suspicious wifi and bluetooth devices with your phone

• looking up items like smoke detectors and mantle decorations to see if they’re hidden cameras

• understanding home door and window security and ways bad actors can defeat it

• fixing shit that goes wrong with homes, like avoiding frozen pipes, minor appliance repairs, opening that weird antique style of window, how to clean certain messes that people haven’t been exposed to, that’s what natural gas smells like in this region, “Hey, what’s that? It’s a CO detector. You don’t have a CO detector in your home? What’s a CO detector? Oh my god”, etc.

The National Forest System

     If you haven’t experienced the National Forest, take a moment to look at the history of how they came to be or the history of this Forest you’re going to. Also look into how much of the so-called United States is federal land that we can visit (NF, National Park and BLM). It’s over a fifth of the land. https://www.fs.usda.gov/allegheny

     Whichever forest this is invariably has a tragic history of colonization and abuse of its natural resources. It’s very worthwhile to go into the Ranger Station (illegal to carry a weapon inside) to talk to the Visitor Information Assistants, see the dioramas and displays, read about the history and wildlife, and pick up some maps and brochures.

Recreation Activities: Camping and target Shooting

     There are some important legal and cultural things to know before camping or shooting “on” the National Forest, as they say. It’s Federal land that has special rules and customs, many of which aren’t intuitive.

     State laws apply, and just like most places in the U.S., so does federal law. The difference is that the Forest is patrolled not only by county law enforcement, but also by federal law enforcement. That means there are actually police who care about things that are only illegal in federal laws.

     Temporary rules that apply to specific geographic areas are called “alerts.” Some that apply to us include: don’t bring firewood “on” the ANF, don’t pick the ginseng, and don’t feed the wildlife.  https://www.fs.usda.gov/alerts/allegheny/alerts-notices. These are simple enough, but it’s always good to check because sometimes there might be temporary restrictions for certain types of camping, shooting, or places you want to visit.

     I know it seems obvious to most, but visual clues prove this needs to be said. You’ll almost certainly see them. If you throw a hatchet or a knife at a tree, it leaves a mark and will damage the tree. It’s rude, it takes away from the aesthetics of the area, and you may be absolutely murdered by the Campground Host who lives at the campgrounds all season helping people enjoy the area safely and respectfully.

Firearms and recreational shooting

     Firearm laws on National Forests are mostly those of the state they're in. There are a handful of extra laws about where you can carry and where you can't shoot, but actually it'a a lot less restrictive than outside the Forest because most municipalities and a lot of counties have laws preventing people from shooting guns - especially on public land. 

     You can't carry a weapon into a building where federal employees are present. (The Malheur Occupation was after hours.) You can’t fire a weapon:

• Across a body of water (including creeks), across a road

• Within 450 feet of an occupied area (even a road with people driving on it), residence, building, campsite, or developed recreation area

• Into, within, or from within a cave or a building or probably a mine I imagine

Tips for shooting on federal land (unshared link for my notes)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1-t_WM_wwkGMEDDzo12uAbv2QERR71-YFoJNDutt-qy0/edit?usp=drivesdk