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Be Honest. Do Any of You Actually Like Cowboy Camping?
Look, I love sleeping outside on the ground. Love it! But not, like, outside outside. This is probably an unpopular opinion, but I have to be honest: I really do not see the appeal of cowboy camping.
Do you guys actually like it? I’m seriously asking. Sure, putting up a tent is a pain, and falling asleep directly under the open sky seems magical. But … magical enough to offset all the other stuff? Bugs and wind and surprise midnight rainstorms?
Why, cowboy campers? Why do you spurn the engineering marvel known as the ultralight backpacking tent? These things have some truly incredible features. Like walls. And roofs. Things that come in very handy when it randomly starts raining in the middle of the night.
Tents Were Invented for a Reason, Y’all
Photo: Maggie Slepian
Picture this: it’s the middle of the night. You’re exhausted from climbing up and down mountains all day with a loaded pack. Despite the forecast giving you many assurances to the contrary, a cold rain starts falling somewhere around 2 a.m. And you? You keep sleeping, snug and dry. BECAUSE YOU’RE IN A TENT.
You can’t fully appreciate how glorious this is until you’ve experienced the opposite. I’ve hobbled around in the dark a time or two, startled awake by a sudden downpour. There’s nothing quite like trying to set up my tent in a sleep-blurred panic.
If you’re thru-hiking, you probably have a tent on hand anyway.
Most people don’t cowboy camp every night, because weather is weather and conditions don’t always favor it. (One of our writers made a compelling case for leaving the tent behind on the Arizona Trail, but it’s a risk many hikers wouldn’t be willing to take.)
So here’s my thing. I’m lugging this tent around anyway: one to three pounds of insurance for nights when it’s cold or raining or I need a bit more privacy because I’m sleeping in a city park or whatever.
And you know what? If I’m lugging it, I’m going to use that sucker as often as possible, gosh dang it!
I Like Sleeping Inside
Photo: Eloise Robbins
I said what I said. My tent is warm and cozy. It’s my little home away from home and I know how to set it up just the way I like it. It keeps me dry in the rain and warm during cold, windy nights. The mesh keeps creepy crawlies outside of my personal bubble.
Whether I’m camping in a remote alpine meadow or a crowded AT tent site, I also enjoy the relative privacy of my tent. Silnylon is doing nothing to keep me safe from bears and murderers, and I recognize that the following is completely psychological, but my tent makes me feel safer, and I sleep better when I’m zipped up inside it.
Anything to improve my odds of a good night’s sleep, especially out there. If I’m backpacking, chances are I’ve got a lot of walking to do the following day. Damn right I’m choosing the tent most nights — I’ll be warmer, and I won’t be kept awake with anxious thoughts about surprise storms and bugs crawling on my face.
I. Hate. Bugs.
Photo: Eloise Robbins
As an ecologist by training, I totally appreciate the critical ecosystem roles filled by insects, spiders, and other small beings with unusual numbers of legs. Yay bugs! Keep pollinating, etc.
That does not mean I want spiders and beetles and blackflies all up in my business while I’m sleeping.
Whenever I get talking with a cowboy camping enthusiast, I always ask them if bugs are a problem for them. And they always says something to the effect of, “Haha, no, you silly — bugs and other creatures will pretty much stay away from you all night.”
Which is great to hear, but I’m telling you guys, every single time I’ve cowboy camped or tarp-camped with no bug mesh, I have consistently woken up with two or three bugs squished up under my sleeping pad. Why do they insist on worming their way underneath me and then dying overnight? Who can say.
When I do cowboy camp, I’m pretty strategic about doing it only in reduced-bug environments. Sharing space with a small handful of dead insects isn’t the end of the world, but you definitely won’t catch me lying out anywhere with a high concentration of crawlies.
And there have been plenty of times when I’ve negligently left the tent door open and had to shoo spiders and other small beings out of the tent before bed. In my experience, bugs can and do want to be near me when I’m sleeping. I can’t speak for toads or snakes or whatever, but these types of critters also do not horrify me to my very core. Waking up with a toad would be dope.
I Like Being Warm
Photo: Taylor Bell
My Zpacks Duplex weighs scarcely more than a pound, but it adds an incredible amount of warmth to my airspace. I once experimented with an indoor-outdoor thermometer and regularly recorded temperatures inside the tent that were 8–10 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than outside.
If you’ve ever unzipped the tent to go pee in the middle of the night, you know what I’m talking about. Even with the rainfly off (if you have a rainfly), the tent still traps an impressive amount of heat.
There’s nothing quite as wonderful as sleeping snug and warm on a sub-freezing night. On the flip side, it’s a special kind of terrible to be up shivering all night, counting the minutes until sunrise. A good sleeping bag and pad are the keys to staying warm enough on a backpacking trip, but don’t underestimate the power of your tent to boost warmth as well.
