How To Stay Safe wild Camping

I do a lot of my van trips with my boyfriend but also venture out by myself and the number one question I get asked is if I feel safe camping alone.  The answer is 99% of the time yes, however I take precautions and there are situations where you have to pivot just to be extra careful.  Here are things I’ve learned that have helped me feel and be safe on the road!

Share your location with someone you trust

Always make sure someone you trust knows where you are.  Tell them where you’re going and share your location on your phone.  They won’t always be able to see your location unless you are paying to have Starlink (satellite internet service. A lot of areas don’t have service so when you go off grid, you really are off grid and people can’t reach you.  If you can, share exact GPS coordinates.  Also make sure to tell them how long you’ll be staying there so they don’t freak out if they haven’t heard from you in a couple days but your plan was to stay for a week

Do not post on social media until after you’ve left

I post most things that I do on social media in real time but I never post pictures or videos of where I’m camping until after I’ve left the area.  Even if I’m with my boyfriend, I wait to post. If you want to follow me on Instagram you can here!

Arrive at your camping spot before it gets dark

It’s already a pain to find a camping spot in the dark, so save yourself some irritation and get there while there’s still light.  This gives you the chance to inspect the area, get an idea who else might be camping by you and make sure you found a solid spot to camp. 

If you’re like me, there’s a chance you won’t stay on schedule because you like to stop a lot and explore so it’s not the end of the world if you arrive when it’s dark, just make sure you trust your instinct if you get somewhere and something feels off.  Then leave!

Use window covers or blackout curtains

People LOVE to look inside camper vans because let’s be honest, they’re super cool!  However for your safety, you should always keep window covers or blackout curtains up to stop anyone from seeing in.  Whether you’re in the city or out in the middle of nowhere, it’s important to keep people questioning what might be inside.  You want to protect yourself, but also your valuables!

Keep Valuables safe

With the window covers/curtains I wouldn’t be as worried about this, but I still try to keep valuable things like my computer and wallet hidden out of sight.

Figure out a way to go to the bathroom inside the van

If you’re like us and don’t have a toilet, you should make sure you have a way to go to the bathroom at night inside the van.  Now of course this might not work for certain times when nature calls, but I keep two larger plastic containers with lids in our van that I’ve used to urinate in at night or in colder temperatures.

Make sure your phone is charged

I’m constantly charging my phone when I drive so that I don’t need to charge it much when I’m set up to camp at night.  You probably won’t have service in a lot of areas but if you do, having a functioning phone is an added safety benefit.

Have some form of protection

I’m not going to say what I keep for protection but most people have pepper spray, a knife, or a taser.  If you’re not a weapon person, I would still recommend at least having pepper spray!  Just make sure you know how to use whatever you might have.  A form of self-defense is useless if you have no idea how it works.  And make sure you know what the local laws are regarding weapons, those vary from place to place.

The goal is to never find yourself in a situation where you need to protect yourself but this will give peace of mind just in case.

Carry Tools for Emergencies

A lot of people get caught up in the whimsical nature of van life and forget to prepare for emergency situations.  If your vehicle got stuck and no one was around, what would you do?  That’s why you should carry things like a winch, jumper cables, tool kit with things like tools to change a tire, air compressor, solar generator, etc. 

I know you’re thinking, where am I going to put all of these things, I need room for my clothes? To that I’d say, then make sure you don’t go into areas that you question if you’d be able to get out of.  Or, cut your wardrobe in half and make room for these very important tools.

Keep Your Doors Locked

Whether you’re just hanging out or sleeping, make sure you always keep your doors locked!

Have your keys near you when you sleep at night

It’s important that you know where your keys are and have easy access to them when you sleep in case you need to start your vehicle up and get out of there quick.  Every van, bus, camper build is different but try to make sure you have access to the driver’s seat from where you sleep (obviously pull behind campers or truck campers don’t work this way).  Some people put up a wall behind the seats to separate the two areas, but I would suggest having something cut into the wall to still access the front seats.

Park with the ability to pull right out of the spot

We always park in a way that we can just pull out at any given time.  So if you’re parking in a city and stay at a Wal-mart, back into the parking space so you can just pull right out.  If you’re camping in a remote area, have the vehicle pointed towards where the road is to take you out of the area.

conclusion

There are many ways to stay safe while camping but most of them are just extra precautions.  I’ve yet to face a problem while camping where I’ve felt unsafe because I’m smart about how I do it!  If that’s something that is holding you back, try camping in the city you live in at spots you know you can sleep overnight to test it out at first.  Then go from there!   

I’ve stayed in some of the coolest places wild camping that you can’t get at a 5-star hotel. Once you feel comfortable camping, the world is your oyster!