New member saying hello, and a question about camping

[trogladytes]

Hi all, i've just joined the forum after a while of lurking.
Although i've done little bikepacking with a tent i have done a month long trip cycling between hostels and loved it.
I'm looking to extend to more tent/bivvy based bikepacking. Ideally i want to wild camp so i'm just wondering if anyone feels unsafe when doing this and how you have overcome that feeling. Taking someone with me isn't always an option so i'm talking about solo camping.
I have a 26er hardtail and a cx/gravel bike, and am hoping to get a bivvy in this month as my first BAM, adding Jan 2022 on at the end.

[middleagedmadness]

Hi ya and welcome to a downward spiral of lunacy and trying to find out what works for you , I wouldn’t say there’s a fear of camping solo , maybe a little apprehension on the first one but as Stu always says we’re the only idiots lying in a ditch /hedge or toilet block at that time of night

[ScotRoutes]

It's perfectly reasonable to be a bit afraid if you're still using 26" wheels. That will attract all sorts of weird looks

Really though, it's not something I think about. Partly due to my choice of bivvy site, partly due to just knowing that there are very few looines out there at night - at least none more loony than me.

[RIP]

Welcome aboard!

I think it's quite understandable to feel a bit apprehensive at first. How does one overcome that? A good place to bivvy is a wood - plenty of cover if you go far enough in. This will not apply if there's a 'Pheasant wood - keep out' sign . Also try and get used to no, or very low, lights. A farmer will soon investigate an unusual light. Set up and crawl in before dark to solve that one. Any feeling of being unsafe will stem from thinking you're attracting attention - so make sure you're not seen either obviously looking for a spot or crawling into it.

Your worst enemy will be midges rather than people. Some bivvyers are not keen on slugs - but I like 'em. Waking up with one on your nose is one of life's rich experiences never to be forgotten .

Remember how most people actually react to a wild camper - they give them a very wide berth. Few people tend to carry axes up mountains either, whether mad or not!

As one gains experience it's interesting to note that the opposite can start to apply - ie. hiding in plain sight rather than 'hiding', but that's another story.

[RIP]

Ps. Just ignore these people who ride pennyfarthings - 26 is the One True Wheel .

[whitestone]

Welcome

There's actually very little chance of being found/spotted when out bivvying so long as you follow a few basic guidelines.

As Reg says, keep lights to a minimum. The countryside at night is dark, very dark, and any light is very obvious plus locals tend to know where the other farms and houses are - "Joe's left his yard light on again", etc. We live rurally and one of our neighbours across the valley has a security system, the single LED from that really stands out at night, it's probably way less power than a GPS screen, and they are 500m or so away.

Allied to the above: if you can't see a property then they are unlikely to be able to see you.

This time of year everything is a bit "bare", hiding in summer is much easier!

Remember that anyone else out in the countryside at night is unlikely to be actually looking for you so you don't have to get far off any paths/tracks to be invisible. We've bivvied 20m away from an open track and had 4x4s go past and not see us - their lights and eyes have been on the track ahead.

[MuddyPete]

It's perfectly reasonable to be a bit afraid if you're still using 26" wheels. That will attract all sorts of weird looks

Welcome. Depending on your bivi site (e.g. local woodland) arriving really late and departing early can be a good option. Usually the only ones in "the woods" in the middle of the night are mountain bikers .
Good point from RIP about using a dim light as you close in on your objective . If the undergrowth is more than knee-high your bivi may be well-hidden from nearby paths, anyhow.

[thenorthwind]

Welcome!

Four replies and we've already turned this into a wheel size debate

Totally understand your apprehension - I still get it myself sometimes having spent a good few nights outdoors. Company is definitely something that helps for me - as you say, it's not always possible, or desirable, but it might be worth starting with a friend (obviously that's a bit more difficult at the moment, but then we're not supposed to be bivvying either).

One of the key things for me is no-one (well other than friends) knowing where I am - it's probably a bit paranoid, but for example, if I'm in a pub in the evening, or meet a walker, I tend to try not to tell anyone that I'm going to be sleeping out (though sometimes it's pretty obvious) or at least where I'm going.

A good place to bivvy is a wood

Conversely, I tend to avoid woods - for me they invite the idea that one could be snuck up on (not that that's actually likely), and they're often bloody noisy, particularly if it's windy. For similar reasons, I tend to prefer a bivvy bag to a tent, since I can see what's around me.

Ultimately you've just got to accept that you'll be a bit nervous the first time and probably won't get much sleep, but when you "wake up" alive the following morning, you'll wonder what you were so worried about, and you'll remember that for next time. Unless you get eaten/murdered

[Bearbonesnorm]

Practise. Might sound odd but pick a spot somewhere close to home that you already know. That'll remove some of the worries. Also, it can be easier to settle in a bivvy / tarp than it can in a tent. Once zipped up inside a tent you'll spend a good while wondering what or who is outside. In in bivvy, you're fully aware of your surroundings.

[ScotRoutes]

Welcome!

Four replies and we've already turned this into a wheel size debate

Not really. I still have two bikes with 26" wheels!

[ScotRoutes]

Oh - and you should also watch the movie Dog Soldiers before your first night out. That'll get you right in the mood.

