Embracing Nature: Activities for Solo Women Campers
Written by John Wren|
One legal pad. Z Lite. Sawyer Mini. Lodge. Tikka on red. A cable on what walks.
Key takeaways
- Reserve the pad.
- Try the foam at home.
- Backflush the filter.
- Tell someone the hour.
A solo camp that still feels like yours is a pad you already hated once, a filter you practiced at the sink, and a lock you will actually click — not a feed of a ridgeline you have not walked. The short answer: reserve one legal pad, sleep on foam you tried, and tell someone the hour.
Short version. If the night is the fear, shrink the loop. Camp skills if the Saturday is still year one. Pair with etiquette. Check live prices.
This page is the night. A group trip is a later door. This is the foam, the filter, the skillet, the notebook, the lamp, the cable.
One reserved pad. A “we’ll find it at dark” is a no.
Do: reverse the lot in daylight. Don’t: a 2014 forum pin as a site. Fall if the other Saturday is already cooler. A BLM week if the sit is already longer. Write the after-hours gate.
Sleep on foam you already sat on
The Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol is the live pad we named for a platform, a picnic sit, a night you will actually sleep. Check live prices.
Do: a driveway night. Don’t: a first 40-degree night in foam you have not tried. Shrink the loop.
A filter you practiced at the sink
The Sawyer Mini is the live straw we named. Check live prices.
Do: backflush at home. Don’t: a first sip on a creek you have not judged. Water skills if the other Saturday is already a swim.
One skillet. One meal you already made.
The Lodge 12-inch seasoned skillet is the live pan we named. Check live prices.
Do: a stove you already lit. Don’t: a new recipe at dark. Camp skills includes a boil you have seen.
Write the bird and the hour
The Rite in the Rain 4-by-6 is the live notebook we named. The Petzl Tikka is the live lamp we named: red if other camps are already dark. Check live prices.
Do: the same pocket. Don’t: a phone as the only beam. A handheld if the other Saturday is already a pocket lamp. Tracks if the walk is already the point.
Lock what walks
The Master Lock cable is the live cable we named for a cooler, a bike, a bear box latch that still takes a lock. Check live prices.
Do: food in the box. Don’t: a fashion lock you will not click. Kids outside is a different Saturday. This page is still one person and a card.
| Want | Honest tool |
|---|---|
| A first solo | A reserved pad, foam you tried |
| Water | Sawyer Mini you backflushed |
| A meal | Lodge you already cooked in |
| Dark | Tikka on red, a cable on what walks |
Tell someone the hour. Check live prices.
One pad, known foam, a filter, red
That is the solo night. Check live prices. Come home wanting Thursday.
A reserved pad is the hunt you still have
Do: reverse the lot in daylight. Don’t: a dark “we’ll find it.” A solo night. If the night is the fear. Camp skills.
The Z Lite we named still wants a driveway night. Check live prices. Fall camping. Camp etiquette.
Tell someone the place and the hour. A quiet hour is a search. First aid.
A filter you backflushed is water you still have
The Sawyer Mini we named still wants a sink practice. Check live prices. A kayak if the other Saturday is already a hull.
The Lodge 12-inch we named still wants a meal you already made. Check live prices. Camp skills.
Do: one stove you already lit. Don’t: a new recipe at dark. Leave some gas.
Red if other camps are already dark
The Tikka we named still wants a spare cell. Check live prices. A tactical headlamp. A handheld.
The Rite in the Rain we named still wants a bird and an hour. Check live prices. Tracks.
The Master Lock cable we named still wants a click on what walks. Check live prices. A lock thinking scales to a cooler.
Coil so the next night can start
Empty the granola. Mice eat webbing and foam. Dry the Z Lite. Then the bin. Check live prices. Storage.
Do: look at the filter and the lamp lockout. Don’t: a damp trunk. Camp etiquette.
Last line: a feed of a ridge is not a night. A reserved pad is. A solo night. Leave some gas.
The driveway night is the class. Then the first pad.
Do: shrink the loop if the fear is already the night. If the night is the fear. Camp skills.
Kids outside if the other Saturday is already a child. This page is still one person and a card.
Check live prices on the Z Lite, Sawyer, Lodge, Tikka, cable. Fall camping. Come home wanting Thursday.
A weekday reservation is the night you still have
Reverse the lot in daylight. A solo night. If the night is the fear. Camp skills.
The Z Lite we named still wants a driveway night. Check live prices. Fall camping.
The Sawyer Mini we named still wants a sink practice. Check live prices. A kayak.
One meal you already made
The Lodge we named still wants a stove you already lit. Check live prices. Camp skills.
The Tikka we named still wants red. Check live prices. A tactical headlamp. A handheld.
The cable we named still wants a click. Check live prices. Camp etiquette.
Write the bird and the hour
The Rite in the Rain we named still wants a pencil. Check live prices. Tracks.
