On the Internet you can find many great articles as well as many discussions in various forums on the subject of "wild camping". Also many other terms like "stealth camping", "outdoor camping" or "emergency sleeping place" are used for "wild camping". One thing they all have in common: the rules are actually clear and universally applicable.
"Stay out of sight, respect the locals and nature, leave no trace!".
Furthermore, you should always check in advance whether wild camping is allowed and legal at all in the respective country or area, or simply tolerated. In addition, one should inform oneself about the respective conditions and dangers. For example, in Alaska you don't have to worry about camping on someone's land as much as being woken up by bears at night.
Here is our list of things to do and not to do when wild camping!
#1 Do not sleep next to the roadside
Sounds logical, but sometimes it is harder to implement than expected. When you are driving through endless forests in the north of Canada and it is getting dark and you just can't see a forest road or something like that, sometimes it is tempting.
Bad idea, because apart from the safety problem, the passing cars don't let you sleep much. One is also always with one ear awake, whether not a car stops, which means potential problems.
#2 Do not ignore natural protection
You should always seek natural protection from the elements, if possible. This is not always possible, but trees, hills, and rocks provide shelter from the wind. If rain is announced, you should always camp on higher ground to avoid waking up in the night because you are floating on your air mattress in your tent. The level of rivers, seas and lakes can change constantly. Even if there are dams nearby, you should consider emptying or refilling the pools.
#3 Do not put tents on pastures
It is not always obvious whether the chosen campsite is a pasture or not. Of course, you can ask locals, but this again reveals your intention to camp undetected. When we had to pitch our tent in Copper Canyon unplanned, because we had progressed far less quickly than planned due to the change in road conditions, we had no choice but to ask locals for a suitable place to sleep. They told us that we could not camp here - even though the whole area in this village looked perfect to us. The next day we knew why and were glad that we were allowed to camp in the fenced garden of the elementary school: there were local farmers' cows running around freely everywhere and especially the calves (with horns) were very curious!
#4 Eye-catching tent colors
Even though it might be fashionable for many tent manufacturers to launch red, white or colorful tents at the moment, this is not necessarily the best solution for wild camping. Especially when camping wild, you want to remain rather unnoticed and a bright, colorful color at the tent is really a bad idea in this context. When wild camping you want to blend into the environment as unnoticed as possible and not shout "Hello - here I am!".
#5 Beware of water
Having water near your campsite is always good - apart from the mosquito problem. You can filter it for drinking, use it for washing or just for relaxing, but you should always get enough information about the area.
How high is the tide or does the river swell overnight due to rainfall and are you in danger of being washed away? Once when we slept on a river in northern Ontario, it was in flood and we pitched our tent especially at the highest point. During the night, the rushing of the river began to increase significantly and we got up several times to check that we were not in danger of being washed away. We were lucky with our river, but the level had changed by about 2 meters the next morning. However, in our favor, because it had sunk, as they had opened the next sluices as a precaution to prepare for the coming rain showers.
#6 Respect the space of others
There's nothing more annoying as a wild camper than when you've found a nice spot and someone else just sets up their tent right next to you. Actually, you want to wild camp because you actually wanted to be alone. Borders should be respected and there is enough space everywhere. Unless you are explicitly invited, you should therefore be careful when you put up your tent in the middle of nowhere right next to strangers.
#7 Keep order
When wild camping there is always the possibility that you will run into someone. Be it a local, a ranger or a shepherd. Therefore, make sure that your things are not too scattered around and that your campsite is always clean. First, this makes a better impression and you can more credibly convey that you just want to spend the night here, and second, you can leave faster if you do have to. Also for all following travelers, who really need an emergency sleeping place, it is better if the locals are not angry with you and the place is clean at any time of the day.
We have also had these experiences and especially when you pitch your tent in the evening or at dusk, it is hard to spot any trash. Glass shards, fragments of cans, cartridge cases or not properly disposed of crown caps had caused one or the other hole in our tent pad. Especially when a storm or downpour is imminent, one also does not have the time to search the entire tent site for shards and would like to stay dry.
#8 Start the search early enough
This tip sounds like a cliché. It is actually logical! But even with years of camping experience and on our current trip - 14 months now - we still find ourselves starting our search for a suitable place to sleep too late.
It's best to start looking two hours before sunset. Even if you find a spot right away, you need enough time to set up your tent, cook something and enjoy the sunset instead of having to pitch your tent in the dark, overtired.
What are your tips for wild camping?