Condensation
To be fair, Eloise knows everything about everything. But I still hate sleeping in the wind! Photo: Eloise Robbins
On that note, let’s talk about condensation for a minute. You would think that being out in the open air would mean your sleeping bag would stay pleasantly condensation-free all night, unlike in a tent, where waking up with a damp footbox is often the name of the game.
If this were true, it would be a major argument for cowboy camping as often as possible. No one likes waking up to soggy gear!
But wouldn’t you know, even cowboy campers have to deal with condensation — it’s called dew, and it could happen to you.
Trek writer Eloise Robbins published a helpful guide to cowboy camping a few years back. Eloise has hiked everywhere and knows everything, and she advises that if you want the optimal moisture-free cowboy camping experience, you should lay down to sleep in a breezy location, like a windswept ridgeline.
Referring back to my earlier point (“I Like Being Warm”), this is going to be a hard pass for me. I would rather deal with occasional moisture inside my tent and not sleep in the wind — that’s just me, though.
Which Brings Me Back to My Original Question
Photo: Eloise Robbins
Seriously, what is it about cowboy camping that’s so great? I don’t even like sleeping in AT shelters! I’m Team Tent all the way.
Is it just that sleeping under the stars is romantic? Is it the convenience factor of not having to set up a tent? It does make breaking camp on a chilly morning faster and easier, I’ll give you that.
And if you don’t sleep in a tent then you definitely won’t have to worry about packing away a wet tent in the morning, even if you do end up with condensation on the rest of your gear.
All that makes sense to me. And I’ll admit that even I, hater that I am, love the idea of cowboy camping. I totally get the appeal, but for me, the reality is far less enjoyable than the romantic notion I have in my head.
No judgment, but I’m legitimately curious. Do you guys actually like cowboy camping? … Why?
Featured image: Eloise Robbins
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Comments 19
Cowboy camping is my preference, whether backpacking or out and about with my truck – as long as there’s no rain or snow. I compare it to riding a motorcycle vs. being encapsulated in a car. Cowboy camping is an immersive experience. Notable lifetime night: Big Bend National Park, walking cross country at the foot of the mountains. January, full moon. A herd of wild horses woke me up, their hooves clacking on the rocks. They were all around me, about 50 yards away. I imagined they were thinking, “who is this critter wrapped in bright blue nylon, laying on the ground?” It was glorious!
Gonna come down on the opposite side from you on this, but I’m in a hammock. As I type this, I slept outside last night to test some insulation. Every time I woke, there were stars in a jet black sky to gaze at until I feel asleep again. If I’m absolutely confident that there’s no rain possible, I’ll leave the tarp off every time and simply ensconce myself in my warm, dry, comfortable hammock and snooze.
YES! I love cowgirl camping so much. Stars as my ceiling! That being said, it’s gotta be in a spot with no condensation or bugs or snakes! (Oct/Nov So Cal on the PCT or NM on the CDT, March in So AZ) That being said, there have been some unlikely spots for damp like as I moved north on the AZT. Wet, wet wet! Tent froze solid, so not the best time. lol
I really enjoy how immersed in nature I am when Cowboy camping. That said the forecast must show no rain, otherwise I will put up my tarp. I do use a bivy, not mountaineering weight, rather more of a sleeping bag quilt. The bivy addresses many of your concerns with regards to bugs and does a nice job of keeping drafts away when I flip around under my quilt. The bivy also keeps any dew away from my quilt although there is a little learning curve with regards to condensation. For a hundred bucks and six ounces try Cowboy camping with a BorahGear bivy. Happy Trails!
It wasn’t called “cowboy camping “ when I hiked the AT without a tent in 1974. There wasn’t the vast selection of lightweight options of not only tents… but everything. Also, no crowds. Never slept in a full shelter or got rained on when camping outside. Not including that trip I have easily spent another 600 nights outside. Way less than 10% in a tent. The only way to go.
Love cowboy camping, aka “free-bagging.”
“Is it just that sleeping under the stars is romantic? Is it the convenience factor of not having to set up a tent? It does make breaking camp on a chilly morning faster and easier, I’ll give you that.”
All of the above, but mostly the convenience factor for me. I’m rather indolent.
Since you ask. Yes I enjoy it but only under certain circumstances. There cant be a lot of bugs crawling or flying around. No chance of rain etc. A tent gives a false since of security otherwise.
i prefer cowboy camping because it allows me to fall asleep watching the stars. Out west at high elevatoons you get some of the darkest skies. A Milky way in Summer Months that actually provides usable light. Visibility to more shooting stars etc. For me it is the light show after dark that i crave. I do prepitch my tent depending on the situation, but most nights I am outside the tent, not in ir.
