2025’s Best States for Camping

What are your top three tips for staying safe overnight in the wilderness?

My top three tips for staying safe overnight in the wilderness would be storing your food away from your campsite, bringing the correct equipment (i.e., don’t bring a sleeping bag rated at 50 degrees if the coldest temp you expect to encounter is 20 degrees), and having some form of protection against apex predators or the rare sinister human.

What should inexperienced campers know about campground etiquette that might not be explicitly stated in the host site’s rules or guidelines?

I think the biggest campground etiquette I see violated over and over again is walking through someone else’s campsite or allowing children to play in someone else’s campsite. I see this a lot when a campsite is near a bathroom or trail or when campsites are backed up to one another. Campers will cut through instead of going around. It’s annoying and super disrespectful of the person who paid for that site… don’t do it!

In your opinion, has camping become too expensive? What are three ideas to cut costs while planning an affordable camping trip?

Camping can be as inexpensive or as expensive as you want it to be. You don’t need a fancy tent, furniture, and everything else you mostly see with glamping. Heck, you don’t even need to stay in a paid park. There are plenty of places that are run by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that are free. If you are looking to cut costs, look for BLM land, grab yourself a cheap tent and a couple of tarps, a good sleeping bag (or even just blankets work), cookware you already have at home, a lighter, water, and food, and head on out! Also, I love looking for used gear at garage sales and on Facebook Marketplace.

What are three essentials for every camping trip?

Other than your typical tent, bedding, water, and food, I would say my top three essentials for camping would be a good air mattress (I am older, and sleeping directly on the ground is a no-go), a camp chair, and a good book!

How can campers tell if they’re ready for more rugged camping experiences — like overlanding or dispersed camping — or if their camping plans are too far out of their depth?

For new campers starting out, I suggest “roughing it” and testing out gear (especially new gear) in your own backyard before heading out. If you don’t have a backyard, find a local park that offers camping with full amenities (running water, electrical hookups, showers, etc.) that way, you can easily bail and head home. Once you have worked your way up camping locally for a weekend and feel comfortable, then broaden your horizons and look for parks further from home that still offer amenities. Once you get comfortable camping with no electricity or running water for more than a weekend, you might be ready for overlanding or dispersed camping. Overlanding and dispersed camping really require more equipment and survival skills. When you are that far out, help can be hours away. You need to know how to handle medical situations and be mechanically inclined (know how to work on your vehicle). Additionally, you may not have cell service, so make sure you have invested in a satellite communication device. At the minimum, you should have taken a CPR/first aid course, have the correct equipment/supplies to survive off-grid until help arrives, and know how to fix mechanical issues on your overlanding vehicle.

What’s your favorite campfire recipe?

I am simple; my favorite campfire recipe is fried catfish (hopefully freshly caught), poor man’s biscuits, and roasted corn on the cob.

What are your top three tips for staying safe overnight in the wilderness?

First, always do your research on the weather. Don’t be afraid to turn back if it suddenly turns on you, and keep a lightweight rain jacket and emergency bivvy in your hiking pack in case you do get caught in rain, plummeting temperatures, or wind. Secondly, always put your food and scented items in a bear box (if provided) or in a bear hang. This keeps bears, raccoons, possums, and other wildlife away from your tent, and keeps you and them safe. Thirdly, carry a satellite GPS with you at all times. We never leave the trailhead without our Garmin InReach Mini, which can connect us to rescue personnel if we get lost or hurt. Never rely solely on your cell phone.

What should inexperienced campers know about campground etiquette that might not be explicitly stated in the host site’s rules or guidelines?

Don’t cut through people’s campsites, even if it’s the shortest way to the water pump, bath house, or road. Also, keep light and noise to a minimum after about 10 or 11 PM. While you might want to stay up and hang out by the campfire, others might have a very early wakeup for a hike the next day. If you are hanging out by the campfire into the wee hours, lower your voice and music. Don’t use bright torches/headlamps unless necessary, and definitely do not hang lights from nearby trees.

In your opinion, has camping become too expensive? What are three ideas to cut costs while planning an affordable camping trip?

Camping has steeply risen in popularity since around 2020, and, while I love that others have discovered their passion for the outdoors, prices have definitely risen in tandem. Keep costs low by precooking and prepackaging as much as possible for your trip to keep you from making last minute trips to a nearby grocery store or running to a local restaurant. (This is also much cheaper than buying premade dehydrated meals!) Secondly, consider purchasing second hand gear. Outdoor outfitters like REI often have a previously loved corner where you can get shoes and gear for much less than full retail pricing. Facebook Marketplace is another option for getting low cost tents and gear to try out before you splurge on something new. Finally, book in advance for state and national park campsites, which are much more affordable than private campgrounds. If you’re okay with last minute decision making, you can also find first come first served camping in many national forests for very cheap or even free.

What are three essentials for every camping trip?

Our three essentials for every camping trip (beyond the basics like food and water) are our camp chairs, which we use for meals, star gazing, and campfires; bungee cords, which we use for everything from hanging things up to bundling and organizing gear; and really comfortable shoes. Don’t forget to break them in if you’re planning to go hiking while you’re out camping.

How can campers tell if they’re ready for more rugged camping experiences — like overlanding or dispersed camping — or if their camping plans are too far out of their depth?

I’d advise campers to always start comfortably, even if you think it’s too easy. For your first ever night camping, opt for a nearby state park or even private campground like a KOA, so that you have plenty of amenities and help if you find something that you don’t know how to do.

Once you’re really comfortable with the basics, like starting a campfire, managing your food (and associated bear hangs), learning about local wildlife, and completing first aid, you can start doing more adventurous camping like dispersed camping in national forests or hike-in backcountry camping in a national park.

What’s your favorite campfire recipe?

We love a pudgy pie! These require the use of a cast iron mold, and you fill pastry or pie dough with all sorts of fillings. Favorite pudgy pie recipes for us include pizza pudgy pies (with pizza dough as the exterior, pizza sauce, mozzerella, and everyone’s favorite toppings) and banana Nutella pudgy pies (with puff pastry or crescent roll pastry as the exterior, sliced bananas, a smear of Nutella and a handful of pecans).