[RIP]

You mention hostelling too. I reckon I'd feel a lot less safe in there than out on a mountain TBH. Lots of sharp knives in those kitchens . I do take 'Wind's points about woodland bivvying, but at least with all the dead wood crackling underfoot you get plenty of warning about any rapidly approaching sharp knives! And the snoring in hostels..... Arg!

Might be worth flagging up roughly where you live - you'll get loads of suggestions (via PM) for 'easy'/'safe' spots to start you off. However, remember Rule 28b Subsection 5: normally it's bad form to ask someone here to suggest a bivvy spot; and Rule 42-1: normally it's bad form to give directions on here to an exact spot. .

Wheel sizes? Haven't we digressed onto cake yet? (oh, and talking of which, it's Reg's birthday today, and I had to buy my own cake!!!. What's all that about?)

[BigdummySteve]

Poor show by Mrs RIP, I’ll bring cake and beer next time we’re allowed out

[RIP]

Ah cheers HOTT! Beer flavoured cake would be an interesting one. Cake flavoured beer? I'll bet Chris Landslide can sort us out with one of those .

[Verena]

Happy Birthday!

[trogladytes]

Might be worth flagging up roughly where you live - you'll get loads of suggestions (via PM) for 'easy'/'safe' spots to start you off. However, remember Rule 28b Subsection 5: normally it's bad form to ask someone here to suggest a bivvy spot; and Rule 42-1: normally it's bad form to give directions on here to an exact spot. .

I'm not far from Wigan so if anyone does want to PM me with ideas that would be great, but i'm not asking specifically, just if anyone is moved to shine a dim light on a good place to pitch up

[trogladytes]

Thanks for all the welcome messages and the pointers, all very good points. I'll look into local spots, and pick somewhere i know to start off with. Not using a light, or just a dim light is something i hadn't thought much about.

It's perfectly reasonable to be a bit afraid if you're still using 26" wheels. That will attract all sorts of weird looks

what can i say, i love the bike, would be gutted to let it go

Conversely, I tend to avoid woods - for me they invite the idea that one could be snuck up on (not that that's actually likely), and they're often bloody noisy, particularly if it's windy. For similar reasons, I tend to prefer a bivvy bag to a tent, since I can see what's around me.

This is my gut reaction to woods at night too, but i like the idea of being able to see around me so maybe a bivvy is the way to go, but then getting changed in the rain...i guess just getting out there will sort out whether the worry to fun ratio is favourable

[Bearbonesnorm]

This is my gut reaction to woods at night too, but i like the idea of being able to see around me so maybe a bivvy is the way to go, but then getting changed in the rain...i guess just getting out there will sort out whether the worry to fun ratio is favourable

Unless you can guarantee the weather, then a bivvy as a solo shelter can be horrible but add a tarp (even a small one) and that changes considerably

[thenorthwind]

Once zipped up inside a tent you'll spend a good while wondering what or who is outside. In in bivvy, you're fully aware of your surroundings.

100% this!

at least with all the dead wood crackling underfoot you get plenty of warning about any rapidly approaching sharp knives

Always amazes me how many twigs you hear snapping of their own accord in a wood at night! Or is this my overactive imagination?

Happy birthday Reg!

Agree with Stu about the tarp - I'll very rarely head out with only a bivvy bag.

[Rapideye]

Really good question this and the replies are really helpful. I too am expecting to be pretty nervous when I go out for the first time. I'm probably slightly more apprehensive about wild camping locally than I am about heading out into the wilds.

Favourite line of the whole thread...

Few people tend to carry axes up mountains either, whether mad or not!

[tobasco]

Do a recce on your selected spot, suss out any potential hassle with getting set up

[Wotsits]

I'm not far from Wigan so if anyone does want to PM me with ideas that would be great, but i'm not asking specifically, just if anyone is moved to shine a dim light on a good place to pitch up

Where abouts 'not far' from Wigan?

I'm in the North Ashton area, could poss point you in the right direction of a couple of spots, or even meet up if you're near-by?

[Andiphim]

When I had chosen my spot for my first local camp and before I went out and camped there, I rode there late one night and just sat there for an hour or so with a coffee in the dark to see if I could see anyone about or if there were any houses I hadn't noticed.
It was amazing how much noise there was from the trees and even roads miles away.
When I went back to camp I knew what to expect, it made it easier to just get in the tent and go to sleep.
Ear plugs help too.

[trogladytes]

Where abouts 'not far' from Wigan?

I'm in the North Ashton area, could poss point you in the right direction of a couple of spots, or even meet up if you're near-by?

Thanks Wotsits, I'm the other way, towards Southport, Parbold way, pointers would be great. Even an idea of where to avoid would be handy.

[trogladytes]

When I had chosen my spot for my first local camp and before I went out and camped there, I rode there late one night and just sat there for an hour or so with a coffee in the dark to see if I could see anyone about or if there were any houses I hadn't noticed.
It was amazing how much noise there was from the trees and even roads miles away.
When I went back to camp I knew what to expect, it made it easier to just get in the tent and go to sleep.
Ear plugs help too.

That's a great idea Andiphim, I'll do that, there is a small woodland nearby that would be good for at least a nighttime recce with a brew. Not sure I'd relax with earplugs