Camping and outdoor accommodation

Sleeping outdoors is the cheapest accommodation available and is governed by rules that vary from complete freedom to strict prohibition within a few hundred kilometres.

The legal position

Which differs fundamentally between countries.

Right to roam countries, principally in Scandinavia and Scotland, where legislation permits camping on most uncultivated land subject to conditions about distance from dwellings, duration and conduct.

This is a genuine legal right rather than a tolerance, and it is the most permissive arrangement anywhere.

Countries where it is prohibited outside designated sites, which includes much of southern and central Europe, with enforcement varying from strict to nominal.

Public land systems, as in much of the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where dispersed camping is permitted on certain categories of public land subject to rules, and prohibited on others.

The distinctions between agencies and land types matter, and the rules are published.

Permit systems, where camping in a particular area requires a permit obtained in advance, sometimes by lottery for popular areas.

Worth establishing the position for the specific area rather than the country, since it frequently varies within one.

The alternatives to tents

Several arrangements that are less known.

Mountain huts, extensive in the Alps, the Pyrenees, Scandinavia, Japan and elsewhere.

These range from staffed lodges serving meals to unstaffed shelters with basic bunks.

Booking is generally required in the staffed ones during the season, and membership of an alpine club provides discounts and priority in several networks.

Bothies and open shelters, unlocked and free, with a code of conduct rather than a booking system.

Refuges along long-distance routes, including the pilgrim accommodation along established pilgrimage paths, which is generally very cheap and reserved for walkers.

Campsites, which vary from basic to extensive, and which in many countries include facilities that make a longer stay practical.

Farm and vineyard stays, where several national schemes permit overnight parking or camping on agricultural land, generally free with an expectation of purchasing produce.

The practical requirements

What actually matters for sleeping outside comfortably.

Insulation from the ground, which is where most heat is lost and which people consistently under-provide.

A sleeping mat with an adequate rating matters more than the sleeping bag for warmth.

A sleeping bag rated for the actual conditions, noting that comfort ratings and limit ratings differ and that the limit rating is not a comfort rating.

Shelter appropriate to the conditions, including wind, which is generally more consequential than rain.

Water, and a means of treating it.

A means of cooking, subject to fire restrictions which in many areas prohibit open flame entirely during dry seasons.

The conduct

The principles that apply everywhere and that determine whether permissive arrangements survive.

Arrive late, leave early, and stay one night in any wild location.

Camp out of sight of dwellings, roads and paths.

Take everything away, including anything organic.

Bury human waste well away from water, at an adequate depth, or pack it out where required.

Use established fire rings where fires are permitted, or do not light one.

Leave no trace that anyone was there.

The right to roam arrangements exist because they have been used responsibly, and their continuation depends on that.

The safety points

Specific to outdoor accommodation.

Tell someone where you are going and when you expect to return.

Check weather, and be conservative, since conditions change faster in mountains than forecasts convey.

Know the local hazards, including wildlife, water and terrain.

Food storage where wildlife is a consideration, which in some areas is a legal requirement with specified containers.

And carry a means of summoning help, with satellite messaging devices now affordable and several phones supporting emergency messaging directly.

Booking and permits

Practical points that catch people.

Popular campsites and huts in season book out months ahead, and several permit systems for protected areas operate by lottery with application windows.

Which means the spontaneity that camping suggests frequently requires the most advance planning of any accommodation type.

Checking the specific area's system, and its dates, before building an itinerary around it is essential.