Scared of Tent Camping? Here’s How to Deal With It

Bears. Cougars. Murderers. Oh my!

With Halloween quickly approaching, I wanted to talk about something extra spooky: tent camping. I think we’re all a little scared of camping – no matter how “macho” you are, it can be super creepy.

Whether you’re afraid of bears, serial killers, or shape-shifting clowns (can you tell I just read “It”?) the first few nights of camping will probably feel as though they’ll be your last.

After all, the only thing between you and the outside world is a thin sheet of nylon. Yikes!

To be honest, I sort of enjoy the element of creepiness. Francis and I used to have a Halloween tradition (yet another thing destroyed by the wrath of COVID) where we’d go out into the wilderness, camp, and watch the newest season of Stranger Things. It was a blast! But scary.

Thankfully, there are ways to chase away the murder-y nightmares and “horror-movie proof” your tent. Ways that don’t involve drinking until you pass out (unless that’s your thing). Ways that will make you wish you could spend EVERY night in a tent!

Hey, don’t squash it till you try it.

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1. Set Up Your Tent Early

It helps an insane amount if you can set up your campsite before dark. In fact, if you’re as good at planning as I am, you’ll NEVER set up your camp after dark!

That was a good joke.

Anyway, not only is it super difficult and annoying to set up a tent at night, it also doesn’t give you a chance to get familiar with your surroundings. In the daylight, you’ll realize that figure watching you from a distance is really just a man-shaped tree, and the sound of a wooden bat being drug across the ground is really just a ground squirrel who keeps digging through the firepit.

It may seem like an insignificant tip but trust me, it helps!

2. Drown Out the Noise

The best thing you can do if you’re scared of camping? Pitch your tent near a river! I always recommend camping near a water source, for multiple reasons, but in this case the reason is noise. The sound of flowing water is relaxing and it drowns out all the tiny noises (leaves falling, mice scuffling) that you’re guaranteed to mistake for a murderer approaching your sleeping quarters. Everything somehow sounds louder and scarier from inside a tent.

3. Give Yourself a Backboard

It helps to set up your tent so that the back (and maybe even the side of it) are up against something. Even if it’s just a bunch of bushes and thickets, it gives you a sense of security.

If anything big was in those bushes you’d be sure to hear it clumsily moving around, and typically large animals (bears, cougars, etc.) hate being stuck in tiny, pokey environments. So you know you’re at least safe on that end.

4. Crank Up Some Tunes!

When you’re just hanging out around camp at night, playing some music is actually pretty comforting – and it has a dual purpose! Not only will it keep your mood light and drown out any strange noises, it’ll also ward off any potential predators. Bears are a real threat in the backcountry, but if they hear before they see you they’ll usually keep their distance!

With most paid-for music streaming services [i.e. Pandora, Apple Music, Amazon Music] you can download music ahead of time for offline listening. Typically, I’ll create a “Camping” playlist the day before we leave so I can just shuffle it up and go. I use this Waterproof Bluetooth speaker from Amazon on all of my camping trips!

NOTE: I do NOT recommend listening to music out loud if you are camping near other people. Often people like to camp in silence but they’ll be too polite or too shy to say so. If you want to pump up the jams and do your own thing, look for dispersed campsites with no other campers nearby.

5. Bring Movie Night to Your Campsite + Watch Something Uplifting!

Reading before bed doesn’t really work for me since I pretty much solely read Horror & Murder Mystery novels. But if you’re like me and feel-good books aren’t your thing, you can watch something lighthearted instead! No one gets murdered while watching The Land Before Time, right? Fill your mind with funny or happy things before hitting the pillow.

FIND OUT HOW TO WATCH NETFLIX, PRIME, HULU AND DISNEY+… ALL OFF-GRID!

6. Brighten Up Your Campsite With Cute, Little String Lights

Not only do lights, well, light things up; they also add warmth and a feeling of comfort to your campsite. These solar string lights from REI are a must-have for any camper, but especially one who is scared of camping! Having your campsite well-lit will make things significantly less creepy. Not to mention, these lights are solar powered, super cute, and double as a phone charger.

WANT MORE INFO ON THESE CUTE, LIL STRING LIGHTS? CHECK OUT MY FULL GEAR REVIEW, HERE.

7. Try a Rooftop Tent!

I understand not everyone is willing to invest in a rooftop tent, but I couldn’t resist bringing it up. Sleeping in a rooftop tent just feels so much safer than sleeping on the ground. After all, the only way to access the tent effectively is to climb up the ladder – just another hindrance for potential murderers. And wild animals are not likely to mess with you when you’re 9 feet off the ground.

NOTE: I use the Smittybilt Overlander Tent and it’s THE. BEST. I’ve had no issues with leaking during heavy rainstorms [a common complaint among rooftop tent owners – even with expensive brands like Yakima and Tepui], it’s easy to set up, the mattress is comfy and it stayed in good shape even after leaving it parked outside during winter months.

8. Make Sleepy-Time Tea

If you have a Jetboil, you may want to heat water and throw on some tea before bed to help relax you. I usually drink either Chamomile or Raspberry herbal tea with a scoop of Youtheory Sleep Powder. It puts me right to sleep!

9. Bring a Four-Legged Friend

Dogs make great camping companions and they will kindly warn you of any oncoming danger. Just keep in mind, you’ll want to keep your tent covered up at night to prevent your pup from growling at every tiny little critter he sees running past.

If you’re considering camping with your pup, check out my essential gear for camping with dogs!

10.Wear Yourself Out

Go on a long hike, take a swim, whatever. Just do something active so that when nighttime rolls around, you aren’t laying there with perpetual insomnia. Actually, the fact that you’re outdoors will cause you to be more tired at the end of the day (thank you, science) but it can’t hurt to help it along!

11. Bring a Weapon

You’ll never have to use it, I can pretty well guarantee that, but it doesn’t hurt to have a knife or some bear spray (or both) by your side to make you a little less scared of the camping creepies. It’s a sense of security, and there’s nothing wrong with that! Just don’t go stabbing through your tent every time you hear a twig snap.

12. Invest In a Personal Tracking Beacon

I personally wouldn’t take it to this extreme, but if you REALLY want to camp but you REALLY can’t get over the feeling that something terrible will happen it might be worth the investment of a tracking beacon – if only to put your mind at ease. Tracking beacons are made to alert rescuers to your position almost instantaneously. They’re great for backcountry, off-grid adventures!

13. Know Your Animals – and How to Handle Them

Do your research before heading out! You can often identify what’s predator and what’s prey just by the sound. Bears and cougars (if they’re close) are usually easy to identify by their noises. Even though you’ll likely never run into a large predator, knowing what to do will make you feel more comfortable. And you never know! I once had a cougar sniffing around my tent. Not a great feeling, but I just kept talking about random things in a normal, non-heightened voice and it eventually lost interest in me. I guess you could say I’m so boring, not even a cougar wants me 🙁

14. Keep at it!

The first few times backcountry or dispersed camping, you’re going to be creeped out. It’s pretty much a guaranteed thing. But if you keep trying, it only gets easier and easier. You get more familiar with the noises, less concerned with murderers, and you sleep like a dream!

Are you scared of camping? How do you fight the nighttime heebie jeebies? Tell me about it in the comments! (Funny methods and stories are encouraged.)

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