Overlanding—Do I Just Leave Camp Set Up??

[JimLee]

Thank yall!!

Alright, seems like it's a gamble, one that many people take, and although it seems like most everyone wins, there are a few losses. I guess I'll try to minimize my losses by being smart (no one's accused me of being that!) and making good decisions.

And Jim, you're 100% correct, insurance fraud IS NOT where you wanna go!!

I was looking around after you asked about insurance and it seems some homeowners policies may cover camping gear, the article I found said "If items are listed on your policy". I imagine, if true, it's probably worth a call to your insurance company find out.

Sponsored

 

[DV LAWYER]

I was looking around after you asked about insurance and it seems some homeowners policies may cover camping gear, the article I found said "If items are listed on your policy". I imagine, if true, it's probably worth a call to your insurance company find out.

That IS a great idea, I'll be giving them a call tomorrow. I like peace-of-mind...

 

[zouch]

i know several people who have not had a problem,... until they did.

i personally don't leave anything i would mind losing, especially things that might end my trip or my life if i were to be without them. insurance is great after the fact, but it's not going to help me get my vacation time back if i'm staring at an emptied campsite. an ounce of prevention, and all that,...
basically, that means i won't generally leave anything more than my tent, as i can survive inside the vehicle with my sleeping bag and my water, if need be. water, food, tools and clothing all stay with me when i venture out from camp; partly because if things were to go sideways while i'm out and about, i might need them with me.

i'd like to trust, but don't dare leave the temptation for someone to ruin or end my trip.

 

[The Last Cowboy]

The more difficult it is to access the area, the better off you are. If your camp is set up where any old meth tweaker with a beat up car can get to, then don't do it. Youngest daughter lost a tent and sleeping bag when she left to go rock climbing. She was camped in an easy access area. Lesson learned.

 

[FLTrailRider]

I leave my stuff set up .. but I run a cable/some-times-chain through all my gear to lock it up to the nearest tree or large rock.

Haven't had any problems.

Cable is from Home Depot or lowes.. or amazon

Sometime I bring my star Akita and he likes to stay at the camp. He's black and white about things.

 

[DV LAWYER]

I leave my stuff set up .. but I run a cable/some-times-chain through all my gear to lock it up to the nearest tree or large rock.

Haven't had any problems.

Cable is from Home Depot or lowes.. or amazon

Sometime I bring my star Akita and he likes to stay at the camp. He's black and white about things.

Yea, I imagine if the rope doesn't deter them, that beautiful Akita will.

Thank you everyone for the tips, I have seriously thought about all your comments, suggestions, and experiences. This is such a great community—

 

[wibornz]

There is a group of us that Jeep and camp all over the US. We set up a base camp and wheel all day and come back. I have wheeled and camped in over 20 states in the last year with zero issues.

We camped 8 days in the last two weeks. Here is a drone flight through our base camp.


When we leave base camp, we put stuff that is not easy to replace away in the campers, or back in the Jeeps. like a Jackery or the Scotlle. If we can buy it anywhere, we pretty much leave it out. Our campers have a Lock and Roll hitch, so unless you have the specific hitch, the campers are pretty much staying put.

 

[four low]

I wouldn't leave my dogs behind to guard the campsite, the lowlifes that steal wouldn't hesitate to harm the dog.
Rattlesnake Guards, that's a different story

 

[Zandcwhite]

We have left camp set up in literally hundreds of locations over the last 20 years and have only been looted by raccoons once. I’m more worried about the wildlife than people. Stove, table, chairs, tent, sleeping bags, the big food ice chest, and some clothes all stay at camp. Guns, tools, and food/beverages for the day go with us in the Jeep. I’m not wheeling, especially tough trails, all day with my gear just to go back to the same spot. Sure it would cost me $1-2k if someone cleared us out, but so would damage caused from wheeling over loaded. When we are nomad camping in the desert or on a longer trail we pack lighter knowing we will be hauling everything with us. A lot of campers are armed, out target shooting, out hunting, etc. if your life is worth a camp stove and a tent I feel sorry for you.

 

[BullMoose1776]

Set up in a remote spot, and set your tent in a not easily seen from the road type of spot.

It helps of you just have a Ozark Trail tent, or some other "low" brand and not some hoity toity high priced REI type tent, BECAUSE, if you're advertising that you have an expensive tent, you probably have expensive other stuff.

Nobody get all butthurt about Ozark Trail. A tent is a tent, we all know it. The more expensive are just lighter.

Bottom line is blend in and don't advertise you have a Partner Steel stove and a Breville espresso machine in camp.

take your high dollar Cooler with you. If they're only taking one thing, that'll be it.

 

[LooselyHeldPlans]

Back when I've camped out of a tent I would leave the tent and air mattress up when I was staying in the area... but that wasn't frequently since I like to move around and see things. But the times I did, I never had any issues.

It used to take me over an hour to get everything set up and broken down. That's 2 freaking hours a day and was 99% of the reason I'm about to get a J30 poptop.

My goal is to set up and tear down in under 5 minutes.

 

[RFR JLR 2.0]

I like to believe that most people doing outdoor activities like remote camping are generally like minded and good people. I know there are exceptions so I don’t leave anything valuable at camp. Tent, sleeping bags, chairs, tables stay at camp. Tools, recovery gear (obviously), camera equipment all come with me. I’ve never had any issues with someone entering our camp.

 

[Zandcwhite]

Back when I've camped out of a tent I would leave the tent and air mattress up when I was staying in the area... but that wasn't frequently since I like to move around and see things. But the times I did, I never had any issues.

It used to take me over an hour to get everything set up and broken down. That's 2 freaking hours a day and was 99% of the reason I'm about to get a J30 poptop.

My goal is to set up and tear down in under 5 minutes.

An hour to break down or set up a tent? Are you factoring in a table, chairs, stove, etc? A roof top tent doesn't change any of that. Sure you can go with the full camp kitchen in the back of the jeep on a slide out, but I don't want the smells of cooking inside my vehicle and tent for myself and especially not for hungry bears that may be in the area. I'd say the average set up or break down for us is ~30 minutes, but would only be ~5 minutes faster with a roof top tent.

 

[alksion]

An hour to break down or set up a tent? Are you factoring in a table, chairs, stove, etc? A roof top tent doesn't change any of that. Sure you can go with the full camp kitchen in the back of the jeep on a slide out, but I don't want the smells of cooking inside my vehicle and tent for myself and especially not for hungry bears that may be in the area. I'd say the average set up or break down for us is ~30 minutes, but would only be ~5 minutes faster with a roof top tent.

I think that’s why trailers that have a kitchen are so popular.

 

[jadewolf]

How far I am willing to walk away from my camp is inversely proportional to how crowded a place is.

When I'm camping in the remote Mojave desert where the nearest person is miles away? No problem leaving camp set up to go wander.

But if a camping area is an absolute zoo (like Monache Meadows was a few weeks back), I keep my camp within sight.

I also generally tend to keep most of my camp gear inside the Jeep unless I'm using it. Cooler, cooking gear, and everything but the tent, chair, and awning stay securely in the Jeep until I'm ready to use them. That's as much to keep the bears and mice out of my stuff as it is to keep the humans out.

I've never had anything stolen, but I've got friends who have come back to discover their entire campsite cleared out by thieves after only an hour or so away.

Unfortunately, people can be rotten. I err on the side of caution and don't leave anything unattended & unsecured that I'm not willing to lose. And even if you're not worried about the property loss itself, coming back to discover you have no gear left is a good way to ruin your trip.

Sponsored