Earlier this year I was able to pull the trigger on 40 acres of land atop a small mountain in southeast Missouri. I’ve been a lifelong haunter of both the Missouri and Arkansas ozarks and it was my dream
to finally own some land in this beautiful, often glossed over part of the country, and now that dream has come true.

Initially got it as hunting land and perhaps to put a tiny home on one day, but for right now it’s mostly a camping and “get away from it all” place. No cell reception, no amenities, just miles of rolling hills and steep forest service roads between me and anything remotely resembling civilization.

Finally got to camp on it after a long brutal summer (I don’t summer camp, heat intolerant and it’s just miserable down here in swamp east Missouri) and it was life changing to say the least, being able to truly do whatever I wanted, not having to worry about park fees, camp neighbors, seeing littering and dealing with noise pollution, or any of the other downsides to public land camping. I may have cried out of sheer gratitude just knowing this little plot is mine and mine alone when I woke up that first morning to nothing but the sounds of the mourning doves and squirrel barks.

Anyhow, here’s some pics. The saint Francis river runs close by, and 30 mins away is tom sauk mountain. Most of the weekend was spent fishing, squirrel hunting, scouting for deer sign and catching up on some reading. Cannot wait for actual winter time up here. I’m one of those weirdos that thrives in the cold and melts in the heat.

On my way to New Mexico, I took a detour and spent a couple of days in Rio Grande National Forest. It was absolutely beautiful warm during the day and very cold at night.

I spent most of the time exploring around and took these pictures along the way. The exact spot where I parked was 37°33’21.1”N 106°42’01.2”W.

I was there from Sunday to Tuesday, so it was very quiet. I saw a few cars passing by, but I didn’t meet another camper the whole time.

Also, the town of South Fork is gorgeous. Definitely worth stopping by if you’re in the area. 🏕️

we were camping the time there was an insane wild fire that spread hectares and hectares of land, we almost got evacuated one day because the fire was so close, there were firemen camping at our site just incase!

Getting ready for three days and two nights at Big Meadows in Shenandoah this month. Planning a couple of short hikes and some time along Skyline Drive to see the fall colors. Leaving plenty of time to just sit around camp too.

This is the tent setup. Two cots with foam pads, pillows and extra blankets, with sleeping bags coming along for the colder nights. The little table fits between the beds, although the Jackery and lantern have claimed most of it.

First time taking the Jackery camping. Planning to use it for phones and topping up the rechargeable fan and lantern as needed. Food’s going in a cooler, and we’re bringing a propane stove for cooking outside and making coffee in the morning.

Going to charge it fully before leaving and see how much we actually use over the two nights. Mostly looking forward to a morning where making coffee is the only thing I need to do right away.

Anyone else heading to Shenandoah this month?

This year's trip was South dakota & Colorado. I hit both areas at great foliage time last week and a perfect weather window.

so i've never really been camping beyond once or twice when i was in the scouts but i live in Oregon and there's quite a lot of BLM land up here that allows dispersed camping.

so do i just like take a tent and just wander into the woods or...? like im not 100% sure about protocol here

any advice would be great, thanks in advance

Heater in tent? All help needed

I’m going back and forth on my heater build. I have a horizontal vevor heater for my tipi style hot tent. I’m trying right now to build a weatherproof tote for it but keep running into issues making it actually work and SAFE. using it in middle of winter in Ohio so a lot of snow or rain overnight is issue I’m worried about

Some people say just keep the unit outside in the elements but In Ohio a night of snow can pile up quick and clog my intake and just mess the vevor up in general

Do people keep units inside the tent? Is that actually safe?? What’s my best bet with this please help I get so many different answers

We are looking for some new campgrounds in Florida that we can use our roof top tent. We like national forest or state forest style sites that are semi secluded and not right on top of the next camper. The problem I run into is that most primitive sites seem to be setup for ground tents where they have barricades to park and carry your gear in or the RV spots are pads with no space or privacy between them.

We have stayed in the Ocala National Forest before and are looking for similar spots that can provide some privacy where we are not a bother to our neighbor. Im not asking anyone to give away their secret spots. You can DM me any information and we can chat there.

Hello r/camping!

I'm doing a fundraiser in a couple of weeks, and a part of that is lighting of a campfire. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make that special for the kids?

Back in my scouting days, 30+ years ago, I know the leaders would set up a trickle of nitroglycerin, which they'd light up at some grandiose moment. And I've seen the videos of meteor like fireballs down a line. Both seem intriguing; but I wonder if there's anything else I haven't considered.

Edit: Nitroglycerin is now a controlled substance in Canada, and can only be used for medicinal purposes. 30+ years ago, it was a different story.

Hey everyone, looking to replace/upgrade a lot of my gear. I understand the next couple of months are a great time to shop for next season as sellers are looking to clear out inventory. Any places/sites anyone can recommend for good deals over the next two months? tried posting this in CampingGear, but it never got approved. Thanks in advance!

We have a favorite campground that we've gone to for the last 11 years, and it was just sold this year. The new owners changed the checkout time from 1PM to 11AM, This just seems unreasonably early. I mean, if we are to get up, take showers, make breakfast, and tear down, we would have to get up at like 7 or 8 am (following a camping Saturday night).

And the new owners created "Site Categories" where you pick your "Category" and then they will place you on a site, but if you want a specific site, you have to pay $5 a night. Is this normal?