Advice for Women Travelers: Shoes

Advice for Women Travelers: Camp however YOU want to!

Follow me on Twitter to see where I'm traveling currently: @coyotebroad

I have had a couple of female friends say this after I post a camping travelogue:

I could NEVER camp in a tent. I know you think I'm a wimp for saying that,
but I just can't do the sleeping-on-the-ground thing.

I want to set the record straight: You do not have to sleep on the ground if you camp.

I camp how I want to camp - and that's often sleeping on the ground (well, on a little air mattress on the ground).

You camp how YOU want to camp. Take whatever you believe you need to camp -- if you are car camping and want to take a 6 inch air mattress and a cot, go for it! I don't judge! You aren't a wimp!

I love camping in a tent because it, and everything that goes in it, packs so small, and as a result, I can camp in far more places than a trailer or an RV can be parked. It also keeps things so simple - As I'm usually traveling by motorcycle, I can't carry lots of other things for my trip, which I'm always tempted to do when I get more room for such. Keeping it simple allows me to focus on so many, many other things: where I am, what I'm seeing, what I'm experiencing, etc. And, of course, it's the cheapest way to travel, other than couch-surfing.

But camping in a tent, and sleeping on a backpacker air mattress rather than, say, a cot or massive air mattress, has many draw backs: I'm in my 40s, and my knees are super bad - getting up off the ground is a challenge, and I have to get up off the ground after I put lay out the bedding, whenever I need to pee, when I get up in the morning, after I get dressed - that's at least five times a day. It's also so annoying to have to pack everything up so precisely and carefully - I can't just fold some things up and throw them in a box. Unpacking or packing in the rain is also a horror. There are times when we just can't deal with it all, and we stay in a hotel or cabin. And as I use a three-person tent, it's annoying to not be able to stand up completely while dressing (but if you're car camping, you can take a larger tent that's easy to stand up in).

There's also the issue of dogs and children: some refuse to sleep in a tent, or cannot quiet down enough to sleep in such, because they can hear so much outside. My first two dogs hated sleeping in the tent (even though I made them famous with my Camping with Your Dogs web page), while my next two doggies adored it.

You do NOT have to be so basic as us when you camp. Even if you are on a motorcycle, you can go with one of the many brands of little pop-up tent camping trailers for motorcycles. I've seen them on Honda Gold Wings and similar bikes. I saw one guy with one AND A GENERATOR.

If you car camp, you have even more options:

Buy a big tent, big enough that you can stand up in it, and take cots or even a large air mattress that will allow you to sleep well off the ground. It's much easier to get out of such a bed than the ground. And buy a double-burner camping stove and take a big cooler, so you can cook way, way more than we can cook on our single burner backpacking stove that has just two settings: high and off. Packing still has to be relatively precise, but with a hard box in the back of your car, you could fold your tent and put it in the box quickly, rather than having to pack it precisely every time into its tight tent packaging.
Pull a small pop up trailer / caravan. These can be pulled by even a small car - no need for a four-wheel drive or an SUV. We're crazy about the Aliner trailers (we not only don't have the budget for a trailer, we don't have enough vacation to enjoy it the way we want to - but if we had both, we'd love to have one). There are TONS to choose from! And if you have trouble backing a trailer into a spot, small pop up trailers can be unattached from your car and rolled into the spot by a couple of people. Some come with a small stove - or you can buy a double-burner camping stove (see above). Some come with a bathroom, and some people go with a camper toilet - either way, you have to empty your bathroom yourself, and so some people choose to use such only in the case of absolute emergencies and, instead, use the bathroom provided by the campsite.
Buy a small camper trailer / caravan. Many of these can also be pulled by a small car and, again, if you have trouble backing a trailer into a spot, really small camper trailers can be unattached from your car and rolled into a spot. You can get a vintage trailer that's been restored, or restore it yourself, like a 1960s Aloha camper trailer. Or you can buy a new trailer, like an R-Pod or a T@B. Same cooking and bathroom stats as the previous item.
Buy a truck camping shell. These are surprisingly roomy. Same cooking and bathroom stats as above. Only downside: your camper always goes with you!
Build your own whatever! My husband built our own small camper trailer / caravan.

