Camping Etiquette Tips

[@minpinbear]

Thx for doing this video. As a camper my whole life, I have seen it get worse ever year. As a tent camper it gets tough to enjoy what I went camping for. No need to bring everything from home with ya.

[@Trekers]

Sorry to hear that you've seen things getting worse. I do believe it's just a small percentage of people causing issues and most campers really are trying to do the right thing. I hear you about it being tough to go tent-camping though, as more people keep finding ways to bring more devices that emit light and make noise. It can quickly ruin a peaceful, all-natural atmosphere. Thanks for watching! -Ari

[@bradmcewen]

Might be a good idea for a separate quiet zones with some having more stringent etiquette. Forget it at major event camping.

[@Trekers]

You're right about big camping events. But we have seen different zones at some campgrounds -- there's a rustic campground in Michigan's Upper Peninsula that has an area sectioned off with generator use allowed on one side and not on the other. The noise still comes to your site, but it's subdued since it's not coming from your neighbor. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@bradmcewen]

@@Trekers Wow that's interesting to hear. I guess one is best to do their homework looking for a spot. Thank for your delightful channel and a chance to wander virtually. I've stayed in the Irish Hills...yes, at a few Nascar races. Outgrew that crowd and its predictable nature. I've thought it would be nice area when the race isn't in town.

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

Dirty diapers at Kneff Lake Grayling. We got tired of cleaning up after others so bought our on property U.P. north. I like hearing the grouse drumming and loons in the morning.

[@Trekers]

Too bad people leave trash behind. Sounds like you found yourself a nice alternative!

[@flyermarkbig465]

It seems pretty simple....we all need to just be respectful / mindful of others. Too much of today’s world is about “me”. We all want to enjoy camping. Good reminders here. All on my list of what not to do when I am camping.

[@Trekers]

Well said! It's a list that we have to remind ourselves of periodically, too. It can be too easy to think your campsite is a bubble and forget how you might impact your neighbor's camping trip. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SadlyKaren]

I am so glad you did this vid. I have been camping for over 50 years and this was one of the most difficult for me. I try not to complain or even go to the park personnel because everyone is trying to just have fun and relax. However, I actually did have to get help from the park rangers this year. I reserved my site 6 month in advance for Ludington State park and I try to get a site adjoining Hamlin Lake even if it is on the other side of a small hill. This year i got a site close to the lake but ended up next to the public water spigot and across from the bathroom. That was really not bad. What was bad is the people across the street from me and next to the bathrooms. They decided that my site and the one next to me was a public walk way to Hamlin Lake. It was not. They (5 people) would walk their kayaks up and down the hill on my site and within a 12 inches of my trailer and never ask if I minded. They scared the heck out of me and when I asked them to please use the path 50 yards down the road, they had the audacity to tell me they have been doing this for 10 years and they had every right to walk through my site and actually argued with me. They even wanted me to wait to use the bathroom so they could walk in front of me. And then they would stare me down when I walked to the bathroom on the public side walk. I finally had to ask park personnel for help. It was really sad even after they were asked three times to stop they would wait until the park people would leave and purposely walk through my site. They finally left ( they may have been asked too). Had they just asked they could have gone on the other side of my site where there was a lot of room, I would have said yes. Fortunately, 99.9 percent camping are great people.

[@Trekers]

That's too bad you had that experience. I agree it's a small percentage of people who are causing issues, although we all need to remember that we aren't alone when we're out camping. (OK, in some of our boondocking spots, we're pretty alone -- although, we have been to places where we didn't realize that another group was camping quite nearby but we couldn't see or hear them -- which was great!) -Ari

[@SadlyKaren]

@@Trekers I may have to start boondocking😁

[@beatrix2446]

I'm glad you guys did this video. We started to notice a decline in respect for fellow campers about 2 years ago. Unfortunately this has lead us to stop camping in the MI state parks as often as we use to. I think that generators in the rustic sites are ridiculous. I've noticed more parents are allowing their kids to do whatever they want and wherever they want. Including playing football in the road and hitting our car. This year we started to do disperse camping and it's much more enjoyable.

[@Trekers]

If you can hit the state parks during the shoulder season, meaning either early in the year or late in the year, it seems to be quieter at least in terms of number of people. Although, given the current trends, we may see those parts of the season get busier for a while, too. sorry to hear about your troubles at the state parks. Thanks for watching and commenting! -Ari

[@GoneWanderingWild]

My son and I stayed at Straights State Park in Michigan last August. We were across from the public bathroom and had a trail along one side of the site. Even though the trail was right there, several sites that I think were camping together kept walking right through the middle of our site instead of the extra 10 feet to use the trail. They even walked between our picnic table and the camper. Where did these people learn their manners? Obviously, no where!

[@Trekers]

@@GoneWanderingWild Ugh. Very frustrating! Especially when there is a clearly marked path available. We made a point in the video regarding teaching kids about boundaries and respecting their neighbor's property in a campground just as they would at home. That goes for adults, though, too! Thanks for watching and commenting. -Ari

[@AspenJacobsen]

@@Trekers Yeah, I thought the video was well done. If it was kids we were dealing with, I would have channeled the old scout leader in me and imparted them some wisdom. However, this was mostly adults. We were only there for a night on our way to Marquette. If we were there longer, I would have schooled them. Maybe walk through their camp looking for wood. Maybe from around their campfire ring. LOL I wouldn't do that, but it would be pretty funny.

