Don't Be the Last to Relax

Advice for quickly setting up and tearing down camp

Welcome back to Between A Mossy Rock And A Hard Place, the fortnightly advice column for all your outdoorsy conundrums!

At the end of every previous advice column, the same three sample questions have accompanied my request for reader conundrums. This week, thanks to Susanna, I’m finally tackling one of them!

I wrote:

Maybe you take twice as long to set up camp as your friends and want tips so you’re not the last one to sit down around the campfire?

And Susanna commented:

Tips for setting up and taking down [camp] quickly would be great!

Well, you don’t have to ask me twice—let’s talk camp chores! It’s frustrating to camp with a group and realize that you’re still fussing with your sleeping pad while everyone else is relaxing with a beer. Or to feel rushed in the morning no matter how much earlier you wake up than anyone else. How do some people seem to effortlessly get their gear set up and torn down in no time at all?

I have not, historically, been quick at camp chores. Left to my own devices, I have a tendency to meander from task to task, leaving unfinished ones in my wake. It took many wet nights¹ (and mornings) of solo backpacking for me to finally put a system in place that lets me get my campsite organized in a somewhat timely fashion.

Let’s start with the most basic tip: bring less stuff.

Picnic tables are great for those days you need to dump everything out of your pack!