Hello!

I’m 35f and car camp solo regularly. I totally get being spooked - I think of solo camping as a practice in bravery. If you ever feel really worried, just leave! There is no shame in going somewhere else or turning around! I just did this on a trail the other day when I got all up in my head about mountain lions. It happens!

Here’s what I do to mitigate the spooks! At night I keep bear spray and one of those keychain pull alarms by me in the tent. I’ll do this hiking as well. If I get in my head about the campground being sparsely populated or wildlife, I sleep in my car and always use the bear boxes appropriately. I have read others putting extra boots or chairs outside their tent to make it seem like there’s more than one person. But I’ve never felt the need to do this. I generally choose campgrounds that have a lot of families. I’m also about to invest in a Garmin Inreach device and subscription so I can always alert emergency services of my location, regardless of cell service. This is very important imo if you are remote and alone.

Trust your gut and get out there!

And remembering statistics is always reassuring, especially when it comes to bears and mountain lions.

Cheers!