[@kimberlytomczak8662]

Yes, you need to be mindful and aware. But you also need to realize that not everybody agrees on when quiet time should be. Some people's kids may go to bed at 7 pm. Doesn't mean the whole campground needs to be quiet as a grave then. Be mindful, but cut others slack as well.

[@Trekers]

That makes sense and there are generally reasonable hours that most people can agree to. There have been times when we've been camping with friends and we're the only ones around, so if we're all loud together, that's not a problem. We've been camping in Texas lately and were surprised that their quiet hours at the state park start at 10 p.m., just like in Michigan, but they end at 6 a.m., which seems super early. In Michigan, quiet hours end at 8 a.m. We wondered if everyone gets up and going in the summer earlier in Texas in the hotter summer months. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@CS-uc2oh]

That's just a ridiculous concept altogether. The reality is, you have no business being noisy out in nature at any hour.

[@cjennings2876]

we noticed this year camping one night about 4 spots down from us that they were talking loud and laughing loud around their campfire ( this was at about midnight ) I think it stopped around 1 or 1:30am. We brought it up to one of the rangers the next day and they said to us to call the police ( basically they won't do anything about it). We noticed that day the noisy people packed up to leave. The next night was more quiet.

[@Trekers]

That's too bad about the rangers. At least the noisy campers were gone the next night!

[@charlierose7309]

We love camping, during the weekdays (early June), because there are NO kids... they are still in school!!!

[@Trekers]

Yes, as we have traveled more, we have found a big difference between weekday and weekend campers. 😄 Thanks for watching!

[@rvboondocker2559]

We were out for the week Boondocking. A guy came in with his trailer and family. Was running the Generator and i asked, “So do you run That Generator all night?” He said, “Oh yea, it’s only 5 or 6 gallons!” He had no clue. I said, “Ah. Just wondering. We don’t run a generator at all.”

[@Trekers]

Ha! I know it's not funny, but it is sort of amusing when people can't take a hint, eh? It's especially annoying to have something like that happen when boondocking because then you are making the extra effort to find a quiet spot! Thanks for watching and commenting. -Ari

[@TheBestofUSTheFloros]

Great video. Thanks so much for including us.

[@Trekers]

Thanks for participating, I'm glad you like what we came up with! -Ari

[@timgillman]

During times of COVID-19, I would also ask that other people stay distanced.

[@Trekers]

We've noticed that people are tending to do a decent job of that -- more in camping situations than while we're in towns. Have you run into any issues at campgrounds? (Just curious what people are seeing and experiencing out there.)

[@timgillman]

@@Trekers Good point. We drove across country in Sept/Oct in our 2007 RT 190P and had less problems at campgrounds (except bathrooms/showers) than at gas stations and other locations. I think some were just trying to irk us for wearing masks. Most people at campgrounds did seem respectful.

[@johnnylightning1491]

Something you didn't cover is one of my pet peeves, pick up your trash. I can't believe the number of people that don't realize that mommy and daddy aren't going to pick up after them when they are at a campsite. Excessive alcohol consumption is pretty high on that list too. It's unfortunate that you felt the need to make a video like this but the world seems to be getting more and more self centered all of the time. Keep the good stuff coming guys.

[@Trekers]

Yes! People burn stuff in fire pits or just leave it on the ground. It's sad how much trash has been left for others to deal with. It's simple: Leave No Trace. Pack in-Pack out. Taking nothing but pictures, leave nothing but footprints. There are plenty of good slogans. Now we just need more people to heed them. I used a line in one of our videos from last year's Michigan State Parks Trek that went something like, "Mother Nature isn't YOUR mother, so pick up after yourself." Maybe we should all start using that one! 😀 Thanks for watching and commenting! -Ari

[@SteveMikre44]

I believe Ari and Jessi should dish out some "Trekers Justice" to those who do not practice good camping etiquette...

[@Trekers]

Ha! I'm not sure what "Trekers Justice" would look like. Maybe we offer to take them hiking for a couple of hours and a couple of miles and then keep them out all day and do 3 times as many miles? Because that's what tends to happen when we hike. 😄 Thanks for watching and commenting! -Ari

[@jeannie3147]

I can't help but think a lot of noise in a full campground would be expected.

[@Trekers]

That's true -- people are out having fun and absolutely should. But there are times when folks forget how much noise carries, how easy it is to cause light pollution, etc. It's about everyone trying to cooperate and make it the best experience for all. We have often found that the best way to deal with "annoying neighbors" is introduce yourself, get to know them, and then enjoy each other's company instead of resenting what they're doing. Thanks for watching and happy travels to you! -Ari

[@Ron-dj1cm]

People don’t care. At modern campgrounds, campers are pretty close and are not insulated very well and people I don’t think realize how much you can hear. Alcohol seems to increase the problem too. Amen on the lights, some people I think are afraid of the dark.

[@Trekers]

I agree that people often don't realize how much their voices or music carries, especially through the thin walls of some RVs, or a neighbor has their windows or vents open. Some people leave lights on at night to deter critters, we have a motion-activated one under our van for that purpose. But it seems like overkill to keep the super bright awning lights on all night when they aren't needed. Thanks for watching and commenting! -Ari

[@rjritsema]

smoky campfires and barking dogs are the worse

[@Trekers]

A few times, I have wanted to go to a neighboring campsite and offer to help them get the fire going better so it didn't smoke so much. LOL But campfire smoke is also why we use a Solo Stove now. Those things really are nearly smokeless. Thanks for watching! -Ari

[@TheREALMuad-dib]

Jesus Christ..