Sure; being doing it since 1969; mainly because it’s one less thing to do or carry. But I’m not a “camper” I’m a hiker – I only “camp” when I have to due to the length of the route – I walk until it starts getting dark, lay down on a flat spot and sleep, get up at first light and start walking again. I’m in the Rockies and Southwest, and only camp in spring and summer when the nights are not long or real cold. And I use a light bivy, mainly to shake the dew off in the morning which is better than getting the goose down wet – if the f’cast calls for rain it’s a tent all the way. And if above timberline about half the time I use a tent for warmth and wind protection.
Erroneously my first attempt was on the Long Trail – the draw was the Perceval showers. Being from the northeast I should have been keen to the fact everything was going to be wet in the morning! Didn’t even consider it on the PCT and did it in the Great Basin on the CDT after a huge mile day! It sucked, the wind constantly blew off my quilt! As for me, I love my tent and for the 5 minutes to set it up, worth it every night!
I only cowboy camp when there is absolutely no rain to be expected (mostly in the desert, but also in the mountains in summer). Critters usually left me alone. There were some spiders only one time (and I hate spiders!) that didn’t, so I did pitch the tent in the end. Bad condensation only happens when choosing the wrong spot (like next to water), in the desert it’s mostly dry and most other places my sleeping bag only gets wet on the surface. In that case I simply dry it during lunch break as I would dry my tent.
I love cowboy camping out of three main reasons:
– Efficiency: It’s quick when I’m tired after a long day and quick go get going early. I like saving energy like a sloth.
– Space: There is a lot of stunning places that don’t work with a tent, because they’re too small or too rocky to put tent stakes in. Or there is simply too many people like on the GR 20 where you need to stick to the official campgrounds. As I usually arrived later than most, there was no space left. I ended up cowboy camping almost every night.
– Wind: If there is strong wind but clear skies, I cowboy camp as I can’t sleep when the wind is pounding my tent loudly.
I’m totally with you on this one. To each his or her own but I think cowboy camping is incredibly overrated. Give me a tent any day of the week and twice on Sunday. If I want to see stars and the weather looks good, I might leave the rain fly off. I have too many nightly routines—some standard fare and some unprintable—to sacrifice the privacy that a tent provides.
Love cowboy camping. Sleeping out the way it was meant to be. My wife and I even sleep out on our deck at home half the summer, under the stars. The best!
I am a LASHer on the AT, fifth year coming up, 600 miles to go. I’m with you on not choosing cowboy camping – at least on the AT – primarily due to being allergic to mosquito bites and not wanting to wake up covered in dew. If I were hiking somewhere that those two issues were not prevalent, I would definitely do it from time to time, especially in “dark sky” territory, as the stars and heavens are attractive viewing for me.
I feel exactly the same as the author! While I totally understand why people do it, it’s just not for me. My tent makes me feel safe, warm, and cozy (which is mostly in my head, but who cares?). One night when I was in my tent on the PCT somewhere up the mountains past Cajon Pass, I woke up and saw the shadow of some giant creature crawling up the outside of my tent. I have no idea what it was, and I have zero desire to find out when it crawls on my face if I were cowboy camping 😅 But to each their own!
When I’m backpacking alone, I do this weird thing where I try to get on the trail hiking as fast as I can after I wake up. I’m talking within 60 seconds. My eyes open and I immediately jump up and start stuffing my sleeping bag into my pack as fast as can like a maniac. The rest of my stuff is already packed from the night before. I sleep in my hiking clothes. I don’t like coffee and I eat an energy bar for breakfast as I walk. Not really sure why I do this. I just did it once and thought it was really fun so now I do it all the time. So, a tent doesn’t work for me.
I’ve been backpacking for over 50 years and thoroughly enjoy sleeping “Cowboy” style at times. But on many occasions on short trips or when I did the CDT back in 1989, I’ve been very thankful for the psychological safety factor of a tent. Any night in the mountains might bring scattered rain showers and encounters with creatures of the night are rare, but on one occasion in the Gila Wilderness, those thin sheets of material were the only barrier between me and a pair of rabid foxes. They shredded part of my rainfall but it was far cheaper and less painful than receiving rabies shots if I had been “Cowboy” camping.
Agree with the author. Don’t want to be bitten or woken by bugs, or other crawly things.
Also, I’m a male over 50 (61, actually), so I’ll see the stars twice per night when I have to pee. Otherwise, I want to be asleep ;).
Kelly, you are my spirit animal. Every word of this post x1000.
A little bit of wind drives off bugs which is why I don’t pitch down low by water most of the time. Also, that’s where cold air settles. I’m looking for where there’s a gentle anti-mosquito breeze but not a blast from the valley or a storm if I can avoid it.
To see the stars, I roll back the fly or leave it off as I did in the Sierras last summer. Maybe even cowboy camp. But if there’s wind and cold when I need to preserve energy or warmth, darn right the tent is up with an appropriate ventilation hole via the door zipper. I appreciated having the fly still half on when waking up to rain in Shenandoah. Rain on a tent is a great sound!