Have any of you gone solo camping?

I second the other advice here that if you're going to do it, carry a firearm that you are trained to use. I've been solo camping a few times with not many other people around and I felt so vulnerable I couldn't relax at all, thus defeating the entire purpose. All kinds of drifters or somewhat homeless men hang around campgrounds sometimes. Maybe best to go during busy season and stick to tame, family-friendly sites instead of deep woods. But I mean live your life.

I’m terrified of camping and hiking alone. I would not recommend, it’s just not worth it. Yeah it’s not fair that we always have to watch our back with strange men, but it’s reality. My advise is to invite someone to come with you!

I went backpacking alone, but with my dog. I encountered an older man that came out of nowhere in the woods probably 12 miles out. There was none else on the trail since it was an unusual time of year. My usually extremely friendly dog started growling at him and the scrote went off the same way that I was heading yet I didn't encounter him again... I'm not saying that this would be likely to happen to you, but I believe that if I didn't have my dog with me, it would have been a very different story. I would recommend carrying, but at least having a large dog with you and mace minimum.

I think it depends on a lot of factors and one of them is if you personally would be able to relax and have fun alone. A lot of women wouldn't and it's understandable.

I grew up very rural and spent basically all of my childhood in nature. Often alone or with friends the same age and more or less unsupervised. It feels completely normal to me and like my natural environment, if you know what I mean. I feel much safer alone in the woods than I feel walking around alone in a big city. Really. And frankly, the density of scrotes per square kilometer and chance to run into a creep is a lot higher in the city.

If you are a city person and/or not very experienced in hiking and camping my advice would be to start slowly and to always take another person with a little more experience with for a while until you feel comfortable. Start with easy, short routes, places you know well or the other person knows well and busy, family friendly places. Take reasonable precautions, do your research about the route/place/area and its dangers and be prepared for emergencies (like getting lost, ill, hurt or into bad weather or having to help someone else, which is also a lot more likely than a man attacking you). A lot of people overestimate their stamina and underestimate the route and its dangers in the beginning. Just because you can run that distance while jogging or easily walk that distance in the city, it doesn't mean you will be able to cover it in uneven, unknown terrain, especially if you are carrying a backpack and camping supplies.

If you feel comfortable, take a weapon you feel confident and safe to use, especially if there are also dangerous animals around where you are. If you have a dog and it's well trained, take it but don't let it off the leash. Always tell someone where you are going, which route you are going to take and when you will likely be back and keep the location tracking active on your phone so people can find you in an emergency. Also tell them if you need to change your plans or route for some reason.

And some personal, advanced-only advice: I stay away from paths and people on purpose in areas I know very well and stay out of sight if I hear or otherwise notice people coming close. The chance of a man who saw you at the campground or on a path deciding to follow you is much higher than randomly running into someone in the middle of nowhere.

I go car camping and backpacking by myself all the time. Just be aware of your surroundings and you'll be fine. You're in more danger being by yourself in a city.

I would be very scared to be out in the middle of no where alone. Nope. No thank you. But if you must, mace, stun gun, and real gun. And of course compass, and sun powered radio, other survival gear etc

Yes! I've gone solo camping many times. In crowded campgrounds and in undeveloped sites with no one else around, all kinds of places across the US. It's great, and you should do it. I've never had scary encounters with people while camping. I guess in all the years I've been camping/hiking/travelling solo, I've run into just a few people at campgrounds or trails who I kept a safe distance from. But no one's ever given me a hard time. I know a lot of women are scared of being solo in wild places, but in my experience a lot of those fears aren't really warrented. Also in my experience, being in a group doesnt keep weirdos away.

I dont own a gun or a dog. Don't psyche yohrself out. Its really not that scary, especially if youve done some camping before and you enjoy solo activities. Just make sure someone knows where you are and when you expect to be back. If you plan on solo camping or road tripping often, you might want to get a tracking device (like a Spot device) to call for help when you dont have cell service.

I go camping alone all the time. It's super easy, I just leave all my camping gear in my car. Honestly, if you stick to the trails and choose a campsite near the bathrooms you'll be fine. I've only ever backpacked in groups but solo camping at a site and hiking the trails during the day is very safe.