And, of course, you can buy or rent a bigger camper trailer / caravan (but you have to be able to easily back it into a spot) or a big RV, that are basically homes on wheels, and never have to step foot into a pit toilet or a shared shower, or have to be bothered by the rain.

You can also can book a primitive cabin or yurt - these are in many state parks and some private campgrounds. They come with beds (but no bedding), chairs, a table, heat and electricity, but no running water (you use the shared bathroom facilities with other campers). You aren't allowed to cook inside of them - some provide a little covered patio, some don't.

But you can't know what's right for you just by reading here. You need to actually see your choices, first hand. Look for RV and camping shows in your area. Really big RV and camping shows will have all - or almost all - of the above on display, from a variety of dealers, allowing you to see first hand if any of these options would be right for you. You can see inside yurts and cabins online.

No matter what you go with, go with it and have a great time and, no, I will NOT judge you. The only way I will judge you is if you don't respect quiet hours, if you think running a generator for hours and hours is just dandy, and if you complain the entire time about the horror of not sleeping in your own bed or a hotel bed.

Also see:

Traveling in the USA: Advice for Camping

Review of Camp Wilkerson, Columbia County, Oregon, June 2018

My favorite North American Ghost towns / historic mining towns / pre-1900s towns

Advice for Traveling Around the USA Camping & Hiking

Women's Safety While Tent Camping

Forest Grove, Oregon area day hikes Backpacking start points near Portland, Oregon (PDX)

Forest Grove, Oregon area day hikes (Washington County, Yamhill County, Tillamook County)

More Oregon and Washington suggested short motorcycle routes

Tips for Women: Getting Started as a Motorcycle Rider (just to ride, not necessarily to travel as well)

For Women Who Travel By Motorcycle (or want to)

Advice for Women Motorcycle Travelers: Packing

advice for Women Motorcycle Travelers: footwear (shoes & socks).

Advice for Women Motorcycle Travelers: Transportation and Accommodations Choices

Suggested short motorcycle routes in Oregon and Washington state (from an hour to all-day; many can be linked together to create longer trips).

transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." Advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping, whether in your own country or abroad.

_______________________________________________

If you have read anything on coyotebroad.com and found it helpful, or want to criticize it, PLEASE let me know.
Comments are welcomed, and motivate me to keep writing -- without comments, I start to think I'm talking to cyberair. I would welcome your support for my work as well.

Affirmation that this web site is created & managed by a human.

Quick Links

Index of resources for women travelers (how to get started, health & safety considerations, packing suggestions, transportation options, etc.

Advice for camping with your dogs in the USA

Saving Money with Park Passes in the USA

Advice for women motorcycle riders and travelers

transire benefaciendo: "to travel along while doing good." advice for those wanting to make their travel more than sight-seeing and shopping.

Suggestions for Women Aid Workers where the culture is more conservative/restrictive regarding women than most other countries.

Where I've been
A list of all of the states in the USA and all of the countries I have lived in or traveled in, the farthest North I've been by land, the nearest I've been to the equator, various other stats.
This includes all of the places I have traveled to and through via motorcycle.

Some of my favorite photos from my travels. Very hard to pick favorites.

Advice for Hotels, Hostels & Campgrounds in Transitional & Developing Countries: the Qualities of Great, Cheap Accommodations

how to support my writing

Disclaimer: Any activity incurs risk. The author assumes no responsibility for the use of information contained within this document.

This material is provided as is, with no expressed or implied warranty.

Permission is granted to copy, present and/or distribute a limited amount of material from my web site without charge if the information is kept intact and is credited to Jayne Cravens

Please contact me for permission to reprint, present or distribute these materials (for instance, in a class or book or online event for which you intend to charge).

The personal opinions expressed on this page are solely those of Ms. Cravens, unless otherwise noted.