Tell someone the place. First aid. Leave some gas.
Kids outside if the other Saturday is already a child. This page is still one person.
One pad, known foam, a filter, red
That is the solo night. Check live prices. A solo night. If the night is the fear. Fall camping.
Last line: a feed of a ridge is not a night. Leave some gas.
An adventurer day. Come home wanting Thursday.
Write the solo night card before you leave the house
Say the kit out loud: reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable. If a guest tries to add a seventh job, sit. That is a successful Saturday. A solo night If the night is the fear Camp skills.
Do: the same pocket every time. Don’t: a scavenger hunt at dark. Check live prices. Fall camping Camp etiquette.
A cancel you already wrote is a cancel you will still take. Tracks First aid. Lightning, a flood stage, a fire letter — pavement.
The five-minute leave after the solo night
Coil so the next day can start. Empty the granola. Mice eat webbing and foam. Dry the bag. Then the bin. Check live prices on the kit you named: reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable.
Do: look at the strap, the lockout, the buckle, the charge. Don’t: a damp trunk and a March surprise. A solo night Camp skills.
Tell someone the place and the hour. A quiet hour is a search. If the night is the fear First aid. Come home and say you are moving again.
Guests will try to rewrite the solo night as a dare
A shared job can be a short loop and a known kit. A dare into a hole you cannot see the exit of is not a date. Kids out of the bite. The photo waits until the buckle check. Tracks Fall camping.
Check live prices. reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable is still the honest pile. Camp etiquette A solo night. One classroom. New water or new wind or a new tool — not all three.
If the night is the fear if the other Saturday is already the sibling page. This page is still the solo night. That is enough.
Last line on the solo night
reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable. Check live prices. Camp skills First aid Tracks.
Last line: a catalog dare is not the day. A card you wrote is. Wear the lamp on the walk. Come home wanting Thursday.
A solo night If the night is the fear Camp etiquette. The next door can wait until this kit is still in the same bin.
Repeat the solo night card out loud
reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable. If a guest adds a seventh job, sit. A solo night If the night is the fear Camp skills.
Do: the same pocket. Don’t: a scavenger hunt at dark. Check live prices. Fall camping Camp etiquette.
Tracks First aid. A cancel you already wrote is still a cancel.
The same bin after the solo night
Dry the kit. Empty the granola. Mice eat webbing. Check live prices: reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable.
Do: look at the strap and the buckle. Don’t: a damp trunk. A solo night Camp skills.
Tell someone the place and the hour. If the night is the fear First aid.
A dare is not a solo night
A short loop and a known kit is a date. A hole you cannot see the exit of is not. Tracks Fall camping.
Check live prices. reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable is still the pile. Camp etiquette A solo night. One classroom.
If the night is the fear if the other Saturday is already the sibling. This page is still the solo night.
Write the solo night clock
Dark, wind, a ban, a freeze — pavement. First aid Tracks. reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable.
Do: the card at the house. Don’t: a pin from 2014. Check live prices. Camp skills Fall camping.
A solo night Camp etiquette. Come home wanting Thursday.
Last line on the solo night
reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer Mini, Lodge, Tikka, Master Lock cable. Check live prices. Camp skills First aid Tracks.
A catalog dare is not the day. A card you wrote is. A solo night If the night is the fear.
Camp etiquette. The next door can wait until this kit is still in the same bin.
Say the solo night once more before you leave
reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer, Lodge, Tikka, cable. That is the pile. A solo night If the night is the fear Camp skills.
Check live prices. Fall camping Camp etiquette. The same pocket every time.
Tracks First aid. Sit if the seventh job shows up.
Dry the solo night kit before the bin
Mice eat webbing and foam. Empty the granola. reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer, Lodge, Tikka, cable. Check live prices.
A solo night Camp skills. A damp trunk is a March surprise.
If the night is the fear First aid. Tell someone you are moving again.
That is enough solo night
reserved pad, Z Lite, Sawyer, Lodge, Tikka, cable. Camp etiquette A solo night. One classroom.
If the night is the fear Fall camping. The sibling page can wait.
Tracks First aid. Come home wanting Thursday. That is enough.
Also in the magazine
Keep going with if the night is the fear, camp skills, etiquette, and fall camping. Check live prices.
Frequently asked questions
What should a woman pack for a first solo camp?
A reserved pad, a Z Lite you already sat on, a Sawyer Mini you backflushed, a Lodge you have cooked in, a Tikka, and a cable you will click.
Is solo camping safe?
Safer when you tell someone the hour, reverse the lot in daylight, and skip a dark “we’ll find it.”
What sleeping pad?
Therm-a-Rest Z Lite Sol. A driveway night first.
What water filter?
Sawyer Mini. Practice at the sink.
What lamp?
Petzl Tikka on red if other camps are already dark.
Do I need a group?
No. A card and a known kit beat a feed of a ridge you have not walked.